14 players who could be steals in fantasy football

brandin cooks
Brandin Cooks is close to elite wide receiver status, but isn't drafted like one.
Jae C. Hong/AP

  • The NFL and fantasy football season is approaching.
  • We took a look at 14 players who could be steals this year.
  • These are not sleeper picks — they are players who offer the most value, who could live up to, if not exceed, where they are currently being drafted.
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

With the NFL season fast approaching, it's time to start prepping for fantasy football season.

Fantasy football is always a crap-shoot to some extent, but the idea of value plays into every draft — who is the best pick when, who is under-valued, over-valued, etc.

We took at 14 players who could become steals in 2019. These are not quite sleeper picks. Instead, these are players who offer the most value at what they're currently being drafted. They could easily live up to, if not out-perform, their current draft positions.

We used Fantasy Pros' consensus rankings and average draft positions to identify 14 players you should target if available in fantasy football.

James Conner.
Gene J. Puskar/AP

Team: Pittsburgh Steelers

Average draft position: 9th

Consensus ranking: 8th

2018 stats: 973 rushing yards, 55 catches, 497 receiving yards, 13 touchdowns

Why he could be a steal: Conner is projected as a late first-, early second-round pick. Depending on your drafting philosophy, Conner could be worth going as high as fifth. He tailed off toward the end of 2018 and the Steelers drafted a running back in the fourth round. But Conner is still running behind the same solid offensive line, and more touches should open up with Antonio Brown's departure. The floor for Conner should be pretty safe, and that could make him a better pick over players like David Johnson, Dalvin Cook, Le'Veon Bell, Joe Mixon, and Leonard Fournette, all of whom carry some risk.

Aaron Jones.
Dylan Buell/Getty

Team: Green Bay Packers

Average draft position: 30th

Consensus ranking: 29th

2018 stats: 728 rushing yards, 26 catches, 206 receiving yards, 9 touchdowns

Why he could be a steal: When Jones finally took over as the No. 1 running back over Jamaal Williams last year, he produced, racking up 705 yards from scrimmage and 8 touchdowns in 8 weeks. Jones enters camp as the lead back, with the Packers saying they want to use him more in the passing game. Jones also said he cut his body fat in the offseason. If everything holds up, Jones has RB1 potential.

Brandin Cooks.
Jae C. Hong/AP

Team: Los Angeles Rams

Average draft position: 40th

Consensus ranking: 36th

2018 stats: 80 catches, 1,204 yards, 5 touchdowns

Why he could be a steal: All Cooks does is produce 1,000-yard seasons. Last year, he had more yards than Keenan Allen, Stefon Diggs, and Amari Cooper and just 66 fewer yards than T.Y. Hilton. Cooks has to compete with more weapons than those four receivers, all of whom are ranked higher than Cooks, but that's been the case his whole career and he still produces. If Cooper Kupp is not 100% to start the season and Todd Gurley is ailing from a knee condition, Cooks could be in line for more work.

Tyler Lockett.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Team: Seattle Seahawks

Average draft position: 54th

Consensus ranking: 44th

2018 stats: 57 catches, 965 receiving yards, 10 touchdowns

Why you should reach for him: There is some concern about Lockett's touchdowns falling this year, as 10 touchdowns to 57 catches is ridiculously efficient. But with Doug Baldwin retiring, more targets are available on the Seahawks, and Lockett is set to move to the slot, potentially expanding his role. Currently going in the fifth round as WR20, Lockett should offer value if he makes a leap or maintains his overall production from last season.

Phillip Lindsay.
John Grieshop/Getty Images

Team: Denver Broncos

Average draft position: 41st

Consensus ranking: 55th

2018 stats: 1,037 rushing yards, 35 catches, 241 receiving yards, 10 touchdowns

Why he could be a steal: Lindsay is technically in a committee with Royce Freeman, but Freeman didn't stand out last year while Lindsay became one of the surprise rookies of the season. Lindsay was putting up big stats before struggling with an injury toward the end of the season — he had 80 total yards or a touchdown in 10 games last year. Even if he loses some touches to Freeman, Lindsay is better in the passing game, which could lead to higher usage when the Broncos fall behind.

Lamar Miller.
Michael Wyke/AP

Team: Houston Texans

Average draft position: 71st

Consensus ranking: 64th

2018 stats: 973 rushing yards, 25 catches, 163 yards, 6 touchdowns

Why he could be a steal: Miller isn't the most exciting pick, but it's rare to see a lead running back going in the sixth or seventh round. The Texans declined to add any running backs in the draft or free agency, but they did improve their offensive line. While D'Onta Foreman looms as a threat, he's coming off an Achilles tear and hasn't taken the job from Miller yet. Miller topped 60 yards or scored a touchdown in nine games last season, giving him a safe floor with a high ceiling in his best weeks.

Evan Engram.
Adam Hunger/AP

Team: New York Giants

Average draft position: 58th

Consensus ranking: 66th

2018 stats: 45 catches, 577 yards, 3 touchdowns

Why he could be a steal: Engram had a disappointing second season after an impressive rookie campaign, but with a top-heavy tight end crop this year, he could emerge as the best option in the second tier. The Giants' wide receiver corps has taken a beating in training camp. The Giants may have trouble moving the ball, but the targets have to go to someone, and it could be worth betting that Engram makes good on what could be a massive amount of targets early in the year.

James White.
Steve Luciano/AP

Team: New England Patriots

Average draft position: 63rd

Consensus ranking: 72nd

2018 stats: 425 rushing yards, 87 catches, 751 yards, 12 touchdowns

Why you should reach for him: White finished eighth among running backs in fantasy points last year. The Patriots offense took a hit this offseason, losing Rob Gronkowski, Josh Gordon, and Chris Hogan. White's efficiency will likely dip this year, but the workload could be high again, with Tom Brady looking to his most trusted offensive weapons. It's unusual to see a player who posted 1,200 total yards and 12 scores go in the sixth or seventh round.

Jordan Howard.
John Jones/Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Team: Philadelphia Eagles

Average draft position: 82nd

Consensus ranking: 87th

2018 stats: 935 rushing yards, 20 catches, 145 receiving yards, 9 touchdowns

Why he could be a steal: Some see Howard's value as diminishing. His role gradually decreased with the Bears last season, he was traded to the Eagles for a sixth-round pick, and he joined a crowded back-field that includes running back Miles Sanders, who the Eagles drafted in the second round. But so far in camp, Howard is taking first-team snaps, with head coach Doug Pederson saying he's been impressed with the fourth-year RB. His role will still be somewhat limited, but this is a running back who has averaged 1,123 yards and 8 touchdowns per season in three years and is now in a strong offense. This late in the draft, it's hard to do better than that.

Jared Goff.
Jae C. Hong/AP

Team: Los Angeles Rams

Average draft position: 89th

Consensus ranking: 93rd

2018 stats: 4,688 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, 12 interceptions

Why he could be a steal: Goff suddenly went cold last year after the Rams' Week 12 bye. Before that, he had thrown for 26 touchdowns and 6 interceptions and ranked fifth among QBs in fantasy points. His cold finish can't be entirely discounted, but he's now had another year in Sean McVay's system, and he'll have Cooper Kupp back this season. With the unknown surrounding Todd Gurley, Goff may have to throw more, meaning the potential for more yards and touchdowns is there.

Dede Westbrook.
Jim Cowsert/AP

Team: Jacksonville Jaguars

Average draft position: 104th

Consensus ranking: 95th

2018 stats: 66 catches, 717 yards, 5 touchdowns

Why he could be a steal: Westbrook appears to be the No. 1 receiver on a team that just spent $88 million to upgrade from Blake Bortles to Nick Foles. The opportunity will be there for him. Similar to Lamar Miller, how many No. 1 options are available this late?

Delanie Walker.
Elsa/Getty Images

Team: Tennessee Titans

Average draft position: 142nd

Consensus rank: 121st

2018 stats: 4 catches, 52 yards, 0 touchdowns (injured Week 1)

Why he could be a steal: There is risk in taking the 34-year-old Walker after he missed all of the 2018 season with a fractured ankle. But prior to the injury, Walker had four straight seasons of 800 yards or more with 3-7 touchdowns. It's not exciting, but there's no harm in taking an historically reliable fantasy player who remains one of his quarterback's favorite targets, particularly with a weak crop of tight ends.

Jimmy Garoppolo.
Ben Margot/AP

Team: San Francisco 49ers

Average draft position: 139th

Consensus ranking: 125th

2018 stats: 718 yards, 7 touchdowns, 5 interceptions (injured Week 3)

Why he could be a steal: This time last year, Garoppolo was a hot commodity. After tearing his ACL in Week 3 last year, Garoppolo is currently going as QB20. There are plenty of other viable quarterback options, but it's not hard to imagine Garoppolo putting up big numbers under Mike Shanahan with a plethora of weapons in San Francisco. Of the quarterbacks options ranked ahead and just behind Garoppolo — Kirk Cousins, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Mitch Trubisky, Tom Brady, Derek Carr, Matthew Stafford — he seems most likely to make a leap into the next tier of fantasy options.

Tyrell Williams.
Eric Risberg/AP

Team: Oakland Raiders

Average draft position: 146th

Consensus ranking: 139th

2018 stats: 41 catches, 653 yards, 5 touchdowns

Why he could be a steal: Williams is the clear-cut No. 2 receiver on the Raiders behind Antonio Brown. Brown will hog targets, but with a lack of proven receiving weapons, it's easy to imagine Williams exceeding the 65 targets he had last year when he put up viable fantasy numbers. Going from Philip Rivers to Derek Carr is a downgrade, but this late in the draft, when most picks are dart-throws, how many No. 2 receivers are still available?

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