To win in fantasy, you absolutely need to hit on your top draft choices, regardless of whether you play in a redraft league, or whether you play in an auction-style league. But to go all the way you’ve got to hit on a value selection or two, whether that comes in the form of a sleeper pick or a savvy waiver-wire addition. Since we can’t talk waiver wires yet, we’ll focus on those sleepers— Bears sleepers in particular— so you can win games while rooting for your favorite players at the same time. Remember, the key to making these picks work for you is making them at the right time. While selecting a player from your favorite team is fun and exciting, selecting them two rounds ahead of their ADP is not a great way to set your team up for success.
COLE KMET
Current ADP: 135.5
NBC Sports EDGE+ rank: TE22
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NBC Sports EDGE+ currently lists Kmet as the TE22, largely due to Jimmy Graham’s presence in the Bears’ offense. But, Kmet’s snap counts and target share skyrocketed towards the end of his rookie season, and by all accounts the Bears want to use him in the offense more this year. If you’re fading the tight end position and are looking for an upside play, or if you’re looking for a second TE so you don’t have to waste a waiver claim in case of emergency, Kmet could be your guy.
DAMIEN WILLIAMS
Current ADP: Undrafted
NBC Sports EDGE+ rank: RB53
With Tarik Cohen still not practicing as he recovers from his ACL injury, Williams could carve out a role as a pass-catching back in Matt Nagy’s offense. Williams opted out of last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the last we saw him, he was tearing it up in the Super Bowl, practically willing the Chiefs to victory in the fourth quarter. There’s no doubt Nagy has watched that tape, a lot, and has ideas for how to employ Williams as a complementary back in his offense. If you play in a PPR league, Williams could be even more valuable.
NFL
JUSTIN FIELDS
Current ADP: 126.2
NBC Sports EDGE+ rank: QB27
Fields has done pretty much everything the Bears have asked of him this summer, and he’s looked good doing it too. If the offense struggles early on, there’s a chance he could replace Andy Dalton as the team’s starter earlier than expected. From there, his ceiling is worth a late-round flier. Of course, if you do target Fields, be sure to grab another reliable late-round QB like Ryan Tannehill, Matt Stafford or Matt Ryan.
MARQUISE GOODWIN
Current ADP: Undrafted
NBC Sports EDGE+ rank: Unranked
Goodwin is a sleeper in the truest sense of the term, considering he’s going completely undrafted per Yahoo’s mock draft lobbies, and is unranked in NBC Sports EDGE+’s positional tiers. There are definitely injury concerns, since he’s missed 12 games over the past two seasons he’s played. But questions about rust since he opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns seem to have been answered. Goodwin has consistently looked like the fastest man on the field at training camp (yes, I know it’s guys playing in shorts, but still), and it should be no surprise given his Olympic pedigree. He’s absolutely worth a flier in the double-digit rounds, because if he can stay healthy he could make a huge impact as a scoring threat for the Bears.