Fantasy football: 5 late-round sleepers you’ll want to target in 2018
By Peter Panacy
No. 5: Quarterback Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings
In terms of name alone, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins isn’t a sleeper. After all, he’s now the second-highest paid quarterback in the NFL behind the Atlanta Falcons’ Matt Ryan.
But in terms of fantasy, Cousins is your sleeper.
Cousins’ average draft position (ADP) is at 7.04 (seventh round, fourth pick), per Fantasy Football Calculator in a 12-team format, which is tied for eighth with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Garoppolo has received all the hype this offseason. But Cousins could end up being the better bargain. Coming off something of a down year in 2017 — in which he threw the fewest total yards since becoming a starter (4,093) and had a career-high 13 interceptions — Cousins going to Minnesota should be a fantasy football coup.
The Washington Redskins’ receiving corps was pretty banged up last year. That hurt Cousins’ production a bit. But now boasting tight end Kyle Rudolph and wide receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs help matters a lot. So does a healthy return of running back Dalvin Cook to balance out the offense.
Head coach Mike Zimmer’s offense turned former Vikings quarterback Case Keenum, previously a perennial backup, into a household name last year.
Cousins should reap the rewards nicely as a result in 2018.