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Dynasty Rookie Sleepers for 2024

Sleeper Picks for your Dynasty Rookie Draft

You know Round 4 and 5 picks in your rookie draft aren't likely to become fantasy stars ...

... but some do.

(Ask the Puka Nacua drafter in your league.)

I'm not gonna call any of these guys the next Puka. But our staff did put together a list of upside picks to consider in those final rounds -- no matter your format.

Tyrone Tracy, RB, New York Giants

3D+ Value (based on 1-QB format): 23.5
Rookie ADP: 40th overall (RB11)

Jared and Kevin both highlighted this guy as a sleeper in our Rookie Guide, and he’s kind of a wacky prospect.

Tracy enters the league off a six-year college career that included four at Iowa and two at Purdue. Nearly all of that, though, found him playing WR. Tracy collected just 33 total carries vs. 94 receptions before last season.

That final campaign, however, found Tracy truly becoming a RB. 

He ranked second among Boilermakers in carries (113) but lapped his teammates in yards per rush (6.3 vs. 4.7 for the next-best Purdue runner). Tracy’s 23.1% explosive-run rate led the class, according to Pro Football Focus. And then he supported that with a 98th-percentile Relative Athletic Score from Combine testing.

Tracy Gets Situation Boost

Landing with the Giants in Round 5 gives Tracy room to earn work as soon as he proves ready.

Devin Singletary signed a three-year deal early in free agency that averages $5.5 million a year and includes $9.5 million guaranteed. But he has never been a backfield dominator.

Second-year RB Eric Gray reportedly got the first shot at passing-down work in OTAs. But he’s also a mere fifth-rounder who tallied just 23 total touches as a rookie.

Neither comes close to Tracy in speed:

• Tyrone Tracy 40 time: 4.48 seconds
• Eric Gray 40 time: 4.62 seconds
• Devin Singletary 40 time: 4.66 seconds

Rasheen Ali, RB, Baltimore Ravens

3D+ Value: 13.0
Rookie ADP: 51st overall (RB16)

It’s actually pretty remarkable that Ali even got drafted.

According to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, Ali quit high school football as a freshman to focus on boxing and didn’t return until his senior year – when he played just six games. That meant little recruiting attention. And Ali’s admittedly lax academics led to him needing a year at Marshall before he was eligible to play.

Year 2 got shortened by COVID, including just five games and five carries for Ali. But he broke out for 1,743 scrimmage yards in 2021, earning first-team all-conference honors and leading FBS with 23 rushing scores.

Ali then lost all but three games of the following year to a knee injury. But he bounced back for 1,348 more scrimmage yards and 16 total TDs in 2023.

Relative Unknown in Upside Situation

A biceps injury at the Senior Bowl kept Ali from working out pre-draft. So we don’t know exactly how his speed and other measures match up with the rest of the class. But the Ravens still drafted him in Round 5 – one spot ahead of Tyrone Tracy.

That lands Ali and his 75 college receptions (in just 34 games) in a backfield with:

• 30-year-old Derrick Henry
• 179-pound Keaton Mitchell coming off a December ACL tear
• And Justice Hill, a similarly built RB with five years of limited NFL production.

Blake Watson, RB, Denver Broncos

3D+ Value: -1.0
Rookie ADP: 64th overall (RB18)

Like Tracy, Watson reached college as a WR. But he transitioned to RB in just his second season.

From there, Watson increased his yards per carry every year:

That final rate came at Memphis, where Watson transferred after spending his first five years at Old Dominion. (2020 season canceled there by COVID.)

Watson’s receiving background showed through with 90 receptions over his final two seasons and 8.2 yards per catch for his career.

He supported the production with strong workout numbers ahead of the draft.

Decent Landing Despite Going Undrafted

Watson went undrafted, which should limit your excitement – and his draft price. But landing in Denver places him in a fairly unsettled backfield.

Javonte Williams led the group in 2023 despite coming off a particularly troublesome knee injury. His efficiency should improve for 2024, but Williams remains more promise than proven production heading into his fourth season.

As for the rest of the backfield:

• Samaje Perine heads into his age-29 season, has always been a limited talent, and might not be a lock for the 2024 roster.
• Jaleel McLaughlin enjoyed a flashy rookie year but will always see his workload limited by his 5’7, 187-pound frame.
• Audric Estime arrived in Round 5 and rates well as a rushing prospect. He appears to sport limited receiving ability, though.

HC Sean Payton has called Watson a potential fit for the “Joker” role in his offense and talked up the rookie’s receiving potential.

Jacob Cowing, WR, San Francisco 49ers

3D+ Value: 27.5
Rookie ADP: 52nd overall (WR22)

Consider this a vote for chasing talent over situation.

Cowing enjoyed an interesting college career that saw him spend three years as a downfield threat at UTEP. Cowing averaged 18.4 yards per catch on 141 receptions, with average target depths of 14.8 yards or deeper every season. Even with that profile, though, he drew 31.5% target shares each of his final two UTEP campaigns.

Cowing then transferred to Arizona and worked much shorter. But he immediately led the receiving corps, tallying 175 receptions on target shares of 26.5% and 25.9%.

Good/Bad NFL Landing Spot

Cowing’s fourth-round selection by the 49ers puts the wideout in a proven-strong offensive scheme … but also a crowded WR room. In addition to the incumbents, San Francisco drafted WR Ricky Pearsall in Round 1 – and later re-signed WR Jauan Jennings.

Cowing’s versatile skill set and 4.38-second speed will make it easier for him to be a candidate for varied opportunities. But it’s impossible to predict his path to playing time at the moment.

Erick All, TE, Cincinnati Begals

3D+ Value: 29.9
Rookie ADP: 46th overall (TE5)

The Bengals of the Joe Burrow Era have pumped life into TE corpses.

• 2023: Tied for 11th in total TE receptions with 29-year-old Tanner Hudson (39) leading the way.
• 2022: Helped Hayden Hurst rank 18th in PPR points per game with his second-best scoring average, and tricked the Panthers into overpaying him.
• 2021: Coaxed a 49-493-5 receiving line out of C.J. Uzomah … and tricked the Jets into overpaying him the following March.
• 2020: Completed 40 passes to second-year Drew Sample, who has 35 total catches in the three years since.

All’s Draft Position Might Signal More Than You Think

Getting drafted in Round 4 doesn’t usually count as a mark in a player’s favor. But consider All’s path to that selection …

His final two college seasons each ended with serious injuries:

• 2022: All missed the final 11 games with a back injury that required spinal surgery.
• 2023: A right ACL tear cost him the final seven games and kept All out of pre-draft testing.

Cincinnati still saw enough to make him the sixth TE drafted. And All went within 14 picks of Ja’Tavion Sanders and Theo Johnson.

What Did They See?

All increased his slot usage through college, finishing with a career-high 56.2% slot rate in his lone Iowa season, according to PFF.

His 2.62 yards per route before the ACL tear tied for third among 136 FBS tight ends who drew at least 20 targets.

All brings good enough size – 51st-percentile height, 49th-percentile weight – and lands in a good spot to be patient with his development.

Dynasty Superflex Rookie Sleeper: Jordan Travis, QB, New York Jets

Superflex Rookie ADP: 45th overall (QB8)

Late-round, upside QBs can dramatically improve your superflex dynasty roster if they hit. That makes it worth taking some dart throws. Like Travis.

He spent most of the past four years starting for Florida State, leaving school with FSU records for total ofense (10,665 yards) and total TDs (99).

The past three seasons found Travis throwing 59 TD passes vs. just 13 INTs. And he averaged 4.7 yards per carry for his career (even with sack yardage subtracted) while rushing for 31 scores.

Solid Landing Spot with Opportunity (Soon)

A nasty left ankle injury cut his final season short but didn’t stop Travis from going in Round 5. (Perhaps it kept him from going earlier?)

He lands with a Jets offense that’s likely to align him third on the depth chart – at best. But that puts Travis behind …

• 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers (off an Achilles’ tear)
• 35-year-old (come August) Tyrod Taylor

Rodgers will clearly start for as long as he’s healthy and the Jets keep him. Taylor is a backup. And these Jets are trying to win now (see: Rodgers moves, Mike Williams signing). So they sure hope to not be in position to draft a QB early in 2025.

Dynasty IDP Rookie Sleeper: Cedric Gray, LB, Tennessee Titans

You can read about four other non-edge LB prospects among my top IDP rookies. But keep this guy in mind late in your rookie draft (and perhaps even on waivers after).

Gray came off the board early in Round 4, just eight slots behind Steelers LB Payton Wilson. That followed nice college production and solid testing.

Gray Delivers as Three-Year Starter

The LB started 37 of a possible 39 games over the past three seasons, leading UNC in tackles each year. He also racked up 30 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 18 passes defensed and 5 INTs over that span.

Gray earned first-team All-ACC honors for each of his final two campaigns. Then he delivered above-average performances in the Combine speed and jump testing.

Shaky Competition in Tennessee

The Titans let top LB Azeez Al-Shaair walk for a big free-agent contract in Houston this offseason. In his place, they imported Kenneth Murray to work next to incumbent Jack Gibbens.

Murray got $15.5 million on a two-year deal, with nearly half of that guaranteed. So he’s clearly expected to lead the position. But he’s also not currently in his fifth year with the Chargers because they declined the option on the former first-round pick.

Murray has reached 90% snap share in just two of his four seasons. Gibbens has played 63% and 66% in his two years with the Titans.

How to Find Sleepers in EVERY Draft

Most dynasty rankings are based on feelings. Ours are based on data.

Check out this short video to learn about the 3D Value system that drives our rankings and tools. And then sync your league to make the system work for you.

Matt Schauf, Editor

Matt has earned two Fantasy Pros accuracy awards for IDP rankings and won thousands of dollars as a player across best ball, dynasty, and high-stakes fantasy formats. He has been creating fantasy football content for more than 20 years, with work featured by Sporting News, Rotoworld, Athlon, Sirius XM, and others. He's been with Draft Sharks since 2011.