One of the most steadfast ways to gain an early edge on your competition in fantasy football is to dive deep into league settings, scoring, and roster requirements. This advantage remains ever-present across all formats but can be amplified on some of the original platforms like CBS. 12-team host leagues utilize non-PPR scoring, roster requirements that include one quarterback, two running backs, three wide receivers, one tight end, one defense/special teams, and one kicker, and 14 total roster spots. Based on the scoring settings, a large emphasis should be placed on touchdowns at the primary skill positions as there are no points added for receptions.
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The relatively shallow benches on CBS should also influence the type of player selected throughout the draft, effectively emphasizing upside over floor since we can only carry five additional players on our teams but are able to rotate players through the bench positions throughout the season. With that in mind, here are eight sleepers to target in CBS fantasy football leagues that can vastly outperform their current ranks in the 2024 NFL season.
Jonathon Brooks, RB – Panthers (CBS Rank: RB31, 133 overall)
Workhorse running backs are a dying breed in the current state of the NFL, with many head coaches and offensive coordinators electing for a more fluid timeshare dependent on game situations. Last season while serving as the offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers, new Panthers head coach Dave Canales fed lead running back Rachaad White one of the top workloads found in the league. White ended the season with the second most carries (272), fourth highest snap rate (77.4%), seventh highest opportunity share (75.3%), ninth most targets (70), and ninth most red zone touches (46). That type of workload placed White amongst the top five at the position in weekly opportunities.
With Canales now heading the offense in Carolina, the table is set for Jonathon Brooks to see one of the top weekly workloads in the league. Brooks’ 6’0”, 216-pound frame is also built to handle a robust workload. That said, we might be forced to wait until the back half of the season for that workload to materialize considering Brooks’ status as a rookie and his torn ACL suffered in November. The Panthers must wait until Week 11 for their bye week in 2024, meaning we could be waiting until the final third of the season before Brooks is truly unleashed. Even so, the combination of power, burst, speed, frame, and situation could return top-five production at running back when fully healthy, just in time for the stretch run toward fantasy playoffs. Consider Brooks one of the top bench stashes this season.
Chase Brown, RB – Bengals (CBS Rank: RB36, 149 overall)
The 24-year-old, second-year running back from London, Ontario was utilized sparingly behind Joe Mixon during his rookie season. The team brought in Zack Moss to help make up for the departure of Mixon this offseason. Moss is a straight-ahead, power back who largely lacks burst in the open field but is praised for his abilities in pass protection, making it an interesting backfield pairing considering Chase Brown is about as opposite as they come. Brown struggled in pass protection during his rookie season but held a robust 9.1% breakaway run rate, which would have ranked second in the league behind only De’'Von Achane if Brown had enough carries to qualify. Brown’s 4.43 40-yard dash speed ranks in the top 10% of backs to play at over 210 pounds and his .91 fantasy points per opportunity ranked 12th in the league a season ago.
Summing up the previous notes, Brown is dangerous with the ball in his hands and plays on an offense expected to end the coming season in the top 10 for total points scored. Furthermore, his previous shortcomings are aspects of his game that can be taught and improved upon through coaching. A running back with his size and frame should more than hold his own in pass protection, which would allow Brown to see the field at a higher rate. Finally, Brown has reportedly been handling the bulk of the first team reps through the first week of camp. His current rank is not as much of a bargain as the previously mentioned running back, but Brown can return fruitful fantasy production at his depressed price on CBS.
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