Fantasy Football: 8 Sleeper Wide Receivers to Target in 2017

Taylor Gabriel, Atlanta Falcons

Here's a trivia question for you. Among all wide receivers who saw at least 50 targets in 2016, which player had the best Reception NEP per target?

It wasn't Julio Jones, or Mike Evans, or Jordy Nelson. It was none other than Jones' Falcons teammate: Taylor Gabriel.

The league-average Reception NEP per target in 2016 was 0.66 -- Gabriel's was 1.03. That's a stunning level of efficiency. Granted, Gabriel saw just 50 targets last season, but he made them all count. And despite his low volume of targets, he still managed to be a top-24 scorer among wide receivers on four different occasions last year.

The main reasons for concern with Gabriel are two-fold. One, he'll have to compete with Jones, Mohamed Sanu, Austin Hooper and the Falcons' pair of star running backs for touches. Two, the Falcons' offense is due for a regression after a huge year in 2016.

As a hyper-efficient deep threat, it's obvious that Gabriel is an important piece for Atlanta as a real-life football player. If you're willing to roll the dice on a boom-or-bust player with a friendly double-digit round price tag, he could be a key piece of your fantasy team, too. —Abe Schwadron