Fantasy Football: One Deep Sleeper Candidate From Every NFL Team

Bucky Hodges, TE, Minnesota Vikings

There aren't many human beings with the athleticism that Bucky Hodges possesses, which made his slide to the sixth round of the NFL Draft somewhat surprising. Despite running a 4.57 at 6'6", 257 pounds and jumping an astounding 39 inches, his stock fell during the process.

Hodges is far from a typical player at the tight end position, and he was deployed almost exclusively out wide at Virginia Tech, where he could out jump smaller corners or outrun slower linebackers. His hands were certainly inconsistent, but his catch radius was impressive when he was able to hang onto the ball. And while you rarely saw the toughness necessary for him to play in the trenches or over the middle, it's hard to ignore his ability as a mismatch player, particularly in the red zone.

Throughout his college career, Hodges amassed 133 receptions for 1,747 yards and 20 touchdowns, but he never really experienced the true breakout year many anticipated.

Kyle Rudolph is currently entrenched as the starter following his career-best season, and he signed a five-year extension in 2014, so playing time could be hard to come by for Hodges early on. Rudolph led the team in targets with 132, providing an effective check down option for the king of checkdowns, Sam Bradford. Certainly there is every indication that the team is confident in Rudolph as their starter.

But if Hodges demonstrates considerable growth in his consistency and physicality, the team will have the option to move on from Rudolph's expensive contract starting in 2018. Hodges isn’t a player worth rostering at this point in his career, but he should be firmly on the watch list for those in deeper dynasty format due to his rare athletic traits for the position.