Fantasy football is about a whole lot more than your first overall pick or your first five picks or, heck, even your first 10 picks.All are important, but its the entirety of your player acquisitions that matters. This includes every draft-day selection as well as?in-season pickups. Your homework isnt done with your starting lineup. It extends until your final pick of the draft and then into each weekly waiver period.Productive contributors appear in-season all the time, often from the least expected places. Kirk Cousins, drafted in only 6.7 percent of leagues last season, scored the second-most fantasy points (107) during the ESPN playoffs (Week 14-17) and the eighth-most for the season. Jeremy Langford, selected in 5.2 percent, managed 93 fantasy points in the eight games after his emergence in Week 9, and Thomas Rawls, selected in 0.3 percent, tallied 106 points in the seven games he started. Allen Hurns, selected in 4.7 percent, finished 14th among wide receivers in fantasy points (155).Unearthing these contributors -- these deep sleepers, if you will -- is crucial to your teams success, whether its at the draft table or in Week 9. Your mission as a fantasy owner is to get to these players first, whether its with a draft-day pick or, more likely, by composing a watch list of deeper sleepers so that youll be prepared to add them in-season in the event that they fall into favorable on-field circumstances.What follows below is my list of 12 deep sleepers for 2016, players who by all rights might not -- and perhaps should not -- be drafted in an ESPN standard league. Thats the very definition of a sleeper: value coming from the least expected place (mid-round picks elevating themselves to superstar levels are breakouts, in my book).Whether youre in an extremely deep league and need names to tuck away for the final rounds, have drafted a rock-solid starting lineup and can afford to speculate with your 14th-round standard-league pick (always save rounds 15-16 for defense and kicker) or have identified a draft-day roster weakness and need some names for an in-season watch list for early-season pickups, this list is for you.To be clear, these are sleepers, which means you wont find Dak Prescott, Christine Michael, Tajae Sharpe or Clive Walford included. All are potential values, but all of them have been more prominently discussed of late. This list takes things a step deeper than them; bear in mind that means a greater likelihood of player failure (hello, Bryce Brown from the 2015 list!).The repeats: From the 2015 list, KaDeem Carey, Virgil Green and Zach Zenner fit the well, maybe I was just a year early repeat-candidate list. In the interest of expanding the sleeper pool, Ill let you flip back to last years list if you wish to read more about their specific skill sets.Trey Burton?|?TE |?Philadelphia EaglesA quarterback-turned-wide receiver-turned-tight end, Burton might lack the size of your prototypical tight end (hes 6-foot-3, 235 pounds), but he brings the kind of athleticism that might make him an ideal choice for a sizable snap-count boost, should Doug Pedersons Eagles decide to roll out a healthy number of two-tight end sets.A former special-teams player, Burton generated some positive buzz throughout training camp and even snuck in some first-team work during the third preseason game on Saturday. Just 24, hes more of a dynasty-league speculative pick than a redraft commodity, but on a team such as the Eagles, who finished fourth and seventh in tight end targets the past two seasons (working backward), Burton could quickly move into relevance.Jeff Driskel?|?QB |?San Francisco 49ersThis years quarterback sleepers are not starters and begin with Driskel, a player Id be rather surprised to see sit on the bench for all 16 games. The No. 207 overall pick in the draft, Driskel has good arm strength and mobility, but more importantly, as a quarterback experienced with zone reads from his college days, he should make a quicker-than-average adjustment to Chip Kellys scheme in San Francisco.In short, his statistical floor might be greater than that of your typical rookie quarterbacks -- at least among those not deemed franchise-caliber right out of the gate. Now consider the 49ers depth chart: Driskel is third behind?Blaine Gabbert, a checkdown specialist, and Colin Kaepernick, who is in severe danger of not making the team.Tyler Ervin?|?RB?|?Houston TexansTheres so much buzz surrounding Lamar Miller in Houston this season that few people are thinking about his backups, but if youve been following the preseason trends, it appears that Ervin has a leg up on Alfred Blue to serve as Millers initial caddy.A versatile yet smallish back, Ervin has explosive speed that could serve the Texans in a variety of facets, including returns, slot receiver snaps and perhaps a handful of carries in the event that Miller needs a breather. Keep that in mind if your league is PPR and/or awards for return yardage, as Ervin could make an immediate impact in those formats, and if youre in a league with extensive benches, hes a worthy final-round insurance policy for Miller.Tyler Gaffney?|?RB?|?New England PatriotsGaffney graded extraordinarily well at the 2014 combine, and the Patriots suavely scooped him off waivers when the Carolina Panthers attempted to stash him on injured reserve in July 2014. Now fully recovered from the injuries that cost him each of the past two seasons, Gaffney is part of the wide-open mix in the Patriots backfield, as the team seeks to fill the void left by Dion Lewis knee surgery.Bill Belichicks plans are as difficult to decipher -- and arguably much, much more so -- as any coachs, but hes quick to cling to the hot hand, which could reveal itself at any moment. Gaffney shared first-team reps in Fridays preseason game and has averaged 4.5 yards per carry through three August contests, so he might be closer to a prominent role than youd think.Tyler Higbee?|?TE?|?Los Angeles RamsRookie tight ends are typically risky investments -- only six have scored as many as 70 fantasy points in a season this century -- and that makes Higbee a poor redraft-league draft pick, but in dynasty leagues, hes a worthy stash, and its conceivable that he could be a second-half contributor.A converted wide receiver, Higbee possesses an attractive combination of size (6-foot-4, 243 pounds) and good hands, which gives him rare Year 1 touchdown upside at the position. Off-the-field concerns had a lot to do with his late selection in the draft, but he has opened eyes in camp and could quickly emerge in a starting role.TJ Jones?|?WR?|?Detroit LionsAlthough the offseason signings of Marvin Jones and Anquan Boldin pushed him down the depth chart, Jones role in the Lions offense bears watching in the seasons early weeks. Jones, who missed the entire 2014 season because of nerve damage, concluded 2015 with a 16-fantasy-points-on-15-targets run in his final five games, then caught coaches attention with a strong OTA performance with the first-team offense.With the Lions moving to a more up-tempo offense in 2016, there will be more snaps to go around, and a 35-year-old Boldin might require some rest, which could free up slot receiver snaps for Jones. In the event of an injury, Jones could get 35-40 snaps per game in a potential 650-attempt passing game.AJ McCarron?|?QB |?Cincinnati BengalsArm strength might not be McCarrons strong suit, but hes an accurate passer who got valuable experience in a four-start stretch to conclude 2015 that included a playoff start against the Pittsburgh Steelers.His 39 fantasy points during the three games in the regular season wont wow you, but McCarron had his moments. He was remarkably effective in the Week 16 game against the stingy Denver Broncos defense, for instance. With Andy Dalton now healthy, McCarron wont be fantasy-relevant initially, but hed be one of the more attractive backups if pressed into starting duty once again.J.J. Nelson?|?WR?|?Arizona CardinalsHes quick, to say the least. Among receivers with at least 10 catches last season, Nelson averaged by far the greatest average depth