Can a team be a “surprise” if you think that they might be a “surprise”? Technically, no. If you’re picking a team as a sleeper, then by definition they almost cancel themselves out of contention.
That being said, there are teams that we expect to do well, teams that we expect to do poorly, and a few franchises that most of us don’t know what to do with. Take the Dallas Cowboys as an example.
The Cowboys are coming off of a 6-10 season, but they also lost quarterback Dak Prescott in Week 5. Dallas gets Prescott back under center, and he’ll be surrounded by elite talent at running back, wide receiver, and at multiple positions along the offensive line, but that same formula only got the Cowboys to an 8-8 record in 2019.