By TheGrandSalami
It’s every fantasy football drafter’s nightmare; in his quest to bulk up on one position, he has let all the big names elude him at another. Luckily for him, correctly indentifying this year’s Ryan Grant or Derek Anderson can solve this problem. So here you go: A host of sleepers at every position. The number in parentheses is that player’s fantasy rank on ESPN.
Running Backs:
Selvin Young, Broncos (78): The Denver O-Line has turned the likes of Mike Anderson and Olandis Gary into 1000 yard rushers. Look for Young to be next member of this club, since Travis Henry is gone and Ryan Torain, another Broncos RB, is injured.
Rashard Mendelhall, Steelers (98): Mendelhall was fantastic for the Illini and the fact that the Steelers took him in the first round shows that they do not trust Willie Parker. Mendelhall won’t be the feature back unless Parker gets hurt again, but he should get plenty of carries within the 20s and could easily become a viable fantasy RB.
Ricky Williams, Dolphins (152): Ricky has wowed the Dolphins in the training camp, as he appears to be showing flashes of the Ricky Williams of old. With Ronnie Brown fragile after his torn ACL last year, Ricky should see some carries. It’s very possible the 31 year old will make the most of his opportunity, as long as he stays clean.
Shaun Alexander, Free Agent (163): Alexander is also 31 and was injured last year. It is very probable that he will get a job this year, with the Broncos, Bengals, and Saints all showing interest. All of these spots would be great for Alexander. He won’t be the Shaun Alexander who won the MVP in 2005, but he can still be an excellent rusher with great speed and superb goal line abilities.
Kolby Smith, Chiefs (174): Smith is the definite backup to Larry Johnson in Kansas City. Both ended up injured last season, but as of now they are both happy. Johnson could very easily stay healthy, but with all the beating he is going to be taking he is probably one of the most vulnerable running backs in the NFL. If he goes down, Smith is put into a great situation for fantasy owners: A run happy offense with no other back but him. He was pretty good in his debut last season and hopes to get another shot this year.
Tim Hightower, Cardinals (364): The Cardinals drafted this back in the fifth round and he has risen quickly to become Edgerrin James’s backup. Edge is getting older and if he falls to an injury, Hightower will have a chance to shine.
Quarterbacks:
David Garrard, Jaguars (96): Garrard was just learning his offense last year, so he had less than remarkable stats. He was, however, the model of consistency, throwing for at least 150 passing yards in all but one of his starts. With Byron Leftwitch out of the way, Garrard should have an excellent season, posting good stats not only in the passing column (helped by new addition Jerry Porter) but in the rushing column as well (he had 185 rush yards in 12 games last year).
Aaron Rodgers , Packers (117): Everyone’s been talking about Brett, but the new kid in town is poised for a breakout. The Packers have an incredibly deep receiving corps with great hands and speed. If Rodgers can get his receivers the ball, they can turn minimal gains into long completions. If the prospect of high YAC wasn’t enough, there’s also the Green Bay defense; it is in top form and should give Rodgers many chances with the ball. He seems very capable of becoming this year’s Matt Schaub.
Vince Young, Titans (141): Young had a horrible season last year, but things are looking up. His receivers are maturing and Alge Crumpler will give him another target. Young is still learning how to work the NFL, but his latent potential cannot be ignored. If Young can put together a nice string of good games, he can boost his confidence and post spectacular numbers for a whole season.
JaMarcus Russell, Raiders (147): The Oakland offense is vastly improved and a pair of new arrivals should help the growth of this young talent. There are no more quarterback controversies in Raider nation, and this will bring confidence to Russell, the number 1 pick in the draft just two years ago. If Russell can make a living off of dump-offs to Darren McFadden and bombs to Javon Walker, he can post up significant fantasy numbers.
Wide Receivers:
Nate Burleson, Seahawks (131): There’s going to be a new top dog in the Seattle offense this year. DJ Hackett and Marcus Pollard, two threats from last year, are gone. Meanwhile, Bobby Engram and Deion Branch will both start the season on the IR. The door is left wide open for Burleson, Seattle’s high-flying return man. Burleson was impressive when he got the ball last year, averaging almost 14 yards per catch. With a steady job this year, look for Burleson to become Matt Hasslebeck’s favorite target and have a big season.
Sidney Rice, Vikings (136): Rice, the man drafted with the Vikings next pick after Adrian Peterson, has a lot of potential. He had decent season in Minnesota’s run heavy offense last year and emerged as their best receiver. With Bernard Berrian brought in to be the number 1 receiver, Rice should see most playing time as the Vikes number 2 receiver. With the defense softened up by Peterson and the offense kept off the field by Minnesota’s superb D, bank on Tavaris Jackson looking Rice’s way much more than he did last year. If the second year receiver can emerge as a solid player, you can bet on decent fantasy numbers out of him.
Jabar Gaffney, Patriots (154): There’s no doubt that Tom Brady likes to spread the ball around. During his tenure with the Patties, he’s turned the likes of Ben Watson, David Patten, and Kevin Faulk into excellent pass catchers. With Donte Stallworth history in New England, the veteran Gaffney will be the number 3 wideout. Yes, Moss and Welker are still Tom’s favorite targets, but don’t count out Gaffney, who could easily go over 800 yards and 6 TDs this season if he can absorb even half of Stallworth’s production from last year. He might see some challenge from young gun Chad Jackson, but Gaffney holds a huge experience advantage that should win him the job.
Justin Gage, Titans (187): Gage is in a similar situation to the aforementioned Sidney Rice. He had an excellent season last year, but the team’s addition of Alge Crumpler could limit him. Nonetheless, as Vince Young gets better, so will his receivers. Gage, who could get the most looks in Young’s West Coast style offense, could be poised for a long awaited breakout if he can get open and use his steady hands to bring in catch after catch. Thus, Gage is an especially good sleeper in a PPR league.
Steve Smith, Giants (211): Smith was part of the ragtag group of heroes that helped the Giants on their incredible run last year. In last year’s playoffs, he had 14 catches for 152 yards. This year, he enters as the number 3 receiver for the G-Men. Amani Toomer is old and frail, and with Jeremy Shockey gone, Smith could become the number 2 receiver for Big Blue very early in the season. If he can do that, look for good production out of this young talent.
DeSean Jackson, Eagles (231): Donovan McNabb is still looking for his favorite receiver. Even when the Eagles were Superbowl contenders, McNabb still couldn’t find a receiver who he could work with (sorry, TO). This year, the question is up in the air again. Reggie Brown? Kevin Curtis? But neither of these receivers are the one for Donovan. Brown is hurt again this year and Curtis is wildly inconsistent. Look for McNabb to target Jackson, who could’ve been a first round pick if not for his bad attitude, more than several other Eagles wideouts this season.
Tight Ends:
Alge Crumpler, Titans (99): Michael Vick wasn’t the only one to suffer from Dogfightgate. Crumpler, Vick’s favorite receiver, was similarly hampered in 2007. Look for him to bounce back this year in the fresh Titans offense. As with Justin Gage, Crumpler can succeed by catching Vince Young’s dinky little passes and blasting his way through the defense. In addition, he instantly becomes the go to guy in the red zone. I would not be surprised if he exceeds his 8 touchdowns from two years ago.
Ben Utecht, Bengals (144): With Dallas the go to guy in Indy, Utecht was forced to toil in the number 2 tight end slot for three long years. Now, he is in Cincy, and his talent should finally be recognized. Even in a backup role last year, he had over 350 receiving yards. Think about how much that can increase with Utecht starting in the Bengals’ pass happy offense. In short, look for Utecht to emerge as a strong target if Carson Palmer wants to throw to someone besides Ocho Cinco or Housh.
Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars (205): David Garrard likes to pass the ball to his big tight end in a pinch, and although we can’t expect huge numbers from Lewis, he could very well be a solid TE2 this year. He had a big game against New England in the playoffs, and look for several big fantasy performances from Lewis this season. Sure, he won’t be great all the time, but when he is thrown the ball a lot it’s not out of the question to see several 10+ point games.
Dustin Keller, Jets (210): Mark Chmura. Bubba Franks. Donald Lee. These men are among those who have thrived as tight ends playing with Brett Favre. Number 4 loves his big targets, and Keller, who has drawn comparisons to Dallas Clark, could very well be the next Favre stud. Yes, the Jets are crowded at tight end, with Chris Baker and the aforementioned Franks challenging Keller for playing time. But the fact that the Jets moved up to draft Keller makes me think that he’ll get the ball a lot and become one of Brett’s favorite targets in the Big Apple.
Anthony Fasano, Dolphins (227): Chad Pennington isn’t strong, but he’s incredibly accurate. In the West Coast game he favors, any tight end that can catch the ball should benefit. Fasano was drafted by Bill Parcells when he was in Dallas, and now that Tuna is in Miami, look for Fasano to become the everyday tight end and get decent numbers, considering the unknown state of the Dolphins’ receiving corps.
Defenses:
D/ST, Eagles (168): The Eagles defense has always been the type to bend but not break. Last year, it began to show cracks all over, with less than impressive turnover counts and higher opposing scores. This year, the combination of the blitz-happy D-Line and the newly bolstered secondary makes this defense an excellent sleeper choice. Asante Samuel joins Lito Sheppard and Brian Dawkins in what could become one of the best secondaries in all of football. Add in the potential of new return man DeSean Jackson, and you’ve got yourself a DST to be reckoned with.
D/ST, Bills (257): The Bills already had a nucleus to build a defense around before this year; standouts like Terrence McGee looked very promising. This year, the Bills have improved every facet of their defense and they could be a low end number 1 defense in a deep league. Marcus Stroud and Spencer Johnson are new additions to a solid line, and Kawika Mitchell and Paul Posluszny (who missed most of last year with a broken arm) bolster the linebackers. First rounder Leodis McKelvin is not just a promising cornerback but has already shown that he is a dangerous return man. Overall, this DST has talent everywhere and cannot be ignored.
D/ST, Jets (273): Gang Green’s anemic run defense has been upgraded significantly this year. Kris Jenkins takes over at tackle and Calvin Pace and Vernon Gholston should be fantastic additions to the 3-4 scheme. They join standouts like David Harris and Kerry Rhodes in an up-and-coming defense that should surprise some people in 2008. Throw in an excellent special teams led by return man Leon Washington, and you’ve got yourself a definite fantasy sleeper DST.
D/ST, Raiders (355): The Raiders defense was very poor last year, but things are looking up. The Raiders have strengthened their secondary by adding standout DeAngelo Hall and the solid Gibril Wilson. Add in Nnamdi Asomugha and you have yourself a very skilled secondary. The piss-easy schedule is a factor too. The Raiders get the Chiefs twice, the Dolphins, the Ravens, the Bucs, and the Falcons. In all these games, look for the Raiders DST to be a very strong choice.