Sample sleepers (2013)
Fantasy Football Sleepers
August 23,
2013
~~Quarterbacks~~
Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears – Marc Trestman, a passing guru, has reworked the offense and the
line to play right into Cutler’s skills. They think they can harness his
untapped talent by this method and we think it’s possible. "I think he's
doing an excellent job," Trestman said. "I
think he's practicing very efficiently. He's throwing the ball away and there's
nothing wrong with that with the defense that we have, finishing his
progressions." Could make for a decent QB2 in deeper
leagues.
Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins – Tannehill was overlooked by many last season during his rookie campaign. He is athletic, possesses a strong arm and can throw on the run. Tannehill will benefit from the addition of Mike Wallace at WR but needs to improve his accuracy and get rid of the ball more quickly.
~~Running Backs~~
Montee Ball, Denver Broncos – Ball has the
best skill set (power, vision, quickness) to start in this Ball-Hillman-Moreno
committee but he needs more work on pass protection that will limit his touches
initially. He has shown better pass-catching hands than the scouting reports
showed though. This will be Ball’s first year playing in a zone-blocking
scheme, but Hillman’s cutting ability is perfect
for this offense. If Hillman proves he can be an every down back (iffy), he
will be a sleeper.
Giovanni Bernard, Cincinnati Bengals – Bernard
will open the season splitting time with BenJarvus
Green-Ellis but don’t be surprised if he gets more touches as the season
progresses. "He's got great feet," OC Jay Gruden
said. "He'll bounce around; make a lot of people miss. If he gets in the
open field, he's dangerous." Bernard has also been pass-blocking well.
"He's picked up the system pretty well. He's picked up the protections
very well." A true sleeper.
Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers – Lacy
should have no problem surpassing possible third down back DuJuan Harris for the most touches in
this backfield. He runs with power, toughness and surprising quickness. He also
has done well in the all-important pass protection. That will guarantee he
stays on the field. "He looked a lot like he did at Alabama," GM Ted
Thompson said. "Very decisive runner. He's
strong, he's powerful, he's big. He puts a lot of
pressure on a defense because if he gets on the edge he's pretty difficult to
handle." Another true sleeper.
Shane Vereen, New England Patriots – Injuries have limited Vereen’s production in the pros as he missed almost his entire rookie season and the first three games of the 2012 campaign. He opened some eyes late last season when he scored three touchdowns in the playoffs. He has good hands and great speed. He could easily rush for about 500-600 yards this year and catch another 50 to 60 balls out of the backfield.
~~Wide
Receivers~~
Danny Amendola,
New England Patriots – Amendola will be a target
magnet in the We Welker role if he can stay healthy. He has missed 19 games the
last two years because of injuries and is currently nursing an upper foot
problem. The Patriots are the toughest team in which to extract information
from so he will have to remain a high risk high upside pick.
Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, Pittsburgh
Steelers – Brown should be the #1 target for Big Ben. "The sky is the
limit," Roethlisberger said. "He can be as good as he wants to be. I
have seen growth in him and improvements, and that is what we want to see. He
has come along as a number-one guy." Sanders looks
a lot faster this year because his knees and foot are healthy. He had two foot
surgeries and tore a meniscus in his short career so far. He is working in Mike
Wallace’s old flanker position.
Michael Floyd, Arizona Cardinals –
Bruce Arians loves to throw down field and here’s the guy he likes – big and
fast. "Route running, his understanding of concepts, hot (reads), the
whole package," Arians said. "He's bought in. He's playing two to
three different positions. I'm really pleased with where he's at right
now." Carson Palmer should have no trouble finding him either with a lot
of attention on Larry Fitzgerald.
Pierre Garcon, Washington Redskins – Garcon
has had problems with injuries and drops in the past but is healthy now and
having a great camp as RGIII’s favorite target. "I'm gonna
lean on him and he's gonna lean on me and we're gonna make things happen," Robert Griffin said. Both
players need to stay healthy to make that happen though.
Josh Gordon, Cleveland Browns – Gordon has size, speed and natural athletic ability to make him a big time play maker in the NFL. Plus he should benefit from the vertical passing game in Cleveland under Turner. He will miss the first two games of the season for using a product with codeine. Gordon needs to stay focused and avoid off field distractions.
Rueben Randle, New York Giants – Randle
has a lot of talent with great size and could have value in the Giants
injury-prone receiver corps. After Victor Cruz, you have Hakeem Nicks and Mario
Manningham who have trouble staying on the field.
"His spring was better and then he came back lighter and he looks
good," Tom Coughlin said. "He seems to be more serious, more intent.
He had a lot to learn in that first year and it looks like some of the messages
are getting through."
Golden Tate, Seattle Seahawks – Tate
has the size, athleticism and the talent to succeed and has had a great camp
while showing improvement on his routes. He has also developed well after
learning the system better. He should step up big with Percy Harvin out for most of the season.
~~Tight Ends~~
Jordan
Cameron, Cleveland Browns – Rob Chudzinski is a
former tight end loves throwing to the tight ends and Cameron is big and fast
and athletic enough to make it happen.
Jared
Cook, St. Louis Rams – Cook is a converted wide receiver and is not much of
a blocker. But for fantasy purposes, he
looks good if he maintains consistency. One negative – the Rams have a lot of
targets and intend on spreading the ball around quite a bit.
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