The Top Fantasy Football WR Sleepers

A few weeks ago I wrote an article on who would be the top WR this year in the league. The article was basically between Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald and who would I rather have on my fantasy team. Well one of the comments left by a reader asked me besides the obvious top ranked WRs who else should he be thinking of drafting.

I thought about it for a while and here is what I came up with…….
Every year the NFL has them. Guys come out of absolutely nowhere to make huge impacts on your fantasy team. Last year the top WR sleeper award went to Eddie Royal, as he literally busted out of nowhere to grab 91 balls for 980 yards and 5 TDs. Not too shabby for a rookie who went undrafted in basically every fantasy league last year.

This year I feel there are 3 gems that while they may not go undrafted and they do have better name recognition then Royal did last year, they are still not looked upon as top WR options.

1. Devon Hester- The speed, the agility, the playmaking ability, it’s all there for this guy. The one thing he has been missing is a QB. Well he has certainly found that in Jay Cutler, and if we learned anything from his time in Denver, Cutler loves to throw it down the field. This will result in tons of huge of plays for Hester and he will be amongst the league leaders in yards and TDs when all is said and done.

2. Vincent Jackson- It may be kind of hard to say he is a sleeper. As the fantasy world began drafting in late July/early August, Jackson was a consensus 6-7th round pick. Comparable to the likes of a Bernard Berian or Desean Jackson. Both good players, but if you are banking on those guys carrying your team, you got a long year coming. The fantasy world has woken up, with the most recent drafts V.J. is being selected usually by mid to late 4th round. The reason is that he has become Phillip River’s go to guy. It’s no longer Gates, every big play down the field the Chargers have had all preseason has been to Vincent Jackson. He definitely has the ability to carry your team as a true No. 1 WR. All these reasons are why he will end up being a top 5 to 10 WR by the year’s end.

3. Chris Henry- “The next Randy Moss” as Carson Palmer put it. This guy has all the tools to be a pro bowl WR as long as he is staying out of trouble and staying on the field. You have to believe with the departure of T.J. Houshmandzadeh, this will open the door for Henry. Even with the addition of Coles, Palmer will definitely look to Henry before him as there is already an established relationship between the two.

Let me know if you guys have any other suggestions?

Eric Feld
www.sportsmumbojumbo.com

NFL Sleeper Team of 2009

Going into the 2009 NFL season there is one team that I believe is a true sleeper. I am not just talking about a team who might squeak into the playoffs either. I am talking about a legit Super Bowl contender.

A team that has never posted a winning record in franchise history; A team that is constantly overlooked by their three conference rivals, the Colts, Titans and Jaguars. The Houston Texans, that’s right I said it, the 2nd tier team of Texas, the Houston Texans.

I look at this roster and I do not understand how they are not being talked about amongst the scariest teams in the AFC. The offense is as potent as it gets with Matt Shaub chucking balls up to Andre Johnson, Kevin Walters and Owen Daniels. Not to mention the solid running attack from Steve Slaton.

As impressive as the offense is the improvement on the defensive side has what has made them such contenders this year. With stars such as Mario Williams and DeMaco Ryans already leading the way, the addition of Brian Cushing out of USC provides them with a potential Pro Bowl caliber LB for the upcoming season, who if anyone watched him in college would know he is a beast.

Having Jaguars enter what some are calling a rebuilding year does not hurt either. The Colts and Titans are the two teams that stand in the Texans way. The replacement of Indy’s coaching staff could prove fatal for them and open the path for the Texans to take the AFC South crown. A QB controversy between two low tier QBs: Vince Young and Kerry Collins could prove to disrupt the chemistry that carried the team last year.

The biggest question going into the season is whether Shaub can last a full year under center. Since joining the club in 2007 Shaub has only started 22 games (11 in each year) due to nagging injuries. If he stays in so does Houston’s chances.

Eric Feld
http://mvn.com/thefootballwire/2009/08/nfl-sleeper-team-of-09.html