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AintNoStoppinMeNow

Who is this Year's MAJOR Sleeper

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Thanks to my brain and the valuable information I've gathered on this board I have succesfully drafted a major sleeper in the middle to late rounds the past three years.

 

2009 Ray Rice

2010 Arian Foster

2011 Ryan Mathews

 

And here we are in 2012 and this is by far the least sure I've ever been of who my major sleeper for 2012 would be. I have a few guys in mind who I think could breakout but I'm nowhere near as confident in any of them as I have been the previous three years. So I'll give you my list and I look forward to hearing everyone else's choices for who could be that guy this season.

 

*Donald Brown (Colts): Former 1st round pick who has been a big disappointment in the NFL since being drafted. He can run and catch which increases his value, doesn't have much backfield competition and the arrival of Andrew Luck will help him a ton.

 

*Ryan Williams (Cardinals): Would've been one of my sleepers for last year before he got hurt. He runs extremely hard and is very hard to bring down. Beanie always seems to be banged up and Williams has a chance to shine if thrust into starter's role. Recent loss of Levi Brown hurts a lot though.

 

*Kevin Smith (Lions): When healthy, he could easily be a top fantasy option at RB in that offense. When is the big question with Kevin Smith.

 

*Peyton Hillis (Chiefs): We are only one year removed from Hillis being a fantasy monster and he could go back to that form even if Charles stays healthy.

 

*Rashad Jennings (Jaguars): A lot will depend on what MJD does obviously but if his holdout lingers then Jennings could have a very nice season, especially with the addition of Blackmon and the improvement of Gabbert taking pressure off the running game.

 

*Jacquizz Rodgers (Falcons): Turner is no longer a Burner but Rodgers is the very definition of the word. This offense has shifted into a pass happy offense which is more fitted to Rodgers' style than Turner's. Rodgers can run and catch out of the backfield which is always an added bonus and Matt Ryan appears ready to take the leap this year which will only help the running lanes and dumpoffs for the new burner in ATL.

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Great list...I like all those guys.

 

I'd add Jacquizz Rodgers as well.

 

Call me crazy but over the years I've also made it habit to consistently take the handcuffs for backs either coming off a huge year or who have had 300+ carries for more than a year. So with that said I'd highly recommend taking late round flyers this year on Ringer, Dion Lewis, and Bernard Pierce. History says one of those 3 will get called into service this year.

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I like the Jacquizz Rodgers since I have Turner and couldn't get him near the end of my draft.

I also like Tamme with Peyton and Antonio Brown as sort of sleepers..known quantities but think they will out produce their rankings significantly.

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Great list...I like all those guys.

 

I'd add Jacquizz Rodgers as well.

 

Call me crazy but over the years I've also made it habit to consistently take the handcuffs for backs either coming off a huge year or who have had 300+ carries for more than a year. So with that said I'd highly recommend taking late round flyers this year on Ringer, Dion Lewis, and Bernard Pierce. History says one of those 3 will get called into service this year.

 

lol its funny cause I finished my list and knew I forgot someone but couldn't think of who and it was Jacquizz Rodgers so here goes and thanks for the reminder!

 

*Jacquizz Rodgers (Falcons): Turner is no longer a Burner but Rodgers is the very definition of the word. This offense has shifted into a pass happy offense which is more fitted to Rodgers' style than Turner's. Rodgers can run and catch out of the backfield which is always an added bonus and Matt Ryan appears ready to take the leap this year which will only help the running lanes and dumpoffs for the new burner in ATL.

 

Thanks for the replies so far and looking forward to hearing everyone's sleepers!

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Ricky Davis. He hasn't found a home in the NFL yet, but just wait. You'll see. :ninja:

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Not sure any of these would be considered mid to late round picks. In our draft, Ryan Mathews went in the 3rd round in 2011 (2nd round in 2010). In 2010, Foster also went int the 3rd round. In 2009, Ray Rice was a 5th round pick. With that said, I like your list. Especially because I drafted 3 of them and need them big time since Fred Jackson is my #1 back....

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Vincent Brown....if he didn't get hurt.

 

Donald Brown will be a solid #2 RB

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QB: Jake Locker- I know he looks like crap now but I beleive in the guy.

 

Blane Gabbert-Looking good so far, only time will tell. Love the fact Del Rio is not his head coach anymore.

 

RB: Kevin Smith- if heathly will be a top ten back this year. That's right you heard me. He is exactly what they need. He is also a great receiver. If heathly, he will be a great late rd pick.

 

Ryan Williams-Just stay heathly please. Kid can play and Cards play aganist Rams defense twice and Seahwaks defense twice.

 

Evan Royster-If Shanahan would just commit to him, this would be a great pick. He may not be the fastest runner out there but he can play. Finished the season with 2 straight games over 100 yards. Not bad.

 

Rashad Jennings-If MJD stays out for the entire season, Jennings will turn into a stud. Great player, who can get the job done.

 

WR: Titus Young-I think he is clearly the #2 guy in Detroit now. Has a ton of talent and I can envison him scoring 8-12 times this year.

 

Pierre Garcon-Looks like he has a great repore with RG 3 already. Drops way too many passes imo but I think he has an outstanding year.

 

Alshon Jeffery-It's funny because a lot of people seem to think Hester and Bennett are ahead of him on the depth chart. Maybe at this moment they are, but by the end of the season, he will be the #2 man in Chicago. This kid is a player. Sit back and enjoy the ride. Great late keeper option too.

 

Justin Blackmon-Love em, big time. Man crush on Blackmon. I said it earlier, that Mularkey has a way of making Qb's better with him around. Well, if Gabbert plays the way he is playing right now, then there is no reason to thnk Blackmon won't finish with great numbers. Way better then Bryant when he came of Ok St. What ever round you get him, it is a good pick.

 

David Nelson-I really think Buffalo is going to have one of the best offenses in the league. For the first few weeks of the season, Nelson was a stud. Then all of a sudden Fitz starting playing lousy and there went the season. If Fitz plays well, I think Nelson could easily catch up to 60 balls and have 5-8 scores.

 

TE: Jermaine Gresham- great player, expecting huge things from him this year.

 

Kyle Rudolph-I think Ponder and him could be a great match for them. Beside, Harvin, I think Vik's receiving corps stink.

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Since i'm a Cowboys fan here are 3 COWBOYS that could be huge sleepers....

 

With constant injuries to Myles Austin & Dez Bryant as well as 2 quality QB's, these 2 imo could be real bargains.

 

WR ~ Cole Beasley / I Love this kid, looks a lot like Wes Welker :thumbsup:

 

WR ~ Andre Holmes / Love what i see so far, reminds me a bit of another Andre

 

RB ~ Jamize Olawale / Looks much better than Felix Jones at this point, and is a big back so should get plenty of work. :headbanger:

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Vick Ballard - Indy RB.

Brown & Carter have continuously tried to be the number 1 w/o much success. Carter is already hurt. Brown has a bit of injury history too.

Ballard has an excellent shot to be the #1 by mid-year.

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Not sure any of these would be considered mid to late round picks. In our draft, Ryan Mathews went in the 3rd round in 2011 (2nd round in 2010). In 2010, Foster also went int the 3rd round. In 2009, Ray Rice was a 5th round pick. With that said, I like your list. Especially because I drafted 3 of them and need them big time since Fred Jackson is my #1 back....

 

 

I agree. None of the OP's "super sleepers" were mid round picks. Ryan Mathews went in the 2nd round last season of my masters draft. I'm not sure how that qualifies as a "sleeper" in any sense of the word.

 

In my current draft, NONE of the players listed are going in the late rounds. I think everyone is either reading the same articles online or drawing the same conclusions. J. Rodgers went as the handcuff to Turner at the 6.10. That doesn't qualify as "sleeper" status to me.

 

 

Ryan Williams went at the 6.09, Kevin Smith went in the 6th round as well, although I cannot remember the pick. Rashad Jennings went 7.02, so not a sleeper by any stretch.... Just wanted to add my $.02 as when I think of a "sleeper", I'm thinking of someone I can get after round 10. These aren't those players, or at least they aren't now. Maybe a month ago they were taken in the 10th, but not since the preseason has started and everyone you mentioned has looked excellent. lol

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Lestar Jean from the Texans looks good. Especially with Johnson always getting hurt the past few years.

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Getting back to the original post, all 3 mentioned were RBs who could get 20-25 touches and blew up. Staying with that vein, my candidates would be:

 

1. R. Jennings (Has possible been the best looking RB in pre-season.)

2. McGahee (Looks solid, not much competition in a good offense.)

3. Hunter (May be a year early, but I like him more than Gore)

4. Gerhart (Looking impressive as a downhill runner and a pass catcher.)

5. Murray (I know he is going too high now to really be included, but the guy looks fantastic.)

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Getting back to the original post, all 3 mentioned were RBs who could get 20-25 touches and blew up. Staying with that vein, my candidates would be:

 

1. R. Jennings (Has possible been the best looking RB in pre-season.)

2. McGahee (Looks solid, not much competition in a good offense.)

3. Hunter (May be a year early, but I like him more than Gore)

4. Gerhart (Looking impressive as a downhill runner and a pass catcher.)

5. Murray (I know he is going too high now to really be included, but the guy looks fantastic.)

 

Hunter will absolutely explode if Gore goes down... He should demand 150+ carries as it is this year. I agree... Still one year early though.

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Great list...I like all those guys.

 

I'd add Jacquizz Rodgers as well.

 

Call me crazy but over the years I've also made it habit to consistently take the handcuffs for backs either coming off a huge year or who have had 300+ carries for more than a year. So with that said I'd highly recommend taking late round flyers this year on Ringer, Dion Lewis, and Bernard Pierce. History says one of those 3 will get called into service this year.

 

I can keep this guy as my 12th round pick in a 12 team .5 ppr league. Think I can get him later than that?

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I can keep this guy as my 12th round pick in a 12 team .5 ppr league. Think I can get him later than that?

Is he really your best bet for a keeper? you probably can get him that late. I dont see much value in keeping him.

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Is he really your best bet for a keeper? you probably can get him that late. I dont see much value in keeping him.

 

 

Unfortunelty, yes, he's my best keeper when looking at the round I can keep them. I have Brees and Roddy White, but they'd count as my 1st round pick (I'd prefer RB int he 1st if possible). I don't have to keep anyone, which is probably what I'll do, but I had also been eyeing Rogers as a possiblity.

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Don't laugh, but Montario Hardesty is worth a late round pick.

 

If T-Rich can't go, Hardesty is a starter getting a lot of touches with a good O-Line.

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Last year I pegged Antonio Brown as my cheap sleeper (bought him for $4). I had decided before my auction that I would buy him at any price below $10. He should pay dividends for me for years to come at plus $5 every year (this year only $9).

 

This year I am looking at Jonathan Stewart.

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Not sure any of these would be considered mid to late round picks. In our draft, Ryan Mathews went in the 3rd round in 2011 (2nd round in 2010). In 2010, Foster also went int the 3rd round. In 2009, Ray Rice was a 5th round pick. With that said, I like your list. Especially because I drafted 3 of them and need them big time since Fred Jackson is my #1 back....

 

I believe all three of these players rose considerably where they were being drafted over the course of the summer in their respective years, and still knocked it out the park when they hit the field. Depending when you drafted, they were an amazing bargain or just a decent bargain.

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Evan Royster (current ADP 8+)

 

2011 final numbers:

56 carries

358 yards rushing

5.9 avg

 

10 reception

76 yards rec

7.6 rec avg

 

Most of his numbers were compiled in the final 2 games of the year:

@NYG week 16: 19 carries, 139 yard, 0 TD, 2 reception, 15 rec yards

MIN week 17: 20 carries, 113 yards, 0 TD, 5 reception, 52 rec yards

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I agree. None of the OP's "super sleepers" were mid round picks. Ryan Mathews went in the 2nd round last season of my masters draft. I'm not sure how that qualifies as a "sleeper" in any sense of the word.

 

In my current draft, NONE of the players listed are going in the late rounds. I think everyone is either reading the same articles online or drawing the same conclusions. J. Rodgers went as the handcuff to Turner at the 6.10. That doesn't qualify as "sleeper" status to me.

 

 

Ryan Williams went at the 6.09, Kevin Smith went in the 6th round as well, although I cannot remember the pick. Rashad Jennings went 7.02, so not a sleeper by any stretch.... Just wanted to add my $.02 as when I think of a "sleeper", I'm thinking of someone I can get after round 10. These aren't those players, or at least they aren't now. Maybe a month ago they were taken in the 10th, but not since the preseason has started and everyone you mentioned has looked excellent. lol

 

 

This is a redraft league??? This is several rounds above the ADP on these guys (based on drafts after Aug 15th on MFL.com). I could see Kevin Smith getting pushed up to the 6th round at this point, but Williams and Jennings are HUGE reaches in my opinion in the 6th/7th rounds. If people in your league are putting THAT much stock in preseason games, then that's good for you though.

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Don't laugh, but Montario Hardesty is worth a late round pick.

 

If T-Rich can't go, Hardesty is a starter getting a lot of touches with a good O-Line.

:lol:

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J. Rodgers went as the handcuff to Turner at the 6.10. That doesn't qualify as "sleeper" status to me.

Wow. I'm going to say it right now... Jacquizz Rodgers in the 6th round... BUST. Anyone looking to take a flyer on the guy as a late round draft pick, I'm all for it, but 6th round is just crazy. Doesn't anybody understand the concept of sleepers and handcuffs anymore?

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Wow. I'm going to say it right now... Jacquizz Rodgers in the 6th round... BUST. Anyone looking to take a flyer on the guy as a late round draft pick, I'm all for it, but 6th round is just crazy. Doesn't anybody understand the concept of sleepers and handcuffs anymore?

 

Now that is effing crazy.

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QB: Jake Locker- I know he looks like crap now but I beleive in the guy.

 

Blane Gabbert-Looking good so far, only time will tell. Love the fact Del Rio is not his head coach anymore.

 

RB: Kevin Smith- if heathly will be a top ten back this year. That's right you heard me. He is exactly what they need. He is also a great receiver. If heathly, he will be a great late rd pick.

 

Ryan Williams-Just stay heathly please. Kid can play and Cards play aganist Rams defense twice and Seahwaks defense twice.

 

Evan Royster-If Shanahan would just commit to him, this would be a great pick. He may not be the fastest runner out there but he can play. Finished the season with 2 straight games over 100 yards. Not bad.

 

Rashad Jennings-If MJD stays out for the entire season, Jennings will turn into a stud. Great player, who can get the job done.

 

WR: Titus Young-I think he is clearly the #2 guy in Detroit now. Has a ton of talent and I can envison him scoring 8-12 times this year.

 

Pierre Garcon-Looks like he has a great repore with RG 3 already. Drops way too many passes imo but I think he has an outstanding year.

 

Alshon Jeffery-It's funny because a lot of people seem to think Hester and Bennett are ahead of him on the depth chart. Maybe at this moment they are, but by the end of the season, he will be the #2 man in Chicago. This kid is a player. Sit back and enjoy the ride. Great late keeper option too.

 

Justin Blackmon-Love em, big time. Man crush on Blackmon. I said it earlier, that Mularkey has a way of making Qb's better with him around. Well, if Gabbert plays the way he is playing right now, then there is no reason to thnk Blackmon won't finish with great numbers. Way better then Bryant when he came of Ok St. What ever round you get him, it is a good pick.

 

David Nelson-I really think Buffalo is going to have one of the best offenses in the league. For the first few weeks of the season, Nelson was a stud. Then all of a sudden Fitz starting playing lousy and there went the season. If Fitz plays well, I think Nelson could easily catch up to 60 balls and have 5-8 scores.

 

TE: Jermaine Gresham- great player, expecting huge things from him this year.

 

Kyle Rudolph-I think Ponder and him could be a great match for them. Beside, Harvin, I think Vik's receiving corps stink.

 

 

i agree with a lot here, especially titus young... nate burleson is on the way out, and young is too athletic to ignore...

 

add amendola to the list... he and bradford seem to have that chemistry going again.

 

another guy i like is tony moeaki... if the guy can stay healthy he is a freak... that and KC's offense should be much improved if cassell can step up....

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Not to rag on anyone or the player but I'm really sick of the Titus Young talk, just bugs me for some reason. Guess since everyone comments on him, he ain't no sleeper.

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Id like to add Bilial Powell to the list, Shonn Greene continues to be Shonn Greene.

 

Before preseason started, there were a number a writers reporting how well Powell is running.

What's the story now with Powell?

 

Didn't see the game but saw these numbers in the first NYJ drive during the 2nd half of this past weekend's game:

 

1-10-NYJ20 (11:52) 15 - T. Tebow in at QB. B.Powell right guard to NYJ 25 for 5 yards (D.Hendricks; M.Herzlich).

1-10-NYJ48 (9:52) B.Powell left end to NYG 44 for 8 yards (G.Jones).

2-2-NYG44 (9:15) B.Powell right guard to NYG 40 for 4 yards (J.Muasau).

1-10-NYG40 (8:38) B.Powell right end to NYG 35 for 5 yards (S.Paysinger; W.Hill).

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DeAngelo Williams. Guy is so overlooked. Still has the skill, just doesn't get the touches anymore.

 

Just a tremendous running back with no opportunities. Finished strong after the NEWTON passing binge. He is ONE JStew injury away from finishing top 8.

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QB's Matt Ryan

Jay Cutler

 

RB's Donald Brown

Beanie Wells

 

WR's Pierre Garcon

Randall Cobb

 

TE's Brandon Pettigrew

Greg Olsen

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QB's Matt Ryan

Jay Cutler

 

RB's Donald Brown

Beanie Wells

 

WR's Pierre Garcon

Randall Cobb

 

TE's Brandon Pettigrew

Greg Olsen

 

 

I think these are great picks except for the RBs. In place of Brown and Wells, I would put Ballard and Williams

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