2012 Sleepers

[ian Potter 9]

No particular order.

 

B Marshall- mid rounder. Will he return to Bronco form?

 

D Thomas/E Decker- one word: Manning

 

R Wayne and S Moss- going very late, rookie QB's. Should see a ton of targets.

 

R Moss- could be worst receiver in NFL or competing with Megatron.

 

T Young- Megatron should see plenty of doubles.

 

 

RBS

 

D Murray- I'm thinking he's top 5 RB this yr. Good off and looked very good once he started.

 

McFadden- if stays healthy he could be top 5 RB

 

AP- 3rd round pick...could be INSANE VALUE

 

Dough Martin- every down back and looks favored to start. 7-9th round

 

 

TE-

 

J Cook- was a beast last few games.

 

Tamme- Peyton loves the TE and they know each other well

 

WB-

 

Ryan- New OC, No huddle, year and off season with Julio.

 

Vick- was insane in 2010

 

P Manning- no need for description and he's going in mid rounds.

[PaperTiger 0]

Seems pretty odd to refer to Peytin as a sleeper, but i know I'm buying into it.

[Pogs23 6]

I don't think any of those RBs you listed are sleepers, undervalued or a late round surprise. In 10 team mocks on FFC Murray and McFadden are usually late 1st early 2nd rounds picks. Both are gone by mid 2nd 99% of the time. AP usually goes in the 2nd or early 3rd which seems about right considering he is coming off major injury and reports that Gerhart will be carrying the load the 1st couple weeks. Martin goes in the 4th all day and maybe he slips to the 5th once in awhile. My main league is a 10 teamer so those are the mocks that I do but the ADPs for the backs you listed in 12 team drafts are McFadden 1.10, Murray 2.01, AP 2.06 and Martin 4.06... If all goes well for AP and Martin in the preseason I think its safe to assume those ADPs will only rise.

 

I like T. Young this year but I think lots of people do and by the time most drafts happen he won't be much of a sleeper anymore. R. Moss is nothing more than WW fodder in 10 teamers or a late round flier in a 12 team leauge. Its just not a good fit to me but I could be wrong and hope I am since I'm a Niners fan.

[Gepetto 1,009]

I like all of those players for where they're being drafted. Nice job ian Potter.

 

Except Titus Young, but I haven't seen enough of him to really know.

[Matt Mueller 146]

I like all of those players for where they're being drafted. Nice job Pogs23.

 

Except Titus Young, but I haven't seen enough of him to really know.

 

I absolutely love Titus's long term potential and he has been getting rave reviews in camp.

 

He, along with Denarious Moore in my eyes, are 2 of the biggest darling sleepers out there. I love both, however, I think the word might be out on them by the time typical redraft leagues roll around in August to the point where they might be overvalued for the production they give if everyone is drafting them based on 'potential.'

 

Gonna watch these guys and their ADP closely.

[ralphster 274]

I like Titus. Round 9. He goes before then a lot though.

 

D Moore's buzz has him climbing into 6-7th round territory, which causes me to forego taking him and waiting till the 9th to take DHB instead.

 

Later round WR targets?

 

Little - 10th

Quick - 11th

S Moss - 11th

 

I think all 5 of these guys will finish within 10-20 points of each other, with DHB and Little having a chance to break the top 20

[stonewall 647]

Little - 10th

Quick - 11th

S Moss - 11th

 

Collie - 14th

[shutdown 40]

Not to be overly critical, but I don't think you can call many of those guys sleepers. Look at their current ADP in a typical 12 team redraft (data from fantasy football calculator ADP site)...Comments in red

 

B Marshall- mid rounder. Will he return to Bronco form? - Currently the #6 overall WR going early in round 3.

D Thomas/E Decker- one word: Manning - Thomas is listed currently #17 WR overall going late in round 4. Decker is going mid round 6 so some potential there.

 

R Wayne and S Moss- going very late, rookie QB's. Should see a ton of targets.

R Moss- could be worst receiver in NFL or competing with Megatron. -

T Young- Megatron should see plenty of doubles.

I'd agree with all of these last four guys as they can be had in round 7 or later. Especially like the Titus Young pick.

 

 

RBS

 

D Murray- I'm thinking he's top 5 RB this yr. Good off and looked very good once he started. - Currently #9 RB off the board early in round 2, a lot of people see his potential.

McFadden- if stays healthy he could be top 5 RB - Currently #7 RB off the board late round 1.

AP- 3rd round pick...could be INSANE VALUE - Currently #12 RB off the board in middle of round 2.

Dough Martin- every down back and looks favored to start. 7-9th round - Currently #20 RB off the board - middle of round 4

Some real sleeper candidates at RB are

Deangelo Williams who you can get in the late 7th round. Defenses are going to focus a lot more on Cam this year, that plus Carolina getting some linemen healthy could get Deangelo into the top 15 RB's.

Ronnie Hillman - DEN, Mcgahee isn't known for his durability. Combine the solid Denver O-line with the addition of Peyton and you've got a formula for a successful ground game. Currently going early in round 10 but I fully expect this to jump up as camps open and more people find out who this guy is.

Johnathon Dwyer - Comparing RB's from what I saw of them in college, I think Dwyer is the most talented RB on the Pit roster. If he gets his act together he could take advantage of Mendy starting on the PUP list. Currently he's not being drafted in a lot of leagues.

 

 

TE-

J Cook- was a beast last few games.

Tamme- Peyton loves the TE and they know each other well

Agree with both of these, other late round TE's that can have solid seasons from deep in the draft are Owen Daniels, Tony Gonzalez and Jermaine Gresham, all going after round 10.

 

QB-

Ryan- New OC, No huddle, year and off season with Julio. - Currently Going in round 7, but I don't think he's ever going to be an elite fantasy QB, reminds me of Troy Aikman in fantasy terms.

Vick- was insane in 2010 - Still going as #6 QB off the board early in round 4.

P Manning- no need for description and he's going in mid rounds. - Potential sleeper , but still #8 QB off the board in the sixth round, but in that same round a bit later you can have Philip Rivers whose upside I like alot better. I also like Carson Palmer in the 11th round and Ryan Fitzpatrick in the twelth as players who could emerge as top-10 QB's due to the talent they have around them and the style of offenses they are running.

[knuckleballah22 0]

doug martin is a big sleeper

[MDC 5,990]

doug martin is a big sleeper

 

So is Ryan Matthews. Have you heard of this kid? Tolbert isn't in San Diego any more you know.

[jdon 28]

two real sleepers:

 

1.) brandon pettigrew. I am calling him for scoring top three among tight ends (And top 15 if you include wide recievers).

- why? because he really came on production wise last year but wasn't as targeted in the red zone as he could be. Also, he is every bit as talented at jimmy graham and I see him filling that role for stafford this year.

 

2.) Richardson. I predict he has 1400 yards and 14-15 touchdowns in cleveland.

-why? Good line. the recievers can keep teams honest (I expect a lot out of little and cribbs as I think they are talented recievers... and I think mossoquiesafafjoj can be good too). I actually like Weeden, stop laughing, seriously, he can be ok. lol.

 

ps. I think moss is worth the risk cause he can be great...

[lambert58 56]

QB- Andrew Luck - Colts are going to be playing from behind.. a lot.

 

RB- Ryan Williams - Arizona. Pre-season injury takes away from the fact that this was a 1st round draft choice. They didn't draft him to sit.

 

WR- Emmanuel Sanders. Should take over the Hines Ward role as the underneath guy for Pittsburgh. 55-75 catches, 700 yds, 5-7 TD

[mobb_deep 919]

two real sleepers:

 

2.) Richardson. I predict he has 1400 yards and 14-15 touchdowns in cleveland.

-why? Good line. the recievers can keep teams honest (I expect a lot out of little and cribbs as I think they are talented recievers... and I think mossoquiesafafjoj can be good too). I actually like Weeden, stop laughing, seriously, he can be ok. lol.

 

T. Rich is going in the late 1st round. Not sure how that could be a sleeper? You're predicting he'll outperform 2 or 3 other backs being drafted ahead of him....

 

Couple of mine...

 

WR

 

Darrius Heyward-Bey (9.08 FFC ADP) = really came on at the end of 2011. getting a lot of praise from OTA's.

Randal Cobb = James Jones is on the block and Driver is older than dirt. Cobb has a Percy Harvin type game talent. Really stretches the field.

 

TE

 

Brandon Pettigrew (8.11 FFC ADP) = ranked second in targets (126) and third in receptions (83) in 2011

Brent Celek (13.09 FFC ADP) = had a nice 2nd half of 2011 (35 of 62 receptions).

 

 

RB

 

Shonn Green (5.03 FFC ADP) = Unimpressive up to this point, but at a 5th round tag... you can't go wrong on a 3 down back.

Donald Brown (7.03 FFC ADP) = Addai is gone and Brown should see a lot of work behind a devoloping rookie QB. great value in the 7th.

Tim Hightower (11.03 FFC ADP) = All talk out of Denver is Hightower will start if healthy. That probably means Helu or Royster is the real sleeper, but Hightower in the 11th seems like the value pick at this time.

 

QB

 

Jay Cutler (9.06 FFC ADP) = If Brandon Marshall is a top sleeper WR, than Cutler is a sleeper QB.

Carson Palmer (11.06 FFC ADP) = A full year in the Raiders system and Moore/DHB/Ford can all stretch the field.

Josh Freeman (11.12 FFC ADP) = Being drafted as 18th QB off the board. One year removed from being a top 10 QB (only two FF points behind Eli and M. Ryan). VJax and a good pass catching back added to the offense. Nice QB2 with mid/low QB1 potential.

[jdon 28]

'T. Rich is going in the late 1st round. Not sure how that could be a sleeper? You're predicting he'll outperform 2 or 3 other backs being drafted ahead of him....'

 

my bad man, I thought his ADP was late 2 early 3...

 

I think you have a couple dead on. DHB could be a monster...

jdon

[Gepetto 1,009]

I like D Heyward-Bey and Crabtree for where they're being drafted and I expect 70 1000 6 from both of them or somewhere around that.

[BobSanders_33 127]

Not to beat a dead horse but you can't call RBs that are being drafted as RB7 and RB9 as sleepers. I also don't think Peyton Manning has any chance at being a sleeper this year. Right now Manning is the 8th QB coming off the board. He isn't going to be getting in Indy style shootouts. Fox is going to use him as a game manager. I don't see how anyone can expect him to score more points than the guys in front of him. Peyton would be my #1 QB bust because several guys drafted after him will score more points.

 

QB

 

Robert Griffin III (QB12)- People are saying that he can't have a Newton like season. He won't score as many rushing TDs but he has a lot of talent around him. Shanny likes to run a lot of plays at a fast tempo and throw the ball. If you take out all the INTs Grossman was putting up OK numbers because he was dropping back to pass 37+ times per game. I'll take that plus the bonus rushing yards and TDs.

 

Carson Palmer (QB17)- Palmer is playing on a team that will be giving up scores in bunches. I like him for all the garbage yards he can get and that he has 3 WRs and a RB that can score from anywhere on the field.

 

RB

 

Fred Jackson (RB15)- IF Jackson can come back from injury he could put up top 7 RB numbers. I'm not absolutely in love with him but I think most RBs are getting fair value.

 

Doug Martin (RB20)- I think Martin has the skills, offense, and schedule to put up top 10 numbers.

 

I also like a few backs as lottery tickets. Ben Tate, CJ Spiller, and Toby Gerhart could all put up monster numbers if an injury occurs. I really like TG at RB43.

 

WR

 

Robert Meachum (WR31)- The receiver position that Meachum will be playing in Norv Turner's offense gets targets and yards. He has an upper level QB throwing him the ball. A top 15 finish is possible.

 

Pierre Garcon (WR33)- The is another receiver position in an offense that puts up good numbers. I'm a little hesitant about Garcon because he has a very low catch rate but has a high upside.

 

TE

 

Vernon Davis (TE4) - This is one I like because of how much longer VD lasts on draft boards than the top 2 TEs. He can be had almost 3 full rounds later and has the potential to put up top TE numbers.

[Laurence Maroney's Nuts 2]

A receiver on Oakland with a name that starts with "Da" and ends in "rius"...

[nownow 0]

WR:

 

Mohamed Sanu: If he can win the #2 WR job, can be a solid late PPR pick.

Preston Parker: once again if he can win the #2 WR job he can bring value in a PPR league.

Robert Meachem: expecting at 65 receptions, 1100 yards, 7 tds from him.

Jerome Simpson: suspended for the first 3 games but should be an impact player at some point of the season. Stash him as owners may forget about him, sort of like Demaryius Thomas last year on draft day.

 

QB:

 

Josh Freeman: should bounce back with a new staff and much needed added weapons.

 

 

RB:

 

Roy Helu: best fit of the Skins RBS for their zone blocking scheme and should have the opportunity to flourish.

Daniel Thomas: a year ago he was supposed to be an instant impact player. Bush is still fragile and Thomas will get another shot.

C.J. Spiller: way too talented for the Bills to not get him more involved. IMO, given the opportunity, Spiller can be a top 15 RB. Fred Jackson is 31 btw.

[WhiteWonder 2,237]

A receiver on Oakland with a name that starts with "Da" and ends in "rius"...

[Mac Avery 0]

Jermichael Finley

 

The equation with Finley matches that of Gronk and Graham.

 

PROFUSE TALENT + GREAT QB + PROLIFIC OFFENSE = TOP TIER TE

 

[FeelingMN 273]

T. Rich is going in the late 1st round. Not sure how that could be a sleeper? You're predicting he'll outperform 2 or 3 other backs being drafted ahead of him....

 

Couple of mine...

 

WR

 

Darrius Heyward-Bey (9.08 FFC ADP) = really came on at the end of 2011. getting a lot of praise from OTA's.

Randal Cobb = James Jones is on the block and Driver is older than dirt. Cobb has a Percy Harvin type game talent. Really stretches the field.

 

TE

 

Brandon Pettigrew (8.11 FFC ADP) = ranked second in targets (126) and third in receptions (83) in 2011

Brent Celek (13.09 FFC ADP) = had a nice 2nd half of 2011 (35 of 62 receptions).

 

 

RB

 

Shonn Green (5.03 FFC ADP) = Unimpressive up to this point, but at a 5th round tag... you can't go wrong on a 3 down back.

Donald Brown (7.03 FFC ADP) = Addai is gone and Brown should see a lot of work behind a devoloping rookie QB. great value in the 7th.

Tim Hightower (11.03 FFC ADP) = All talk out of Denver is Hightower will start if healthy. That probably means Helu or Royster is the real sleeper, but Hightower in the 11th seems like the value pick at this time.

 

QB

 

Jay Cutler (9.06 FFC ADP) = If Brandon Marshall is a top sleeper WR, than Cutler is a sleeper QB.

Carson Palmer (11.06 FFC ADP) = A full year in the Raiders system and Moore/DHB/Ford can all stretch the field.

Josh Freeman (11.12 FFC ADP) = Being drafted as 18th QB off the board. One year removed from being a top 10 QB (only two FF points behind Eli and M. Ryan). VJax and a good pass catching back added to the offense. Nice QB2 with mid/low QB1 potential.

 

 

Good list. Except for the RBs, I'll be keeping an eye on all the rest.

[FeelingMN 273]

Jermichael Finley

 

The equation with Finley matches that of Gronk and Graham.

 

PROFUSE TALENT + GREAT QB + PROLIFIC OFFENSE = TOP TIER TE

 

 

Don't forget to subtract the number of drops and divide by the lack of chemistry.

[Jarvis Basnight 119]

I see very few "sleeper" players being listed in here. I see some players that people think will end up good value in drafts, but very few are sleepers.

 

A few names of sleepers I can think of are Lamar Miller in Miami, Moreno in Denver, or maybe Mike Williams in TB. I don't consider Trent Richardson, McFadden, or Adrian Peterson as sleepers.

[mobb_deep 919]

Don't forget to subtract the number of drops and divide by the lack of chemistry.

 

Haha. +1. Is pine tar on the gloves allowed in the NFL. It worked pretty good for that kid in Little Giants.

 

Speaking of which, Ice Box grew up to be pretty damn hot!

[Fresh1 0]

Here are some deeper sleepers. Some of those guys (B. marshall, D. Martin) are on a lot of people's lists already. Not under the radar at all.

 

http://www.ffblife.com/Fantasy-Football-Sleepers/sleepers2012.html

[rallo 132]

S Moss - 11th

 

Couldn't agree more. Moss always gets his receptions and yards... this year with 'The Arm' he could potentially blow up. He has Top 15 Potential in my eyes... the best part he floor his higher than most sleepers... barring injury he is usually guaranteed production

 

 

#nowijustjinxedhisazz

[stonewall 647]

Hadn't heard Kevin Smith yet.

 

Played very well last year before injury.....which obviously slowed his production considerably. He still managed 5 ypc. and looked very sharp and elusive. He is only 25 years old, good size (217 lbs), catches the ball well out of the backfield (averaged 8.1 yards/catch), and is on a prolific high-scoring offense. Yes, Best and Leshoure are scaring people away, but we are well aware of their individual issues. His current ADP is around 13.02, which definitely propels him into the official "sleeper" category for me.

[Boilermaker04 11]

Jay Cutler (9.06 FFC ADP) = If Brandon Marshall is a top sleeper WR, than Cutler is a sleeper QB.

 

 

I've always thought Cutler was about a 1/2 second away from being considered an elite QB, even with his sh!tty receivers in CHI. Good arm strength, tough, and a brass pair that always believes he can make a great throw. CHI has gotten rid of that god-awful offensive scheme and got him a true WR1 to throw to, I think it's his year to breakout. Finishing 5-10 for QBs is definitely realistic and a great value for what you can get as a backup QB right now.

[jgcrawfish 232]

Hadn't heard Kevin Smith yet.

 

Played very well last year before injury.....which obviously slowed his production considerably. He still managed 5 ypc. and looked very sharp and elusive. He is only 25 years old, good size (217 lbs), catches the ball well out of the backfield (averaged 8.1 yards/catch), and is on a prolific high-scoring offense. Yes, Best and Leshoure are scaring people away, but we are well aware of their individual issues. His current ADP is around 13.02, which definitely propels him into the official "sleeper" category for me.

 

Shhh...I think he'll quietly be a great bench stash. Best won't make it thru the season and LeShoure will probably smoke his way out of a few more games.

 

 

I've always thought Cutler was about a 1/2 second away from being considered an elite QB, even with his sh!tty receivers in CHI. Good arm strength, tough, and a brass pair that always believes he can make a great throw. CHI has gotten rid of that god-awful offensive scheme and got him a true WR1 to throw to, I think it's his year to breakout. Finishing 5-10 for QBs is definitely realistic and a great value for what you can get as a backup QB right now.

 

My only problem with Cutler is that the Bears offensive line is putrid. However, I was reading that they've essentially dropped the 7-step drop from their playbook and Cutler won't be put on an island like the Martz offense used to do leaving him as a tackle dummy. Both Rivers and Cutler are my golden ticket guys later in the draft. 2 years ago I banked my team on those guys and was right, might try it again.

[kmbryant09 1]

Not to beat a dead horse but you can't call RBs that are being drafted as RB7 and RB9 as sleepers. I also don't think Peyton Manning has any chance at being a sleeper this year. Right now Manning is the 8th QB coming off the board. He isn't going to be getting in Indy style shootouts. Fox is going to use him as a game manager. I don't see how anyone can expect him to score more points than the guys in front of him. Peyton would be my #1 QB bust because several guys drafted after him will score more points.

 

 

Haaaaa, yes - John Elway signed Peyton Manning for $95 Million so that John Fox can use him as a game manager.

 

That's funny sh!t

[Bobbyn2022 53]

Palmer and Moore will have huge years...

[LoOnAtIk 75]

Mark Sanchez

[fantasymind 1]

Caveat/soapbox: There are no true sleepers anymore. In this age of instant information, just about everyone can access the fourth string tailback from all 32 teams in about 15 seconds. Instead, the key is to find those undervalued penny stocks and stash them----guys that everyone probably knows about but who are consistently overlooked or lightly regarded.

Here are a few PPR picks that I offer as having some potential for outproducing their draft position...these are three guys who will need things to break just right, but who also could reasonably be predicted to end as great draft day values.

 

QB- Kevin Kolb

Currently going undrafted in 10 team leagues, Kolb carries a lot of baggage with him and is not for the faint of heart. Being in a competition with John Skelton certainly makes him far from a sure thing. But, he is still just one year removed from receiving a big deal from Arizona and has some pieces that make him intriguing. While I am not sold on his talent, I am sold on the talent around him. Larry Fitz and Michael Floyd on the outside, with Andre Roberts, Early Doucet and Heap running the middle, provide some solid talent who can make plays with the ball in their hands. A healthy running game with Williams and Beanie will open things up for the passing game...25 Tds and 3500+ yards are not out of the question and provide a good value for a guy who could be had for a late round flier.

 

RB- Jacquizz Rodgers

I really like the potential for Rodgers to be a poor mans Darren Sproles in PPR leagues this season. A shift to a pass-heavy offensive scheme, the continued word from Atlanta that they are going to scale back Turner's work, and the glimpses that Rodgers showed last season all have me convinced that he is going to be a guy that really breaks out this season. Going currently after guys like Gerhart and Mendenhall, take Jacquizz and watch as he produces like a solid starting ppr Rb.

 

Wr- Danny Amendola

If Rodgers is the poor man's Sproles, than Amendola is poised to be the poor man's Welker. He already played that role fairly well in 2010, working as Bradfords top target on everything underneath. After missing mostly all of last season due to injury, look for Amendola to return to his 2010 form and approach 100 receptions. Great value for a guy who can be had in the 14th round...

[Gepetto 1,009]

Jahvid Best

Kevin Smith

[stonewall 647]

Caveat/soapbox: There are no true sleepers anymore.

 

Lotta truth to this. It is more about recognizing situational talent combined with little to no "buzz".

 

I continue to assert that Matt Flynn fits this mold. Every opportunity that this kid has had since college, he has shown himself a winner. I refuse to believe that his record-setting game against the Lions last year was purely a fluke. I believe, instead, that he is a potential diamond in the rough. Remember, every year there is a QB that comes out of nowhere to pay huge dividends to some savvy or lucky owner. No, Seattle doesn't seem to offer the offensive juggernaut-like potential that we dream of, but there are usable weapons there, and at his current ADP of 13.10, Flynn is a bargain-basement QB2 with QB1 upside.......and the potential to leave you looking like a genius.