15 Sleepers You Should Consider In Your 2013 Fantasy Football Draft
15 Fantasy Football Sleepers
Every single season it happens. Guys come out of nowhere or go late in your draft and then become fantasy stars. If you can land a couple of the guys that will do the same this season, your team will be sitting pretty good. Last season, there were a number of guys that fit this bill. Robert Griffin III was a guy that everyone knew, but many shied away from because he was a rookie on an offense that did not have a lot of talent. Well, we all saw how that turned out as RGIII was one of the best fantasy players last year, and if you drafted him, you certainly got a steal. Guys like Russell Wilson and Alfred Morris were lesser known rookies who really took charge and became fantasy stars.
Morris was virtually unknown when the Washington Redskins took him in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Washington liked what they saw, gave him a chance and the rookie ran with it. Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan is known to be very unpredictable when it comes to the running back position and Morris' name was thrown around as a deep sleeper by some last season because of that. But I do not think anybody really saw what happened coming. Morris was the lead back for the Redskins starting Week 1 and never looked back. He finished the year with 1,613 yards on 335 carries and 13 touchdowns which was good for the fifth most fantasy points for a running back in most standard leagues. If you drafted Morris or picked him up on the waiver wire, chances are you were very competitive in your league.
This year, I do not see many rookie sleepers. Most of the rookies that are being drafted, are being selected too high for me to bite. Guys like Montee Ball, Le'Veon Bell and Eddie Lacy are probably going to be productive, but I do not want to take a risk on them in the third-fifth round. That being said, there are a couple of rookies (one in particular that I will get to later) who will be late round targets of mine as sleepers.
For the most part, as you will see, my sleepers for this year are either guys that are getting their first crack at a job or who I simply think will break out and prove the talent that we know they have. Here are 15 sleepers for the 2013 fantasy football season that you should be targeting.
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Sam Bradford, QB, St.Louis Rams
After being selected first overall back in 2010, Sam Bradford struggled a bit in the NFL. I think that this is the season that we see Bradford break-out. The St. Louis Rams are finally giving him some weapons and all of a sudden he has a formidable receiving corps to throw to. Tavon Austin and Jared Cook are new acqusitions that I think will help Bradford tremendously. Chris Givens really came on late last year and Brian Quick has a ton of obvious raw talent. If Bradford can just now play as well as we all know he is capable, then he is in for a big season.
Andre Brown, RB, New York Giants
David Wilson is the guy that everybody is going to be after from the New York Giants backfield, and for good reason. Wilson is a very talented player that looked fantastic at the end of last season. He is going to cost you though, as I have seen him go in the second round in many mock drafts that I have done. He is not a sleeper, everybody knows that he is good. Andre Brown will be the guy form the Giants backfield that I will be targeting. You should be able to wait until the eighth-10th round to take a shot on Brown, who worst case will probably get the goal-line touches for the Giants and I think will be a much bigger factor than what people realize. Brown had a couple of nice games before going down with an injury last season, which led to the emergence of Wilson. I just do not think that Brown completely goes away, he will get more opportunity than many people think and could be a steal later in your draft.
Jordan Cameron, TE, Cleveland Browns
Jordan Cameron is my favorite tight end sleeper this season. The guy has a ton of talent, he just needs opportunity. Well, it looks like he will get that this season as he currently is atop the depth chart at tight end. The Cleveland Browns hired a new head coach in Rod Chudzinski and offensive coordinator in Norv Turner this off-season. Both of these guys have a history of featuring tight ends in their offense. Cameron is a guy that you can wait until the very end of your draft to take and I think he could be very productive with this new coaching staff.
Jared Cook, TE, St. Louis Rams
As I said earlier, I think the Rams have really improved their offense. Cook is a huge part of that. The big, physical and talented tight end always seemed to be under-utilized with the Tennessee Titans. If the Rams use him more, I think Cook's talent will shine and he will be a steal later in your draft.
Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago Bears
Under new head coach Marc Trestman, I think the Chicago Bears will be passing a ton. This means ample opportunity for Jay Cutler, who has struggled as the Bears quarterback at times. I am confident that Cutler will turn things around under Trestman who is considered an offensive and quarterback guru. Cutler has some nice weapons to throw the ball to and I think they will look to get the ball out of his hands quickly. Cutler will be available late in your draft and at that point, taking a chance on him has little risk involved.
Julian Edelman, WR, New England Patriots
With all of the losses that the New England Patriots receiving core have suffered this offseason, I am looking for big things out of Julian Edelman. He is the wide receiver with the most experience in their offense returning. Danny Amendola is thought as by many to be the replacement for Wes Welker. I think that Amendola will get some work in the slot, but he will line-up on the outside too. He is a more athletic player than Welker who pretty much always lined-up in the slot. I see Edelman more as the guy who will take the Welker role in the offense, and as we have seen, that is a very productive role. As a late round flier, it is hard to find more upside than there is with Edelman.
Alshon Jeffery, WR, Chicago Bears
While Brandon Marshall did receive a ton of targets from Cutler last season, I think that Trestman will look to spread the ball around the field. Alshon Jeffery will be one of the main beneficiaries to that. Jeffery is a big, athletic receiver that can simply make plays. As long as he does not have trouble staying on the field, I think he will be a steal as a mid-to-late round pick.
Latavius Murray, RB, Oakland Raiders
Latavius Murray is my big rookie sleeper this season. The Oakland Raiders selected Murray in the sixth round of the 2013 Draft. He is a big running back at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds that has the athleticism to make it in the NFL. With Darren McFadden's injury history, it is easy to see Murray getting an opportunity to get some carries. It all depends on what he does with that opportunity. You never know what can happen. Nobody thought that Arian Foster would turn out to be a top back in the NFL and look at him. I like Murray's toughness and athleticism and think he could explode if he gets a chance. Murray is a big target of mine this season. He is going undrafted in most leagues so the risk is virtually nothing.
Rueben Randle, WR, New York Giants
I think Rueben Randle will find a place in the Giants' receiving corps this season. Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz will command a ton of attention from opposing defenses. Because of this, Randle will be able to roam free in the middle of the field. Eli Manning is too good of a quarterback not to take advantage of this. Not to mention, Nicks has a serious history of being injured. If he gets hurt again, it will only open up more opportunity for Randle.
Ryan Tannehill, QB, Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins added Mike Wallace and Dustin Keller this offseason. I do not particularly like either of those guys when it comes to fantasy, but I think they make Ryan Tannehill a much better player. Tannehill flashed brilliance at times last season and I think that he is only going to get better. Will he become a top quarterback option? Probably not, but I think he has nice potential and would be a great target in leagues that start two quarterbacks.
Ben Tate, RB, Houston Texans
I am not a believer in Arian Foster this season. I think his workload the past few seasons are finally going to catch up to him. If Foster does miss some time, Ben Tate will be there to step in. I have been drafting Tate a lot in the middle-to-late rounds in mock drafts and I always feel like I get him at good value. He is a guy that will see enough touches that you could place him in the Flex position if you had to and he is one Foster injury away from being a potential RB1.
Pierre Thomas, RB, New Orleans Saints
It is so hard to predict the backfield for the New Orleans Saints. Darren Sproles is a guy that I like, but he is basically just a WR that lines up in the backfield. The main competition for carries is between Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas. Most people think that Ingram will see the bulk of the carries for the Saints and he is going much higher than Thomas. I could see Thomas getting more touches than people realize and you can get him for practically nothing, as he goes undrafted in most leagues. He probably will not put up huge numbers, but I think he has a good chance to get some touches and he always produces when he does.
Shane Vereen, RB, New England Patriots
I think that Shane Vereen will be a huge part of replacing Welker and Aaron Hernandez for the Patriots. They are going to line him up all over the field. Late last season, Vereen really started to come on, showing his ability to both run and catch the ball. He is a very versatile player, that will be a key part in an elite offense. Vereen will be great this season, especially if your league has a PPR (Points Per Reception) format.
Michael Vick, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
Michael Vick in a Chip Kelly offense? Yes, please. Kelly has shown a great ability to work with mobile quarterbacks. While Vick may not be quite as fast as he used to be, he still has some wheels. He is being overlooked right now, but as long as he does win the starting quarterback job, Vick will be a late-round target of mine this season.
Danny Woodhead, RB, San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers is the king of the check-down pass. When you watch him play, he seems to check down to his running backs all of the time. Danny Woodhead has been one of the best receiving backs in the league and I think will get a ton of opportunity with Rivers checking down to him. While he does do most of his damage receiving, Woodhead is very underrated as a runner and is capable of handling some carries. I like Woodhead as a late-round sleeper, especially in PPR formats.
