All posts in Fantasy Football

The 2011 fantasy football season is nearly upon us and it’s time to start preparing for your fantasy draft (if you care about winning, that is). One of the best ways to win your fantasy league is to make a list of sleeper players that you plan to target in the late rounds of your draft. Every year, a few players come out of nowhere and lead their fantasy teams to glory. Last year, players like Peyton Hillis, Brandon Lloyd and Michael Vick helped win fantasy championships for many of their owners, yet all three of those players went undrafted in most fantasy football leagues. If you can find a sleeper player late in your draft who breaks out and becomes a star, you might as well head to the trophy store right now and buy some polish–the title will be yours.

So, who are the sleeper players you should be targeting in the late rounds of your draft in 2011? Let’s take a look.

Fantasy Football Sleepers: 2011 Edition

2011 Sleeper QBs

Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions

Sleeper Alert Status: Orange

If Matthew Stafford can ever stay healthy for a full 16 games, he is going to be a fantasy monster. He has a gunslinger mentality, he’s surrounded by young, explosive weapons (joining Calvin Johnson, Brandon Pettigrew and Jahvid Best are rookies Titus Young and Mikel LeShoure) and he has a coach who isn’t afraid to air it out (only the Colts and Saints threw more passes than the Lions last year). Of course, Stafford carries a considerable risk of injury–that’s why he’s a sleeper. He has yet to make it through a season in his career without injuring his shoulder. You don’t win fantasy championships by playing it safe, though. Let the other teams in your fantasy league use their early picks on guys like Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning and grab as many good wide receivers and running backs as you can. Then, take Stafford in the middle to late rounds and start praying that he stays healthy.

Tim Tebow, Denver Broncos

Sleeper Alert Status: Orange

New team vice president John Elway and new head coach John Fox know that the Broncos need to live and die with Tebow and they will give him a long leash. Tebow isn’t as far from being an elite passer as people think and he will continue to get better thanks to his tremendous work ethic. The Broncos will be an improved team in 2011 and Tim Tebow can be like Michael Vick Lite–he’ll get you points with his passing and he’ll also get you points with his legs (he passed for at least one touchdown and rushed for another in each of the three games he started last season). If you miss out on the top quarterbacks in your draft, grab Tim Tebow late in your draft.

2011 Sleeper WRs

Steve Smith, WR, Carolina Panthers

Sleeper Alert Status: Orange

The key here is the Carolina Panthers part, which is going to change. Steve Smith has already asked the Panthers to trade him and he’s going to get his wish. Ignore the fact that his past few seasons have been sub-par–the Panthers have been terrible and it isn’t Smith’s fault that players like Matt Moore and Jimmy Clausen can’t get himt he ball. Smith is going to end up on a team with an elite quarterback in 2011 (if you’re a betting person, put your money on the Chargers or the Patriots) and he should produce top-10 numbers. If your fantasy league holds its draft before Smith ends up on a new team, he probably won’t go off the board until the middle to late rounds. Fantastic value.

Mike Williams, Seattle Seahawks

Sleeper Alert Status: Orange

Big Mike Williams surprised many people by finally producing on the field in 2010. The problems that have plagued him in the past (his weight and a poor work ethic) appear to be behind him. He didn’t put up too many points during the 2010 fantasy season, but he looked great in the NFL playoffs and he is a great candidate to break out in a big way (pardon the pun) in 2011.

Austin Collie, Indianapolis Colts

Sleeper Alert Status: Red

The only thing most football fans remember about Austin Collie’s 2010 season is that he suffered numerous brutal concussions and ended the season on injured reserve. What everyone seems to forget is that, for the first several weeks of the season, Collie was the number one wide receiver in fantasy football. He says that he’s moved on from his concussion problems and it’s not unreasonable to expect him to go back to putting up big numbers this season. Yes, he will always be one hit away from IR, but the same can be said for every football player. Collie’s injury risk is pushing him much farther down draft boards than he deserves to be. Grab him as your WR2 or WR3 and bank on WR1 production.

2011 Sleeper RBs

Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers

Sleeper Alert Status: Orange

DeAngelo Williams probably won’t be back in Carolina, which means that Jonathan Stewart will be asked to carry the load. Though he’s been nicked up for pretty much his entire NFL career, Stewart hasn’t missed time on the field and he’s always run the ball effectively. In terms of talent, he is one of the NFL’s elite running backs. Sure, Carolina might be a bad team and it might limit the number of scoring opportunities that Stewart gets, but the Panthers will ride Stewart hard and you can expect him to amass a ton of yardage in 2011. If Cam Newton starts as a rookie, it should only help Stewart, as it will force defenses to respect Newton’s rushing ability (much the same way Vince Young made Chris Johnson more effective and Michael Vick did the same for LeSean McCoy).

Ryan Mathews, San Diego Chargers

Sleeper Alert Status: Yellow

Smart fantasy players realize that Mathews was hurt for most of his rookie season and that he was quite productive during the brief stretches when he was healthy. Not all fantasy players are smart, though. If Ryan Mathews falls into the fourth of fifth round of your fantasy draft, scoop him up. It might not be fair to call him a sleeper, but he is not exactly a hot name in many leagues and he probably deserves to be.

Delone Carter, Indianapolis Colts

Sleeper Alert Status: Red

This rookie running back brings something to the table that the Colts have been lacking for years: physicality. Carter is built like a bowling ball and has even been compared to Maurice Jones-Drew. Best of all, he has a relatively clear path to the starting job on one of the league’s best offenses. Even if the Colts re-sign Joseph Addai, we all know that he is far from a dynamic player with the ball in his hands and he is best used as a pass-blocker. Donald Brown is a complete bust. Carter could be carrying the load for the Colts by mid-season. At the very least, he should fill the role of goal-line back.

2011 Sleeper TEs

Jared Cook, Tennessee Titans

Sleeper Alert Status: Orange

For some reason, former Titans head coach Jeff Fisher never really gave this second round pick a fair chance. In the few times he managed to get on the field, Cook looked like the physical freak he was supposed to be coming out of college. There’s a new coach in Tennessee, Bo Scaife won’t be back and Cook will be expected to take over as the primary pass-catching tight end–and possibly the primary pass-catcher overall if Kenny Britt is suspended. If you miss out on the elite tight ends in your draft, wait until very late and then select Jared Cook.

Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints

Sleeper Alert Status: Yellow

In some fantasy circles, there’s a lot of buzz surrounding this young, athletic player who came to the game of football after playing basketball for many years (much like Antonio Gates did) and broke out late last season. In other circles, he’s still relatively unknown. If Graham falls to the late rounds in your draft, jump on him. He’ll be catching passes from Drew Brees in an offense that is lacking elite pass-catchers.