It’s the beginning of the school year, which means that in dorm rooms, dining rooms, and online chat rooms, fantasy football drafts are being held. What you won’t find in this article is whether or not you should pick Ladanian Tomlinson, Shaun Alexander, Daunte, or Peyton. What you will find is a host of positional players that you may not know of. I’ll do my best to highlight some of the sleepers, backups, and rookies that you can find in the later round of drafts, and could possibly win you a league championship. I’ll also mention some players who are labeled “Buyer Beware.”
Quarterback
Kurt Warner, Arizona: What do Randall Cunningham and Jeff George have in common? They’re both quarterbacks that Dennis Green has revitalized after their prime. Kurt Warner could be next. If Arizona’s offensive line can protect Warner enough, he’ll get plenty of opportunities to throw to young talented wide receivers Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, and Bryant Johnson. If you grabbed an upper echelon quaterback already, Warner could make a nice backup late in the draft.
Jake Plummer, Denver: Jake has the potential to be a top tier quaterback, but he’s never developed into one. The excuses for a while was that he played on a bad team. He’s in Denver now, and while he threw 27 touchdowns last year, he also threw 20 interceptions. But, based on ESPN draft results, he’s still being picked above quarterbacks like Byron Leftwich and Carson Palmer. Leftwich and Palmer have more potential, and in those later rounds you’re better off drafting one of those than Jake the Fake.
Running Back
Mike Anderson, Denver: Say what you want about Tatum Bell, but Mike Anderson is the starter. Anderson rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries on Saturday to solidify himself as a starter. If you’ve already drafted a team and you’re weak on running backs, hit the waiver wire now.
J.J. Arrington, Arizona: Arrington is getting noticed and is shooting up draft boards. This rookie only ran for 2018 yards last season as a senior at California. With a young offense and a sleeper quarterback, Arrington could have a year like Kevin Jones last year.
Chris Brown and Travis Henry, Tennessee: A fantasy owners worst nightmare is the dreaded running back by committee. Both of Tennessee’s running backs are qualified to be a starter, but neither is. If you draft one in the mid-rounds (which I don’t advise), you better draft the other. A better choice would be to take a late round flier on one in hopes they pan out.
Larry Johnson and Mewelde Moore, Kansas City and Minnesota: Both of these running backs are backups, but could see significant action. Larry Johnson has shown the potential to be a starting running back in this league, but all that stands in his way is injury-prone Priest Holmes. While Mewelde Moore has his own injury concerns, there is no denying his talent. Both of these backups can be grabbed late for insurance or trade bait.
Wide Receiver
T.J Houshmandzadeh, Cinncinati: Besides having a unique last name, he also quietly posted 978 receiving yards and four touchdowns as loud mouth Chad Johnson’s running mate. Expect Carson Palmer to mature, and Houshmandzadeh’s stats to improve as well.
Ronald Curry, Oakland: Even though Brandon Stokley was the third receiver in the Colts offense, he still posted fantastic stats. Could Curry be the same? Oakland figures to have an explosive offense, and this quarterback turned wide receiver could be silent benefit from it.
Travis Taylor, Minnesota: While many people seem to be picking Marcus Robinson as the Vikings number two wide receiver, don’t count out Travis Taylor. Taylor is a former first round draft pick who got stuck in wide receiver purgatory, Baltimore. Given Robinson’s knack for injuries, Taylor could be hitting it big with Daunte Culpepper soon.
Desmond Mason and Mark Clayton, Baltimore: With that being said about Baltimore, don’t believe the hype in free agent signee Mason or rookie Clayton. Both possess the talent, but until things start clicking for Kyle Boller, Baltimore will always be a run first team.
