Ray Rice, RB Ravens- Our favorite sleeper pick bulked up his upper body this offseason and the Ravens believe in his ability as an every-down back. We have dreams of Rice's MJD-like potential, while Willis McGahee is in the Fred Taylor role and Le’Ron McClain is Greg Jones. Needless to say, we expect Rice to emerge.
Donald Brown, RB Colts- Indy prefers the committee approach (see Super Bowl XLI) so Brown is going get his touches, equaling possible RB3 production even as Joey Addai's backup. If Addai continues to be ineffective as the lead back and/or a health concern, they may decide to favor Brown instead. The explosive rookie led the nation in rushing last year.
Julius Jones, RB Seahawks- New offensive coordinator Greg Knapp’s zone blocking scheme has made 1000-yard rushers out of Warrick Dunn, Kevan Barlow, and Justin Fargas, which is encouraging for Jones. Jones upped his YPC to 4.4 last year and should see 200-250 carries in ’09, health permitting. Beware of TD vulture, T.J. Duckett.
LeSean McCoy, RB Eagles- Philly is superman high on McCoy and Brian Westbrook’s offseason surgery was not cool. Westy will see fewer touches than years past and at 30, there’s always a chance he’ll unravel in a hurry, Shaun Alexander-style. If that happens, McCoy will hulk up for sure.
Ahmad Bradshaw, RB Giants- In Brandon Jacobs two seasons as a starter, he's missed an average of four games per. Bradshaw can feast in those games, give you Derrick Ward-like production in others, and blow up if Jacobs ever goes down for an extended period. Bradshaw is expected to be Jacobs' backup, but keep an eye on Andre Brown and Danny Ware as well.
Check out my analysis of these seven sleeper receivers in our Breakout WRs article.
Dominik Hixon, WR Giants
Josh Morgan, WR 49ers
Miles Austin, WR Cowboys
Steve Smith, WR Giants
Davone Bess, WR Dolphins
Mark Bradley, WR Chiefs
Mike Walker, WR Jaguars
Trent Edwards, QB Bills- This K.C. Joyner favorite is a smart player who carries himself like a veteran, despite only 23 NFL starts. Edwards nicely upped both his completion percentage (65.5) and yards per attempt (7.2) last year. The arrival of T.O. and a no-huddle offense will only help. Beware of shaky O-line.
Jerious Norwood, RB Falcons- Kid is explosive and history suggests Michael Turner will regress and/or get injured as the Curse of 370 (carries) looms... Rumor has it that ATL plans to expand Norwood 's role regardless, so he might have his best season yet.
Laurence Maroney, RB Patriots- It's a make-or-break season for Maroney's career so he'll be motivated for sure. He has the freshest legs in the Pats backfield and offers nice upside for a 13th rounder. Check his game log late in '07 to see what's possible if the Pats give him the ball.
Jamaal Charles, RB Chiefs- Uncertainty surrounding Larry Johnson's future/role under new regime may lead to an expanded role for Charles, who is one of the fastest players in the league. The Red Blazer is a better fit for Todd Haley's spread out scheme, making him a nice late pick.
Brent Celek, TE Eagles- Last year, we saw what Celek can do with opportunity:
Week 9- 6 Rec, 131 Yds (Eagles TE record for yards in a game)
NFC Championship- 10 Rec, 83 Yds, 2 TD (Eagles playoff reception record)
Now the job is all his and we trust him as a perfect late TE1 pick.
Shonn Greene, RB Jets- Greene was a Jets priority on draft day and they gave up a lot to get him. Rex Ryan envisions Greene and his pure power as a “fourth quarter weapon.” Thomas Jones, at 31 years old with a rookie QB, will come back to Earth, so you have to figure Greene will be the goal line back at least, with potential for more.
Michael Bush, RB Raiders- I’m big on injury recovery time and this year Bush is three years removed from the devastating broken leg he suffered at Louisville. His talent was and is for real. He’ll need a Darren McFadden injury to fully explode, but he can put up numbers in a committee too. Justin Fargas is a non-factor in our minds.
Earl Bennett, WR Bears- Bennett had difficulty learning the offense his rookie year, but the Bears are giving him every opportunity to win a starting spot this year. He and Jay Cutler played together at Vanderbilt for a year and here’s Cutler’s take: “You’re going to see a different Earl Bennett this year.” I heard Cutler say that with confidence on Chicago radio back in April.
Vernon Davis, TE 49ers- In three years in the league, Davis has been all hype and no hulk, but ’06 wasn’t all that bad (52/509/4). 49ers OC Jimmy Raye plans on Davis being a focal point in the offense and we’re hopeful Mike Singletary has instilled some discipline. Davis comes at a bargain price and is our latest TE1 value. |
