While the current buzz of the NFL Draft is still fresh in our minds,
avid fantasy footballers will immediately take the next logical
step and contemplate the diamonds that will exist in the mid-round
rough of their fantasy drafts. High-profile rookies will be taken
during these rounds, but this is when savvy owners will be looking
to acquire those veterans poised to become statistical monsters.
Though rookies can be very tempting, very few have a significant
fantasy impact outside of a couple running backs here and there
who wind up in ideal situations, and prediction is a roll of the
dice. In contrast, prepared owners are readily able to identify
veterans poised to have breakout seasons.
Having the inside track on this year's Jeff Garcia, Lamar Smith
and Joe Horn will go a long way to increasing off-season cheer and
diminishing end-of-season jeer. To this end, we come to the list
below.
How the list was made…
…The players were chosen with a combination yardage-touchdown
scoring system in mind; they have significant upside AND are currently
being forgotten, overlooked and/or discounted. So, herein, you will
not find players like Brad Johnson, Priest Holmes or Keyshawn Johnson
as most "scratch" fantasy footballers are well aware of
them. They have big upside this year, but are more of the "light-sleeper"
variety. The following players would be better described as in hibernation.
So, without further ado, here are the top "sleeper" candidates
at quarterback, running back and receiver as it appears in the early
going, along with a special bonus pick.
QB Matt Hasselbeck - Seahawks
Definitely not a secret, but a player whose upswing is not appreciated
to the degree it should be. Holmgren knows quarterback talent, goes
out, gets it and molds it. One has to ask… could Hasselbeck
be the next coming of Brett Favre? Standing at 6-4, 220, he will
take the reigns of this potent Holmgren-style, West Coast offense,
which just received a shot in the arm during the first round of
the draft in the form of a talented wide receiver and guard and
has its short- and long-term running game in place. Heck, an estranged,
semi-talented Jon Kitna would have probably thrown for about 3,500
yards last year had he started every game.
RB Tshimanga Biakabutuka - Panthers
He is one of those players either being written off for this upcoming
season or, since there has been little talk about him for quite
awhile, overlooked. He has a career average of 4.1 yards per rush,
which he was matching last season up until getting injured. At age
27, he is just entering what many experts consider to be the best
years for a running back. Notwithstanding all the criticism from
outside sources, head coach George Seifert has stuck by him, maintaining
that he has the tools to be as good a West Coast running back as
there is. But, the proof is in the pudding. The Panthers apparently
did not even bat an eye at free-agent RB's Charlie Garner or Priest
Holmes or any of the big-name backs in the draft. They did sign
RB Adrian Murrell, but it has been explicitly stated that he has
been brought aboard as a backup and insurance.
WR Corey Bradford - Packers
Now here is a guy who has disappeared from almost everybody's radar
screen. Last year before getting injured, he was slated to start
across from Antonio Freeman and was expected to break out. He averaged
17.2 yards per catch and caught five TD's in '99, and by the end
of the season, he was becoming a favorite target of Favre's. 2001
becomes, in essence, his third year, and third-year receivers are
known to break out. Bradford is a clone of a younger Freeman, and
with Freeman evidently on the way out, as has been most recently
confirmed by his lax efforts and attitude during mini-camp, Bradford
could be a real find in the mid-to-late rounds.
Bonus Pick - Denver Broncos Defense
This unit will be the most improved in the league next season, and,
a la the Dolphins D, they will be absolutely suffocating at home
in the new "Mile High" stadium. It all began with the
arrival of mastermind defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes. As for impact
players, they have only lost CB Ray Crockett and DT Keith Traylor
from last year's team, but they have signed the likes of DT Chester
McGlockton, DE Keith Washington, CB Denard Walker and DE Leon Lett,
and they spent their first three picks of the draft on the defensive
side of the ball.
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stegeman
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