by Benjamin Lomax

Created on: July 13, 2010

Picking out the Fantasy Football Sleepers, or draft picks that are undervalued, is well-known to be the secret to having a successful season, and 2010 will be no different. When everyone is trying to draft in position, lock-stepping with each other and trying to match production, the clever sleeper detector will sneak in with a low pick who has a breakout year and often that will be enough on an otherwise talented fantasy team. With that in mind, here are a few “sleepers” that are undervalued now. You can pick them up late and expect good things:

Quarterback: Matt Leinart (Cardinals): May be showing some USC favoritism here, but that’s part of what makes Leinart a good investment. USC ran a pro-style offense with NFL caliber athletes and he had great success there. Sure he has struggled so far in his opportunities in the spotlight, and has shown a serious lack of maturity, but the stars are coming into alignment this year. With Kurt Warner’s retirement, the Cardinals have a pass-oriented offense with one of the best receivers in the NFL (Larry Fitzgerald). The Cardinals had a good year last year and will have a tough schedule, many games of which they will be behind, necessitating more passing. Leinart is talented and has had a couple of years to watch a real pro at work. Look for him to surprise a lot of people this year and post up solid fantasy numbers.

Running Back: Donald Brown (Colts): Who? That is why he is a sleeper folks. Brown backs up the aging Joseph Addai in the powerful Colts offense, but he will see significant time in the backfield this year. Peyton Manning looks to dominate defenses early this year and then the Colts will grind it out with the ground game. Addai does not have the endurance to be a workhorse any more. Nonetheless Brown should be a late round pick-up with a solid chance to produce strong fantasy stats.

Running Back: Larry Johnson (Redskins): From young and unknown to old and past his prime, but Johnson had a solid year statistically last year after being run out of Kansas City for behavior problems. He has not played a lot over the last two years and figures to be fresher than worn-down starter Clinton Portis. The Redskins will run a lot this year without much of a passing attack, and should have a legitimate split backfield with plenty of opportunities for Johnson to put up numbers.

Wide Receiver: Arellious Benn (Buccaneers): An even more resounding Who? This rookie out of Illinois has incredible athleticism

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>