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2008 Fantasy Football Sleepers |
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Quarterback
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Player |
Rationale |
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1 |
Matt Schaub
Houston Texans |
Believe this, Matt Schaub is a top 10 fantasy QB. If you project Schaub's stats from 2007 out to a full season (he only played in 9 full games), he ends up with approx 4,000 passing yards and 19 TDs. Not elite numbers but also not worthy of a guy that is getting drafted at the end of most drafts. BEST QB BARGAIN in 2008. |
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1 |
Jay Cutler
Denver Broncos |
Cutler had a solid outing last year in his first full season as a starter (20 TD, 14 INT). He has developed a telekinetic link with Brandon Marshall, and is beginning to make the same link with TE Tony Scheffler. Now, with another year of experience under his belt and his diabetes under control, Cutler could have a great fantasy season and should make his way into the top 10 at his position. |
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2 |
Aaron Rodgers
Green Bay Packers |
Rodgers has had a respectable preseason and weathered Hurricane Favre without too much sustained damage. He has years of experience in the Green Bay system now (other than live-fire), a talented corps of WR, and a capable o-line. He should flourish in Mike McCarthy’s WCO system and possibly better Favre’s performance from last year. His injury problems are a concern, but they have been rather fluky so we won’t label him Mr. Glass just yet. He is solidly in the second tier of QBs, and his upside is very high. |
Running Back
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Player |
Rationale |
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1 |
Chris Perry
Cincinatti Bengals |
Both Perry and fellow RB Kenny Watson are looking to take Rudi Johnson’s spot in the Bengals offense this season. Rudi looks to be worn out, and could even end up as trade bait before the start of the season. If Rudi is out of gas, then the two-headed attack of Watson and Perry will tote the rock. Still, Cincy’s o-line has been dreadful, and that team is one more Chris Henry arrest from spontaneously combusting, but he has late-round upside potential. He will be on someone’s roster by the end of the year, take a flyer in the later rounds and stash him on your bench before it’s too late. |
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2 |
Tim Hightower
Arizona Cardinals |
Complimentary to our busts article (see Edgerrin James), this is both an indictment of Edgerrin James as much as it is a praise of the talents of Tim Hightower. So far in camp, Hightower is getting rave reviews and is a reat candidate to take over the starting spot in 2008 at some point. Edgerrin James has seen over 300 carries each of the last 5 seasons and is not averaging over 4 YPC since he was with Indy. Not well known because he went to Richmond, Hightower was a true stud in cllege and is a very sneaky sleeper in 2008. |
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3 |
Ricky Williams
Miami Dolphins |
On top of his holistic healing techniques Ricky might be dabbling in some voodoo. How else to explain the mercurial running back’s reemergence as the Fins’ top ball carrier. He has looked strong and confident in the preseason, and will take over for a disappointing Ronnie Brown (who is still dealing with some injury issues). With a semblance of a passing attack now, an improved offensive line, and a less ridiculous workload (no more 40 carries a game), Ricky should have a good season and could work his way into a permanent spot as your RB2. |
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4 |
Jamal Lewis
Cleveland Browns |
He’s the Rodney Dangerfield of RBs apparently this year. Jamal is still being overlooked in many drafts. He had 1300 yards and 9 TDs last year, but is still being drafted in the late third and early fourth rounds in some drafts. The Browns have a great o-line and a solid passing game and Jamal (if his hamstring doesn’t hurt him too much this year) is running angry still. Pick him up for a dependable RB2 who won’t give up his goal line carries or split time with anyone in any significant way. |
Wide Receiver
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Player |
Rationale |
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1 |
Nate Burleson
Seattle Seahawks |
Attrition has left the Hawks with alomost no WRs. Dieon Branch has been injured all of pre-season, Bobby Engram is out for probably the first 6 weeks of the season, and Ben Obamatu just broke his clavicle and will miss extended time. That leaves Burleson as the clear cut best option in the passing game. The only question is how big can Burleson step up his game? |
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2 |
Josh Morgan
San Francisco 49ers |
Morgan is a rookie but has shown some nice flashes of ability in the pre-season. Couple that with no legitimate WR threats on the team and a Mike Martz pass-happy offense and you have to think that somebody has to catch the ball, right? We think Morgan may surprise people in 2008 when it is all said and done. As a rookie, he will likely be inconsistent but he is too talented to not have a few big games. |
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3 |
Dwayne Bowe
Kansas City Chiefs |
Sure, he’s on a KC team that can’t pass gas, but the talented receiver is still going to produce. He just missed out on 1,000 yards in his rookie season, and this year he should be even better. With Gonzalez on the field, he’ll see plenty of single coverage. As long as KC can get a mediocre season out of Brodie Coyle, then Bowe will be a dependable contributor to your team. Pick him up as a WR3 in your draft and watch him work his way to WR2 on your roster before the end of the season. |
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4 |
Greg Jennings
Green Bay Packers |
Another guy who could be (and probably has been) overlooked due to the lack of Favre, but he and Rodgers have a good connection. He had 12 TDs and nearly 1,000 yards in 13 games last season, and is a home-run threat every catch. Jennings does not seem impaired at all by his knee injury that kept him out of training camp early. Grab him as a WR2 and enjoy watching the TD machine work his magic again. |
Tight End
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Player |
Rationale |
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1 |
Ben Utecht
Cincinatti Bengals |
When you have a crappy offesive line, the TE is a QBs best friend. Such is the case for Utecht and Carson Palmer. In Indy last season, Utecht showed promise but was mired behind one of the league's best TEs in Dallas Clark. In Cincy, he will be the clear #1 TE and should see plenty of action. Throw in a dinged up Ocho Cinco and Utecht could easily top 40 receptions this season. Then he will rename himself "Ocho Uno." |
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2 |
Dustin Keller
New York Jets |
Sure he’s one of about a thousand capable TEs on the Jets, but he is easily the most talented and has the most upside. Chris Baker will find himself sharing time with him while Bubba Franks takes on the role of blocking TE. Favre loves himself some TE action, and Keller could provide a nice security blanket for Favre as he acclimates himself with his new offense. Grab Keller late in the draft for what could be the next big name at TE. |
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3 |
Owen Daniels
Houston Texans |
After the top tier TEs have been gobbled up in a run somewhere around round four or five, Daniels will still be there waiting for you (and not like an angry wife waits on you after you’ve taken down a dozen beers at the bar at 4 am, more like a dog wagging his tail until you get home from work kind of way). He’s option 1B for Matt Schaub in Houston, and as long as their RB situation remains muddled, the aerial attack will have to pick up the slack. He only had 3 TDs last year, but those 3 were all in the last 6 games of the season. Daniels should continue that momentum and build on it for his 2008 tour of duty. If you miss the TE run pick him up for dependable, but not stellar, TE production. |
Defense/Special Teams
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Player |
Rationale |
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Tennessee Titans |
The Titans ended 2007 as the 5th rated Defense in the NFL. That also includes not having Albert Hanesworth healthy for a significant portion of the season. If Hanesworth, who is one of the most dominant players in the NFL, can remain healthy, the Titans will again be a top rated Defense. |
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