32 Teams, 32 Sleepers: AFC West (Fantasy Football)

While the Broncos were the twelfth best team on the ground last season, they did so with a revolving door of tailbacks. That revolving door ushered in the likes of Peyton Hillis, Michael Pittman, Tatum Bell, Selvin Young, Andre Hall and Ryan Torain. Save Torain and Hillis, everyone else is looking elsewhere for work. Torain is probably going end up on the practice squad, if he stays with the Broncos at all, and even though Hillis was electrifying last season, the utility player looks to get lined up at halfback only on rare occasion, with much of his time spent at fullback, wide receiver or tight end.

While many (including myself) have been gushing over Knowshon Moreno, and projecting him as the top fantasy rookie for 2009, I doubt we’ll see him picking up a huge majority of the Broncos’ carries. Three veteran RBs were brought in before draft day. Correll Buckhalter was the first man brought in by Denver, and while he is currently written in as the second RB on the depth chart, the fantasy fallout on his presence ends with who Brian Westbrook’s new handcuff is (it’s LeSean McCoy, by the way). J.J. Arrington was also added…but he’s since been cut for a bum knee. The other one was Lamont Jordan, and I see him having serious fantasy relevance this season.

Lamont Jordan is an ideal third down back, in multiple ways. He has the hands of a WR, best shown off in his seventy-catch 2005 season (and he showed that he still has “it” in 2007). He also has serious, bowl-you-over power, which was on display last season in New England where he was used to punch the ball through the pile more than a few times. And in case you hadn’t heard, Josh McDaniels was the Patriots’ offensive coordinator last year, and is high-fiving Lamont out in Denver this year. With a coach that knows how to use him, expect Jordan to get more than a few carries in 2009, and keep in mind he may become a full-on vulture.

Here’s a fun fact: Bobby Engram was the No. 15 fantasy WR in 2007 at 34 years old. Over the last few years, the slippery possession receiver has been the victim of an impressive level of inconsistency at every offensive position in Seattle. No offense to Seahawks fans, but the change of scenery is going to do wonders for Bobby Engram, who will be sporting an arrowhead on his helmet in 2009.

As we all know, Kansas City has undergone more than a few changes this off-season. Scott Pioli brought in Matt Cassel, who can be safely written in as the Chiefs’ starting QB for 2009, despite any talk of a competition. Cassel’s effectiveness in the shotgun (and relative ineffectiveness in other formations) is well-documented and the obvious beneficiaries are Chiefs WRs. What’s also well-documented is the absolute uselessness of any WRs in Kansas City outside Dwayne Bowe.

Engram is a legit No. 2 WR for the Chiefs, and is going to be used regularly to try and make up for the distinct lack of Tony Gonzalez this season. While he has always had a bit of a trouble finding the end zone (he is yet to hit pay dirt more than six times in any given season), Engram is a legitimate top-30 WR candidate in PPR leagues, a strong later-round pick-up in deeper leagues, and can function as a decent backup in most formats. Though he could actually work his way into starting lineups if he catches on with Cassel.

*Sorry about the picture. Getty didn't have one of Wade in Seattle, or at camp in KC.

You know the “Chuck Norris Facts” website? There should be one of those about how hard JaMarcus Russell throws. Much like Ted Ginn, Russell is one of those players with so much physical talent, he manages to find his way onto random lists talking about sleeper picks in fantasy football, despite almost no actual regular season performance. While his arm strength gets the most attention, there’s still a lot to love. He’s about the same size as Brandon “Football Frankenstein” Jacobs* at 6'6", 260 pounds, and ran a relatively decent 40 (4.83 seconds), both of which make him more than capable of extending a drive with his legs or grinding his way into the end zone.

While this is all well and good, you don’t get points for talent. You get points for like…passing and stuff. Well, Russell actually put up respectable numbers in the last three weeks of 2008, getting two passing TDs in each game accompanied by QB ratings of 85.7 (against the Patriots), 128.1 (against the Texans) and 98.9 (against Tampa Bay). He also has Jeff Garcia breathing down his neck, offering sensual massages and asking him if he wants to see the musical production of Shrek, which can only help motivate him. And of course, I don’t think any of us are expecting the Raiders defense to be anything more than a vague ideal, as opponents run the ball at will. Granted, while the poor quality of the defense does not actually make him better, we have seen more than a couple mediocre QBs become fantasy forces because of time spent playing catch-up (2006 Jon Kitna being the best example).

Believe it or not, with a duo of pass-catching RBs, a sure-handed TE and so many WRs that one of them has to be good, JaMarcus Russell is, in many ways, in a position for success. He’s not somebody that you should confidently draft as the starter for your team, but there is an off chance Russell could wind up a top-ten QB.

*Nickname shamelessly taken from the many works of Brad Evans.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am not a LaDainian Tomlinson advocate. He has gotten a bum rap, sure, but really, Darren Sproles is the future. I know it. You know it. Norv Turner knows it. Regardless of Tomlinson’s health, I simply can’t see him performing at such a high level that a player as electrifying as Sproles would end up completely out of the picture. That’s not to knock Tomlinson, because he still performed in 2008, but Sproles really is that good. I think we all saw how he performed in the playoffs last season, so I’ll just throw some other facts at you.

Sproles averaged 5.4 yards per carry last season. Tomlinson averaged 3.8.

Despite being generally underused in 2008, Sproles had 29 catches to Tomlinson’s 52. When you consider that Tomlinson had 292 carries to Sproles’ 61, it suggests that Sproles could be a PPR monster.

The Chargers get all six of their games against divisional rivals in by week twelve. And if you’re like me and think REALLY far ahead, they play against Cincinnati in Week 15, which is when my money leagues do their playoffs. Granted, defenses change every year…but come on.

Indeed, I foresee Sproles making a massive splash in 2009. Really, Sproles and Tomlinson totaled 2208 yards and 18 TDs in 2008. Even if they split this, it works out to 1104 yards and nine TDs. Not bad for somebody with an ADP around 100.