PPR Late Round Picks for 2010

I’m a firm believer that you win PPR leagues by taking risks on WR’s with big upside in the later rounds (and of course luck is always nice too). Case in point, last season I was fortunate enough to draft Steve Smith (Giants) and Sidney Rice in the later rounds (after round 10). No one knew that either of those players would perform at the level they did. Rice had 15 catches in 2008. And most people thought Domenik Hixon was going to be the breakout candidate for the Giants. In looking at three of the major fantasy football rankings magazines, Smith had an average ranking of 54 and Rice had an average ranking of 56 among WR's. Even though Rice had only 15 catches, he had 4 TD's. His high reception to TD ratio and the arrival of Brett Favre, pushed Rice up my board. The NY Giants had lost both starting WR's (Plaxico Burress & Amani Toomer). That left a huge void in their passing game. That was enough for me to lock in on Smith in the later rounds.

This is the beauty of the PPR format. Every year players pop out and make an instant impact in fantasy leagues. Knowing which players you think have a chance to breakout, allows you to add players that are under the radar with big upside in the later rounds. Looking at Average Draft Position (ADP) and participating in mock drafts leading up to the season is an excellent way to see where your potential sleepers will fall and when you should think about drafting them. Taking some risks on WR’s in the later rounds might help you win your PPR league this season!

Below are some players I’ll be keeping an eye on leading up to my fantasy drafts. All of them should be available in the later rounds and could pay big dividends to owners who are willing to roll the dice on them.

Jabar Gaffney – With Marshall gone, he should assume the #2 role behind Eddie Royal. If he wins the #2 role, he has a chance to post around 80 receptions. While Marshall was suspended in week 17 of last season, Gaffney had 14-213. The previous week he had 7-69-2. Remember Josh McDaniels (now Broncos head coach) was at the helm of the Patriots offense in 2007, that set NFL records, scoring 75 touchdowns (67 on offense, 50 passing and 17 rushing) and 589 points. He clearly knows how to use his WR's effectively.

Julian Edelman - Maybe not the deepest of sleepers. If Welker isn’t able to come back in the beginning of the season, Edelman will assume his role. Stands to be a monster in PPR leagues. With a healthy Tom Brady, now a year removed from knee surgery, Edelman could produce WR2 numbers, even if Welker comes back on time. The addition of Torry Holt shouldn’t really affect Edelman. Remember the Pats had Joey Galloway last season and he did next to nothing.

Mohamed Massaquoi - If Delhomme wins the starting QB job, he loves throwing to Mohamed’s. This Mohamed could see an instant increase in his numbers. He could match the other Muhammed’s (Mushin) production from 2008 (65-923-5).

Chaz Schilens - He was hampered by injuries in 2009. If he stays healthy in 2010, he has upside to produce solid WR2 or Flex numbers, especially in PPR leagues. As always, the Raiders will most likely be playing from behind and Schilens should see more targets.

Devin Aromashodu – 5.5 receptions, 70.5 yards and 1 TD – Those were Aromashodu’s average stats per game, over the last 4 games. Very solid when you’re talking about a guy you can probably get in the really late rounds, or even off waivers in some leagues. I also say there is no way that Cutler plays as bad as he did last season. Aromashodu should be the beneficiary.

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