Fantasy Football Sleepers/Creepers, Aug. 18

Laurence Maroney RB

Poor, neglected Laurence Maroney, who spent too many Sundays in 2007 watching Tom Brady and Randy Moss streak down the field on 80-yard TD drives, usually ending the day with a meager contribution of 12 carries for 52 yards.

Of course, the Patriots' prolific passing attack wasn't Maroney's only impediment; it didn't help that he also missed three games with a groin injury and had four games with 10 or less carries. Predictably, the unforgiving fantasy football world has taken note of Maroney's 2007 shortcomings, and his draft stock has significantly dropped from a late first-round pick in 2007 to an early third-round pick in 2008.

Remember, it's not like this guy can't play; he rushed for over 120 yards against both Jacksonville and San Diego during the Patriots' 2007 playoff run, and note that New England has a predicted easy schedule against the run.

(Also consider that New England's predicted schedule against the pass doesn't look quite as good, and this could lead to more contribution from the running game this year.)

All in all, even if Maroney has the same exact performance as last season, he is worth a third-round fantasy pick, but his potential for a breakout make him a compelling player to target.

Eli Manning/Kevin Boss/Steve Smith QB/TE/WR

After his playoff and Super Bowl heroics, you have to wonder what else Eli Manning needs to do to gain a little respect in a fantasy draft. Maybe he can save some puppies from a burning building or convince North Korea to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Perhaps those are the type of accomplishments that could bump his average position up a little bit.

Granted, we are still waiting for Manning to break the 80 QB-rating barrier, which he surprisingly has not done since entering the league in 2004. Nonetheless, even a modest improvement over his typical 19 TD, 3,300-yard season will justify his eighth-round fantasy draft spot.

Two other potential values from the Giants' offense could be TE Kevin Boss and No. 3 receiver Steve Smith. Boss will replace Jeremy Shockey at TE this season and actually compares quite favorably with Shockey in terms of size and speed. You should be able to draft Kevin Boss in the 16th or 17th round, and that could be quite a bargain.

Receiver Steve Smith played only four regular-season games in 2007, but ended up as a valuable contributor in the playoffs for the Giants. Smith is not especially fast, but he is intelligent, runs great routes, and has good hands. He is typically available in the 16th round, and if Amani Toomer ever remembers that he is almost 35-years old, Smith could significantly outplay that draft position.

Andre Hall/Eddie Royal RB/WR

The Mike "Shananigans" Shanahan annual running-back derby is in full swing, and although Selvin Young is the projected No. 1 RB on his amorphous depth chart, does anyone really feel comfortable drafting him?

Let's be realistic, at this point in the Denver running-game sweepstakes, is it safe to dismiss any possibility? Anthony Alridge? Why not? Ryan Torain with a bionic elbow? Sure. Barry Sanders, Kordell Stewart, or Michael Jordan? All right, now you are just being silly, but I can't say I'd be shocked.

Selvin Young is appropriately getting picked in the sixth round so far this year, but the better speculative bet could be Andre Hall

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