Fantasy Football Sleeper: Josh Freeman, QB Buccaneers

Any fantasy football owner that had Josh Freeman at the end of last season need not be reminded of the brilliant way he finished the season in 2010. In Week 16, the Fantasy Football Championship for most leagues, Freeman hurled an astounding five touchdowns, which won many a league and dropped woe-begon fantasy owners, who left him on the bench, to their knees.

The story for Josh Freeman goes beyond an enchanted championship game, however. Freeman tossed at least one touchdown in every game last year—except for one in Week 3 versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. He tossed multiple touchdowns in seven contests. For leagues that count interceptions against a quarterback, Freeman shined brighter still, throwing only six interceptions (against a total of 25 TDs on the year).

So why would I nominate Josh Freeman for a Breakout Player in 2011? The answer is as much about those tools around him, as with his own professional growth. Last season, the Bucs spent several draft selections on wide receivers. Young speedster Mike Williams blew up last season and should continue his march towards fantasy football domination in 2011. In addition, Arrelious Benn—a wide out with high potential—showed tell tale signs that he too will be ready to contribute at a higher level in 2011. That will give Freeman two strong weapons to work with outside the hash marks, and it is likely that the Buccaneers will add another weapon via the NFL Draft in two weeks.

In addition, Freeman was bolstered by the surprisingly strong play of his rushing attack. LeGarrette Blount emerged midseason as a possible Rookie of the Year and gave Tampa Bay a physical presence that demanded attention. Opposing defenses needed to respect the run and that opened up important passing lanes for the strong-armed quarterback at the end of the year.

Freeman posted a fantasy points / opportunity score of 8.83. While that is not an elite number, his fantasy points, per opportunity, scaled upwards each week of the season, which hints that he could join the Tier 2 options at the quarterback position in 2011. Freeman enters his third season in 2011, a season which proves to be the maturing point for young quarterbacks.  That should amount to an increase in points per opportunity and a continued ascent into fantasy relevance.

If you are watching the fantasy football rankings closely, you will have seen that Josh Freeman has quietly moved up into tier three or four (#10 - 15 on the QB charts.)

Freeman will likely come cheaply, due to the fact that the Buccaneers are a forgotten team in fantasy football. So watch for him and make him a high-value selection in Round 4 or 5 of redraft leagues.

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