Underrated Players and Deep Sleepers for Your 2011 Fantasy Championship

It's easy to point at Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles, Chris Johnson, and Arian Foster and say those are the primary guys you want to try and draft. 

The real bragging rights in fantasy comes down to the the stars you find in the mid to late rounds. There's no better feeling in fantasy than planting your flag on the next Arian Foster. Foster had talk flying around him pre-draft last year, and his average draft position was around 70 last year. 

If you're in a deeper league, looking for high upside guys, or want some value picks, these are some guys that might end up winning your fantasy league.

Ray Rice

Rice is obviously not a sleeper, but I thought he would be worth a quick slide to discuss.

Rice is falling out of the first-round consistently, and it's just wrong. At this point in time, Mendenhall, LeSean McCoy, Michael Turner and MJD are all going before him, and Rice's ADP is settling at around 11 in most leagues. 

It was a bit of a down year for Rice in terms of expectation, who was a top five-pick last year. His skills have not declined. His offensive line is about the same.

Now that McGahee is gone, there isn't really anyone on the roster to come in and vulture touchdowns, and now that Mason and Heap are gone, the Ravens will probably rely on Rice to grind out yards and catch passes out of the backfield even more. 

Rice may be no sleeper, but I warn you not to sleep on Rice. He should be the fifth overall pick in my opinion, right behind Johnson, Peterson, Foster and Charles.

Don't let him get to the 11th pick, unless you want the person with the 10th overall pick to take two outright studs back to back. 

Austin Collie

Collie became Manning's go-to target after an injury plagued season for the Colts.

Collie scored eight touchdowns in only nine games last year before suffering a slew of concussions. He had the highest catch rate of any receiver in the league at 82 percent (72 percent was the highest among other qualifying receivers).

Manning clearly loved Collie as a primary target, much more so than Garcon, who has had a bad case of the dropsies since entering the league.

His average draft position on ESPN.com is currently 63, which is a steal if he remains healthy for the entire year.

In some leagues he's falling even farther, and the question really comes down to would you rather have a super high upside guy in the sixth round like Collie, or would you rather take guys like Garcon, who are going in the same round? 

Marshawn Lynch

I've never seen so many people so down on a young talented running back behind a good offensive line. 

Lynch was a first-round talent that was drafted 12th overall by Buffalo in 2007. He has all the abilities to put it together and become a complete running back, and he has showed flashes behind the worst offensive line in football over the last four years.

He seems to enter a mystical state, connecting to the ether of the universe and entering "Beast Mode," where he is able to average well over 4.5 yards a carry. Then other times, he's Marshawn Lynch and averages a stellar 3.0 yards a carry. 

The Seahawk's offensive line was devastated by injury last year, never using the same starting five more that twice. That should change this year, since the line received a lot of depth through the draft and free agency.

Lynch was able to show the world how incredible he could be at times against New Orleans in the playoffs, rushing 19 times for a 131 yards, and a long game sealing run that shook the earth.

How easily we seem to forget. 

And let's be honest, do you think they're going to let Tavaris Jackson throw the ball all day? Pete Carrol isn't stupid; he's going to run the ball behind an offensive line that will be great if it remains healthy.

Lynch is being drafted behind the likes of NoShow Moreno, Jonathan Stewart, Cedric Benson and The Law Firm. Some of those guys aren't even their own teams starters and won't see anywhere close to the 300-plus touches Lynch will see.

Lynch is an extremely high upside No. 3 back, who could easily end up as one of the come-out-of-no- where guys this season. Mark my words, you will get great value out Beast Mode this year.  

Dexter McCluster

McCluster, at 5'8'' and 170 lbs., is light, but you should not take him lightly in this years fantasy scene. 

McCluster will go undrafted in the vast majority of leagues this year. He was hampered by a high angle sprain the majority of last year, which destroyed a large part of his season.

When McCluster did see the field, he was electric.

Despite being so short, McCluster was able to get up for overthrown balls. He showed great elusiveness and was often just another step away for breaking it for a large gain.

McCluster has all the skills of a big time play maker. However, this isn't what makes him a great deep sleeper. McCluster has been practicing consistently with the receiving corps and the running backs this training camp.

McCluster got carries in various games last year, but he gets listed at wide receiver. This gives him the opportunity for more consistent yardage and more opportunity to score touchdowns.

McCluster will probably have primary return duties this year also, and he has the ability to return the kick every time he touches the ball. Take a flier on him in the last round or two, at the worst, you drop him and pick up another sleeper I list.   

Bernard Scott

Will someone please tell me why Cedric Benson was given a one-year extension after knocking out his former roommates teeth? 

If I had to place a bet, I would say there is an 80 percent chance Benson is suspended at least a couple of games at the beginning of this season.

He has had trouble with the law before, and even if the lockout wasn't completely over, Goodell has basically come out and said he will keep his power to discipline players and that those who weren't careful during the lockout would be punished. 

Bernard Scott is entering his third season in the NFL and has shown he has the ability to be a good running back. He has a career average of 4.6 yards per carry in 135 carries and has shown he can carry the ball consistently in the game. Benson has shown that in six years, he can average a whopping 3.7 yards per carry, while knocking people out in the offseason. 

Scott is taken as a handcuff a lot in late leagues. To be honest, I fully expect Scott to overtake Benson's starting job this year, especially if Benson ends up injured or suspended, both of which are more likely than not to happen. 

Brandon Lloyd

You would think that people would be jumping all over Brandon Lloyd considering he was the top fantasy wide receiver last year. 

Don't get me wrong, I understand the critics saying it's a one-year wonder, and how can we expect a guy to all of a sudden put it together? The thing is, no receiver that has ever put up those kinds of numbers, ever regressed. 

The primary arguments for not drafting Lloyd is that a lot of his yards were in garbage times, as well as his touchdowns. While that may be true, garbage time still leads to fantasy glory, as unglamorous as that may sound.

And honestly, do you think that the Broncos are going to be competitive this year? They'll be playing catch up. It appears by all accounts that Kyle Orton is going to be the starter in Denver, and that only helps Lloyd.

If I were drafting him, the only thing I would be worried about is the unproven Tebow possibly being inserted again late in the season.

Lloyd's current ADP has him going around the mid-fourth round. That's pretty solid value for the guy who was No. 1 last year, but if you're not comfortable taking him there, then don't. A lot of leagues will see him fall into the fifth and sixth, where he would be a phenomenal value.  

Mike Sims-Walker

For Jaguar fans, Mike Sims-Walker was maddening last year. 

He looked brilliant one game, and disappeared the next. After teasing fans with a 63 reception 869 yard sophomore year, he almost fell off the map last year. He started off injured the first game and then had a monster game against San Diego, the No. 1 overall defense from last year. 

So most people are flat out giving up on Sims-Walker. He goes to a Rams team this year packed with wide receiver depth, but not necessarily a lot of talent.

Josh McDaniels, the new offensive coordinator in town, turned Brandon Lloyd and Kyle Orton into fantasy monsters last season. He's always had a knack for taking a receivers potential and transforming them. 

Sims-Walker's ADP is currently 106. At that point, Sims-Walker becomes one of the most appealing persons on the board. Take him as your fourth or fifth receiver, and you could be well rewarded.