Top 10 Fantasy Football Sleepers of 2012

If there's one word in fantasy football that gets used as much as "um" (if that's, um, a word) does in conversation it's "sleeper."

"So and so is a real sleeper pick this year."

"Boy that Johnny Utah is a real deep sleeper at quarterback this season."

"Man, I heard that Billy zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...."

Sorry, I fell asleep.

Simply put, any player whose draft position is lower than their potential for fantasy production is a "sleeper" of sorts, and it's hard to say that many of those players fly under the radar since any number of articles just like this one are out there discussing them.

With that said, all fantasy owners are always on the lookout for value picks, so here are 10 players that fall outside the range of "starters" in 12-team fantasy football leagues that will more than likely end the season as just that.

Starters, that is, not sleepers.

That's it. I'm going back to bed.

Average Draft Position courtesy of MyFantasyLeague.com.

Matt Schaub, QB, Houston Texans

Average Draft Position: 10th Round (Pick 109, QB15)

The Houston Texans experienced their most successful season in franchise history last year, but most of that success came with starting quarterback Matt Schaub on the shelf, as the ninth-year veteran saw his 2011 season come to an end after 10 games.

The 31-year-old has now missed time in three of his five years with the Texans, and that combined with the Texans' run-first offense appears to have driven down Schaub's average draft position.

However, Schaub topped the 4,000 yards passing mark in each of his last two full seasons in Houston and was a top 10 fantasy quarterback in each of those years.

Assuming he can stay healthy there's no reason to think he can't do so again in 2012.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Buffalo Bills

Average Draft Position: 13th Round (Pick 155, QB22)

Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had the best statistical season of his seven-year career in 2011, finishing with a career-high 3,832 passing yards and 24 touchdowns en route to a QB1 fantasy year in 12-team leagues.

Granted, Fitzpatrick also tailed off badly towards the end of the season and tossed 23 interceptions. However, given his modest asking price, teams that go QB early could do much worse than the Harvard man if they want to wait before selecting a backup.

At least he shaved.

Donald Brown, RB, Indianapolis Colts

Average Draft Position: Ninth Round (Pick 100, RB34)

It seemed that the light bulb finally seemed to come on somewhat for Indianapolis Colts running back Donald Brown last season, as the 25-year-old set career highs across the board in his third NFL season.

New Colts head coach Chuck Pagano apparently liked what he saw from Brown enough to part ways with Joseph Addai in the offseason, and with Brown set to assume lead back duties in Indy this year his RB3 price tag and RB2 potential makes him a very attractive draft-day target.

Kevin Smith, RB, Detroit Lions

Average Draft Position: 13th Round (Pick 150, RB50)

Detroit Lions running back Kevin Smith got a second chance in the NFL last year and made the most of it, gaining over 500 total yards and scoring seven touchdowns in seven games, including four starts.

With Mikel LeShoure suspended to begin the season and Jahvid Best on the shelf for who knows how long, Smith appears to be set to open the year as Detroit's starting tailback. If he can stay healthy it's a job he may not relinquish given how he performed in 2011.

That makes Smith quite possibly the biggest steal out there at the running back position, as starter-worthy fantasy running backs in the 13th round of fantasy drafts are about as common as honest politicians.

Pierre Thomas, RB, New Orleans Saints

Average Draft Position: 13th Round (Pick 154, RB51)

With rookie running back Mark Ingram hobbled by a knee injury for much of the season in 2011, the New Orleans Saints were forced to once again turn to sixth-year pro Pierre Thomas to provide a boost to the ground game.

Thomas responded, as the 27-year-old tallied almost 1,000 total yards and six touchdowns, good enough for low-end fantasy RB2 numbers in leagues that award a point for receptions.

Ingram is reportedly healthy entering this season, but even if Thomas' numbers drop this year his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield should keep him a viable "flex" starter, which makes Thomas a fantastic value given his current ADP.

Reggie Wayne, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Average Draft Position: Eighth Round (Pick 87, WR32)

Apparently fantasy drafters don't have much faith in rookie quarterback Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts offense, because Donald Brown isn't the only Colts player who has fallen in drafts this summer.

Despite the fact that even in last year's nightmare of a season wide receiver Reggie Wayne was still able to post top 25 fantasy numbers at his position, he's still being passed over by fantasy owners who apparently expect the 33-year-old's production to continue to decline.

Given that Wayne was a top-15 fantasy performer for five consecutive seasons prior to last year, I'm just not seeing it. And even if Wayne's stats just hold the 12th-year veteran would still be an excellent value, especially for fantasy teams that load up on running backs early.

Nate Washington, WR Tennessee Titans

Average Draft Position:13th Round (Pick 147, WR50)

For the first time in his seven-year NFL career, Tennessee Titans wide receiver Nate Washington eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark in 2011, and that career year was enough to land Washington among the top 15 fantasy performers at his position a year ago.

Washington's strong 2011 season certainly isn't reflected in his current average draft position.

However, with Kenny Britt recovering from his third knee surgery in a year and staring at a league-mandated vacation after getting arrested again, it's a good bet that Washington will finish the 2012 campaign a fair bit better than 50th among fantasy wideouts.

Danny Amendola, WR, St. Louis Rams

Average Draft Position: 14th Round (Pick 166, WR56)

2011 was a lost season for St. Louis Rams wide receiver Danny Amendola, as an elbow injury suffered in the season's first game ended the year before it began for the 26-year-old.

However, the year before Amendola showed himself to be a more than capable underneath target, reeling in 85 passes and finishing among the top 30 fantasy wideouts in PPR leagues.

Granted, Amendola's 8.1 yards per catch in 2010 isn't going to blow anyone's doors off, but quarterback Sam Bradford has already shown an affinity for targeting the fourth-year pro.

Given that he costs the equivalent of fantasy peanuts, what do you have to lose?

Kyle Rudolph, TE, Minnesota Vikings

Average Draft Position: 13th Round (Pick 147, TE17)

If there's a trendy sleeper pick at the tight end position this season it's likely Kyle Rudolph of the Minnesota Vikings.

Granted, Rudolph's 26 catches for 249 yards and three touchdowns don't exactly scream "breakout" season at first glance.

With that said, the second-year pro has been the talk of Vikings' training camp, drawing rave reviews from head coach Leslie Frazier, according to ESPN's Kevin Seifert.

"

"He's a guy that has a chance to be special," coach Leslie Frazier said when we spoke Thursday morning. "He works very hard and is very talented, there's no question about that. But the way he can catch the football is second-to-none. … His catching radius is amazing. If Christian gets it close to him, he knows that Kyle is going to come up with the football. That gives him a lot of confidence."

"

Tony Moeaki, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

Average Draft Position: 17th Round (Pick 200, TE23)

At this time last year many fantasy pundits were predicting big things from Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Moeaki after a rookie season in which he caught 47 passes for 556 yards and three scores.

However, Moeaki tore his ACL in the Chiefs' last preseason game last year, and after an entire season on the shelf Moeaki's return has gone largely unnoticed by the fantasy football community.

With that said, Moeaki is back and doing well, and as a deeper league flier pick or backup for an elite option, Moeaki presents considerable upside at a negligible cost.