Fantasy Football 2012: Veteran WRs Who Could Be Fantasy Football Sleepers

Fantasy football sleepers are what win fantasy football leagues.

If you're the one to draft the next surprise player, you put your team that much closer to winning a championship, along with having permanent bragging rights about how you knew it was coming all along.

Most of the time sleepers are searched for among the younger players of the NFL, but veterans can have breakout or rebound seasons as well.

Last season saw veteran receiver Steve Smith, viewed by many as done for fantasy purposes, burst back into stardom by posting 10 games of double-digit fantasy points. That was thanks in large part to rookie phenom Cam Newton becoming Smith's QB.

These next five guys might not have seasons quite as prolific as the one Smith posted last year, but they do offer the chance to be great sleeper picks if they can recapture the statistics they posted in seasons past with the help of improved quarterback play from their teammates. 

All fantasy stats provided are assuming ESPN standard scoring  and all draft position stats are courtesy of ESPN.

Anquan Boldin

Baltimore Ravens receiver Anquan Boldin hasn't been that relevant in fantasy football since coming to the Ravens from the Arizona Cardinals. 

Last year was especially bad for Boldin as he only scored three touchdowns and posted double-digit fantasy points just four times.

But the Ravens offense should be better this year with another year of development for QB Joe Flacco and WR Torrey Smith, and that should help Boldin a lot.

If Smith can better fulfill his role as a deep threat, Boldin should be open a lot underneath. Couple that with a strong running game that opens things up for play-action passing thanks to Ray Rice, and Boldin should see plenty of targets.

Boldin is a talented receiver, and he can help the Ravens and fantasy football owners by putting those targets to good use.

If Boldin posted 1,000 yards and five touchdowns, which is well within his talent range given his past production, he could be a solid flex starter.

At worst, he could end up a good guy to start when he's got favorable matchups, and at the point you can grab him that's more than most players can guarantee.

Santonio Holmes

Santonio Holmes is far and above the best receiver on the Jets, which might not be saying much compared to other teams, but it still makes him the unquestioned starter. That's a good start for a fantasy football sleeper. 

Holmes is very talented. His main drawback has been his reportedly poor attitude, but he hasn't been able to excel with the Jets for fantasy football purposes.

If Mark Sanchez takes the next steps in his quarterback development, which is very possible, that could all change for Holmes. 

Great speed and a talent for impressive catches should make Holmes a touchdown machine if Sanchez can get him the ball, a big if at this point but one worth investing a late-round pick on.

If Holmes stays healthy, happy, and has better quarterback play from Sanchez, he could easily become a top 20 to top 15 fantasy receiver. 

And if Tim Tebow takes over the starting role? Well at least the Jets will be taking deep shots to Holmes on the off chance that they throw the ball. 

Reggie Wayne

Reggie Wayne had some of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL around him last season and still managed to post close to 1,000 receiving yards. 

Now he has first overall pick Andrew Luck throwing him the ball, and that's enough to help any player's fantasy value.

Wayne is the top receiver on the Colts and should get the majority of the targets as he helps develop Luck into a star, which in turn helps Wayne's case as a fantasy football sleeper.

The Colts offense last year was terrible and there's no where to go but up for everyone involved, including Wayne. 

He caught a good amount of passes last year with 75 receptions, his lowest total since 2003 and following back to back 100-plus reception seasons. That number should only climb with more competent QB play. 

His four touchdowns from last year should also go up as the Colts score more points this season.

Wayne will be a solid second receiver or flex option, but he could be much more if Luck turns in the rookie season fans are hoping for.

A potential star quarterback throwing to a former Pro Bowl receiver sounds like a winning combination, at least in the world of fantasy. 

Randy Moss

Randy Moss is one of the best receivers of all time, and the fact that he has that kind of talent should make him a fantasy football sleeper in itself.

That is the main selling point on Moss, as if he can reclaim even a portion of his best seasons, he'd be a great value pick late in fantasy drafts.

Moss now has the chance to play with one of the most conservative QBs he's ever played with in Alex Smith, and that probably doesn't sound great for Moss's fantasy value.

That may be true, and it's certainly true that he'd be taken higher in drafts if he had Tom Brady throwing him the ball again, but Moss can fit in the 49ers' offense. 

The 49ers will need Moss as a deep threat to keep defenses from ignoring the pass in favor of stopping the run, as well as to help the receivers running short routes get open as is typical of a West Coast-style offense.

But Moss should also see some looks off play-action, which should be a deadly weapon for the 49ers this season, as well as some occasional deep shots from Alex Smith as he tries to prove he's not just a game manager.

Smith had solid stats last year but didn't wow anyone. But he's a former first overall pick and there's a chance he finally lives up to that and becomes an above-average QB.

If that happens, drafting Moss will be like striking fantasy football gold. 

Terrell Owens

Let's get the negative stuff out of the way before discussing Terrell Owens' potential for being a fantasy football sleeper. 

He has a history of being a locker room problem, to put it mildly, and he's due to turn 39 this season.

He also missed all of last season with an injury and dropped a wide open TD pass in his first preseason game.

That said, he's super talented and should be very motivated this season. TO has the athleticism to still play; he just needs to focus on catching the ball and staying out of trouble.

Whether Matt Flynn or Russell Wilson is TO's starter, he should have a solid QB getting him the ball.

There isn't a lot of high level competition at receiver for the Seahawks, so there's no roadblock to TO getting targets other than himself.

If Owens can hold on to the football when it hits him in the hands and avoid being a locker room issue—a lot to ask of him it seems—he could be a dominant receiver in the NFL once again.

That's a good quality to have in a fantasy football sleeper, which is why buying a late-round lottery ticket with TO's name on it is a good idea.