Fantasy Football Sleepers 2012: Best Players Available at the End of the Draft

Why aren't you drafting these guys in your fantasy football leagues?

There are a number of NFL players that will have productive years, but they are being selected at the very end of drafts or not at all.

These men are the ones who will help win your league when the picks from the first few rounds do not live up to expectations.

Shane Vereen, New England Patriots

The New England Patriots are known as a passing offense, but BenJarvus Green-Ellis had 11 rushing touchdowns last season. With him out of town, someone will need to replace his production.

Stevan Ridley will likely get the first crack at the starting job. However, Bill Belichick has a history of mixing up his running backs throughout the season. Only once in the past six years has a running back on the Patriots topped 200 carries.

Vereen was taken ahead of Ridley in the 2011 draft for a reason. He has great speed with big-play ability that will help him get plenty of touches in the upcoming season. Even if he splits carries throughout the year, he will have plenty of value.

Rashad Jennings, Jacksonville Jaguars

Maurice Jones-Drew has still not signed a new contract with the team, leaving Rashad Jennings to be the likely starting running back when the season starts. However, it is important to note that he is not just there as default.

If not for a knee injury last season, Jennings would have been a great sleeper candidate a year ago even with Jones-Drew on the team. He has averaged over five yards per carry in each of his first two seasons and had four touchdowns in 2010, only one less than the starter.

Even if Jones-Drew returns, he will likely not be getting as many carries as usual. He has a lot of mileage on his legs and he missed all of training camp. Jennings has a big opportunity to show he can do more than hold his own at the position.

David Wilson, New York Giants

No team in the NFL had fewer rushing yards in 2011 than the New York Giants. Injuries did not help, but Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs were held under four yards per carry. The team drafted David Wilson in the first round to fix this problem.

Bradshaw will start at running back, but Wilson should get plenty of carries with Jacobs in San Francisco. Those touches will increase if the starter continues to struggle out of the gate.

The Giants cannot allow themselves to have a bad start after winning the Super Bowl. If the offense struggles in the first few games, the young speedster will get his chance to shine. 

Darrius Heyward-Bey, Oakland Raiders

Heyward-Bey was the leading receiver for the No. 11 passing offense last season, but for some reason fantasy owners have been staying away from him this season.

He had to deal with injuries and a quarterback change, but gained consistency down the stretch. In the last four games, the receiver had two touchdowns and averaged 108 yards per game.

The former Maryland star was a raw product when he was drafted, but he has improved in every season. If he continues on this path, he will be a valuable fantasy player.

Davone Bess, Miami Dolphins

With Brandon Marshall out of the picture, Davone Bess is now the top receiving target for the Miami Dolphins.

Bess has never been a big-play type of receiver in his career. He has consistently averaged around 10 yards per catch each season, which is usually not even among the top 100 in the NFL. However, his 206 receptions in the last three years in nothing to scoff at.

Rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill will need someone he can trust to be open and catch the ball, and Bess is that player. The receiver will be a safety net and it will help him get a lot of targets throughout the season.

Even if the Dolphins struggle to get into the end zone, Bess will get enough points to justify keeping him in a fantasy lineup.

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