Fantasy Football 2012: Underrated Studs Who Will Carry You to Victory in Week 1

With all the draft madness under your belt, it is time to start filling out your first fantasy football lineup for Week 1. Remember, the first game is on Wednesday this year, so you have to get cracking earlier. 

Most of your roster spots are going to be set with your top draft picks, but there are always a few slots left open that you want to play with just in case of a good matchup.

We have some ideas about what is going to happen, but that is what makes Week 1 so much fun: the unknown. 

Here is a look at some under-the-radar players who look like they will make lasting impressions this week. 

Josh Freeman, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Carolina)

I was on the Freeman bandwagon last year. I thought he was going to emerge as a serious MVP candidate after his breakout 2010 season. 

Things did not go well for Freeman, or the Buccaneers, to say the least. He finished the season with a 16-22 TD-INT ratio. For a fantasy quarterback, that will earn you a one-way ticket to the waiver wire. 

So what's different this year?

Well, for starters, the Buccaneers cleaned out a coaching staff that had seemingly lost control of the entire ship. Greg Schiano will have to show himself to be a capable NFL coach, but at least Freeman has the knowledge to help guide him along. 

Second, the Buccaneers did a much better job of surrounding Freeman with talent on the outside to take some heat off of him. Vincent Jackson has been a fantasy darling for years, so expect big things from him in this offense. 

Third, Carolina's secondary finished 24th in the league in pass yards allowed in 2011. They didn't bother to address the weakness in the draft, opting instead to go for linebacker Luke Kuechly in the first round. 

Expect a big bounce-back season from Freeman and the Buccaneers to start against the Panthers on Sunday. 

Roy Helu, RB, Washington Redskins (vs. New Orleans)

The Redskins have a very interesting running back situation, as Mike Shanahan loves to play coy about who will be starting from week to week. 

That said, Helu should—and I can't emphasize that enough—be the No. 1 back when the Redskins line up to play the Saints. 

Helu had a strong three-game stretch near the end of 2011 with three straight 100-yard games and two touchdowns. 

The Redskins are going to need a big performance from their running game against New Orleans just to hang in this game. Even if you think Robert Griffin III will be great, it is going to take time for him to get used to the speed and physicality of the NFL. 

Helu can serve as RG3's safety net, as well as take pressure off the defense, as long as he is able to get into a comfortable rhythm and exploit the soft underbelly of the New Orleans defensive line. 

Titus Young, WR, Detroit Lions (vs. St. Louis Rams)

Young is a really good candidate to have a breakthrough year, as he is entering his second season following a better-than-expected rookie campaign that saw him have 607 yards and six touchdown catches. 

On the whole, those numbers don't scream fantasy star to you, but he did pick up production late in the year with four touchdown catches in the last four games. 

A matchup with the lowly Rams will make Young even more valuable to fantasy owners this week. Expect him to play a major role in this game thanks to Calvin Johnson opening things up in the passing game.

I can't speak to how long Young will be a fantasy producer; he's still young and learning the game, but as a one-game audition, he should look really good. 

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