Fantasy Football Sleepers 2012: Shocking Players That Will Step Up in Week 1

Week 1 of fantasy football begins in earnest on Sunday, when a number of exciting matchups take place throughout the day and players start scoring points left and right.

Aside from some of the consistent, big-name stars that you got in the first few rounds, you’ll obviously need to rely on another source for points to beat your opponent.

Let’s take a look at some sleepers that could have a huge week.

QB – Sam Bradford

Bradford and the St. Louis Rams are going up against a leaky Detroit Lions defense to open the season.

If you expect the third-year signal-caller to have a bounce-back year—like many do—then he’s a great start against a secondary that gave up over 250 yards per game via the air last season.

He may not have elite talent at the WR position (Danny Amendola may be his No. 1 option in 2012), but Bradford has the skills to make something happen with what he’s working with.

RB – Rashad Jennings

While Maurice Jones-Drew is back from his holdout, Jennings may be a better starter in Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Jacksonville Jaguars already announced that MoJo would take a third-down role for the team with the more in-shape Jennings getting the majority of touches.

If he can make the most of them, it’s likely the team will not even think about using MJD much until he’s fit to play.

WR – Malcom Floyd

Floyd is going to play a prominent role in the San Diego Chargers offense now that Vincent Jackson is gone.

In his last outing against the Oakland Raiders, this young man eviscerated the Silver and Black for 127 yards and a touchdown on just seven receptions.

As one of the main targets for Philip Rivers, expect a similar performance on Monday Night Football for Floyd against Oakland.

TE – Jared Cook

The Tennessee Titans tight end could be a major factor against the New England Patriots on Sunday.

While the Pats did get some upgrades on defense, they were absolutely destroyed via the air last year and not much is expected to change in that department in 2012.

While first-year starter Jake Locker might have some issues getting the ball downfield, Cook should be open on short-to-medium routes and have a nice little performance at home against NE.