Fantasy Football Sleepers 2013: Mid-Round Picks Who Will Put Up Elite Numbers

The first handful of picks a fantasy football owner makes are the foundation. Every team should finish the early portion of the draft with strong building blocks for success. But championships are won during the next set of selections.

Finding the right players to complement the studs is crucial due to injuries and bye weeks, making depth just as important as top-end talent. Players taken in the middle rounds make or break a lot of fantasy seasons.

With that in mind, let's examine a trio of sleepers who should provide early-round production. Taking them after getting the stars who are going to carry the load on a weekly basis is the formula for success as the new season approaches.

QB: Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys)

Romo finished with a flourish last season. In standard-scoring leagues, he racked up at least 20 fantasy points in four of his final six games, including a 32-point outing in Week 16. It was the type of sustained production he struggled to provide earlier in the season.

The late surge bodes well. The Cowboys' passing game really started to click, and with so many weapons at his disposal Romo should be able to build off that success. After years of being a solid fantasy contributor, he's ready to take the next step.

It will be incredibly difficult for any defense to contain Dez Bryant and Miles Austin on the outside with the threat of Jason Witten over the middle and DeMarco Murray coming out of the backfield. That opens the door for a huge season from Romo.

RB: Rashard Mendenhall (Arizona Cardinals)

Although Mendenhall plodded through a forgettable season in 2012, it's important to remember he was coming back from an ACL injury. He didn't contain the same level of power, which isn't a surprise given the quick turnaround. Not every running back is Adrian Peterson.

Now that he's had more time to recover and moves to a Cardinals offense that should be far more well-rounded, a bounce-back season is likely. In the three seasons prior to 2012, he averaged over 1,100 yards and nearly 10 touchdowns.

Carson Palmer's arrival should give Arizona a more potent passing game, which will force defenses to stop stacking the box. Mendenhall has never been a flashy runner, but with a starting job and a probable return to form, he's a very underrated option at running back.

WR: Pierre Garcon (Washington Redskins)

Garcon made an instant impact with the Redskins after joining the team from the Indianapolis Colts. He caught four passes for 109 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. Unfortunately, a foot injury squashed that early momentum.

He fell off the fantasy radar for awhile and the absence led to mundane numbers overall. But upon his return he showed why it's easy to get excited about his prospects in 2013. He had a stretch of three straight games with at least 80 yards and a touchdown.

Garcon is clearly the best option available to Robert Griffin III. As long as both players can stay healthy for the entire season, the wideout should be in line for a boatload of targets and huge fantasy numbers. He should easily outplay his current draft average, which is outside the top 20 receivers.

TE: Antonio Gates (San Diego Chargers)

The tight end position presents an interesting dilemma for owners. Jimmy Graham is a step above the rest, but it's going to take an early pick to snag him. After that, there are a bunch of options that feature questions marks due to age, health or shaky offenses.

Gates could very well be the solution. His stock is down after a season where he posted less than 600 yards as well as a history of foot issues. Yet, even in a down campaign, he was able to post seven touchdown for the Chargers.

The San Diego offense seemingly has too much talent to rank so low (24th) in the passing game again. Gates would be the major beneficiary of even a minor uptick in aerial efficiency. He should approach 800 yards and double-digit touchdowns, great production for the position.