Fantasy Football Sleepers 2013: Unheralded Stars Who Will Propel You to Victory

The world of fantasy football is a funny thing. You can nab a guy like Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson, but if you whiff on finding sleepers you can kiss the league championship goodbye. 

Anyone can sit at the top of a draft and take a Jamaal Charles or even trade down and still wind up with a Matt Forte. It takes someone with an inherent skill to take the extra picks accumulated by trading down to find real, lasting value.

When talking sleeper picks, I don't mean the guys who can step in if your star running back goes down. We mean a guy who could arguably push your star running back for playing time thanks to a breakout year (that's a good thing). 

Below you will find four guys not getting enough respect in fantasy communities. Whether it's new situations or simple development of skills, these are the guys you need to be targeting in late rounds because they'll take you to the top. 

Note: All ADP info courtesy of FantasyFootballCalculator.com.

Alex Smith, QB, Kansas City Chiefs 

Remember Alex Smith, the guy who lost his job to Colin Kaepernick last year? Well he's back with a vengeance and is set to see some serious fantasy production thanks to his new situation with the Chiefs and head coach Andy Reid. 

Reid is known for getting the most out of his quarterbacks, and Smith is often credited with being the smartest quarterback in the NFL. 

Add in a simple dink-and-dunk offense and you have the potential for a fantasy stud. Smith has never thrown more than 16 touchdowns in a season, but you can expect more than that now that he has a true No. 1 receiver in Dwayne Bowe and an elite running back in Jamaal Charles. 

Smith made his debut with the Chiefs in Week 1 of the preseason and torched his way down the field on 7-of-8 passing. That's going to be the norm with a quarterback-friendly offense in Kansas City. 

Get Smith late while the rest of your league judges him on past performances (hence his ADP of 156).

Sam Bradford, QB, St. Louis Rams 

Sam Bradford is another quarterback that will be judged in fantasy drafts by his past performances rather than his future potential. 

But you're smarter than that. 

You know that Bradford set career highs last year in yards (3,702) and touchdowns (21) under the guidance of first-year head coach Jeff Fisher. 

Now Bradford is entering his second year with the man who turned his career around. He's backed by a running back-by-committee approach and has an exciting new weapon at receiver with the electric Tavon Austin.

Not only that, Bradford now has a reliable tight end in Jared Cook, who has never been overtly productive, but comes from the city where tight ends go to die in Tennessee. 

Bradford finally has some continuity on the coaching staff guiding him. It also happens to be making great player personnel decisions. 

Bradford's going to be a hot commodity. Right now he has an ADP of about 155. Scoop him up before the rest catch on to the next craze. 

T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts

If you managed to grab T.Y. Hilton last year during his rookie season, there is absolutely no reason you should be reading this article for advice. 

Hilton exploded onto the scene in an unpredictable fashion with the Colts and caught 50 passes for 861 yards and seven scores. Not only that, he recorded five 100-yard games—with a rookie quarterback. 

Granted, Andrew Luck is one heck of a rookie quarterback, but he's also the major reason Hilton will see even more production in 2013. 

Hilton will be named the starter soon over free-agent acquisition Darrius Heyward-Bey. His three catches for 61 yards and a touchdown in the Colts' preseason opener only further that notion. 

Get Hilton before he is named the starter. His ADP (81) is only going to soar after that. 

Vincent Brown, WR, San Diego Chargers

Unfortunately, Vincent Brown's status on this list is predicated on the misfortunes of one of his teammates, but that is the brutal world of fantasy football. 

Brown did not figure to have a major impact on the San Diego offense. That changed quickly in training camp when No. 1 receiver Danario Alexander went down for the year with a torn ACL as confirmed by Yahoo! Sports' Brad Evans:

As Evans notes, Alexander's loss is Brown's gain. Brown now moves up a slot on the depth chart and will be on the receiving end of much of quarterback Philip Rivers' production. 

Brown has an ADP of almost 111 right now. Strike while the iron is hot and you will have a guy who will be consistent all year long. 

Follow B/R's Chris Roling on Twitter for more news and analysis @Chris_Roling