Fantasy Football Sleepers 2013: Terrelle Pryor and Deep Wild Cards Worth a Look

Oftentimes the correct deep sleeper chosen at the beginning of a year is the one that propels fantasy teams to victory when it matters most.

Injuries and poor play can unexpectedly shove some of the top fantasy producers to the side by season's end, so the ability to find a quality sleeper that projects to be productive down the stretch is critical to success. 

Some fantasy sleepers have looked horrible in the preseason. That's why the skill of knowing which wild cards to take a risk on is so special—looking past the now and properly projecting future production is key. 

Here are a few deep wild cards owners should feel comfortable taking a risk on this draft season. They will pay dividends come playoff time. 

Note: All fantasy rankings courtesy of FantasyPros.com.

Ed Dickson, TE, Baltimore Ravens 

Player Ranking: 23rd TE, 191st Overall 

Tight end is one of the deepest positions in fantasy football that is oftentimes heavily over-drafted—just like the quarterback position. 

The good news for fantasy owners is there is plenty of talent to be had in the later rounds. Unlike most positions, far down the board represents great value, especially if owners know where to look. 

Take Ed Dickson for example. Baltimore lost starting tight end Dennis Pitta to a hip injury and he may not be back at all in 2013, but if he is, it won't be until late in the season, per Peter King of Sports Illustrated. 

The Ravens also lost former No. 1 receiver Anquan Boldin when they shipped him off via trade to San Francisco. 

Quarterback Joe Flacco is going to throw the ball somewhere. Pitta caught 61 passes and seven touchdowns last year. Boldin caught 65 for almost 1,000 yards and four touchdowns of his own. 

Dickson is the next in line to be Flacco's favorite target thanks to his frame at 6'4" and 255 pounds. As long as he can get healthy from a hamstring pull, which it sounds like he is, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, Dickson could put up No. 1 tight end numbers. 

Wait until almost the 200th pick and Dickson could still be a starter value throughout the season. Not bad. 

Christine Michael, RB, Seattle Seahawks 

Player Ranking: 60th RB, 168th Overall 

Owners would not be advised often to take a risk on a backup running back when the man in front of him is one of the last pure workhorses in the NFL, but Seattle's rookie running back Christine Michael is a special case. 

First of all, Michael is a rare talent. A second-round pick after an illustrious career at Texas A&M, Michael has taken the league by storm this preseason, as Liz Mathews of ESPN and Chad Scott point out:

Michael is clearly ahead of Robert Turbin on the depth chart at this point. He will not steal Marshawn Lynch's starting spot after over 1,500 yards on the ground last year, but durability has to be a concern at some point. 

Lynch is now 27-years-old and has received carry totals of 285 and 315 in 2011 and 2012, respectively. Seattle may look to tone that number down so Lynch is fresh for the postseason, and with a back like Michael now on the roster, divvying up the load does not look like such a horrible option. 

Seattle led the NFL in rushing attempts in 2012. Coordinator Darrell Bevell confirmed via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times that the strategy is the same entering this year. 

Michael may see more carries as the season wears on, but with how unpredictable injuries can be, who knows—he could even carry the entire load for a few games. Not a horrible wild-card option outside of the top 150 at such a paper-thin position. 

Terrelle Pryor, QB, Oakland Raiders 

Player Ranking: 30th QB, 237th Overall 

Yes, a pick outside of the top 200 happens to be a great option, and some could argue Terrelle Pryor should be taken much higher. 

The good news is the fantasy world has not caught up to just how valuable Pryor truly is—yet. 

Pryor has impressed so far this preseason and is the latest in a line of quarterbacks who can get it done on the ground or through the air.

There was some speculation that Pryor would not start because of the presence of Matt Flynn, but coordinator Greg Olson all but confirmed that Pryor will be the starter as he gushed about his skills per Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area:

"

He’s got kind of a dual role...He’s going to be that athletic quarterback that we are going to ask to carry the football, but we need him to develop as a passer as well...When you see Terrelle in a game, he just looks faster than the other players. That’s what jumped out at me. Right now, we’re looking for playmakers.

"

As ESPN's Adam Schefter points out, Pryor is the starter heading into the final game of the preseason:

Pryor is the playmaker fantasy owners need, and he's certainly available at the right price. He fired only two incompletions in Week 3 of the preseason with 93 yards and a score but also added 37 yards and another score on the ground to perfectly encapsulate what he is capable of in each contest. 

He may not get it done exclusively through the air, but that's not a requirement of the quarterback position in fantasy football. Pryor is a No. 2 fantasy quarterback with a very good possibility of being a No. 1 at some point down the line. 

Outside of the top 200, that's a great find. 

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