10 Surprising Fantasy Studs of the 2013 NFL Season

Fantasy football players all over the world spend hours sifting through articles from fantasy experts and grinding through stat sheets to try and find the season's hidden gems. It's incredibly difficult to predict. Sometimes, players emerge as fantasy studs after an injury, and other times, they simply beat the odds and drastically outperform their projections. 

This year, we've had plenty of late-round fantasy draft picks who have powered their teams to success. We've seen backup running backs, little-known tight ends and even a defense rise up from late-round afterthought to become fantasy studs. 

Let's take a look at the top 10 unexpected fantasy stars of the 2013 NFL season. 

10. Harry Douglas

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Due to key injuries, Harry Douglas has had a surprisingly productive year.

Due to nagging injuries to Roddy White that have severely limited him and a season-ending foot injury to Julio Jones, Harry Douglas fell into the role of No. 1 receiver for the Atlanta Falcons.

While the Falcons have disappointed this year, Douglas has not. He's embraced the "next man up" mentality and been an explosive weapon for Matt Ryan, often amassing noteworthy yards-after-catch numbers. In fact, he's even outpaced the great Calvin Johnson in this category, 418 to 375.

He's now scored 20 or more fantasy points in ESPN standard leagues twice since Week 7 and ranks 24th in points for receivers through Week 11. After being only the 60th receiver drafted on average, according to ESPN's live draft results, Douglas has done enough to earn the No. 10 spot on this list. 

9. Joique Bell

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Joique Bell dives into the end zone against the Washington Redskins.

Coming in at No. 9 on this list is Joique Bell of the Detroit Lions. Despite being Reggie Bush's backup in a year in which Bush has stayed relatively healthy, Bell has managed to consistently be productive from a fantasy standpoint.

Around draft time, he was a popular late-round pick due to speculation that Bush would struggle with injuries. But even with Bush's continued health (he's only missed one game), Bell has found the end zone five times and provided a second wind to Detroit's running attack. 

With an average draft position of No. 156 overall, No. 46 among running backs in ESPN leagues, Bell now ranks 15th in total points among all running backs.

It's been a very successful year for him in Detroit, and his fantasy owners have certainly reaped the benefits. 

8. Julius Thomas

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Julius Thomas has developed great chemistry with Peyton Manning.

In his third year in the NFL, Julius Thomas has emerged as one of Peyton Manning's favorite targets. And what happens when you're one of Manning's favorite targets? You amass a ton of fantasy points. 

The former basketball player has scored 10 or more fantasy points six times this season in standard scoring ESPN leagues, and he's behind only Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints in fantasy points scored for a tight end. 

Considering he was drafted on average in the late sixth round of 12-team ESPN leagues, he's well deserving of the eighth spot on this list. 

7. Josh Gordon

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Josh Gordon has continued to perform well for the struggling Browns.

In spite of having little to no consistency at quarterback, Josh Gordon has had a surprisingly productive year. He's the clear-cut No. 1 option on the Cleveland Browns.

Despite serving a two-game suspension to start the year, he's moved up the rankings and now has the 16th-most fantasy points among receivers. 

Gordon has the potential to be a fantasy stud for years to come, and it's likely that this was the last year you could have drafted him in the 10th round in 12-team fantasy leagues. After Week 11, he now ranks 17th in receiving yards and has performed well regardless of who's started under center for the Browns. 

6. Zac Stacy

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St. Louis Rams rookie Zac Stacy has emerged as the feature back in St. Louis.

It was supposed to be Daryl Richardson who filled the void left by Steven Jackson after he signed with Atlanta in free agency. Instead, it's been rookie Zac Stacy out of Vanderbilt who has done an admirable job replacing Jackson's production. His workload has increased throughout the year, and he's become a nightmare for opposing defenses to bring down. 

Stacy has eclipsed the 10-point mark in ESPN standard scoring leagues four weeks in a row (including a 29-point effort against the Titans) and is now one of the most consistent producers at running back heading into the fantasy playoffs. 

After being on average the 57th running back selected in ESPN drafts, he's now ranked sixth by ESPN heading into this week. Look for Stacy to be productive in the NFL for a long time—the kid has all the tools.  

5. Chiefs Defense

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The Chiefs defense has been dominant this year.

It's certainly unusual to include a defense/special teams on a list like this, but how could I not? The Kansas City Chiefs defense and special teams have scored 15 or more fantasy points a whopping six times this year and over 20 on four different occasions. They've also scored seven touchdowns, making fantasy owners who have ridden them rejoice. 

Despite returning four Pro Bowlers on defense, many fantasy players didn't put too much faith in the Chiefs in the draft. Those who did were rewarded with a defense dominant enough to cripple opponents and lead them to victories.

The Chiefs were the 18th D/ST drafted on average this year in ESPN leagues. Talk about a great draft value. 

4. Jordan Cameron

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Rookie Jordan Cameron has been excellent in the red zone this year.

Rookie Jordan Cameron has been a touchdown machine in 2013, finding the end zone six times in the first seven weeks. The big tight end has struggled after losing quarterback Brian Hoyer for the year to a torn ACL, but he still ranks fourth in fantasy points for tight ends after being just the 14th tight end picked on average in ESPN leagues.

Besides missing Hoyer, the Cleveland Browns just haven't had a whole lot of red-zone opportunities in the past few months. If they can find a spark on offense, though, expect Cameron to be a force in the fantasy playoffs. 

3. DeSean Jackson

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Desean Jackson has thrived in Chip Kelly's offense.

DeSean Jackson is having the time of his life playing in head coach Chip Kelly's high-octane offense. Through Week 11, he has 985 receiving yards, already eclipsing his receiving totals from 2011 and 2012. His seven touchdown catches have also given his fantasy owners reason to work on their celebratory dances. 

While Jackson is a certainly a big-name player, he was only selected 26th on average amongst receivers and now ranks third in total points at the position.

While D-Jax has underachieved at times in his career for a variety of reasons, he's been electric this year and has consistently filled up stat sheets. Now that Nick Foles has taken over the quarterback job and has continued his stellar play, Jackson will continue to shine for fantasy owners. If you drafted him, stop reading and give yourself a pat on the back. 

2. Fred Jackson

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Fred Jackson has proven that he still has plenty left in the tank.

At 32 years old, many experts believed that 2013 would be the year that Fred Jackson finally stepped aside and let a younger and faster C.J. Spiller take the reins.

That certainly hasn't been the case.

Spiller has only carried the ball 123 times this year versus Jackson's 141, and Jackson has made the most of his opportunities. While Spiller has averaged 5.4 fantasy points per game in standard scoring ESPN leagues,  the wily veteran has averaged an impressive 10.2. 

After being picked an average of 124th overall in ESPN leagues, he is now ranked 11th in overall points for running backs, while Spiller ranks well below him at 35th. Spiller, of course, was a first-round pick in the majority of ESPN fantasy leagues.

The only debate here is whether or not Jackson deserves the top spot on this list. 

1. Knowshon Moreno

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Knowshon Moreno is the No. 1 surprising fantasy stud of 2013.

Drumroll please...

The No. 1 most surprising fantasy stud of 2013 is Knowshon Moreno of the Denver Broncos.

Moreno struggled to get going in his first two seasons in the league, but this year has been an entirely different story. With Peyton Manning on a record-breaking pace, Moreno has benefited from big running lanes and a heavy involvement in the passing game.

His ADP was 125th in ESPN.com leagues, but he's become the sixth-highest-scoring running back in ESPN leagues and has been remarkably consistent for fantasy owners. 

Part of what's made Moreno's success so unlikely is that his counterpart, Montee Ball, was expected to be the bell cow in Denver, being drafted an average of 65th overall. 

Moreno's breakout year lands him at No. 1 on the list of the 10 most surprising fantasy studs of the season.