Fantasy Football Week 1: Sleepers Who Will Carry Your Team to Victory

When you fill out your fantasy lineup in Week 1, the idea of a sleeper is silly. You don't want to get cute with anything that might cost you a win out of the gate. That doesn't mean there aren't players sitting under the radar who aren't worth a look before the games start on Sunday. 

Anyone can tell you that Peyton Manning, Jamaal Charles and Adrian Peterson are going to be really good in their respective matchups. Those guys are rock-solid locks to start for your team, so telling you about them isn't adding anything. 

The ability to dig deeper and find someone not on the tip of your fingers who will bring extra points that you weren't expecting to have is critical to success. Here are the under-the-radar fantasy stars that we are watching heading into Week 1. 

Carson Palmer, QB, Arizona Cardinals

Jim Mone/Associated Press

There's always a danger when starting Carson Palmer because he's just as likely to throw three interceptions as he is three touchdowns. Yet when you look at how he performed down the stretch last year, if you take out the game at Seattle in Week 16 because everyone struggles at CenturyLink Field, he had 13 touchdowns and four interceptions after the bye in Week 9. (Again, use the Seattle game when he threw four picks as an outlier.)

In addition to solid performances down the stretch, Palmer has always been able to rack up yards with anyone. He's thrown for over 4,000 yards in the last two seasons and has six seasons with at least 3,800 yards. 

Plus, this game figures to be a shootout with Arizona missing Daryl Washington and Darnell Dockett and San Diego having the 29th-ranked pass defense last year. Palmer will have plenty of points out there to be had. 

Nick Mensio of Rotoworld.com, via Yahoo.com, listed Palmer as one of his biggest sleepers this week precisely because of how many points the Chargers and Cardinals figure to score on Monday night:

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The Chargers have a suspect corner group that features small guys Brandon Flowers (5'10/187), Shareece Wright (5'11/182), and Jason Verrett (5'9/189). Big receivers Michael Floyd and Larry Fitzgerald have the edge. With the Arizona defense depleted by injuries (LE Darnell Dockett, FS Tyrann Mathieu), suspension (ILB Daryl Washington), and a key loss (ILB Karlos Dansby), the offense is going to have to carry the Cardinals.

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Add all the elements together, and it points to a big game for both quarterbacks. Everyone is going to start Philip Rivers, but don't forget about the other guy under center in this game. Palmer won't be someone you want to start every week. In the right matchup, though, he can be a top-10 fantasy quarterback. 

Darren Sproles, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Everyone loves Darren Sproles, regardless of which team he's playing on. The diminutive running back is one of those pesky do-it-all players whose fantasy value is often hard to quantify, but you're always glad to have him on your team. 

That's never been more true than in 2014, as Sproles will debut in Chip Kelly's high-powered offense against a Jacksonville team that's still firmly in rebuilding mode. LeSean McCoy's presence on the roster does make it hard to see Sproles getting a lot of carries, at least to the outside world. 

According to Philadelphia's No. 1 running back, via Chris McPherson of Eagles.com, his workload might change with Sproles in the fold:

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I think with Sproles here it might change a little bit. Now, I’m sure that if the game gets tight and you need to ride me, yeah I’m the guy for it, but I think with just a mix up with Sproles doing different things, sometimes a 5-yard carry can be the same as 5-yard route with Sproles. And I’m learning that it doesn’t take a lot of reps or a lot of lot of touches to get or be more productive or get what you want done, and you can do it with less.

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If McCoy is saying it, you can assume that he's had conversations with Kelly about decreasing his carries to remain fresh the entire year and take advantage of Sproles' unique abilities. 

Also adding to Sproles' value is the team on the other side of the field. The Jaguars appear to be moving in the right direction under Gus Bradley, but there's still a lot of work to be done. He's never had more than 100 carries in a season, but the last three years in New Orleans saw him rack up 232 receptions for 1,981 yards and 16 touchdowns. 

If the game turns into a blowout, Kelly can easily give Sproles a bulk of the carries to rack up cheap yards and run out the clock. If it's close, he can be used out of the backfield or move into the slot and catch five passes. 

There are going to be a lot of yards on the field for the Eagles to scoop up. Sproles isn't one of the first three options for quarterback Nick Foles, but you know there is going to come a time when his number gets called and he goes to the house. 

Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Carolina Panthers

Bob Leverone/Associated Press

The big news for Carolina this week is that Cam Newton was able to throw the ball during practice on Friday, though his status for Sunday against Tampa Bay is still a game-time decision, according to Ron Rivera.

Keep in mind that this prediction is contingent on Newton playing. Kelvin Benjamin looked impressive in the preseason with a team-high 12 catches for 173 yards and one touchdown. While those games don't count and aren't indicative of regular-season success, it's refreshing to see the rookie find a rapport with Newton. 

Also making Benjamin a valuable fantasy gamble early in the season is the fact he's 6'5" and 243 pounds. He's not the fastest guy on the field and might need to polish his route-running skills, but who's stopping him down in the red zone?

Even though everyone is down on Carolina's receiving corps following the departures of Steve Smith, Ted Ginn and Brandon LaFell, it's important to remember that we aren't exactly talking about three All-Pro players that needed to be replaced. 

In fact, David Newton of ESPN.com proposes that the Panthers are better at wide receiver this year than they were last year:

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First-round draft pick Kelvin Benjamin is. At 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, he is the big target quarterback Cam Newton hasn't had. Benjamin is deceptively fast, too. But the biggest thing is he makes plays, whether it's over the middle in traffic or on the outside. If teams double-cover him, that will open things up for tight ends Greg Olsen and Ed Dickson in the middle. It also will open coverage on Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant, a pair of veterans I believe to be more dependable than Brandon LaFell and Ted Ginn Jr. were last year.

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Newton is going to love having Benjamin on the outside to throw to, especially in those situations when the offensive line isn't giving him time to go through all his progressions and he's forced to throw the ball up. We've seen what big wide receivers can do when they have to go get it. 

Benjamin has a long way to go before getting in the same category as wideouts like Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, Calvin Johnson, etc., but there are going to be a lot of touchdowns coming his way that fantasy owners should take advantage of early. 

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