2009 Fantasy Football All-Sleeper Team

A fantasy championship may start with a great first round pick, but you will never win the crown unless you come up with some great fantasy sleepers.

By the end of the season guys who were late picks, or even undrafted, are going to be the starters come playoff time—and those are the guys you want on your roster.

Here are my top fantasy sleepers for 2009.


QB - David Garrard

The Jags have upgraded their offensive line, they have the most explosive receiving back in football, and they have replaced the distractions at wide receivers with talented players.

On top of that Garrard lost 20 pounds from last season, which could allow him to add to his 322 rushing yards from last year.

The Jags tasted the playoffs in 2005 and 2007 and they are focused to get back to that spot.


QB - Brett Favre

Don't let his age and New York numbers deter you from spending a late-round pick on Favre.  He is comfortable in Minnesota and is functioning in an offense that will make the most of his talents.

With weapons like Bernard Berrian, Percy Harvin, and Visanthe Shiancoe—as well as Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor out of the backfield—Favre will just have to exploit one on one matchups and let his skill players do work.

A risk with Favre has always interceptions, and will take some risks in Minnesota, but in arguably the worst season of his career Favre was still a spot starter last year and things are only looking up.


RB - Ray Rice

The Ravens are a running team and they will run with several back but no player should earn more touches in their backfield than Rice.

Willis McGahee is still capable of producing but he is being phased out of the offense and Rice is the better receiving back.

Some of Rice's TDs may be vultured by Le'Ron McClain but at his current price the production will be well worth the pick.


RB - Donald Brown

Trust that you will see a shared backfield in Indianapolis this season and the versatility of Brown will give him an opportunity to score TDs on the ground and through the air.

Even if Brown doesn't start a game in 2009 he could be a spot starter on your fantasy roster and if Joseph Addai is injured or underproductive you will be happy you rolled the dice on Brown.

Since the day the Colts drafted Brown in the first round I've felt confident that they would use him, this is a team after another title and they are not in a situation to just develop players.


WR - Torry Holt

The Rams have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL the past few years and it's ridiculous to assume Holt's drop-off in 2008 was totally due to old age.

Holt now joins sleeper QB David Garrard on a team that has been starving for a legitimate No. 1 receiver and now they have him.

Don't be surprised if Holt cracks the 1,000 yard mark like he did for eight-straight years from 2000 to 2007.


WR - Hakeem Nicks

After a slow start to the preseason Nicks has exploded onto the scene with nine catches for 272 yards and three TDs in three games.

The Giants are a running team but they will still need to move the ball through the air and Nicks will develop as Eli Manning's top receiver as the season progresses.

Nicks has a knack for making big plays look easy and the Giants are sure to give their first-round selection the opportunities he deserves.


WR - Donnie Avery

Before the preseason Avery was poised to be a super-sleeper but a foot injury in camp has created some concerns surrounding his potential.

As the season nears Avery is confident he will be ready for week one and on a Rams team that needs some receiving help even a 90 percent Avery is worth a fantasy roster spot.

Don't over-pay for Avery but as he continues to slide, grab him on the cheap.


WR - Percy Harvin

The most exciting player in the NFL this season may be rookie Percy Harvin. 

You will see Harvin lining up all-over the field, creating matchup problems for every opposing defense.  He will also be a headache on special teams.

Harvin may not wow in a single stat category but all of those combined yards and scoring opportunities should translate into plenty of fantasy points.


TE - Health Miller

2008 marked the first time in Miller's career that he failed to play all 16 games or record five touchdown receptions.

Don't expect Miller to get close to the 1,000 yard mark but anytime you can get a starting caliber player in the last few rounds of the draft it is a very good pick.

If you don't want to grab one of the big names early you can add depth at RB and WR while getting a quality TE in Miller late.


K - Neil Rackers

Arizona did a good job of scoring TDs last season that Rackers wasn't an elite fantasy kicker, but he shouldn’t be ignored.

You can always count on decent points from Rackers and as the Cards try to establish a running game more he may get more kicking opportunities in the green zone.

If you are going to be rotating your kickers every week you will enjoy some of Racker's favorable scoring matchups.


DEF - Indianapolis Colts

Unless you draft a defensive powerhouse it's good to key a defense that faces plenty of weak opponents.  The Colts will have the battle New England but aside from that they do play the Rams, Niners, Ravens, Broncos, Jets, and Bills out of division.

This was a defense that gave up a lot of yards on the ground last year but health is the key for a successful defensive effort in 2009.

Indy expects to be playing with some good fourth quarter leads which will put them in plenty of sack opportunities.