NFL: Five Fantasy Football Players on The Rise

James Hatfield Jul 7, 2010

James Jones

It's no secret that Donald Driver is missing a ton of off-season practices with his bad knees.

James Jones is seeing all the work in Driver's absence, and it appears that Driver will either retire, take a step back, or at a very minimum, not be able to make it through the entire 2010 season.

James Jones' value is contingent on Driver's situation. If Driver is gone, then Jones' upside is tremendous, and likely to the tune of 800+ yards and five TDs without Driver. With him, expect only 400+ yards and two TDs.

Ahmad Bradshaw

He is a flat out beast.

One could make an argument that he is the best backup RB in the game, not to mention the one with the most upside in 2010.

Last year's numbers were near 1,000 yards combined and near double-digit TDs. It's extremely likely he posts the same production in 2010, making him a very safe late-round pick in 2010.

Brandon Jacobs is always a wild card, and his health issues make Bradshaw's value even better, especially knowing he could get the start a couple times this season.

Jeremy Maclin

DeSean Jackson will be pulling double-coverage all season long and Maclin is going to benefit, making him a solid WR2 option. He should easily surpass 750-plus yards and have five-plus scores in 2010.

Matthew Stafford

Stafford's potential in 2010 is awesome. He has a number of solid new targets for the new season, and Calvin Johnson should be able to avoid extreme coverage with Nate Burleson and Jahvid Best joining the mix. I expect dump-offs to Best and long bombs to Johnson. Stafford's upside is great, and I am expecting 2,500+ yards and 20+ TDs in his sophomore campaign.

Michael Crabtree

Crabtree is going to light up 2010, and should produce 900+ yards and five-plus touchdowns.

I am trying to be conservative in my estimates here, but his upside is huge. He missed a number of games last year and was eased into action, producing 625 yards and two TDs. Assuming he's gelled a bit with his QB this off-season, and starts all year, we should be in for a treat.

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