Fantasy Football Sleepers 2011: 10 Sneaky Players to Target

Every NFL season, some random player comes out of nowhere to burst onto the fantasy football scene and help your arch-rival steal the league while you wonder why you picked Adrian Peterson over Arian Foster.

This season will be no different.

Fortunately, truly savvy football fans have an idea of at least some of the players bound for a breakout season.

There's been a lot of movement in the NFL this offseason, as usual, which means several players are in different situations. For some, it will hurt their fantasy value; for others, they could flourish.

In the following slides, I'll give you my top 10 sleepers this fantasy football season. The rankings are based on how I project they will perform compared to their average draft position (ADP).

Thus, the best player on this list isn't ranked No. 1 because he's expected to do better than most of the players on here.

So, without further ado, here are my top 10 fantasy sleepers to target come draft day.

10. Mark Ingram, RB (New Orleans Saints)

Former Alabama star Mark Ingram, the top running back taken in the 2011 NFL Draft, has found a cozy spot with the high-powered offense of the New Orleans Saints.

With former Saints tailback Reggie Bush out of the picture, Ingram will be competing with Pierre Thomas for touches.

Given Thomas is not only injury-prone (six games played last season) but also averaged 3.2 yards per carry in 2010, Ingram could conceivably get the bulk of the Saints' carries this season.

Starting off, Ingram will likely split carries evenly with Thomas, plus the added bonus of being the team's likely goal-line back.

His ADP in Yahoo! Sports leagues is 76.5 right now. Give me a player there any day who has a chance of racking up touchdowns.

It doesn't hurt that QB Drew Brees is singing the praises of Ingram.

9. Shonn Greene, RB (New York Jets)

I know, I know—Shonn Greene was supposed to break out last season, but a certain LaDainian Tomlinson stole the spotlight.

The good news for Greene owners this time around is that Tomlinson is going to be used almost exclusively as a third-down back in hopes of extending his career.

That bodes well for Greene, who has averaged 4.5 yards per carry his two seasons in the league.

A third-round pick for the Jets in 2009, this is Greene's season to shine. His ADP is 33.6 in Yahoo! Sports leagues.

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8. Jahvid Best, RB (Detroit Lions)

Newcomer Mikel Leshoure's season-ending injury this offseason may have been bad news for the Lions, but it's great news for Jahvid Best owners.

For the first time since he entered the league, the talented youngster is set up to get the majority of the carries out of the backfield and will probably get more goal-line opportunities as well.

Best not only has an ADP of 98.6 in Yahoo! Sports leagues, but he could actually produce more than Greene because of his receiving ability.

Last season, Best caught 58 balls for 487 yards and two touchdowns. Coupled with Matthew Stafford this season, Best could do even better than that with added carries. He also has a lot of untapped potential, drafted in the first round just last year.

7. Plaxico Burress, WR (New York Jets)

You had to have seen this coming.

Receiver Plaxico Burress, who has finally returned to the field after a year and a half in prison, was one of the most talented and productive receivers in football before he shot himself in the leg outside a New York City nightclub.

This season, he'll have Mark Sanchez throwing to him instead of Eli Manning,—which is undoubtedly a downgrade—but he's still talented enough to be a solid No. 2 receiver for your fantasy football team. I think he's going to be a lot closer to Braylon Edwards' numbers last season than people think.

Plus, he's under a one-year contract, so if he wants to continue his football career beyond this season, Plax is going to have to explode.

His ADP is also 109.6, folks.

Motivation plus talent equals production—just ask Randy Moss.

6. Jimmy Graham, TE (New Orleans Saints)

Yet another New Orleans Saints breakout candidate, second-year receiver Jimmy Graham is now QB Drew Brees' No. 1 target this season after Jeremy Shockey left town.

And Brees couldn't be any happier.

Graham was one of the under-the-radar surprises last season, totaling 356 yards and five touchdowns. He had four of these touchdowns in the last three games of the season.

With an ADP of 69.5, he's a favorite among many fantasy football gurus to break out in 2011. This kid is talented, he just needs a chance to shine.

5. Sam Bradford, QB (St. Louis Rams)

St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, the top player on this list, has already gained respect throughout fantasy football circles after somehow having a productive season in 2010 as a rookie QB on a bad team.

But he still hasn't gained enough respect, apparently.

In Yahoo! Sports leagues, his ADP is 113.6, actually behind the Cleveland Browns' Colt McCoy and the New York Jets' Mark Sanchez.

Who in their right mind would draft those two over Bradford?

Bradford just got a spanking new guard in Harvey Dahl, help in the backfield with Cadillac Williams and Jerious Norwood, and a legitimate No. 1 receiver in former Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Mike Sims-Walker.

This QB has the weapons he needs to excel this season.

4. Malcom Floyd, WR (San Diego Chargers)

People appear to be on the fence about Chargers receiver Malcom Floyd who just re-signed with the team for two more years.

Floyd's ceiling was either reached last season, or he's primed for a breakout campaign.

I'm one of the believers that he's primed for a breakout campaign.

In just 11 games last season, Floyd made his mark on the field, garnering 717 receiving yards and six touchdowns opposite Vincent Jackson. What's surprising about his yardage numbers is Floyd had only 37 catches.

If you're in a PPR league, he's probably not the guy for the job, but when Floyd catches the ball, it's usually for a lot of yards with touchdown potential. He's a big, physical receiver with an ADP of 113.1 and has a one of the NFL's best quarterbacks in Philip Rivers throwing him the ball.

I like his chances to improve on his numbers this season.

3. Percy Harvin, WR (Minnesota Vikings)

With Sidney Rice gone to the Seattle Seahawks, youngster Percy Harvin is the Vikings' new No. 1 receiver.

Although overshadowed by Rice, Harvin is extremely talented and equally as potent.

In his first two seasons in the league, Harvin's totaled 1,658 yards and 11 touchdowns in 29 games. People also tend to forget he's only 23 years old and is only going to get better.

If your league counts returning touchdowns, there's an added bonus, as he's scored three returning touchdowns in the last two seasons.

Add in the fact that Donovan McNabb is throwing to him instead of Brett Favre (yes, McNabb is better these days), and you only add to his chances of being an 1,000-yard receiver with plenty of touchdowns this season.

He has an ADP of 66.0, folks.

Go get him. Do it now.

2. Matthew Stafford, QB (Detroit Lions)

Detroit Lions fans are ecstatic this year, given their rise at the end of 2010 and the additions they have made this offseason.

While the drafting of defensive tackle Nick Fairley probably made the most headlines, one man being vastly overlooked and underrated this season is quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Now, out of all the players on this list, he's the biggest risk because he hasn't played a lot and is unproven under center.

But he's also 2009's No. 1 overall pick, and he tossed six touchdowns to one interception last season in three games before going down to injury.

I think he could have a Sam Bradford-like season in 2011 throwing the ball to star receiver Calvin Johnson. His ADP is 96.5 headed into the year.

1. Kevin Kolb, QB (Arizona Cardinals)

If it wasn't for a man by the name of Michael Vick last season, quarterback Kevin Kolb would have started for the Philadelphia Eagles, and he likely would have done very well.

Kolb had some big games in his limited starts last season, including a 326-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6.

He also has one of the league's best receivers, if not the best, in Larry Fitzgerald. The addition of former Baltimore Ravens tight end Todd Heap will only make Kolb's transition to full-time starter even easier.

The Cardinals' O-line is a bit suspect, but this is the kind of guy who projects as a player who can overcome a lot. His ADP is 115.6 in Yahoo! Sports leagues this season, right behind Matthew Stafford.