10 Fantasy Draft Picks That Will Impress Your Friends

In order to win a fantasy football league, it is important to draft well. The most successful drafters are the ones who can find a sleeper late.

Finding a deep sleeper is also a lot of fun. It is a point of accomplishment to say you saw a breakout season coming before the year began. Anyone who picked Arian Foster has probably spent the last six months telling everyone about it. This year, you should be the one bragging.

It is not easy to predict a big season, but here are some deep sleepers who are poised to have a good year.

LaRod Stephens-Howling, RB Arizona Cardinals

Rookie running back Ryan Williams tore a patella tendon in his right knee Friday night and he might be out for an extended period. This leaves a large opening in the backfield for the Arizona Cardinals. Although Beanie Wells is officially the starter, it was expected that Williams would take over in short time.

LaRod Stephens-Howling has been in the league for two years now, but has not had too much playing time at running back so far. Still he is an excellent athlete who has been great on kick returns in his short career. Beanie Wells cannot handle a full workload, and Stephens-Howling will finally get some opportunities to show what he can do on offense.

Julio Jones, WR Atlanta Falcons

While he might not be the leading receiver on his team this year, Julio Jones should still be a viable fantasy player. Teammate Roddy White will take the pressure and extra coverage off the rookie, and Jones should be ready to produce right away.

The Atlanta Falcons have a very good young team with a potent offense. There will be plenty of touchdowns and yards to go around. Even Michael Jenkins received 73 targets last season, and Julio Jones has a chance to be a much better player than Jenkins does. Even with White dominating the stat sheet, Jones should get his fantasy points.

Lee Evans, WR Baltimore Ravens

In Friday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Lee Evans caught three passes for 68 yards, including one 43 yard reception. Almost immediately upon join his new team, Evans is showing the Baltimore Ravens that he can be the deep threat he used to be with the Buffalo Bills.

Evans has had a few poor years in Buffalo, but there has been very little talent around him to help his stats. The Baltimore Ravens have a solid run game and a good young quarterback in Joe Flacco. They have also been missing a deep threat over the years and despite drafting Torrey Smith, Evans could try again to be that player.

C.J. Spiller, RB Buffalo Bills

C.J. Spiller was a high draft pick last year and people were salivating over his big play ability. However, he was buried on the depth chart and never really got his chance to show what he can do.

With Marshawn Lynch out of the picture, only Fred Jackson remains to take away Spiller’s carries. Jackson had a decent but not as good of a season last year and is likely to start losing starts to Spiller as the season progresses. Once he gets his chance, C.J. Spiller has the skill and athleticism to become one of the most dangerous weapons in the NFL.

Kellen Winslow, TE Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Though he is another player who has had success in the past, Kellen Winslow can still surprise people who continue to underestimate him. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to grow as a team and get better, but they did not add any more weapons during the offseason. As Josh Freeman will start throwing more touchdown passes, Winslow will likely be a beneficiary.

Winslow led his team in receptions despite having 29 less targets than teammate Mike Williams. However, Williams had 11 touchdowns to Winslow’s five. This year he might be due for a boost in end zone targets, which could make him an elite fantasy tight end.

A.J. Green, WR Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals will have a completely new look this season. The high profile names of Terrell Owens, Chad Ochocinco and Carson Palmer are no longer suiting up, and instead the team will be filled with some young players. While they might not be proven players, these young players have a lot of talent, including A.J. Green.

As the fourth overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Green obviously has tons of talent. As the number one receiver, he will also have the opportunity. The only question is whether the Bengals have a quarterback that can throw him the ball with any consistency.

Daniel Thomas, RB Miami Dolphins

Of all the rookies drafted in 2011, Daniel Thomas might have the best chance to be a fantasy factor. With both Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown gone, the backfield is left in the hands of Thomas and Reggie Bush. In his five years in the league, Bush has been an exciting player but never an every down back.

This will leave Daniel Thomas not only to get the majority of carries for the Miami Dolphins, but he can also receive goal-line carries as well. It is also important not to rule out time off for the injury-prone Reggie Bush, which would even further help Thomas’ value.

Jacoby Ford, WR Oakland Raiders

With Louis Murphy on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, Jacoby Ford looks to get his opportunity to build off last year’s success. In limited action, Ford finished with 470 receiving yards and 155 rushing yards to go with his seven all-purpose touchdowns. Similar to Percy Harvin, he is simply a playmaker who can score from anywhere.

With a full season as a starter, Ford could move his way to the top of fantasy charts. We know he can find the end zone, and with additional targets on offense, he can become very dangerous.

Percy Harvin, WR Minnesota Vikings

After two years in the NFL, Percy Harvin is already a known commodity. However, it seems as though fantasy owners have forgotten about his game-changing skills and his ability to score from anywhere on the field. He has had two solid years with Brett Favre throwing him the ball, but did not take his game to another level last year as people expected.

It is important to remember his injury issues, but if he stays healthy, he can be a valuable fantasy starter. In addition, Donovan McNabb loves to throw the deep ball and it would be difficult to overthrow Harvin running at full speed.

Tim Hightower, RB Washington Redskins

Original projections out of the Washington Redskins camp was that Ryan Torain would be the starting running back coming into the season. Now it seems as though the job is Tim Hightower’s to lose. Hightower lost carries to Beanie Wells last season and was shipped out of Arizona. Now he has a chip on his shoulder and wants to prove that he can be a full-time running back in the NFL.

Tim Hightower showed in Friday night’s preseason game that he still has the speed to succeed with a 58-yard run. He also finished the drive with a goal-line touchdown run. Although the Redskins might have some inadequacies on offense, Hightower will get plenty of chances to recreate those touchdown runs and make him a very good fantasy player.