Fantasy Football Sleepers: Julio Jones and the Top Impact Rookies for 2011

Each fall a new NFL season brings with it a new crop of rookie players, fresh faced young men trying to make the leap from college football standout to NFL star.

Where fantasy football is concerned, their impact is felt mostly in dynasty formats, where drafting the right rookie can set your squad up with a burgeoning fantasy stud for years to come (I addressed this in my recent Top 50 rookies article here at Bleacher Report). However, some rookies are capable of making an impact in their inaugural season. These players also merit consideration in redraft leagues, and it's those first year pros we'll focus on here by outlining the top 20 impact rookies for the 2011 season.

1. Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints: The 2009 Heisman Trophy winner has looked solid in preseason action and will share carries (at least at first) with Pierre Thomas, but the fact that Ingram's in line to be the Saints goal-line back makes him the New Orleans running back to own in fantasy football leagues this season.

2.  Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons: Jones should see loads of single coverage opposite All-Pro wideout Roddy White in 2011, and while the Falcons offense isn't exactly "grip it and rip it," he should see enough opportunities to potentially make him a viable fantasy WR3 as a rookie.

3. Daniel Thomas, RB, Miami Dolphins: Thomas has had a disappointing preseason, raising the ire of the Miami coaching staff for a lack of physicality. However, once the 'Fins figure out that Reggie Bush just isn't a workhorse back (all they had to do was call New Orleans), Thomas should receive the chance to redeem himself.

4. Greg Little, WR, Cleveland Browns: Cleveland quarterback Colt McCoy appears poised to take the next step, looking lights-out so far in the exhibition season. Little has a reputation as a diva, but diva or not, for McCoy to take that next step, he's going to need someone to throw the ball to.

5. Roy Helu, RB, Washington Redskins: The Nebraska bruiser shined in racking up 101 yards on 14 carries against the Colts last week, and with only Tim Hightower and the always-injured Ryan Torain to pass on the depth chart, it would be no surprise to see Helu starting by midseason.

6. Dane Sanzenbacher, WR, Chicago Bears: Sanzenbacher's name this high on the list may surprise some, but the former Ohio State standout has been one of the stars of Bears camp and could easily become a valuable slot receiver and fantasy asset in point-per-reception leagues.

7. A.J. Green, WR, Cincinnati Bengals: Green has loads of talent and may well blossom into a top-flight NFL wide receiver. However, catching passes from a fellow rookie on what may well be the worst team in the NFL puts a serious kink into his fantasy football upside this year.

8. Leonard Hankerson, WR, Washington Redskins: The John Beck/Rex Grossman led Redskins passing game isn't going to light the world on fire, but Hankerson will immediately step into a role as Washington's second receiver and should at the very least rate a late-round look as a fantasy WR4/WR5 type.

9. Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers: The bad news is that Newton is far from the most polished rookie quarterback entering this season and the Panthers will feature a run heavy offense behind DeAngelo Williams and Johnathan Stewart. The good news is that Newton will almost certainly start from the get-go, and the added fantasy production he can generate running the ball makes him worth a look as a low-end fantasy QB2.

10. Lance Kendricks, TE, St. Louis Rams: St. Louis quarterback Sam Bradford is already looking to Kendricks in the red zone, finding him for a score in the Rams first preseason game. The former Badger could well represent an intriguing late round flier for fantasy teams that pass on selecting a tight end early.

11. Torrey Smith, WR, Baltimore Ravens: The addition of Lee Evans to the Ravens receiving corps hurt Smith's fantasy upside early, but the speedy youngster still has the potential to do plenty of damage from the slot in Baltimore.

12. DeMarco Murray, RB, Dallas Cowboys: While Murray's been dinged up in camp, starting running back Felix Jones has been lights out. Jones has a history of getting dinged up himself, however, and with Tashard Choice apparently out of favor in Big D, Murray's one tweak or twinge away from significant touches in a prolific offense.

13. Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals: Dalton's struggled in the preseason, and while I still like his dynasty prospects more than any QB in this class, the simple fact remains that the Bengals are going to be bad. Like Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in Gigli bad.

14. Titus Young, WR, Detroit Lions: Detroit could well be a team on the rise this season behind a number of blossoming young stars such as wide receiver Calvin Johnson and quarterback Matthew Stafford. Young may not be a big part of the offense early, but if they start putting up the numbers many think them capable of, he could still serve as a solid fantasy depth player or bye week fill-in as the season progresses.

15. Blaine Gabbert, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars: David Garrard has been named the Week 1 starter for the Jags, but the more games they lose, the shorter that leash is going to get. Throw in a QB injury or two and a bye week or three, and Gabbert is going to start looking pretty good to fantasy owners desperate for help at the position.

16. Stevan Ridley, RB, New England Patriots: Ridley looked solid in tallying 84 yards rushing on 14 carries in New England's second preseason game, and while the Patriots backfield is a crowded one, Ridley's still worth a late round stash in deeper fantasy football leagues.

17. Greg Salas, WR, St Louis Rams: The Rams are a team trying to take the next step, and one of their biggest question marks is at wide receiver, making it a distinct possibility that Salas could see significant playing time early

18. Bilal Powell, RB, New York Jets: Running back LaDainian Tomlinson is 32, and second-year man Joe McKnight is best suited as a change-of-pace back, so Powell may well emerge as the clear backup to New York starter Shonn Greene in the Jets backfield as the season moves along.

19. Luke Stocker, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Stocker's been battling a hip injury, and only recently returned to the practice field for the Buccaneers. However, starting tight end Kellen Winslow has quite the injury history of his own, and it wouldn't be a bit surprising to see Stocker in Tampa's starting lineup at some point this year.

20. Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Kansas City Chiefs: Baldwin will almost certainly have a minimal impact in redraft fantasy football leagues in 2011, but I just couldn't finish this article without mentioning Baldwin's locker room with dust-up with Chiefs running back Thomas Jones, which culminated with the veteran allegedly sucker-punching Baldwin and the rookie wideout finding himself firmly planted in head coach Todd Haley's doghouse.