Fantasy Football 2011: 25 Sleepers That Will Still Be Drafted Too High

Everyone who is involved in fantasy football claims to know the best sleepers. Do not be fooled. More times than not, the sleeper that everyone is picking remains asleep.

The key to finding a player on the verge of a breakout season is to look for talent and opportunity. The player should have a new or increased role than they had in previous years. Too many times an expert will call a guy a sleeper, and yet that player will rarely see the field.

This list includes players who have been called "sleepers" all offseason. It has been overused to the point that they continue to rise up the draft boards. However, you should not believe the hype.

These 25 men will have average or worse seasons, and a bunch of experts will be proven wrong.

Beanie Wells

Beanie Wells will be set up for the best chance of his career to succeed. The team traded away Tim Hightower and then rookie Ryan Williams had a season-ending injury during the preseason. This will allow Wells to be the primary running back for the Arizona Cardinals.

Unfortunately, Wells has not shown much in his two years in the league. Last season he only ran for 397 yards on 3.4 yards per carry. In addition, the offensive line he must run behind is still poor.

The extra carries he gets will not be enough to justify Wells as a fantasy starter.

Peyton Hillis

Peyton Hillis had a breakout year last season, so he will not be sneaking up on anyone. Still, the Madden cover boy has been going too high in most fantasy drafts.

Hillis had a poor ending in the last few games and it seemed like he was running out of gas. Now Montario Hardesty returns and he should steal some carries away from Hillis to keep both of them fresh.

The Cleveland Browns should also start passing more often as Colt McCoy becomes more comfortable behind center. This all spells bad news for Peyton Hillis owners.

Knowshon Moreno

Scouts love Knowshon Moreno's potential, but that has not yet translated into on-field success. Injuries have slowed him down and he was in a pass-heavy offense, but Moreno has not shown the talent that made him a first-round pick in 2009.

The Denver Broncos also added Willis McGahee through free agency. Besides taking away carries, McGahee will likely be the same touchdown vulture that he was in Baltimore. This will greatly hurt Moreno's value and should steer fantasy owners away.

Jahvid Best

The former first-round pick Jahvid Best has great playmaking ability but had a poor rookie year. After exciting fantasy owners with four touchdowns in the first two games, he did not have another rushing touchdown for the rest of the year.

Best also has had injury problems through his football career and is already out with a concussion he suffered this preseason. Even if he does not miss regular season games now, head injuries often cause recurring problems.

Jahvid Best has some serious potential, but until he can stay on the field he is not worth a roster spot.

BenJarivs Green-Ellis

BenJarvus Green-Ellis wants to build off his breakout season, but there might be too many players competing for carries. The New England Patriots have a plethora of talented players in the backfield, including Danny Woodhead, Sammy Morris and Shane Vereen. Not too mention the fact they have a decent quarterback named Tom Brady who will be throwing the ball more times than not.

Green-Ellis, also known as "The Lawfirm," cannot be trusted to help a fantasy team. He is not a good receiver, which would help his cause if Bill Belichick decides to go a different direction.

Ryan Matthews

Before last season, Ryan Matthews was hyped as a great rookie sleeper. He failed to capitalize on the opportunity as Mike Tolbert took over the starting job and performed very well.

This year, Tolbert is still in the backfield but people are once again expecting a break out from Matthews. With no disrespect to him, Tolbert should continue getting a large amount of carries and all of the goal-line opportunities. This can only hurt Matthews' value and frustrate fantasy owners.

Mark Ingram

Former Heisman-winning running back Mark Ingram has a great amount of talent, but he might not get the chance to show it this season. The New Orleans Saints have a crowded backfield that includes established starter Pierre Thomas and change-of-pace back Darren Sproles.

Ingram is currently listed as third on the depth chart, but he is going the highest in drafts of any of the three. Fantasy owners should see this as a giant red flag and let him go to another team. He might have a great future, but this season will not be his time to show it.

Austin Collie

The success of every offensive player on the Indianapolis Colts is tied directly to Peyton Manning's health. The latest reports are that he will not be ready for the start of the regular season and the team signed Kerry Collins as insurance. Without Manning, every receiving target will lose value.

Austin Collie not only has to worry about his quarterback's health, but his own health has been a major issue in recent seasons. He suffered three concussions last season and probably should not have been on the football field.

If he can stay healthy and have the same level of quarterback play he is used to, Collie can have a great season. Unfortunately, those are some pretty big question marks.

Reggie Bush

Many are hoping that a fresh start is exactly what Reggie Bush needs to reach is potential. After five years with the New Orleans Saints, Reggie Bush will be the starting running back for the Miami Dolphins. Still, Bush has not shown enough to prove he can be an every-down back in the NFL.

This year, Bush will most likely share the load with rookie Daniel Thomas. With Thomas' size, he will most likely receive the majority of the goal-line carries as well. While Bush can also help as a receiving target, the Dolphins will not have a consistent enough passing game to make him a factor.

Reggie Bush is a valuable piece on an NFL roster, but he is not as helpful on a fantasy roster.

Plaxico Burress

Many fans are hoping to see the old Plaxico Burress that helped the New York Giants win the Super Bowl four years ago. They know he has the talent and size to remain a top scoring option for a very talented New York Jets team.

Unfortunately, he has not played professional football since 2008 due to his time spent in prison. While people point to the resurgence of Michael Vick as an example of a player returning to form, it is important to remember that Burress is about five years older than Vick was when he returned to the NFL. It also took Vick a season on the bench for him to get back into playing shape.

The Jets believe they caught lightening in a bottle, but the chances of Burress returning to the field without missing a beat are slim.

Robert Meachem

Robert Meachem has loads of talent, but so does Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Lance Moore and Jimmy Graham. Picking a receiver on the New Orleans Saints is like trying to win a game of roulette. Every year people try to say one of these guys is going to step up and have a great year, but each game highlights a new target.

Drew Brees is a great quarterback. Receivers love him because they know if they are open they will get the ball. Unfortunately for Meachem and the rest of the group, their individual stats suffer because of it.

I would not recommend a fantasy owner counting on production from any of these players.

Ryan Torain

Once it was apparent that Clinton Portis was not returning to the Washington Redskins, people jumped over Ryan Torain as a potential sleeper candidate. They saw a player with a chance at a starting job who was playing for a coach with a proven track record of developing running backs.

Well, those people were almost right. There was a player that fit that description but his name is Tim Hightower. Hightower has been very impressive this preseason and appears to have the lock on the starting gig.

Torain is not even guaranteed to get carries as the number two back. Rookie Roy Helu is a talented young runner who might see some action if Hightower gets injured.

Kevin Kolb

In his brief action as a starting quarterback, Kevin Kolb has shown plenty of potential. Andy Reid's pass-heavy offense highlighted his ability to throw for a lot of yards when needed. However, he also showed a habit of throwing a lot of interceptions.

With the Arizona Cardinals, he has one great weapon in Larry Fitzgerald but not a lot else. There is still a weak offensive line and a poor running attack that will not force the defense to adjust.

Kolb is still young so he has a lot of time to improve, but his first season with a new team will not be good enough to make him fantasy relevant.

Ricky Williams

After Willis McGahee made a living the last two years stealing touchdowns away from teammate Ray Rice, many expect Ricky Williams to have the same role this year. However, the Baltimore Ravens have shown over the first few preseason games that Rice will continue to handle goal-line duties.

Williams is now 34 years old, which is ancient in running back years. This season he will provide relief work for Rice, and not a lot more. This will not be enough to warrant fantasy consideration.

Ronnie Brown

While he was mentioned as one of the many big-name acquisitions for the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason, Ronnie Brown is not expected to have too much of a fantasy impact this season.

At 29, Brown's best years are behind him. LeSean McCoy has established himself as a solid NFL running back and it does not leave too much playing time to go around.

The only hope for Brown is if McCoy gets injured. Although, given his injury history, Brown is the more likely one to miss playing time.

Joseph Addai

In 2007, Joseph Addai had a career year with more than 1,000 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. Since then Addai has failed to even approach those numbers. The last three seasons have been mired with injuries and disappointment.

With Peyton Manning possibly sidelined to start the year, Addai will struggle even more. Defenses will no longer need to load up on defensive backs to counter the pass if Kerry Collins becomes their starting quarterback.

Joseph Addai will get the first chance as the starting running back, but Donald Brown and even Delone Carter will have opportunities to take over his job.

Anthony Dixon

One strategy that many fantasy owners use is grabbing the backup of oft-injured stars. Frank Gore fits the description of a player that seems to miss many games every season.

The downside for Anthony Dixon is that he seems to have been passed on the depth chart by rookie Kendall Hunter. Hunter has impressed in camp and the preseason and could be a great fill in if the San Francisco 49ers need him.

Dixon did not take advantage of the opportunity last season when Gore went down. It would be surprising if he was able to do that this year.

Cedric Benson

Cedric Benson had a solid year a season ago, but only due to the amount of carries he received. Benson only averaged 3.5 yards per carry, and that was with the defenses forced to account for the passing offense.

This year, rookie Andy Dalton will be the man behind center. While he has potential, Dalton is sure to take his lumps as he tries to learn how to play in the NFL. This will force defenses to stack the line to defend the only proven player with the Cincinnati Bengals: Benson.

With his carries unlikely to increase, Benson will be unable to improve on his production from past seasons.

Matthew Stafford

Matthew Stafford has shown a few flashes that he could be a talented quarterback. Unfortunately, he has not been able to stay on the field long enough to continue his improvement.

Over the past two years, Stafford has only played 13 games. When on the field he has shown he could be a solid NFL starter. Last year, he finished with a 91.3 quarterback rating—of course, it was only in three games, but it was a start.

From a fantasy perspective, he is not yet worth the risk for your team. He has little more experience than a rookie at this point, and will still make a lot of mistakes. He will most likely be able to be picked up on waivers if he succeeds later in the season.

Zach Miller

As far as tight ends go in fantasy football, there are only a few elite players. There were times in Zach Miller's career when he looked poised to make that step to elite and many think he is ready to take that step.

He became one of the safest targets last year for Jason Campbell and caught 60 passes. Unfortunately, he relocated this offseason to the Seattle Seahawks. With Tarvaris Jackson at the helm, the team will struggle to get many touchdowns through the air. This will hurt Miller's overall value.

There are better tight end options that could be taken later in the draft.

Dez Bryant

In his rookie season, Dez Bryant showed great size and speed that can make him become a fantasy star in the future. Many experts think he is ready to make that step this year.

The biggest thing to remember with Bryant is that he is not the primary target on the Dallas Cowboys. People love his skills, but Miles Austin has proven much more in his career. Additionally, Jason Witten gets more targets than each of them.

Even with a healthy Tony Romo, there might not be enough passes to go around. Dez Bryant might have to wait his turn for a breakout season.

Brandon Marshall

Many were excited to see Brandon Marshall get a fresh start last season with the Miami Dolphins. Experts saw a very talented but disgruntled receiver getting a chance to become one of the best receivers in the league.

While he had a solid year, from a fantasy perspective it was a disappointment. His three touchdowns did not provide much value, and it was even worse in non-PPR leagues.

There is a lot of uncertainty at quarterback for the Miami Dolphins, which will hurt Marshall if he cannot get the ball. Fantasy owners can do better than getting a possession receiver who does not score touchdowns.

Fred Jackson

The perceived value of Fred Jackson has changed a lot over the past few years. He went from an underrated stud who took over for Marshawn Lynch to a perceived failure. Now he is being drafted early because is still a starting running back.

The question is how long will he hold that starting job. C.J. Spiller was taken in the first round a year ago, and it was not for him to sit on the bench. With a poor start to the season, Jackson will most likely lose his carries to the young running back.

Marcedes Lewis

Marcedes Lewis had a big fantasy year last season due to his 10 touchdowns. Tight ends who are able to get into the end zone is a valued commodity.

With the uncertainty of quarterback, Lewis' numbers are sure to go down. He will also have to prove that last season was not a fluke. In the four years prior, he never finished with more than two receiving touchdowns.

Touchdowns are a difficult thing to predict, especially for a red-zone target like Lewis. It would be tough to expect a repeat performance from him.

DeMarco Murray

DeMarco Murray has risen on draft boards over the past few weeks, but I am not sure why. He is miles behind Felix Jones, and is not assumed to get the back up job. While Wade Phillips loved to use all of his running backs on the roster, Jason Garrett prefers Jones as his primary runner.

The extra carries that might be thrown around will be split among Murray and Tashard Choice, but you should not expect more than a few touches per game.