Fantasy Football Sleepers: 5 Mid-Round Picks Worth First-Round Love

Every fantasy football owner wants to be the genius that hits correctly on a mid-round sleeper selection.

While there are a fair amount of players that receive extraordinary hype prior to the season beginning, there are a lot of others that go far too undervalued on a repetitive basis in a plethora of drafts.

The guys on this list won't be getting drafted in the first or second round of your draft, but by season's end, that's exactly the type of value that each could (and should) provide to your team barring injury.

We're taking positional depth as well as average draft position into account with these rankings, and that plays a huge role when trying to determine when the time is right to pull the trigger and make a bold selection.

Note: All ADP's have been taken from FantasyFootballCalculator.com and are accurate as of 9/1/11.

5. Tim Hightower, RB Washington Redskins

ADP: 65.9

2010 Statistics: 153 rushes, 736 yards, 5 TD.

Hightower's numbers aren't exactly appealing when looking at them on the stat sheet, but owners need to dig a little deeper when doing the research for the upcoming campaign.

After Mike Shanahan traded for Hightower and brought him into the Redskins fold, the running back has taken off in the preseason and has run away with the starting job for Washington, cementing himself a major role in the 'Skins attack.

He's expected to be featured early and often in the running game, and with rookie Roy Helu, Jr. still comfortably behind him on the depth chart, Hightower is one of the few RB's in all of football that should have the backfield to himself on a consistent basis.

While he's currently being selected and slapped with the RB2 tag, I wouldn't be surprised to see his style of play really excel in Washington's scheme and therefore could very well catapult to RB1.

Do you really trust John Beck or Rex Grossman to lead a dynamic downfield passing attack?

4. Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB Arizona Cardinals

ADP: 60.0

2010 Statistics: 116 rushes, 397 yards, 2 TD (13 games)

Wells' numbers are even less impressive than Hightower's, as the two shared the same backfield last season, but he's another player that's about to take on the "bell cow" moniker.

Now that he's fully healthy and ready to live up to his first-round tag, Wells is looking to prove that he belongs in the league and deserves to have the backfield all to himself.

Opponents sat on the run last season against the Cardinals with the team's woeful quarterback situation, and now that the club has brought aboard Kevin Kolb, most defenses shouldn't be able to stack the box as they were previously against the Cards.

Wells has the look of a rock-solid RB2 that could be a lot more if he stays healthy, and with owners being able to snag him almost three full rounds later than a bust like Ahmad Bradshaw, there's no reason to pounce early on a running back that's less than first-tier.

3. Matt Ryan, QB Atlanta Falcons

ADP: 63.1

2010 Statistics: 357-of-571 (62.5 percent), 3,705 yards, 28 TD, 9 INT

Ryan really took a step forward in his third season under center with the Falcons, and his fourth year with the team could be the first time he eclipses the 4,000 yard barrier in his career.

Atlanta chose to move up 21 spots in the first round of the 2011 draft in an effort to nab wide receiver Julio Jones, and the team gave up a boatload of selections in an effort to facilitate the deal.

When a franchise makes a deal like that, it's a fairly clear indication that the team plans to move to a passing attack, and Ryan recently attempted an incredible 42 first-half passing attempts in the Falcons' latest preseason game so the team could work on its aerial attack.

With Roddy White and Jones as weapons on the outside and Harry Douglas emerging as a very dangerous receiver out of the slot, it's likely that the club will look to go as far as Ryan's throwing arm can take them.

2. Matthew Stafford, QB Detroit Lions

ADP:81.7

2010 Statistics: 57-of-96 (59.4 percent), 535 yards, 6 TD, 1 INT (three games)

Stafford has played in just 13 of a possible 32 games during his first two seasons in the NFL, so it's obvious that his selection comes with a medial red flag.

However, the third-year quarterback has looked extremely polished in the preseason, showing no ill-effects from a recurring shoulder issue that has sidelined him in the past, and he's looking to be the leader of a surging Lions team that's ready to surprise a lot of people.

Stafford has used the preseason to rack up an impressive stat line of 24-of-31 for 356 yards and five touchdowns (without an interception), and there's little reason to think he can't carry over that momentum into the regular season.

The quarterback position is arguably one of the deepest ones in fantasy football this season, and there's no reason to reach if an owner can get Stafford at a discount as long as a suitable backup is drafted as well.

1. Mario Manningham, WR New York Giants

ADP: 59.7

2010 Statistics: 60 receptions, 944 yards, 9 TD

Manningham has been thought of as the biggest beneficiary of Steve Smith's departure to Philadelphia, and I believe he's primed for a monstrous campaign.

After he established himself as a serious deep threat last season, Manningham's role in the offense stands to increase substantially with Smith no longer on the team and pass-catching tight end signing with the Oakland Raiders during the offseason.

Not only should Manningham eclipse 1,000 yards receiving after narrowly missing the mark last year, but he could very well reach the magical double-digit touchdown plateau that makes owners smile from ear-to-ear.

Manningham's being selected behind players like Brandon Lloyd (49.5), Chad Ochocinco (49.7) and even Marques Colston (51.6). It wouldn't be surprising to see him outperform all of them with emphasis.

There's no reason that owners should feel hesitant about making Manningham an incredible WR2, and there is legitimate potential here for him to finish the season with WR1 numbers, especially if Hakeem Nicks (who has missed five games over the last two years) is forced to the sideline with an injury at any point.