NFL Fantasy Football 2011: Malcom Floyd Is a Sleeper

Malcom Floyd seems to be the one player on the San Diego Chargers offense that is flying under the radar in this year's fantasy drafts. Player such as Philip Rivers, Ryan Mathews, Mike Tolbert, Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson are all being drafted high because fans are able to recognize the firepower the San Diego offense possesses with field general Rivers commanding the troops.

So why, then, is Floyd left out of the equation?

Last year, Floyd put up impressive numbers (37 receptions, 717 yards, six touchdowns) despite missing six games. Yes, some of these may be inflated due to Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates missing a large amount of the season, but Philip Rivers is good enough to make any receiver on the field a fantasy threat.

Considering that Philip Rivers has ascended into the upper echelon of quarterbacks, let's take a look at what his counterparts did with their No. 2 receivers in 2010:

Aaron Rodgers to Donald Driver: 51 rec, 565 yards, four touchdowns

Last season was a definite down year for Driver. Previous to 2010, Driver had a streak of six straight 1,000-plus yard seasons (two of those came courtesy of  Aaron Rodgers). Driver seems to be another late-round sleeper that most have forgot about.

Tom Brady to Wes Welker: 86 recptions, 848 yards, seven touchdowns

Welker continues to be a consistent fantasy weapon despite being considered a No. 2 WR on the Patriots. 

Peyton Manning to Austin Collie: 68 receptions, 649 yards, eight touchdowns

Even though he missed seven games in 2010, Collie put big numbers in the Manning offense. Collie, who missed a similar amount of time as Floyd, put up almost identical numbers. Austin Collie is also a player people are talking little about despite him being the number two-three option on the Colts offense.

Drew Brees to Robert Meachem:44 receptions, 638 yards, five touchdowns

Meachem is another rising start in the Saints high octane offense. Look for him to have more impressive stats in 2011, as Marques Colston has proved to be quite injury-prone.

So take a look at the numbers above. You can expect Floyd to get about the same statistics as these other No. 2s. But, Floyd has something else these players do not:

He has, arguably, the best quarterback in league in Rivers and an offense that was ranked No. 1 in the NFL. Not to mention that Rivers throws the best deep ball in the entire NFL, allowing Floyd to do what he does best, which is making highlight reel catches deep down the field. These are things that the above mentioned tandems do not have. Yet, despite very similar stats, these other number two wide receivers are getting picked above Floyd in a majority of drafts.

In none PPR (point per reception) leagues, Malcom Floyd should be ranked above all the receivers on this list. Since he is not, you can wait on him later in drafts and get a real steal.

2011 prediction: 55 receptions, 875 yards, eight touchdowns