Fantasy Football Sleepers: Surefire Week 1 Waiver-Wire Pickups

The football season is days away and your fantasy teams are in major need of a last-minute pickup. These studs are available in most leagues and should be a target for you immediately. 

These are the less-lauded players that are sure to make an impact on your team. They may be unheralded, but they are far from useless.

For these players, I used the Yahoo! Fantasy boards to find out who is still available. The following players fall below 50 percent as far as percentage owned in Yahoo! leagues. 

Get ready to leave the competition in the dust as you pick up the exact player to solve what is ailing your team.

Who needs trades with this much value available?

1. Jerome Harrison: RB, 23 Percent Owned

Lions head coach Jim Schwartz is increasingly enamored with the play of Harrison. The NFL is a league that demands depth at running back, and the Lions will certainly fill the rotation with Harrison.

I won't go as far as calling him the next Peyton Hillis, but he will surely fight for the spot as the featured back by season's end. 

2. Ryan Fitzpatrick: QB, 46 Percent Owned

For those involved in super-deep leagues, all of the usual suspects were long gone before you addressed the QB position.

Don't fret. 

Fitzpatrick was just behind Ben Roethlisberger in fantasy production last year. The guy has a big arm but very little in hype. If he put up the same number in Miami, America would love him.

Expect another quiet season of 3,000-plus yards and 23-plus touchdowns.

3. Jared Cook: TE, 50 Percent Owned

The secret has only hit half of America, apparently. The Titans are about to make Cook a star in a few weeks. He is going to be targeted early and often in this offense.

Soon, you won't be able to trade for Cook with a bevy of starters. This is the time to nab him, because his value is about to rise like Google stock.