Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: 10 Fantasy Studs No One Saw Coming

Fantasy football is a tough thing to predict. Some of the best fantasy football studs of the past few years were taken off of the waiver wire. 

Many experts claim to know the sleepers before every season, but these players surprised even the best forecasters.

At this point in their careers, the men on this list are household-names. Before their breakout seasons it would have taken their parents to point them out on the field.

Since this article is about fantasy, the list is mostly limited to players from the past decade when fantasy football has become common across the country. 

Larry Johnson, 2005

It took three years for the former first-round pick to hit his stride, but when he finally did Larry Johnson had an amazing stretch of dominance for the Kansas City Chiefs.

With the Chiefs already having a stud fantasy back in Priest Holmes, few people picked up Larry Johnson on draft day. Holmes had 62 touchdowns in the previous two and a half years. He was ready to pick up where he left off and have another big season in 2005.

When Priest Holmes went down with a season-ending injury for the second year in a row, Johnson was ready to shine.

He did not get a chance to start until November, but he still finished with 1,750 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns. 

The next season, no one passed on him.

Roddy White, 2007

While some people on this list were one-year-wonders who vanished from the scene after their breakout season, Roddy White is an exception. Ever since his breakout season in 2007, White has consistently been one of the best receivers in the NFL.

White was a first-round draft pick out of UAB in 2005. However, with Michael Vick as his quarterback he was never able to put up the great numbers he was capable of.

Surprisingly, White was able to more than double every one of his stats when Joey Harrington took control of the Atlanta Falcons offense. He finished with 83 receptions, 1,202 yards and six touchdowns. In the two years prior he combined for 59 receptions, 952 yards and only three touchdowns. 

Roddy White has been steadily improving every season since 2007, and with the addition of Julio Jones the Falcons have one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL.

Ladell Betts, 2006

Usually a breakout fantasy season comes from an injury to an already established player.

In 2006, Clinton Portis went down in Week 4 and only returned for five carries in November before finishing the remainder of the season on the bench. 

This paved the way for Ladell Betts to have the best season of his career. He performed well in limited playing time for the Washington Redskins, but when he was given the starting job he made sure he made it count.

Betts finished with 1,154 rushing yards despite having only 245 carries. He was a treat for the first person to pick him up off waivers. 

Outside of that season, Betts never eclipsed 400 yards. Still, he remained a wishful handcuff option for many fantasy owners hoping that Portis would go down again.

Michael Vick, 2010

After two years away from football including a stint in prison, Michael Vick came back to the football field in 2009 with the Philadelphia Eagles.

As basically a third-string quarterback, Vick only played in wildcat formations and made only 13 pass attempts.

When 2010 started, Vick was still behind Kevin Kolb on the depth chart and there was no reason that anyone should have believed he could regain his old form.

That was all proven wrong when Kolb went down in the first game and Michael Vick started showing signs of the player that he was with the Atlanta Falcons.

Once he was given the starting gig, Vick set career highs in almost every statistical category. His 3,018 yards passing, 21 touchdowns and only six interceptions were all a personal best. Not to mention nine rushing touchdowns, also a career high.

Any fantasy owner who was lucky enough to grab Michael Vick off waivers last season probably was rewarded with a championship, or at least a playoff appearance.

Antonio Gates, 2004

After not playing football in college, Antonio Gates was signed as an undrafted free-agent out of Kent State by the San Diego Chargers.

His rookie season was nothing special, but his second season is when he was able to breakout out of his shell. In 2004, Gates started doing things few tight ends before him were able to do.

Gates finished with 13 touchdowns after having only two the year before. In his great career, Gates still has not topped that career high. 

He has had quite a career in the NFL considering he only played basketball in college. I am sure that the football coaches at Kent State wished he played both sports.

Steve Smith, 2009

Before the 2009 season, ESPN had Steve Smith of the New York Giants ranked as the 192 best fantasy prospect.

By seasons end, everyone wanted the USC grad on their team. 

Steve Smith did an adequate job as the third receiver on the depth chart behind Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer. When the two left the Giants, few believed that Smith had the ability to be the top target from Eli Manning.

Smith finished the year with 107 catches, 1,220 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. The small, elusive receiver had an excellent year for a team that desperately needed a player to separate himself from the bunch. 

Unfortunately due to injuries, Steve Smith was unable to replicate his breakout year. He is now with the rival Philadelphia Eagles, hoping to get some touches on a very crowded depth chart.

Marques Colston, 2006

It is rarely a good idea to draft a rookie wide receiver in fantasy. The adjustment to the NFL usually takes a while, as the players need to learn new routes and quicker timing.

If someone drafted a seventh-round pick receiver in his first season, he would be laughed at.

That is except for Marques Colston, the Pro Bowl receiver from Hofstra.

In his rookie season, Colston made a connection with Drew Brees and finished with over 1,000 receiving yards and eight touchdowns to go with his 70 receptions.

The 6'4" target has continued to impress over his career, and the only thing slowing him down is injuries.

Steve Slaton, 2008

It is not uncommon for a rookie running back to excel in his first year in the league. However as a third-round pick for the Houston Texans, very few fantasy owners felt comfortable drafting Steve Slaton in 2008.

Ahman Green was supposed to start the season as the lead back for the Texans, but an injury in Week 1 forced Slaton to take the field. By Week 2, no one was missing Green.

Slaton took full advantage of Gary Kubiak's zone-blocking schemes and finished the season with over 1,200 yards rushing and nine touchdowns.

Since that season, Slaton has had injury problems that never allowed him to be the same player.

Arian Foster took over as the surprise fantasy stud for the Texans last season, and Slaton will probably never get a full-time chance again.

Muhsin Muhammad, 2004

Although Muhsin Muhammad had some solid years prior to 2004, the numbers he put up that year shocked everyone. 

In 1999 and 2000, Muhammad caught over 1,000 receiving yards, but failed to do so in the three following years. Injuries forced him to miss games and he was barely performing like himself.

Then in 2004, the former Michigan State receiver had career highs in both receiving yards and touchdowns. 1,405 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns showed that his career was not over, although this was by far his last great year.

Once he traveled to Chicago he once again lost his luster and traveled back into obscurity. 

Kurt Warner, 1999, 2007

The 1999 St. Louis Rams had a lot of talent on offense in Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, and Marshall Faulk. But it was not until Trent Green went down with an injury that the "Greatest Show on Turf" became a reality.

Kurt Warner, the former Arena Football League player, stepped in and started a career that few in history can match.

That season, Warner finished with over 4,000 yards and a 41 touchdowns to only 13 interceptions. He fired a touchdown pass in every game he played and finished with a quarterback rating of 109.2.

Few took the Rams seriously that season until they rolled all the way to the Super Bowl title.

In 2007, experts were ready to write Warner off. He had not played a full season in over five years, and he was slated to backup recent draft pick Matt Leinart.

However, Warner regained his old form and had a second breakout year. His 27 touchdowns put him right back on the list of the best quarterbacks in the game.

Now Kurt Warner is retired with a possible Hall of Fame resume. Still, few times in his career were people sure if he should be drafted in fantasy football.