Fantasy Football: Eric Decker and 4 Sleepers You Can Believe In

The 2011 fantasy football season has already been great.  With fantasy sleepers like Eric Decker coming out of nowhere and dominating the scene, it proves that players can come out of the woodwork every year to be superstars.

This year is no different, and here are five fantasy football sleepers that you can count on to continue to be great this year. 

Eric Decker

I hope you jumped on the Eric Decker bandwagon before anyone else could.  After the first four weeks he has proven that he will be Kyle Orton's No. 2 receiver and favorite red-zone target. 

Already with one 100-yard game and two two-touchdown games, Eric Decker is going to be a steady fantasy wide receiver all year so don't go selling high on him right now.  You haven't seen anything yet from the 2010 third-round pick out of Minnesota, so hold on to him and keep him in your lineup.

Next week he faces the porous San Diego secondary and should have another huge week. 

Stevan Ridley

If Stevan Ridley is still available in your league, the time is now to scoop him up.  He plays on an electric New England offense and almost had his first career 100-yard game on only 10 carries.

Right now, it isn't clear who Bill Belichick is going to roll with week in and week out, but if he was smart he would go with Ridley.  He is averaging an astounding 8.2 yards per carry, including a 33-yard explosion for his first career touchdown against the Oakland Raiders. 

The Patriots didn't spend a third-round pick on Ridley if they weren't going to play him, and he looks prime to take the reins for New England's backfield as his carries have been steadily increasing from game to game.  In Week 1 he didn't get into the action, then in Week 2 he had two carries, followed by six and then 10 against the Raiders in Week 4. 

Look for this trend to continue and watch Ridley be a steady flex play for the rest of the season.

Victor Cruz

Preseason sensation Victor Cruz has finally produced in the regular season.  After replacing Mario Manningham in Week 3, Cruz hasn't looked back.  He collected three passes in that game, two for ridiculous touchdowns, and looks like he will be a steady fantasy performer for the rest of the year.

Manningham returned in Week 4, only to be outplayed by Cruz.  Manningham was held to only one catch for 10 yards whereas Cruz exploded for six catches for 98 yards, just missing consecutive 100-yard games. 

Cruz and Manningham are relatively the same size, both 6 feet but Cruz has about 20 pounds on Manningham, allowing him to be a little more physical at the line and get more separation for Eli Manning's quick passes.

Once Eli starts liking a receiver, he doesn't stop throwing to him.  He proved that with Hakeem Nicks and Mannigham last year, and it looks like Cruz will continue the trend and be a solid WR3 all year. 

Jared Cook

Jared Cook finally got into the action in Week 4, amassing 93 yards, including a 80-yard scamper for a touchdown.  Typically you don't see tight ends run away from defenses, but Cook showed some breakaway speed, which you should show when you grab him from the waiver wire.

The first few weeks of the season Cook was hampered by a bad ankle, but proved healthy against the Oakland Raiders. With six targets this week, he was much more involved in the offense.

Jared Cook's old college coach, Steve Spurrier, has compared him to Calvin Johnson and he definitely creates matchup problems with defenses.  At 6'5 and 250 pounds, he pretty much has the same frame as Calvin with more muscle. With that breakaway speed he showed against Oakland, the Titans will surely look to throw to him more often.

After losing Kenny Britt for the season, Nate Washington has stepped up huge, but Jared Cook is right behind him and should continue to see lots of targets every week and will be a viable TE1 heading down the stretch of the season if you need help there.

Titus Young

It seems like every time Titus Young gets a ball thrown his way, he makes a ridiculous catch.  He has been everything the Lions have asked for after spending a second-round pick on him. 

After sitting out Week 1, Young has been electric, averaging over 15 yards a catch and has been more and more involved in the offense every week.  He is slowly taking over for Nate Burleson as Matthew Stafford's second favorite wide receiver, and with Calvin Johnson getting double and triple covered every play, there is lots of space for Young to get open.

Titus Young is fearless going across the middle as he showed at Boise State, and it has clearly translated to the NFL.  With Stafford at the helm, Young is sure to get his first NFL touchdown in the upcoming weeks and is a great stash on your bench for when he explodes down the stretch this season.

So there you go: five NFL sleepers that are sure to produce for the rest of the season.