2011 “Must Have” Fantasy Sleeper Team

We all know that a fantasy football season is MADE in the draft and SALVAGED (or RUINED) with waiver wire pickups and late round sleepers. It’s not about having the best player, it’s about having the best roster top to bottom. The guy that drafts Peyton Manning or Tom Brady with their first or second pick isn’t the guy with the best shot to win it all … it’s the guy who picks up a late round fantasy sleeper who ends up holding the fantasy trophy at the end of the season.

So you really think that you know how to win this year? It’s about finding value in the later rounds (just like the REAL draft). Here’s some of the players that YOU should be taking a closer look at drafting when the late rounds come up.

My Fantasy Sleeper Team:

Matt Stafford, Detroit Lions
Upside: Tremendous, could lead an up and coming team that’s loaded with weapons.

Reasons: There are some durability concerns with Stafford as he was the opening day starter the last 2 years but has only played in 13 of 32 games. That being said, this is a guy with a loaded backfield. Best now has Leshoure as a compliment back, Megatron (Calvin Johnson) gets some help on the other side with Titus Young, and tight end Brandon Pettigrew is a threat by himself.

Long Story Short: This offense is loaded, and if Stafford can stay healthy he will put up numbers.

Daniel Thomas,  Toby Gerhart
Upside: Significant reps as backups and possibly part of “Backfield by Committee”
Reasons: The Miami Dolphins could bring back Ronnie Brown or Ricky Williams, but probably not both. Plus both backs are getting up in years and Thomas will be able to prove his ability from day 1. If he’s good enough he will claim a spot in the game day lineup and will get his rotation in the backfield.

Toby Gerhart is the backup to Adrian Peterson, but even as a rookie he had 102 touches (81 rushing, 21 receptions). He racked up a combined 489 yards with a touchdown. He is going to become all the more important as the Vikings continue to transition to a run first offense while rookie QB Christian Ponder mans the helm.

Verdict: These two running backs can both have the chance to carve out a significant share of their respective offenses.

Michael Crabtree,  Emmanuel Sanders,  Greg Little
Upside: All can become every down players as well feature cogs on improved passing attacks.
Reasons: Michael Crabtree has the best pure talent of the three, but hasn’t had a real quarterback to get him the ball. Jim Harbaugh will change that with a west coast offense in San Francisco.

Emmanuel Sanders proved his ability on the field, and he might be able to unseat Hines Ward as a starter. Just the threat of Sanders opposite of Mike Wallace will have opposing coordinators playing deep safeties. Sanders might still beat them.

Greg Little steps onto the Browns squad as potentially the most talented receiver. He comes with his concerns, but for a team making the transition to the west coast offense, he could become a favorite target of Colt McCoy’s and could be worth catches, yards, and TDs all at the same time.

Jermaine Gresham
Upside: Perfect check down in a west coast offense for an unknown quarterback.
Reasons: Cincinnati might be starting Andy Dalton. They are shifting to a west coast passing attack as well. They also don’t know who their starting receivers will be. However, Gresham managed 52 catches and almost 500 yards as a rookie in only 14 games. He also did it with Ochocinco and T.O. as the primary targets. A young quarterback OR a vet will still have A.J. Green as a deep threat, but other than that they will need a solid check down option. Gresham can continue to grow into the next playmaking threat at the tight end position.

Jason Hanson
Upside: High powered offense, Consistent Player
Reasons: It’s always hard to find sleeper kickers. You need to find a team who is going to move the ball, but if they’re “too good” you might turn a lot of field goals into extra points. Hanson may not be considered a sleeper by some. However, he has been solid so far with an 82% career FG percentage. He also has a career long of 56 yards, and that gives any team an option to hit a field goal from up to 39 yards out. With an improved offense of the Lions they should consistently move the chains, but I still don’t think that Detroit has enough experience to consistently finish drives. That means field goal opportunities!

Dallas Cowboys Defense
Upside: Have the talent, now have the coordinator.
Reasons: Rob Ryan was a mastermind in Cleveland. He was single handedly able to dismantle teams such as the Saints, Patriots, and the Jets without much talent on the Cleveland defense. In Dallas he instantly has some star power, and he also has a favorable schedule as well.

Two games against Washington, and more games against San Francisco, Buffalo, Arizona and Miami could be a few games to make teams look bad. Expect Dallas to terrorize offenses week in and week out this season.