Fantasy Football Diamonds in the Rough

A diamond (in the rough) is a fantasy owners’ best friend. Or BFF as the kids call it nowadays. I would rant about how lazy and counterproductive abbreviations are for a while, but I’ll try to writing at least one column this year with a glass half full view on things.

Here are the top 10 fantasy players who have significantly out-produced their draft position (in no particular order):

• A.J Green: Rookie wide receiver with rookie quarterback on the Bengals. Nothing sounds less reassuring. Understandably he was the 36^th wide receiver taken on average during the drafts, but now he has turned into a legit #2 WR and seems to be increasing his rapport with Dalton every week, despite the fact that Dalton looks like the lame, conflict avoiding guy on Real World.

• Fred Jackson:  Sorry, Bengals rookies. I take it back. Drafting an almost 31 year old running back with potential to split carries with a 1^st round pick in his second year(CJ Spiller) on the Buffalo Bills is less reassuring. However he’s putting up huge numbers every week (96 yards and 1 TD average each game) and will continue to do so. At least until they implement HGH testing that works. That was a joke. Kind of.

• Cam Newton & Steve Smith: I will lump these two together since they go together like unscrewing the top of a salt-shaker and practical jokes. The numbers speak for themselves with these guys. Cam is a top 2 QB and Smith is a top 3 WR in standard leagues. I legitimately think Steve Smith can sue Jake Delhomme for destroying his prime. Listen, if someone can sue you for falling in your house while trying to rob it, Smith at least has a case.

• Pierre Garcon:  Started off slower than traffic on your way to work. However, Curtis Painter has turned him into a top 10 scorer within 2 weeks of starting. Garcon should also get fantasy points for being the first person ever to make people say something nice about Curtis Painter.

• Victor Cruz: Just because he sounds like a cliché bad guy in a high speed chase movie doesn’t mean you should ignore him. I’ve been dead wrong on Manningham thus far, and Cruz has become Eli’s second option by default. But default or not, the numbers have been there the past three weeks and no reason in the immediate future for that to stop.

• Darren Sproles: Should I break the news to Reggie Bush or should you? Literally everyone who moves on from Reggie Bush ends up better off after he’s gone, from his not-so-personal life to his professional career. Sproles is putting on a weekly clinic on what Bush should have been, and he’s especially great in a ppr format, where he’s 2^nd on the team in receptions, after TE Jimmy Graham. Brees clearly hates his receivers as much as everyone else does.

• Ryan Fitzpatrick: I already made a few Harvard jokes in one of my previous columns (Fantasy Football Gems) so I’ll just say he started off very hot, played two very solid pass defenses the past two weeks, and starts an easy run against the NY Giants that just gave up a combines 279 yards and 2 TDs to Charlie Whitehurst and Tarvaris Jackson. And no, that wasn’t a punch line.

• Ryan Mathews: Being drafted as the 20^th RB on average and producing like a first rounder. He has double digit points in every single game this year, and has looked solid even catching the ball out of the backfield. I have nothing else to say about Mathews, so let’s take a moment of silence here for Antonio Gates’ career.

• Jimmy Graham: Everyone thought he had the potential, but nobody saw this coming. We survived through the whole “he played basketball as his background, watch as he boxes his man out and grabs the football like it’s a rebound” shtick at least 300 times, but honestly his production has been worth it. As of now, he is the number one tight end, and as a matter of fact, he would be the number 6 WR overall. Prettaaaaaaaay good.

• Ravens DST: I may lose all credibility with this, but you know what? I don’t care. This defense scores more than NBA players in a club full of groupies. With only one bad week, they are averaging 3.5 turnovers and 1 TD per game. Per game! In standard leagues, they have more points than MJD, Michael Turner, Jahvid Best, Mike Wallace, Greg Jennings and many more. If they were a WR they would be the 4^th best WR in the league! And that’s WITH a bye week!! Seriously, how many exclamation points should I use to send that point home? They have plenty of playmakers, a good offense that can keep a lead, and sick uniforms; which is really the cherry on top.