20 Fantasy Football Sleepers You Should Consider Drafting

Football season is upon us.  With Football season comes the the wildly popular fantasy football leagues.  If you plan to participate in a league, more than likely your draft will be happening soon.  For those that haven’t been doing their homework we are providing a little boost by giving you our top 20 fantasy football sleepers for the 2014 season.  Some might pan out to be busts while others just might carry you to the promised land.  Either or, all of these players are worth consideration especially in deep leagues.

QB’s

Ryan Tannehill – Miami Dolphis

There’s no doubt that Ryan had a tough season last year being sacked 28 times.  However, this could be Tannehill’s break out year.  If you are looking for a solid No. 2 QB he could very well be your guy.  With the edition of Bill Lazor as offensive coordinator we will definitely see an aggressive passing attack.  If the name sounds familiar it’s because Lazor was under Chip Kelly last year and is looking to bring the same style of offense to Miami.  With an uptempo vertical attack and Mike Wallace on the receiving end we could see some Top 10 Production out of Tennehill.

Josh McCown – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Josh did a solid job filling in for Jay Cutler last year which is why he’s a starter with a 3-year deal in Tampa now.  Although I am weary of these type of QBs getting starting gigs elsewhere i.e Kevin Kolb and Matt Flynn, McCown just might be the exception here.  With Doug Martin aka Muscle Hamster returning for a solid ground game, as well as two 6’5” targets in both Vincent Jackson & rookie Mike Evans, McCown just might have enough tools around him to have a solid year.

Robert Griffin III – Washington Redskins

We know he was pretty much a bust last year and cost a lot of people to fall out of contention in many leagues.  However, last year he was rushed back on to the field while this year he will be 100% healthy.  The fact that RGIII will also have a new solid coach in Jay Gruden who has already stated he wants his QB to run more, we should see him racking up points with both his legs and arms.  Let’s not forget he will have a very talented group of wide-outs to throw to including Djax and Pierre Garcon.

EJ Manuel – Buffalo Bills

Last year EJ pretty much stunk it up in fantasy leagues. However, we can chalk some of that up to being a rookie as well as injuries.  This year he’s coming back healthy.  Although Stevie Johnson will not be back this season for the Bills, they did a great job picking up Sammy Watkins who is destined to be an impact player this year.  With the addition of a solid ground attack in Spiller, EJ just might be able to pull of a stellar season.

Johnny Manziel – Cleveland Browns

Hey don’t laugh! We know ESPN has made a circus out of Johnny Football but we like Johnny’s chances of being a solid player this year.  With the laundry list of QB failures, the Browns are destined to strike gold at some point so why not Johnny?  I know this is a real wild card considering he hasn’t officially won the job but if you have a deep league he is worth a look. With an arm and the ability to scramble for yardage he is a sure lock to rack up some points.

RBs

Toby Gerhart – Jacksonville Jaguars

This dude never really got to shine with the Vikings with AP getting the bulk of the carries but he will be the man in Jacksonville and will see 20-25 touches a game.  Basically Gerhart will be out there for 3 downs and those type of RBs are scarce in the league.  He averaged over 7 yards per carry on on 36 carries last season.  With a decent set of hands to catch passes out of the backfield as well, Gerhart could rack up some major points.  He is definitely worth a consideration as a sleeper pick.

Khiry Robinson – New Orleans Saints

I know, I know the saints RB committee is a deal breaker when it comes to picking up players.  However, word is buzzing around New Orleans that the RB committee will be pretty much whittled down to Robinson and Pierre Thomas.  Word is the Saints are pretty much showing Ingram the door leaving plenty of opportunity for Robinson to step in and take advantage of his touches.  If you like to keep a few backs on your bench, Robinson could be worthy of one of those spots.

Christine Michael – Seattle Seahawks

Marshawn Lynch is the man out in Seattle but he’s also getting older.  Nearing the 2,000 yard mark, Lynch is about where most RBs start to decline especially with the workload that he carries.  Michaels comes off a solid rookie season fresh and ready to go.  Signs point to him being the man to carry the load if something were to happen to Lynch as well as being the future of the franchise.  Christine is not only a great sleeper selection but also a great handcuff.  There is definitely a lot of potential here.

Darren Sproles – Philadelphia Eagles

It almost seems like most people forgot that Sproles is an Eagle now.  With him inserted in the high octane Eagle offense he is sure to get plenty of touches even though he falls behind Shady in the depth chart.  Kelly is notorious for drawing up unorthodox plays so you should see Sproles being used in a variety of ways.  We anticipate a lot of passes out of the backfield and screen plays for days.  Once Sproles gets some space it’s pretty much astalavista.

Tre Mason – St. Luis Rams

Although Zac Stacy is #1 on the depth chart he didn’t exactly light it up last year.  St. Luis went ahead and drafted Mason in the 3rd round and are really in awe of his pass catching abilities and elusiveness he provides, tools that Stacy lacks.  Anticipate Mason getting mostly 3rd down touches particularly looks in the pass game but we expect Mason to have a solid year as a #2 and give Stacy a run for his money in regards to job security.  There’s a lot of upswing here and we like Mason as a sleeper who will likely shine this season.

WRs

DeAndre Hopkins – Houston Texans

Hopkins has all the talents to be a #1 receiver in the league but playing behind the likes of Andre Johnson makes that possibility tough.  However, AJ has been on the outs with the team presumably because he doesn’t want to play with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm.  However, it is actually probably best if AJ stays as it means single coverage for Hopkins.  But if AJ leaves then Hopkins will definitely get blanketed and this could affect his stats.  Hopkins has admitted that the playbook was rough to learn so now that he has a year under his belt we should see great things.

Emmanuel Sanders – Denver Broncos

A little under the radar since he wasn’t a big name during trades and free agency but Sanders has potential to make fantasy owners very happy.  If you can remember how Eric Decker was racking up points last year then you can expect Sanders to pick up where he left off.  With Manning distributing the ball Sanders can expect to see plenty of looks and this kid has got speed.  So his yards after the catch should rack up mega points.  We definitely see Sanders having an impact year.

Jordan Mathews – Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles have been lacking a big body receiver ever since the departure of T.O.  Mathews who stands 6’3″ has the ability to be the man especially in red zone situations.  Mathews is a great route runner with decent speed.  Since Maclin will be the top guy on the team he may garner double coverage leaving Mathews plenty of chances to make big plays.  Kelly will no doubt find ways to get Mathews the ball so expect to see production out of this kid.  How much we won’t know until the season starts but it may be worth a chance to draft him.

Justin Hunter – Tennessee Titans

Hunter was non-existent during his rookie campaign last year.  However, the Titans will have Ken Whisenhunt calling the shots and he loves the vertical game.  The only question would be if Jake Locker going to come into his own this season.  We can chalk up Lockers lackluster 2013 season to injuries.  Now at 100% it will be worth seeing how he can stretch the field.  Hunter is expected to see a fair share of touches so points are inevitable.  However, how consistently Hunter can rack up these points is key.  He is worth a gamble in deeper leagues.

Hakeem Nicks – Indianapolis Colts

Nicks had zero count them zero TDs last year but he was also injury plagued.  With a fresh start in Indy and Luck under center there is potential for a reemergence of Nicks’ career.  Although the WR core is crowded with Wayne and T.Y Hilton, Nicks will not draw any double coverage and should be able to find windows in the secondary for Luck to throw to. If Nicks can stay healthy in 2014 he may very well be a fantasy sleeper gem.

Ladarius Green – San Diego Chargers

Fantasy football nerds are well aware of Green’s potential.  He is the heir to the TE throne at San Diego with Gates’ production on the decline.  Green is the perfect fit to take over the TE duties standing 6’6” with 4.5 speed, Ladarius has already got offensive coordinator Frank Reich drawing up plays to keep both tight ends on the field.  Add that to the fact that Rivers loves targeting TE’s, Green has a tremendous ceiling.  If you can snatch him in one of the later rounds he could prove to be a steal.

Eric Ebron – Detroit Lions

The Lions selected this dynamic player in this years draft for a reason.  Pettigrew is great as a pass blocker but has yet to break out as a receiving tight end.  With the addition of offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi from the Saints we should see a pass happy offense that favors tight ends.  Lombardi has already stated he sees similarities between Ebron and Jimmy Graham.  Not sure if this is just hype but it does raise eyebrows.  If you can steal this kid in the late rounds do so.

Zach Ertz – Philadelphia Eagles

Ertz had a decent amount of looks last year and showed flashes of being a great player.  Although Celek is still listed at the #1 TE on the depth chart, Ertz will still get his shot to leave an impression on the field.  Kelly is an offensive genius and loves distributing the ball.  Ertz can prove to be a red zone threat as well as a 3rd down hero.  There is plenty of upswing with this 2nd year player and may be worth the risk as a sleeper pick.

Tyler Eifert – Cincinnati Bengals

Hue Jackson comes in as the new offensive coordinator and has a reputation of utilizing his TE’s so Eifert will most likely see the field more than last year.  If you had Eifert on your team then you were definitely disappointed since AJ Green and Gresham got the lion share of looks.  However, talk is that Gresham is on the tail end of his career and Eifert is being groomed to take the ranks.  If this is the case expect a solid year from Eifert.

Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs

Most owners will steer clear of Kelce due to the fact that he is coming off of microfracture knee surgery.  However, if he proves to recover 100% then he will be a 100% sleeper as his size, speeds, and hands already make him a bigger threat as a receiver than Fasano.  Also lets face it Alex Smith isn’t going to be lighting up secondaries with deep balls.  So Kelce should see plenty of conservative looks but has potential to turn small plays into big ones.  We like the potential here and definitely feel Kelce has what it takes to shine this year.