Top 10 Fantasy Sleepers of 2014

 

Who will be this year's Alshon Jeffery
(Photo courtesy of Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images via ESPN)

The 2014 football season is already here as numerous teams have begun reporting for training camp. Before we know it, the preseason will kickoff followed a month later by the regular season.

This is also the time of year where people get together and start drafting their team for the upcoming fantasy football league. Most people know who they want to target with their first few picks. Maybe grab a star running back in the first, like Adrian Peterson, followed by a well established quarterback in Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers in the 2nd round.

It's not until the back end of the draft that players typically begin to throw darts at the dart board hoping to grab the next big breakout player. However, for every Alshon Jeffery and Alfred Morris, there is always a Denarius Moore or Shonn Greene.

The players listed below, in no particular order, could be either or, but are definitely worth a look at the back-end of your draft.

#1 Toby Gerhart - RB Jacksonville Jaguars

Photo courtesy of lesterslegends.com

Few people remember, that prior to disappearing in Minnesota, Gerhart was a Heisman finalist out of Stanford. Few people will also remember that whenever Gerhart was not an easy back to bring down in Minnesota. In fact looking at just the rushing yards of Adrian Peterson and Gerhart over the last 2 years, you'll find a pretty impressive stat. Over the last 2 seasons, AP ran for an average of 5.3 yards/carry. Great numbers for a great back. Gerhart on the other hand, 5.2 yards/carry. Expand that out to 4 years, when Gerhart came into the league, AP = 5 yrds/carry and Gerhart 4.7 yrds/carry. Sheer volume alone will make Gerhart a decent mid-level RB2.

#2 Jarrett Boykin - WR Green Bay Packers
Boykin is another player who showed flashes when filling in on spot duty. Filling in for the injured Randall Cobb, Boykin went for 681 yards and 3 touchdowns. Now with James Jones catching passes in Oakland, the opportunity is now for Boykin. With second round pick Davante Adams struggling with drops in OTAs, the spot appears to be Boykin's to lose. Boykin will likely slide into the #3 receiver role and we've seen before that a healthy Packers' offense can more than support 3 quality fantasy wide receivers. Boykin can give you WR3 type number at a WR4 or even 5 type price.

#3 Terrance Williams - WR Dallas Cowboys
Miles Austin and his paper thin hamstrings have left town and in his place enter 2nd year wideout Terrance Williams. As with any #3 receiver on Dallas, Williams found some extended playing time when Miles Austin was on the sideline. Averaging over 16 yards a catch Williams was impressive in that stretch. With most of the defense's attention on Dez Bryant, Williams was able to consistently beat single coverage.  Williams will get plenty of playing time now that he is the clear cut #2. Williams is another player who will well outplay his price tag on draft day.

#4 David Wilson - HB New York Giants
After dealing with a variety of injuries last year, the big question for Wilson is "Can he stay healthy?" Wilson has shown flashes of big play ability, but has dealt with injuries and fumbling concerns for most of his career. So why put him on a list of potential sleepers? As I mentioned before he will likely share time as part of a committee with Rashad Jennings. Jennings will take most of the early work, with Wilson coming in as a change of pace. Will he win you your league? No probably not, but he can be a decent BYE week fill in at the Flex position, provided he can stay on the field.

#5 Hakeem Nicks - WR Indianapolis Colts

Photo courtesy of RantSports

After not recording a single touchdown all of last year, Nicks decided to leave the Big Apple and will attempt to bounce back in Indy. Nicks is another player who has had trouble staying healthy in recent years. However, as with all of these players, fantasy football is all about opportunity. Nicks will slide into a better supporting cast, along with a quarterback who is on the rise. With questions about whether or not Reggie Wayne can return to form, Nicks could quietly have a pretty good year. The Colts are another one of those teams who can support three decent fantasy options at WR this year.

#6 Kelvin Benjamin - WR Carolina Panthers
You've seen me say it 100 times already, but I'm going to say it again. Fantasy sleepers thrive if given the opportunity. Take Carolina's rookie wideout Kelvin Benjamin for example. After losing their top three receivers in the offseason, Carolina replaced them with castoffs and backups. Jerricho Cotchery and Jason Avant are not #1 receivers in this league. Enter Benjamin, who although may be a little raw, has all the skills to be a #1 receiver in this league. Standing at 6' 5", 240 lbs, and with a ridiculous wing span, Newton is going to like throwing to this kid this year.

#7 Zach Ertz - TE Philadelphia Eagles
With the departure of DeSean Jackson to rival Washington, the Eagles still have more then enough weapons to carry the load. One of those weapons is second year tight end, Zach Ertz. Ertz didn't light up the scoreboard in his rookie year, but has all the skills to breakout in his sophomore season. Ertz has the size and speed you look for at the tight end position. The only thing holding him back is his teammate Brent Celek. Celek will likely start out the season as the starter on offense, but as the season progress, look for Ertz to take over and provide Top 10 tight end numbers for the rest of the season.

Photo courtesy of Ann Heisenfelt via Associated Press

#8 Teddy Bridgewater - QB Minnesota Vikings
There aren't many quarterback sleepers out there, but I think Bridgewater is one that fits the bill. Walking into a situation that has Cordarrell Patterson, Greg Jennings, and Jerome Simpson at wideout, Adrian Peterson in the backfield, and a tight end in Kyle Rudolph who has shown flashes in the past, life can't get much better for a rookie quarterback. With offenses stacking the box against the run, his receivers shouldn't have any issue with the man coverage on the back end. Although Bridgewater won't light the world on fire with his arm, with these weapons, he has the skills to put up decent QB2 numbers.

#9 Levine Toilolo - TE Atlanta Falcons
Toilolo has the difficult task of filling former tight end, and future Hall of Famer, Tony Gonzalez's shoes following his retirement earlier this year. Standing at 6'8" and weighing in at 265 lbs, Toilolo definitely has the size to be a redzone nightmare. Toilolo will likely be used more to block and won't quite put up the numbers that Gonzalez did and will be fairly touchdown dependant. However, once you get down near the goal line, who is going to want to cover this guy? If you're in a deeper league, that allows a tight end at the flex position, you can do worse then Toilolo.

#10 Richard Rodgers - TE Green Bay Packers
This one might be a bit of a stretch, but I like the skill set that Rodgers brings to a tight end position that is currently wide open. With Finley unlikely to return to Green Bay, Rodgers has emerged as the favorite to earn first team reps heading into training camp. He has good hands and the athleticism that Finley once brought to the position. With Aaron Rodgers throwing him the ball, if Rodgers can beat out Andrew Quarless and undrafted rookie Colt Lyeria, Richard Rodgers could put up a quality rookie campaign even with all the other mouths to feed in Green Bay.