Fantasy football fans were scared for 135 days not knowing what they were going to do while the NFL lockout was enduring the longest lockout in NFL history. Fantasy football fans were more worried about not being able to compete in fantasy football than they were about watching the actual games. Fantasy football has become one of the largest hobbies that people participate in, whether it is for money, or simply, bragging rights. Luckily, everyone knew the lockout was going to end because the NFL owner's would be throwing money down the drain. Millions of dollars would have been lost from each team by simply just missing one or two preseason games. The lockout ended and now it is time to sign up with your buddies and try and earn the right of being able to talk some smack and win your league. I will try and help out fantasy football fans by making a list of the top ten fantasy sleeper picks for this season. Last year, I was able to get Arian Foster in the 8th round and also Michael Vick in the 11th round and that helped me in my ESPN league to make it all the way to the championship game. The first four rounds are key to get players that will be consistent, but as you get into the later rounds it is important to try and find players that are capable of putting up big numbers weekly. Last year, Arian Foster, Peyton Hillis, Michael Vick, Chris Ivory, Mike Tolbert and many other guys were guys who put up good numbers, and yet, a lot of these guys were drafted late or not drafted at all. Alright, time to get the list crackin' of the top ten fantasy football sleeper picks for your teams this year.
10. Dennis Pitta (TE-Baltimore Ravens)
The Baltimore Ravens knew what they were doing when they gave Todd Heap his pink slip. Dennis Pitta and Ed Dickson are both very talented young tight-ends who are both entering their sophomore seasons. Pitta battled a little bit of the injury woe last year, but is 100% healthy entering this season. Currently, Pitta is second on the depth chart behind Dickson, but expect Pitta to surpass Dickson early in the season. The reason why Pitta is a sleeper is because in a lot of fantasy drafts he might not even get drafted, and if you want to wait and grab a tight-end in one of the latter rounds, Pitta is your guy. Expect Pitta to be a big redzone target this year for Joe Flacco. Pitta looked great in the Ravens opening preseason game against the Eagles, making four grabs for nearly 50 yards. Expect Pitta to be in the same situation Marcedes Lewis was last year, go undrafted in a lot of fantasy drafts and work his way into being a consistent starter on fantasy rosters as the season progresses. I expect Pitta to be a big threat in the redzone, which should make his TD numbers pretty impressive this season. With Derrick Mason gone, expect Flacco to try and find a new security blanket when Boldin is getting double teamed, and Pitta could very well be that guy. Don't draft Pitta before the last couple of rounds because he has a good chance to go undrafted and could be one of the sexier free agents to pick up on your roster.
9. Daniel Thomas (RB-Miami Dolphins)
There is a reason why the Miami Dolphins chose to not re-sign Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. We all know Reggie Bush is not the type of running back that can carry the ball 20-25 times every Sunday. Daniel Thomas is a physical back who also has good agility. Thomas will be the guy who will be the running back when the Dolphins get inside their opponents red zone. Expect Thomas to put up good numbers in his rookie campaign and to be a good running back to have as your flex running back. Thomas should go in rounds six or seven, and it might be a reach to take him anytime before that. Expect Thomas to end up with around 800 yards this season and double-digit touchdowns. Especially, with Miami's weak passing game expect Thomas to carry most the load in getting a lot of carries as they try and use Bush as more of a receiving running back. Thomas is arguably the best rookie running back to go along with Mark Ingram and Ryan Williams. Expect for Thomas to emulate LeGarrette Blount and he might end up putting up better numbers than Blount did last year because he will be in the mix right from the start.
8. Jacoby Ford (WR-Oakland Raiders)
Jacoby Ford proved to be a playmaker last season for the Oakland Raiders. Ford scored seven TD's last season as a rookie receiver out of Clemson. Also, Ford became more of a threat as the Raiders got deeper into the season. Expect Ford to be a starting receiver for the Raiders week one. Ford is coming off a broken hand injury in training camp, but he should be good to go by week one. He quickly became one of Jason Campbells' favorite targets last year as he continued to make big plays for the Raiders offense. If Ford is available in rounds eight or nine you should pick him up because he is capable of putting up good numbers as your second or third receiver. Ford is a good guy to use for your flex position and also a good guy to have on your bench to fill in for injuries or during bye weeks for your top two receivers.
7. Tim Hightower (RB-Washington Redskins)
Tim Hightower should be the number one back on the Redskins roster by the time week one starts. Ryan Torrain will be battling Hightower for the number one back position. With John Beck probably being the starting quarterback for Washington, expect the Redskins to look run first and pass second. Especially with Head Coach, Mike Shannahan, being a coach who likes to run the ball, as we saw when he was with the Denver Broncos. With Denver, Shannahan always ran the ball, and was very effective with guys like Olandis Gary and Mike Anderson. If Hightower is avaliable in rounds six or seven he would be a good guy to pick up as your flex running back. Hightower might be available after those rounds, but anywhere after round six he would be a good guy to pick up for your roster. Expect Hightower to put up good numbers, as he averaged close to five yards per carry last year with the Arizona Cardinals.
6. Julio Jones (WR-Atlanta Falcons)
Jones is in a perfect situation to put up big numbers as a rookie wide receiver with a very explosive Falcons' offense. Especially, with Roddy White being lined up on the other side to take on double team after double team. Julio Jones is a very explosive wide out and should have no trouble with coming up with big plays for Atlanta. It might take Jones a few weeks to get acclimated with Matt Ryan, but expect Jones to have a big second half. I expect Jones to go in rounds nine or ten, which is an absolute steal if you can get him after round nine. Jones should be a receiver to have on your bench in the early part of the season, but could very well be a consistent starter on your fantasy roster as the season progresses. I think Jones is in a perfect situation with the Falcons offense. He is a perfect guy to have as a back up wide out to put up pretty good numbers for your squad.
5. Mike Sims-Walker (WR-St. Louis Rams)
This was a huge off-season signing by the Rams as they look to bolster a weak receiving core. Sims-Walker should be starting week one opposite of wide out Mark Clayton. Sam Bradford had a stellar rookie campaign almost leading the Rams to the playoffs single handily. Expect Bradford to have an even better sophomore season and throw for more than 3,000 yards and over 20 touchdowns. Sims-Walker would be an absolute good pick in rounds seven or eight and should put up good numbers in his first season as a Ram. I really think he is capable to be a starter on your team, but would be better fit to be a flex option and a guy to have on your bench just in case of injuries or on bye weeks to fill in. He is in a perfect situation with second year starter Sam Bradford and should see a lot of balls coming his way.
4. Jeremy Maclin (WR-Philadelphia Eagles)
Maclin should drop a few rounds this year because of his illness he was dealing with during training camp, but luckily all of the tests came up negative and he will be ready to go week one. Maclin put up decent numbers last year as a rookie, and expect him to put up better numbers in his sophomore campaign. The Eagles have a very explosive offense and with Jackson, more than likely, to get double teamed expect a lot of balls going Maclin's direction. Maclin is a deep threat and a very explosive wide out, so expect him to put up big numbers. Of course, there will probably be weeks were Maclin might not put up huge numbers every week, but if he can get on track with Mike Vick, expect Maclin to have some big fantasy weeks. Maclin will probably go later in the draft in rounds six or seven, and you might be able to get him in the eighth or ninth round because of his illness he was dealing with during training camp. Maclin will be a perfect guy to have as a flex option or as a back up.
3. Mike Thomas (WR-Jacksonville Jaguars)
Expect Thomas to put up big numbers this year as he has become the Jaguars number one receiver with Mike Sims-Walker bouncing the St. Louis. Thomas had a good year last with the Jags with 820 yards receiving and four TD's. Expect those numbers to increase this year. It really doesn't matter if Garrard or Gabbert are throwing him to ball because both guys will be looking at him a lot and he will put up good numbers. For some odd reason Thomas is still ranked in the 30's among all NFL receivers so he should be going in rounds eight or nine. Thomas could very well end up being a consistent starter on a lot of fantasy rosters, but would be an absolute steal to have him as a flew option or as a guy to have on the bench. I think Thomas is going to put up huge numbers this year, and yet he continues to go under the radar among ESPN.com, NFL.com, and Yahoo.com rankings. Don't let that happen to you when it is round eight or nine and you need another receiver because Mike Thomas is your guy.
2. Mike Tolbert (RB-San Diego Chargers)
Just like last year there is a ton of hype about Ryan Mathews when no one is talking about Mike Tolbert. Tolbert was an absolute beast for the San Diego Chargers last year. Especially, with most defenses keying in on Phillip Rivers this opens up the Chargers' running game. Last year, Tolbert had 182 carries for 735 yards and 11 TD's, and also had another 200-plus receiving yards. Tolbert was a savior for a lot of fantasy owners last year when he was going faster in free agency than the hottest girl who just broke up with her boyfriend. Once again, Mathews will probably be going in rounds three or four as owners will draft him just on pure hype like most owners did last year. Expect Tolbert to be available in the eighth round or later, and you shouldn't even consider drafting him before that just because he is still listed as the number two running back on the Chargers depth chart. However, expect Tolbert to be the guy that is in for the Chargers in their goaline offense so he should produce a lot of TD's. Also, if Mathews has another injury plagued season Tolbert will put up big numbers and could be an excellent option as a flew running back. If Tolbert is available in the double digit rounds you better snag him up because he ranked in the top 20 among all running backs last year in fantasy production. Tolbert is a great flex option and also a good guy to have on your bench to put in during bye weeks for your other backs and also to put in if one of your backs get injured. Expect Tolbert to put up close to the same numbers he did last year, flirting with close to 1,000 total yards and right around the 10 TD mark.
1. LeGarrette Blount (RB-Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Blount is rated in the top 20 among all running backs but he is definitely a sleeper because he will be a great value pick to get in rounds three or four because he is definitely capable of putting up first round numbers. Blount rushed for over 1,000 yards last season even though he didn't get in consistently for the Bucs' offense until week seven. Last year, Blount averaged five yards per carry and found the endzone six times, and expect his TD number to double this season, and also he will be the featured back from week one this year so expect Blount's workload to increase significantly. Just as long as Blount doesn't punch somebody in the face and get suspended expect him to help your fantasy team tremendously. Blount proved he has matured a lot since his fiasco during his senior season at Oregon and was good on and off the field as an undrafted free agent for the Buccaneers last season, and Bucs' Head Coach Raheem Morris is the man to thank for that. If Blount is available in rounds three of four it would be wise to pick him up because he is very capable to put up the same numbers as the running backs who get taken late in the first round. Expect Blount to get close to 1,500 yards this season and double digit TD's. Also, Blount has been working hard at becoming a better wide receiver out of the backfield during the off-season and also working on pass protection, so he should be on the field more as the third down running back. If Blount can continue to mature expect him to be a huge contributor to your fantasy team.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
BenJarvis Green-Ellis (RB-New England)
Rashad Jennings (RB-Jacksonville)
Jordy Nelson (WR-Green Bay)
James Jones (WR-Green Bay)
Greg Little (WR-Cleveland)
Percy Harvin (WR-Minnesota)
Greg Olsen (TE-Carolina)
Colt McCoy (QB-Cleveland)
Mark Ingram (RB-New Orleans)
Denarius Moore (WR-Oakland)
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