Fantasy Football owners pride themselves on drafting sleepers. The players who aren't on the radar in August but get on the radar in September are always sweeter to own than the obvious studs everyone has on their teams to begin with. Nail a sleeper in your draft, and your team is already a leg-up on your fellow owners. Miss on one, and it's not too bad because no sleeper is drafted with a high pick.
Last year, we touted Brett Favre, Jeff Garcia and Santonio Holmes as sleepers in our magazine. This year, our list is long and loaded with veteran players, non-first-round rookies and even players you might not have previously heard of. And we've provided a varied list of sleepers -- from guys drafted in every league to guys who might only get nabbed with a late-round pick in the deepest of drafts.
All average draft positions and projections as of Aug. 22, 2008
Matt Forte, RB, Chicago
The momentum for Forte began building the minute the Bears drafted him in Round 2 of the 2008 NFL Draft. It ramped up when he began meshing with the offense during offseason minicamps, and it took off when the Bears waived Cedric Benson. Some people feel that Kevin Jones could put a damper on Forte's production, but Jones is seven months removed from reconstructive knee surgery and not expected to steal significant reps. Forte will lose some playing time to Jones and Adrian Peterson, but the reality is that the rookie is capable of being used between the tackles or in the flats as a receiver and thus has a very real shot at totaling close to 1,200 yards with decent touchdown potential as the Bears' likely starting running back.
Average draft position: 84.01/7th round
CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 900 RuYds, 4 TD, 200 ReYds
James Hardy, WR, Buffalo
When Buffalo went shopping for a receiver in the 2008 draft, they went for size more than anything else since their receiving corps is overloaded with smallish speedy guys. They landed the tallest receiver in the draft in Hardy, a 6-foot-5 behemoth from Indiana who made a collegiate career out of catching touchdowns. Hardy has good speed to go along with his size, but his awesome vertical ability and solid hands make him a candidate to get involved early on in the Bills' offense. Even though rookie receivers tend to struggle in the NFL, he should land a role and be capable of decent production with upside to start in deeper Fantasy leagues. An early preseason hamstring issue shouldn't limit him much.
Average draft position: 140.61/12th round
CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 625 ReYds, 5 TD
Brandon Jackson, RB, Green Bay
While Ryan Grant has become the darling of the Packers backfield, Jackson has fallen in line behind him on the depth chart. And while it's Fantasy 101 to have the backups of your primary RBs on your roster, Jackson might end up with a bigger role than people expect. Grant, who settled on a new contract in the middle or training camp but didn't play much preseason ball because of a hamstring injury, will still have the bulk of the work. Jackson's versatility as a receiver (11 catches in three starts last season) could make him a candidate for third-down work, and maybe a little more. Moreover, how reliable is Grant to keep up the production he amassed in the second half of 2007 without Brett Favre as his quarterback? Jackson is a sleeper in the deeper drafts compared to standard 14- and 15-round leagues.
Average draft position: 162.84/14th round
CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 375 RuYds, 2 TD; 150 ReYds
Tarvaris Jackson, QB, Minnesota
Jackson finds himself at the helm of a very interesting offense. True, he'll do a lot of handing off to Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor, but he's also expected to do more passing to WR Bernard Berrian, the Vikings' speedy newcomer who should stretch opposing defenses. Between Berrian and the rushing 1-2 punch, other Vikings receiving options like Sidney Rice and Bobby Wade should see soft coverage they can take advantage of. Tack on his propensity to run with the football (260 rush yards, three rush TDs in 2007), and Jackson should produce good enough numbers to be at least a one-week replacement for Fantasy owners to count on in 2008. A sprained knee suffered in the preseason could hobble him at the start of the regular season, but that's your only worry.
Average draft position: 160.67/14th round
CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 2,300 PaYds, 15 PaTD; 150 RuYds, 2 RuTD
Zach Miller, TE, Oakland
It was only one game, but it was a telling one. In JaMarcus Russell's only start last season, the Raiders QB hit fellow rookie Miller for 84 yards on eight catches. That has continued early on this preseason as Miller has 48 yards on four catches with a touchdown. With the Raiders expected to take advantage of Russell's arm this year, along with a deep and talented running game to balance it out, Miller figures to be the safe short-area target for the Raiders to lean on. He began to fulfill that role last year -- 24 of his 44 catches were for first downs. He should be just productive enough to be a low-end No. 1/top-end No. 2 Fantasy tight end.
Average draft position: 163.68/14th round
CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 400 ReYds, 5 TD
Dennis Northcutt, WR, Jacksonville
A Fantasy afterthought for much of his career, Northcutt surprised many folks last season by amassing 601 receiving yards and four touchdowns with the Jaguars. The team tried to improve its receiving corps this offseason with Jerry Porter, but he suffered a torn hamstring and is now a question mark to produce big stats in 2008. Troy Williamson was also acquired, but he's been a bust since entering the league. Veteran Jaguars receiver Matt Jones was also busted for drug possession and isn't a lock to make the final roster. Considering that starting quarterback David Garrard leaned heavily on Northcutt last season en route to the playoffs, it wouldn't surprise us if he did it again in 2008, making Northcutt a decent reserve option you can steal very late in drafts.
Average draft position: N/A (beyond 15th round)
CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 450 ReYds, 3 TD
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Jerious Norwood could team with Michael Turner to form a potent backfield.
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Jerious Norwood, RB, Atlanta Like several other speedsters around the NFL, Norwood is a running back we've been waiting a long time for. With a thick lower body and great hands to compliment his quickness, Norwood has averaged 6.2 yards per carry over 200 rushes in his first two seasons with 10 runs of 20-plus yards. New Falcons head coach Mike Smith came to town from Jacksonville, where a two-headed running back thrashed teams for the last two seasons and helped his defense rest easy. A similar plan might be in place even though the Falcons paid Michael Turner a lot of money to run in Atlanta. Either way, Norwood is too good of a rusher to dismiss in the middle rounds of drafts.
Average draft position: 136.88/12th round
CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 525 RuYds, TD; 325 ReYds, TD
Kevin Smith, RB, Detroit
Smith is in the same situation as Matt Forte, but without the waived veteran running back in front of him. After a busy career at UCF that saw him notch over 900 carries and 4,600 yards in three seasons, Smith was picked with the top pick in Round 3 of the 2008 draft by the Lions. Smith has spent time with the first-team offense (he has started a couple of times) and has looked much better than his counterpart, Tatum Bell, who is the only real threat to take the starting job away from Smith. Smith has good quickness, speed and agility, and he's familiar with the zone-run scheme that the Lions utilize. So long as Detroit doesn't add another back, Smith should see plenty of work.
Average draft position: 76.02/7th round
CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 1,000 RuYds, 6 TD; 175 ReYds
Steve Smith, WR, N.Y. Giants
When the Giants dealt tight end Jeremy Shockey to New Orleans, Fantasy owners began clammoring for Kevin Boss to be the next great Fantasy find. Boss might put together some solid games, but second-year receiver Smith should wind up outproducing Boss. Remember that while Boss had a huge catch in Super Bowl XLII, he only caught five passes in the postseason and nine in the regular season. Smith didn't make much of a dent in the regular season because of a broken shoulder blade but finished third on the team in receptions in the postseason with 14. Boss could be a decent TE capable of hauling in a touchdown every three games or so, but Smith should come up some consistent receiving numbers. If we had a late-round pick to spend on one of these Giants, we'd take Smith first.
Average draft position: 181.11/16th round
CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 350 ReYds, 5 TD
Ben Utecht, TE, Cincinnati
The Bengals have decided to add a tight end to Carson Palmer's arsenal of talent, and good-hands man Ben Utecht, whom was signed as a restricted free agent this offseason, is the choice. With over 30 catches in each of his last two seasons with the Colts, the Bengals figure Utecht to be a different kind of threat than their receivers offer them, giving QB a more secure short-area target for first downs and the like. The Bengals say they want to run the ball more, but we all know that they find a way to throw a lot, too. Utecht will only benefit from that and should be a terrific sleeper in deeper leagues.
Average draft position: 169.05/14th round
CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 375 ReYds, 3 TD
Jason Wright, RB, Cleveland
File this one under "protect your starting running backs." Browns starter Jamal Lewis had a tremendous 2007, then received a nice three-year contract this offseason. If you believe in older running backs cooling off and sitting out games with injuries they might have played through before they got a lot of guaranteed money, then Wright is right for you. In one start last year he totaled 98 yards with a touchdown and had five games with at least three receptions. Whether you're interested in protecting Lewis, or just drafting late in a very deep Fantasy league, Wright has a shot at putting up really nice numbers behind the Browns' quality offensive line if given the chance in '08. Lewis already has been nicked up this preseason.
Average draft position: N/A (beyond 16th round)
CBSSports.com 2008 projection: 200 RuYds, RuTD; 125 ReYds
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