2007 Fantasy Football Sleepers
Five Players Who Won't Be 1st Round Picks, But They Can Help You Out
Anybody can draft Peyton Manning or Steven Jackson. But if you pick Jerious Norwood, and he becomes a star, you will wow your friends and you could win your league.
Here are the top 5 fantasy football sleeper picks.
1. Jerious Norwood, Atlanta Falcons. Michael Vick rushed for 1,039 yards last year. He won't be playing this season. His replacement, Joey Harrington, rushed for 34 yards last year. Moreover, Warrick Dunn is 32, and that means he will most certainly put up less than the 1,140 yards he gained last year.
That creates a huge opportunity for Jerious Norwood, a second year running back who rushed for 633 yards last year, and did it with just 99 carries. That is a 6.4 yards-per-carry average. With the increased touches that he will undoubtedly get, Norwood should pass 1,000 yards, easily. Plus, because he is bigger and younger than Dunn, look for him to get more red zone carries and more touchdowns. This guy could be a great second back this year
2. Greg Olsen, Chicago Bears. Just like Jeremy Shockey, another former University of Miami Tight End, Greg Olsen is six-feet, five-inches tall, weighs 250 pounds and has wide receiver speed.
But unlike Shockey, Olsen has great hands and a head that is screwed on straight. He won't be dropping passes in the end zone, calling Hall of Fame coaches "homos" or running at defensive backs to prove his manhood instead of running towards the end zone to prove his fantasy value. Olsen is the real deal.
Remember, as a rookie, Shockey caught 74 passes for 894 yards and 2 touchdowns. Look for Olsen to match the reception and yards numbers, and to score five or six touchdowns. He might even make Rex Grossman look good. If you can get Olsen in the sixth or seventh round, pounce on him!!
3. Drew Bennett, St. Louis Rams. In 2004, Drew Bennett caught 80 passes for 1,247 yards and 11 touchdowns. Those are Number One receiver numbers. But over the next two seasons, which were Steve McNair's last with Tennessee and Vince Young's first, Bennett's numbers went from extraordinary to mediocre.
But now he is in St. Louis. He has a top six quarterback in Marc Bulger, a great running back that forces defenses to be honest, and Tory Holt, who will line up opposite Bennett and attract most of the defender's attention. They also have Isaac Bruce, but he is getting older, so Bennett could get a lot of chances this year. Take him as third receiver, and wait to see what happens.
4. Vincent Jackson, San Diego Chargers. You may not have heard of this guy because Antonio Gates and LT get all of the press. But last year, as a second year player, Jackson had 453 yards receiving and 6 touchdowns. Sure, with two of the greatest players on the planet, he is not going to get 100 receptions. But Gates draws more coverage than he used to, and Eric Parker is just not that great. So Jackson will get more touches, more yards and seven or eight touchdowns. That will make him a good second receiver, or a great fill-in, at the very least.
5. Matt Leinart, Arizona Cardinals. Most draft rankings are not putting Leinart in the Top 10. That's ridiculous. Last year, in his rookie season, Leinart played 12 games and threw for 2,547 yards and 11 touchdowns. Add a year of experience, four more games, and a strengthened offensive line, and it's quite reasonable that Leinart will throw for 3,800 yards and 22-24 touchdowns. That makes him a top 10 QB.
Draft him.
