So every year, each team has at least one guy that comes outta nowhere to contribute, whether it be for a few games or an entire season. These are guys that fly under the radar and generally are viewed as either handcuffs or passed up on because the opportunities don't appear to be there.
WR Andre Roberts - Arizona Cardinals
Some of us may view Kolb going to Arizona as not much of an upgrade over the previous QBs, while others may look at Kolb as becoming the next Kurt Warner when he was in Arizona. Regardless, the #2 receiver in Arizona has always produced. First it was Anquan Boldin, then Steve Breaston. Now it's Andre Roberts. While it is true that Breaston didn't produce much last season, he did get 700+ receiving yards and a touchdown. Now, granted he didn't get as many targets as Boldin used to get, he still produced at some level. Kevin Kolb is a much better quarterback than Derek Anderson and whoever was playing last season and will give more opportunities to Andre Roberts to perform.
RB Jason Snelling - Atlanta Falcons
Snelling is just one Michael Turner injury away from being fantasy relevant. In the past two years, when Turner's gone down, Snelling has immediately shown that he can carry the rock. His ability to catch the ball outta the backfield also gives him the opportunity to be on the field during the season as Turner has shown he is unable to catch and run with the football. He'll have a couple great games this season, just a matter of looking at defenses and Michael Turner's health to figure out which games they will be.
QB Cam Newton - Carolina Panthers
He could very well be the next Michael Vick, the first time, when he was in Atlanta, without all the recklessness. He has shown an ability to make good decisions and use his legs properly. He had a poor outing against Cincinnati in the passing game, but will adapt as the season goes on. He might be playing like Josh Freeman by the end of the season if he just tries to manage the game and make smart plays. It might be worth taking him with a last round pick if you're feeling lucky.
TE Kellen Davis - Chicago Bears
There's one player on the field that Jay Cutler trusts more than anyone else, and that's his Tight End. In Denver it was Tony Scheffler, in Chicago it was Greg Olsen... but Greg Olsen is gone! Who's going to replace him? Kellen Davis, that 's who! You can guarantee 5 TDs and 600 yards receiving from an TE that Jay Cutler has, assuming the TE is healthy all season.
RB Tashard Choice - Dallas Cowboys
Tashard is once again playing second fiddle in a Cowboys offense that generally uses three backs. Felix is the primary starter, but Tashard has shown he is fully capable of picking up the slack. When he gets at least 10 touches a game (carries/receptions) he can get 100 yards and score a TD here and there. As the #2 for the Cowboys, he is going to average a little less than that, but he can still make it work. Should Felix ever go down or fail to hold onto the rock, Tashard is ready to step in and take the #1 spot
DEF Lions - Detroit Lions
This may be the only defense I tell you to take a chance on. Their front line of Suh, Fairley, Van Den Boesch, and Avril may be the scariest front four in the league, not to mention they still have a fairly solid secondary and a solid set of linebackers, but the main story is the front four and how much hell they'll raise this season. There is no team that is going to be able to stop these guys with just five offensive lineman. They will pick up sacks, they will force fumbles, and of course, create turnovers, but that's not even the scariest part. As we saw last season, Suh can pick up the ball and run down the field, even so far as brushing off tacklers. Expect their defense to put up a ton of points on a week-to-week basis until some coach can figure out how to stop that front four
WR James Jones - Green Bay Packers
Last season, Jones got the second most targets behind Greg Jennings. But Driver was also injured for a few weeks. Now that Driver is back healthy again, Jones goes back in the slot, but still expect him to get a significant amount of touches. He's going to get at least one look in the red zone each week, and maybe more depending on how defenses try to stop Greg Jennings who received the most Red Zone targets on the team last season. There's still a lot of upside has Jones has breakaway speed and will still get about 80 balls thrown his way.
QB Donovan McNabb - Minnesota Vikings
Hey, count me in as one of those guys who thought McNabb was done, but now he's in Minnesota with the best running back in the league. For years, he's had Brian Westbrook and run with that, but now with AP and teams having to put 8 guys in the box, he's going to be hitting a lot of receivers. The one thing McNabb does well is that he doesn't stick to one receiver, he spreads the ball out well. As a result, expect big numbers for him and his receivers, cept Percy Harvin, unless he can figure out his migraine issues. Regardless, he's worth taking a look at as a back-up QB. Remember how Brett Favre crapped out in December with the Jets only to come back next season and explode with the Vikings? Could be a similar story with McNabb...
TE Jimmy Graham - New Orleans Saints
A former basketball player turned tight end... story seems familiar right? Well, he could be the next Antonio Gates. Graham showed down the stretch last season that he can. If you just look at his numbers from the last 8 games of the season (26 receptions, 307 yards, 5 TDs), that's pretty solid. Then you realize that he was still competing with Shockey for those numbers, it makes you wonder how he will do without Shockey... Saints let Shockey go to Carolina and boom, Graham is the new starting TE with the build of a basketball player, 70 receptions, 800+ yards and 10 TDs don't seem so far-fetch'd after all.
WR Domenik Hixon - New York Giants
Can anyone guess who led the Giants in receiving yards in 2008? Before Manningham and Nicks came along? It was Domenik Hixon, the #3 receiver on the team? Who's the #3 receiver for the Giants this season? Well, it is, in fact, Domenik Hixon. With Steve Smith in Philly, he's been given the #3, and he should be, he can run his routes, catch the ball and run after the catch. Eli Manning always gets the ball to his #3 receivers. The past two seasons have been evidenced by Mario Manningham's performance and now Hixon will get to step into the role.
WR Steve Smith - Philadelphia Eagles
Speaking of Steve Smith going to Philly, he's going to miss the first several games, but don't despair, he is still going to contribute for the Eagles. We've seen what he can do when fully healthy as evidenced by his 2009 season with the Giants. With the explosive offense that surrounds Michael Vick, he's going to get touches when he comes back and he will perform. He doesn't need 100 targets, but he'll get 6 to 7 a game and probably 4 to 5 catches a game when he gets back. This is Steve Smith, he's going to put up points when he's healthy.
WR Sidney Rice - Seattle Seahawks
One would think with Tavaris Jackson under center, not much offense will be provided. Well, somebody's gotta catch the ball. Nobody thought Steve Johnson would have a monster season with Ryan Fitzpatrick, but it happened. Mike Williams had a decent season last year and Houshmanzadeh had a decent season in 2009, although, he didn't put anywhere close to Houshmanzadeh numbers. Sidney Rice will get somewhere between 800 to 1000 yards and at least 5 TDs. Not going to lie, but the Seahawks have a ton of problems that need to be fixed on the team, but Sidney Rice should be the only wide receiver you target in the Pacific Northwest.
QB Alex Smith - San Francisco 49ers
He's a guy a lot of people are passing on him, labeling him as a bust, injury-prone, and incapable of leading a team. Well, Jim Harbaugh knows how to coach in the college ranks, and I believe he can get Alex Smith to where he needs to be. Either that, or the 49ers fail so miserably they end up drafting Andrew Luck. However, looking at his game log, in his last six games (four after the injury and two before) He had an 8:1 touchdown to interception ratio and nearly beat the Eagles the week before. There is some potential there that we have yet to see. If Smith can stay healthy, I believe he can put up at least 20 touchdowns and maybe 4 or 5 INTs, but this remains to be seen. the 49ers don't have an easy schedule, but Smith has shown that he can keep his team close against NFC Juggernauts like the Saints, Falcons, and Eagles. He just needs to take that next step to beat them. Will that happen this season? Looking at how he ended last season, it just might.
TE Lance Kendricks - St. Louis Rams
There's been a lot of talk around Kendricks this season and he had a nice game against Jacksonville this pre-season. However, I'm not completely sold on him. I'd like to see how he's implemented in the regular season. I'm not saying he's a bad pick-up, he actually is a solid candidate to draft late and stash on the bench, but TE's have not fared well in St. Louis the past several years. Fells and McMichael and whoever else they had don't scream "Draft Me!" Well, McMichael did when he was in Miami, but that was back when I was back in the early years of high school. I can't even find a Tight End that really produced in St. Louis in the past decade, so Kendricks might be the first. We'll have to see, but he's certainly worth taking a look at.
WR Arrelious Benn - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
He's been the trendy sleeper pick for Tampa. He's going to be the #2 receiver for them and working his way back from an ACL tear. Last season, he didn't do much to prove himself, but then again, there's a lot of players that come out of nowhere to produce. See teammate Mike Williams. With teams having to double Mike Williams, Benn is going to get a lot of opportunities on the other side of the field, provided, he produces. I don't doubt that he can't produce, my only concern is if he's 100% healthy. He's certainly worth taking a risk on because Freeman had a monster season last year and someone's gonna have to be getting looks behind Winslow and Williams because Blount is not a back that can catch and run and the Cadillac is in St. Louis, Benn will probably get at least 80 targets.
QB John Beck - Washington Redskins
I'm fairly certain Beck will start over Grossman, if not, insert Grossman's name in the line above. Beck looked sharp this pre-season, save for the last game, and Grossman really did take it to him, but Shanahan loves Beck and you can be sure he's going to get the start. While we've never really seen him play under pressure in the regular season, Mike Shanahan has a ton of faith in him as being an excellent QB. While I am hoping the Redskins finish dead last and draft Andrew Luck, there's some real potential out of the QB in DC. Whoever is starting, and if they start all 16 games will throw for at least 3000 yards and at least 18 touchdowns.
Look for the AFC guys tomorrow!
