2012 Fantasy Football Sleepers
Sleeper: A draft term for a NFL player that an owner believes is going to have a breakout season. These are usually players who are not rookies, but they can be. For the most part they are not well known NFL players. Usually sleepers are drafted in the middle to late rounds of a draft. From our Fantasy Football Dictionary
We have classified the following players as sleepers for 2012. We will be updating this list throughout the pre-season.
| Name | Pos | Team | Age | Yrs Exp. |
Pos. Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Curtis Brinkley | RB | SD | 27 | 2 | RB - #61 |
| It appeared that Brinkley was getting his chance to be a solid back-up, then Ronnie Brown arrived. Brinkley will likely lose quite a bit of work to Brown as long as Brown stays healthy and can produce. If there is an injury to Mathews or Brown, Brinkley will see some carries. If not, we will have to see how things play out game to game.
Brinkley moves into ... Read More | |||||
Ronnie Brown  |
RB | SD | 31 | 7 | RB - #105 |
| Brown joins the San Diego squad after a poor season in 2011 in Philly. Does the ex-Dolphin still have any magic left? Perhaps, but how much is the good question. Ryan Mathews tops the Rb depth chart, but Brown will see some carries. In theory, this will be good for both backs; Brown can have an opportunity to show he still has it and the not-so durable Mathews can ... Read More | |||||
| Ronnie Hillman | RB | DEN | 21 | R | RB - #47 |
| Hillman is nursing a - what is called - non-significant hamstring injury. I suspect it is just that and we will see Hillman and the pre-season progresses.
Hillman was drafted to provide the passing game a pass-catching threat out of the backfield, replace Knowshon Moreno and help spell Willis McGahee. We will have to see how these three compete this season ... Read More | |||||
| Mikel Leshoure | RB | DET | 23 | 1 | RB - #21 |
| Detroit's potent offense is worthy of close examination because the players who earn the most touches inevitably will score a lot of fantasy points. After missing his entire rookie year, Mikel Leshoure has a ton of potential. For those who hadn't heard, Leshoure will face a two-game suspension after pleading guilty to a possession of marijuana charge in early May. ... Read More | |||||
| Isaac Redman |
RB | PIT | 28 | 3 | RB - #44 |
| Isaac Redman is still the heavy favorite to open the season as the feature back as the Steelers failed to add starting caliber depth via free agency or the draft. Rashard Mendenhall is recovering from a torn ACL and is a candidate for the PUP List (miss first 6 games). Redman finished 2011 with 110 carries for 479 yards (4.4 YPC). In a playoff start against Denver,... Read More | |||||
| Stevan Ridley | RB | NE | 24 | 1 | RB - #16 |
| In his rookie season, Stevan Ridley was used as a change of pace. With BenJarvus Green-Ellis gone, look for Ridley's carries and stats to rise this season. If he ends up taking over the starting job - as of early August, that looks like the deal - you can expect very similar numbers that the Law Firm has put up the last few years. Follow Ridley throughout the sum... Read More | |||||
| Jacquizz Rodgers | RB | ATL | 23 | 1 | RB - #37 |
| Jacquizz Rodgers will serve as Michael Turner's primary backup this season, which makes him the ideal handcuff for Turner's fantasy owners on draft day. Rodgers, dual threat who excels in the passing game, rushed for 205 yards and a score on 57 carries as well as caught 21 passes for 188 yards and a score as a rookie last season. If Turner goes down with an injury,... Read More | |||||
| C.J. Spiller | RB | BUF | 25 | 2 | RB - #11 |
| C.J. Spiller was the No. 9 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and expectations were very high. They should still be, considering Spiller will only be 25 at the start of season and he's one of the faster backs in the NFL. Once Fred Jackson (the Bills' regular starter) went down for the season before Week 11, Spiller seemed to put it all together. He averaged 105.5 t... Read More | |||||
| Ryan Williams | RB | ARI | 23 | 1 | Unranked |
| The highly touted Virginia Tech product was drafted by the Cardinals to challenge veteran Beanie Wells for a starting job last season, but underwent surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon in August and missed his entire rookie year. Ryan Williams, who is fully healthy now, should be viewed by fantasy owners as a handcuff to Wells with the potential to take on a l... Read More | |||||
| David Wilson | RB | NYG | 21 | R | RB - #56 |
| The Giants have a history of using two running backs; with Brandon Jacobs elsewhere and Ahmad Bradshaw being brittle, Wilson will get plenty of opportunity to play. The speedy 5-foot-9, 205-pounder racked up 1,709 yards and nine touchdowns for Virginia Tech. More than just an obvious fantasy handcuff for Bradshaw owners, Wilson has flex potential down the line th... Read More | |||||
