To win in competitive fantasy football leagues, you've got to pay attention to the NFL players with the highest potential for sleeper value during the season. One of the reasons fantasy football is so popular is because of the excitement involved in predicting when various sleepers will break out and start producing. If you draft these players in the right round, you will reap all the benefits of drafting a player who produces above his draft position. Only fantasy owners with excellent instincts and solid experience generally see it coming so pay attention to the experts and their yearly projections.
QB Sleepers Worth Considering in the 2009 Season
First and foremost, potential QB sleepers are important to consider. Here are some of the players that have the attention of fantasy football experts this preseason.
Trent Edwards-Buffalo Bills
Edwards showed much improvement since his rookie season in 2007. Last year, he accrued over 2500+ yards and 11 touchdowns. The addition of Terrell Owens to the Bills roster bodes well for Edwards since he will now have multiple receiving options on the field. According to the 2009 Bruno Boys Quarterback "Snooze Alarm" Rankings, "The addition of Terrell Owens at wide receiver is going to change the offense dramatically. Teams will no longer be able to double team Evans and third receiver Josh Reed will now work against lower-caliber defensive backs....but perhaps the biggest bonus the Bills will receive from the addition of Owens is that he's so good in the red zone, where Evans and Reed struggled to catch passes." The Bruno Boys give him a ranking of 6 alarms this season.
Chad Pennington-Miami Dolphins
QB Chad Pennington has a very accurate arm, which we all got a glimpse of in 2008. He won NFL Comeback Player of the Year and racked up 3,653 yards. Also working in his favor, the Dolphins have improved their running game so Pennington should have more options this season than ever before. Third year WR Ted Ginn Jr. also has great sleeper value as well. If he can stay healthy for an entire season Pennington could produce far superior numbers this year. I believe Pennington is undervalued in most fantasy football drafts.
Josh Freeman-Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay already has Bryan Leftwich and Luke McCown on their roster, who will most likely get more playing time than Freeman in the beginning of the season. However, the fact that they chose Freeman as one of their early picks in this year's draft tells me that he's someone they're banking on should Leftwich and/or McCown struggle. Rookie quarterbacks typically have poor first seasons, but there's always a chance that he'll do well, just look at Matt Ryan last year. FFtoolbox.com writer George Bissell states in his article 2009 Team Outlook: Tampa Bay, "Fantasy owners should keep an eye on Josh Freeman in 2009 and pick him up if he inherits the starting job."
Matt Hasselbeck-Seattle Seahawks
Matt Hasselbeck had some major physical issues in 2008 that kept him off the field so who knows what he will bring to the table in 2009? According to an article by Patrick Brian ONeill on FantasySharks.com titled Fantasy Football Sleepers - Quarterback Rankings Fantasy Football 2009, "Hasselbeck enters the 2009 season with Seattle as a huge question mark. Were the back and knee injuries a one-time deal, or are they going to be nagging him this year also?" Despite these issues the presence of T.J. Houshmandzadeh and a healthy Deion Branch will up Hasselbeck's game. It will not surprise me if he has a break out season if his body can hold up without any problems. "I see no reason why Hasselbeck can't post 3,500 yards and 22 TDs," continues ONeill. Keep your eye on this QB.
These are just a few of the NFL QBs that could surprise everyone in the 2009 football season. The preseason games will offer even more insight into the value of potential sleepers. Good luck with your fantasy football drafts and may your teams dominate in all your fantasy leagues!
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