Fantasy Football 2008: Keepers and Sleepers - Wide Receivers (WRs)

This is only my second year in the fantasy football realm. Last year was my first year and I made the playoffs, unfortunately Brett Farve had a bad game in the playoffs (though Green Bay did win) and my hopes for winning it all were shot down. I had a total of two leagues last year I played in, one from work and the other a public league on Yahoo!

This year I am in two leagues from work and another separate public league from Yahoo! In addition to that I am playing in leagues for free at www.nfl.com and www.espn.com. I even went so far as paying for one more league over at www.fanball.com, formally CDM. So all in all I have about ten active leagues this year. Crazy I know but I am officially addicted to these fantasy sports leagues.

I grew up in a sports household that watched the Buffalo Bills lose four straight Super Bowls (both my parents were from Buffalo). I watched the Washington Capitals suffer in mediocrity for several years; I went to Camden Yards and watched the Orioles with my dad (I even saw Clemens versus Mussina). To say it lightly, I am a sports fan. My knowledge of sports is extensive and fantasy leagues are right up my alley.

So in that vein I decided to share my research with others (assuming you're not in my league). I spent a few hours surfing several sites to come up with my list of players I think will be big impact this year as far as fantasy goes. I love the top ten-list format and I will use it here, be sure to check out my other articles as I cover the rest of the positions.

A bit about my rationale before we begin, I will list ten players that I define as sleepers (guys you might not have heard of who will light up your league) and keepers (guys whom you don't think of right away, i.e. no LT here).

1) T.J. Houshmandzadeh - I find him floating around the 2nd and 3rd round and I am baffled. This guy tied Wes Welker for total receptions last year and should be a hot target this year. In PPR leagues he's a must, a first pick in the second round guy. With Chad Johnson's newfound injury he could be The Man for Carson Palmer.

2) Chad Johnson - Ocho Cinco. Officially Ocho Cinco now. That's right he officially changed his name to Ocho Cinco. Sure he is injured but this guy is consistent. He has over 1100 yards every season and hasn't missed a game since his rookie season. He's worth the risk; just don't read the news about him.

3) Laveranues Coles - Remove Chad Pennington and insert Brett Farve. Guess what? Coles numbers will go up this season. Pick him up and be the envy of your fantasy league.

4) Santana Moss - If you read my other article you will see that Jason Campbell will explode. He has to have someone to explode to and the most likely candidate is Santana Moss. Moss is a good receiver that some say is overrated. Considering the WR is only as good as his QB, you need to pick this guy up.

5) James Jones - I know he is third on the depth chart but he is talented. Driver and Jennings will be getting most of the passes but Jones is right on the cusp. I would actually call him a WR2a. If either one of the big two get hurt then this guy will be talk of every league.

6) James Hardy - He's a rookie yes. Which means you should be able to pick him up off the FA wire. There aren't many targets in Buffalo and Hardy could very well make an impact for Trent Edwards. Keep him flagged and watch him closely.

7) Ted Ginn Jr. - This guy is a no-brainer. Pennington's new number one receiver will get a lot of quality balls thrown his way. Miami won't be fantastic this year but they will be decent and a large part of that will be due to the Ginn Jr/Pennington pair up.

8) Ronald Curry - Javon Walker should take the limelight but JaMarcus Russell will need other options and Curry is more than capable of catching the ball for big plays. I currently have him flagged to see how Russell does first but I will snag him after the second week if things are going well.

9) Roddy White - He is the number one receiver on that team. He will get balls and he will get looks. If he's around in the 4th-5th then grab him without thinking. You won't be sorry.

10) Jerricho Cotchery - His stats will likely increase due to the Farve addition. And the rumor has it that Farve has already shown a preference towards Cotchery. In my live drafts I have seen him go before Coles every time. If you want him you're going to have to draft him in the 4th or 5th.

Well there you have it. Like it or not, you should flag these players and at the end of the year send me a thank-you note.