Fantasy Football Salary Cap Value Picks Top 10 Sleepers 2009 NFL Season

All salaries are from Head2Head.com's fantasy football game. As a tool to judge the value of these pickers, here are the top 3 most expensive players in each category besides the kicker positions:

Quarterback:Brees $20M, Manning 19.3M, Brady $18.8M
Running Back:Peterson $16.2, Turner $16.0, Westbrook $15.8
Wide Receiver: Fitzgerald $13.5, Andre Johnson $13.1, Calvin Johnson $12.7
Defense:Pittsburgh $14.5, Baltimore $14.2, Tennessee $13.8

Here are my top 10 salary cap fantasy football sleepers:
#10. Ahmad Bradshaw $5.4M
Derrick Ward is no longer in New York and now Bradshaw becomes the main backup to Brandon Jacobs. As the third leg of the Giants rushing by committee group ("Earth, Wind, and Fire") Bradshaw had only 67 carries but averaged 5.3 yards per carry. Bradshaw now in his third year in the NFL should have a breakout season as the Giants second option at running back to give Jacobs a rest during games, which the Giants like to do often. Expect Bradshaw to get consistent carries throughout the season.

#9. Patrick Crayton $4.9M
Crayton is the #2 receiver in Dallas and will be a nice option for Tony Romo in '09. Crayton played in all 16 games in '09 but was often overlooked as he was the #3 wide receiver, and T.O. was demanding the ball. Crayton is a reliable target and did manage 550 receiving yards last season. Sine Roy Williams is now the prime target for Romo, Crayton should get some open looks and have the best season of his young career.

#8. Detroit D $11.0M
The cheapest salary cap defense is of course the Detroit Lions. I am not saying that the Lions will have a top 10 defense in '09, but they will put up decent fantasy numbers due to a couple of added play-makers in their defense and special teams. Derrick Williams at kick returner should yield a touchdown or two, Philip Buchanon is good for 5-7 interceptions, and rookie Louis Delmas at safety should have a big impact as well, not to mention the Lions line-backing core that now features Larry Foote and Julian Peterson next to play-maker Ernie Sims. The Lions will give up their share of touchdowns, but the defense will put up fantasy numbers with sacks and interceptions, and would not be a bad pick at $11M.

#7. TJ Duckett $4.0M
I am very high on TJ Duckett for the 2009 season. He is finally in a spot where he will be the prime backup instead of a third option, and Julius Jones has not exactly put up the numbers in Seattle that everyone had hoped. As you'll see later on in this article, Jones is a huge steal this season, but don't forget Duckett if your roster is filled with high priced players and you need a cheap back to polish off your roster with. Duckett at $4M seems like a joke after he was the third string back in '09 (behind Jones and Maurice Morris) and still managed 8 touchdowns. Duckett will improve on his 8 touchdowns and should add a few hundred yards as well.

#6. Roy Williams $8.4M
This is the year of the overpriced wide receivers, but there are a couple of steals out there, and Williams is one of them. Williams is listed at $8.4M because of his previous numbers with Dallas when he came in last season after the season had started and tried to adjust to the new offensive playbook and share time with T.O. and company. Williams is now the go to guy in Dallas and will make the best of it. I would not have a salary cap fantasy team without Williams on it at only $8.4M.

#5. Antonio Bryant $7.7M
Bryant had the best year of his career in 2009 and all of a sudden is getting no love. Bryant put up 1248 yards and seven touchdowns in 2009. Either fantasy analysts know something we don't know, or they think Bryant was a one hit wonder or don't trust in Byron Leftwich to deliver in Tampa. With Bryant's past performance, $7.7M seems like a gift, and almost too good to be true.

#4. Carson Palmer $16.1M
Palmer is finally healthy and still has weapons to work with in Cincinnati. Although he may no longer be a top 3 quarterback, he is definitely a good value at $16.1M and has a chance to put up Manning type numbers, for a much smaller cost.

#3. Pierre Thomas $8.4M
It's amazing that Brian Westbrook is over $7M more than Pierre. Westbrook is coming off surgery, Pierre Thomas is coming off a season where he led the Saints in rushing and scored 12 total touchdowns. Thomas is attempting to add weight to become a power back for the Saints opposite of lightning quick Reggie Bush. Expect Thomas to be the redzone go to guy and to repeat his touchdown number from '09.

#2. Domenik Hixon $6.4M
Hixon is the #1 receiver for the New York Giants and the main target this season for Eli Manning. Hixon is becoming a go to receiver and has a bright future in the NFL. Being the main target for Eli Manning, Hixon will be productive as a fantasy player even if he doesn't have a breakout season. Hixon is a steal at $6.4M and is worth a spot on your salary cap team.

#1. Julius Jones $7.0M
Julius Jones as the starting running back of the Seattle Seahawks is a steal at only $7 million while the top running backs are in the $16M range. Jones has had injury problems and had to split time with multiple backs in 2008, but expect decent numbers in 2009. Despite being substituted out for TJ Duckett in short yardage situations, Jones will get the bulk of the carries and should get some catches out of the backfield as well. Jones should be the best under $8M player for the 2009 season.