Spotting a Fantasy Football Sleeper

With the yearly increase in the popularity of fantasy football, team owners are trying to break away from the pack and ensure that they put together the most successful teams possible. Just as in the NFL Drafts, fantasy drafts have those rare players who unexpectedly score major points.

We call them sleepers.

Now sleepers are sought after, but whenever you seek a sleeper, you are making a gamble. I will give you seven tips to assist you in spotting a sleeper with as little risk and as much reward as possible.

1) Returning Veterans- Often times a players stock will fall because he missed all or most of the previous season due to suspensions or more likely injuries. Take Tom Brady for example. Now, his stock probably only fell slightly because he is....well, Tom Brady. Although he is the man that we have witnessed accomplish some amazing things in football, some fantasy owners may be less inclined to draft him because of his season ending knee injury last year. Because some may pass on him, if you decide to take the risk, it could payoff big time.

2) Old Faces In New Places- This is again pertaining to the veteran players. When players go to new teams whether through free agency or trades, their previous years stats can at times be irrelevant. Players to look at this year would be Fred Taylor, Terrell Owens, and Jay Cutler. They all seem to be in situations that could cause them to be assets to their teams, but you must factor in those around them. Currently Taylor is listed as a backup to Sammy Morris, Owens will be attempting to complete passes from Trent Edwards who has not been one of the more sought after QBs in fantasy drafts, and Cutler is leaving a successful season in Denver to try to connect with Devin Hester who was a bust for many fantasy owners last season. Taylor, Owens, and Cutler could possibly have huge years, but do the research. Veterans going into new systems can work for or against you.

3) Rookies- Rookies can easily be sleepers or busts. Paying attention to not only their careers in college, but also to the impact that their current teams expect them to have can assist you in sorting the stars from the bench riders. For example, Mark Sanchez is expected to come in and perform in a major way for the Jets. Matthew Stafford was an easier call for the Lions as well as the fact that the Lions still have Daunte Culpepper. Stafford may be a gamble up until the season actually begins, but the Jets gave up a great deal in order to obtain Sanchez because they desperately need him now. Not only will he likely start, but he looks as if he will be able to contribute a great deal.

4) Previous Year Starters- This one may seem a bit controversial because if a player is starting he may be an easy early round choice, but I am looking more at who to draft these players in front of. For example, Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan can be considered sleepers because they are still unlikely to be drafted before Peyton Manning, Brady or other QBs, but if fantasy owners think about it they could end up with more points than Manning or Brady. Manning not only has the issues of all of his coaching changes, but he also lost his favorite receiver in Marvin Harrison. Brady still has the questionable knee injuries in his way. If he offensive line slips or his knee doesn't hold up, then Brady could easily be out for several games if not the season. Flacco and Ryan both had extremely successful seasons for rookie QBs and they seem to still have many of those same elements for success in place to do it all over again.

5) Previous Year Backups- These guys can prove to be explosive for your team. Let's look at a guy that probably should not be considered a sleeper at this point, but people still lack confidence in him because of his offensive line and the team around him...Maurice Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew has been the backup to Taylor up until now. He is an amazing back, but his numbers were not where they were predicted to be last year which may cause some owners to be nervous about drafting him too early. The Jaguars have beefed up their offensive line and made Jone-Drew the starter which means he will have a heavier work load and (hopefully) a line to assist him. As a starter, he may be one of the best backs of the season.

6) Training Camp/ Pre-Season- Identifying sleepers during training camp and the pre-season is usually one of the best methods. Chris Johnson is a great example of this. During the pre-season, he showed his coaches, fans, and fantasy team owners what he had to offer. All nine of my fantasy teams chose to ignore Johnson, so I quietly kept him in my sights and drafted him late in all of my leagues because of what I saw in him during the pre-season. He ended up putting up major numbers for me especially in the beginning of the season. This method can prove to be your most beneficial.

7) Work The Waiver-Wire- This is where sleepers can be discovered and snatched up. I am not saying that if Adrian Peterson has a mediocre first two games to immediately drop him for a player who is having a stellar first two games. I am saying to drop an extra kicker or defense and pick up the player who is having a stellar two games. It could be his break out season. Pay attention to all of the factors around his stellar two games. Was he playing against the Lions or the Steelers? Was the number one receiver injured? Is he will a new team that is run heavy? All of these things and more make a difference. After looking over all of the facts decide if he is worth snatching up, but don't wait too long because someone else may have the same idea in mind.

Keep all of these things in mind when looking for sleepers, but know that it is still a gamble. Spotting sleepers can be difficult and time consuming. Prepare yourself and go with your natural football instincts to find those diamonds in the rough.