Under the Radar
Posted: 7/27/09
Your rookie and free agent drafts have either come and gone, or are coming
up soon. With camps starting up, it’s time to take a look at some
players who may have gone undrafted in your league, but are worth keeping
an eye on during the first few weeks of camp.
Let’s face it, anyone can pick up a fantasy rag and pick Beanie
Wells or Michael Crabtree. What you want to find is lightning in a bottle!
Now, this list is sure to be full of players who are total busts, but
there’s bound to be one or two who step up as a nice grab for a
dynasty roster. If you have a roster space, pick up your favorite. If
you don’t monitor these guys carefully, as they may likely slip
through cracks at the beginning of the preseason.
Houston RBs
Arian Foster & Jeremiah Johnson
Foster has a ton of talent and fits the Houston scheme well. His stock
in the draft fell mostly based on his habit of fumbling, but the Texans
are committed to finding help for Slaton and you don’t really expect
Chris Brown to stay healthy, do you? Johnson’s stock fell as well
and he didn’t show up to mini-camp in great shape, but he has a
lot of talent. One of these two should stick.
Devin Moore RB SEA
Jones and Duckett seem destined to combine for a decent 1-2 punch, but
Moore has just enough talent as Justin Forsett, if not more. He could
shine in the preseason for a time with a very cloudy RB future.
Bernard Scott RB CIN
His name is a little more prominent in some publications, but I’m
still seeing him undervalued. Face it, even if Cedric Benson has turned
it around, he’s still not as young as he used to be and isn’t
seen as a long-term solution in Cincinnati.
Jared Cook TE TEN
The TE position isn’t nearly as sexy as most, but Cook has a ton
of talent. Steve Spurrier once compared him to Calvin Johnson. As ridiculous
as that is (and as ridiculous as the ol’ ballcoach is), that really
does help sum up his talent. He should be the starting TE in Tennessee
by the end of the year.
Ramses Barden WR NYG
Everyone is freaking out about Hakeem Nicks, and they should. However,
Barden has a lot of long-term upside as well. He has a long, lean frame
and has outstanding leaping ability. He’s a project, but he should
reward a patient owner.
Deon Butler WR SEA
Butler was one of my favorite WRs coming out this year. If Deion Branch
has any little setback, Butler could be an absolute steal. He was the
star of the June minicamp.
Sammie Stroughter WR TB
Antonio Bryant is a great WR in TB, but who else do they have? Living in the Northwest, I saw a lot of Straughter, and there’s a lot to like. If not for his depression and psychological challenges, he would have easily been a 3rd rounder. Keep an eye on him, he was also a minicamp standout.
Mike Thomas WR JAX
Again, I’ve seen a lot of PAC-10 players the past year living in
the Northwest. Thomas is productive, for sure. Word is, he’s already
been penciled in as the slot receiver this season. His explosion is impressive.
Johnny Knox WR CHI
Another June standout who will have to show well in pads. Many Bears beat
writers claim it will be Knox, not Iglesias who is the better WR from
their draft this year. I hope he turns out to be a star because I’d
like to have a fantasy team named “Johnny Knoxville.”
Jarett Dillard WR JAX
He managed eye-popping numbers at Rice. He’ll be a backup to Walker
and Holt, but those two are not exactly the pictures of health. If he
gets a chance, he may never give it back.
Mike Goodson RB CAR
Sure, Carolina is stacked at RB with Williams and Stewart. However, how
long do you think they’ll be able to keep both of them? Goodson
is in a solid situation and could be a really fine player in a couple
of years.
Javon Ringer RB TEN
Ringer was a little overused at Michigan State, but he’s a warrior.
With LenDale White in a contract year, he could easily move into the backup
role by 2010.
Brandon Tate WR NE
Tate was better than Nicks at UNC until he blew up his knee. He has major
long-term potential in New England. If he can get back to good health,
he could be a major steal in a few years.
Cedric Peerman RB BAL
LeRon McClain is a fullback. The Ravens liked what he did in the running
game, but 3.8 ypc isn’t going to get you the full-time gig. McGahee
is halfway out the door as well. With only Ray Rice in his way, Peerman
could easily be the #2 RB in Baltimore next season. He just has to have
a solid camp and make the team.
Rashad Jennings RB JAX
It’s going to be interesting to see what MJD does as a full-time
back. My money would be on Jennings, not Greg Jones if MJD went down.
Mike Wallace WR PIT
He’ll challenge Limas Sweed right away, but he fits the Steeler
system pretty well and should improve with a year on the practice squad
or on the active roster.
Tiquan Underwood WR JAX
Here’s my sleeper of the summer. The Jags took Mike Thomas and Jarett
Dillard ahead of him, but Underwood has continued to surprise the coaching
staff. Is he the second coming of Marques Colston, or just a guy who excels
without pads? We should know in the next few weeks.
It’s a long list of players, and most will fade away from our memory.
However, this is the time to follow these players. There’s nothing
better than grabbing that sleeper rookie off waivers before other coaches
even knew who they were.
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