As the NFL season is set to kick off and drafts are coming to an end, it’s time to look at a few sleepers that may help you out in Week One. In leagues like the World Championships of Fantasy Football (WCOFF), early wins are absolutely critical. If by chance one of your starters is facing a real tough Week One matchup, it MIGHT be in your best interest to plug in a “sleeper” who could make (or break, unfortunately) your first week of the season. Tread carefully, of course. Here are some QBs, RBs and WRs that could help you get off to a good start.

Quarterbacks

Daunte Culpepper, OAK - I’d be shocked if Raider HC Lane Kiffin went with Josh McCown over Culpepper in their opener. As bad as Culpepper’s play has been in the past few years, he gives the Raiders their best chance at winning. Fortunately, they face one of the NFL’s worst defenses – at home – to start the season. The Lions will present very little pressure on the QB and their pass defense is poor. The Lions have given up a league-worst 316 passing yards per game and a total of passing TDs in the preseason. Yeah, it’s the preseason, but still… stats worthy of note.

Damon Huard, KC - In another position battle of note, it appears that Damon Huard has won the starting QB position (despite a sore leg) for the Chiefs. Huard doesn’t really have many receiving options (an archaic Eddie Kennison and Tony Gonzalez and a green Dwayne Bowe) but he shouldn’t have any problems picking apart the Houston Texan secondary in Week One. The Texans have given up 6 passing TDs and 264 ypg (5th worst in preseason).

If you are one of the unfortunate souls who drafted Eli Manning as your starter, one of the above QBs may be a better option, as Manning faces the hard-hitting Cowboy defense to start the season. Chad Pennington and the Jets face the tough Patriot D. I’d prefer Culpepper or Huard over Manning and Pennington Week One.

Running Backs

Chester Taylor, MIN – Unlike the QBs listed above, there’s little chance Taylor is available on your league’s waiver wire (seeing that RBs are at such a premium in most leagues) but if you find that Taylor has dropped in your draft, why not take a chance on him. He has skills, and super stud rookie Adrian Peterson will have to prove himself before he gets tons of playing time (won’t take long, though). But looking ahead to Week One, the Vikes take on the troubled Atlanta Falcon team. The Falcons have allowed just about 100 ypg in the preseason but have only allowed one TD. Sign of things to come? Doubtful. Taylor will have value even if he doesn’t reach paydirt; he will catch the ball out of the backfield and I’d be shocked if he didn’t gain a total of 80-90 combined yards.

LaMont Jordan, OAK – Yup, another Raider. Sure, the Lions have allowed the least amount of rushing yards per game – and only 2 rushing TDs – in the preseason, but even if Jordan gets 60-something yards, he’ll still have some value. He’ll most likely catch a few balls and you know he will be putting his best foot forward, as the competition (RB Dominic Rhodes) arrives after their Week Four bye. If Jordan doesn’t pile up stats against garbage defenses like the Lions, he may lose more and more time to Rhodes come mid-season.

If you’re relying on one of the Titan RBs (God help you if you are), an option like Taylor or Jordan will look far more enticing, as the Titans face the run-stopping Jaguars in Week One.

Wide Receivers

Antwaan Randle El, WAS – Yes, this is a very deep sleeper. R-E caught a nice 23-yard TD pass from QB Jason Campbell against the Jags in preseason and the Skins will be using more 3-receiver sets to spread the opposing defenses this season. The Dolphins (the Skins’ Week One opponent) hasn’t wowed anyone on the defensive side of the ball in the preseason and the speedy Randle El could certainly make an impact Week One.

Dennis Northcutt, JAX – The Jaguar WR corps is a mess right now. Matt Jones is still looking like he needs to develop. Ernest Wilford is wildly talented but can’t seem to put it together. Neither can Reggie Williams. The Jag coaching staff has raved about Northcutt’s solid route-running and veteran presence in camp and preseason. Northcutt has only 2 catches on the preseason (one for a TD) but as of now, he’s the starter and he’ll be facing a very weak Titan secondary in Week One.

Perhaps you’re uneasy about starting a gimpy Donald Driver against the tough Eagle secondary. Perhaps you want to leave your rookie WRs (like Dwayne Bowe) on the bench to start the season. These two WRs could be the answer.

I mentioned Ladell Betts in my last blog, but I am going to pound the drum just one more time in case you are drafting this weekend. According to Rotoworld:

Clinton Portis went through pre-game warmups Thursday night, but was declared inactive by the Redskins.

He ended up practicing roughly five times in camp and never took a preseason carry. The Washington Post’s Jason LaCanfora goes so far as to predict Ladell Betts will get the majority of the touches early in the season.

I drafted Betts as my 2nd RB in late in the 5th round last weekend. That was about as early as I had seen him drafted. Normally, he has been going 6th and 7th round, but I suspect that the sleepy fantasy community may be able to smell the blood in the water like I do by this weekend. I’m not telling you to jump off the cliff with me, but right now I probably feel a lot better than the guy that drafted Portis in the 4th only to have me snipe Betts in the 5th.

Demetrius Williams is now the starter in Baltimore. He had a great camp and pushed Mason into the slot. Williams doesn’t have the strongest armed quarterback in the league, but the guy has game. He could be a surprise this season. He has been going as early as the 10th round in some recent fantasy drafts, so his shelf life as a deep sleeper appears to have expired.

One other note: I included Alge Crumpler in my Players To Avoid column a couple of months ago, but at this point he is being drafted in the middle of the 10th round in some drafts, and even I found that too hard to resist. Of course, the fact that I kept missing on the TEs I wanted throughout the first 9 rounds could have something to do with it, but suddenly Crumpler didn’t look all that bad in the 10th round. I mean, it isn’t like the Falcons have had a receiver step up in preseason. Crumpler might be ok, and I would not consider him overvalued in the 10th round. Risky, but if the rest of your lineup is strong, he may be good enough to float you.

Each summer is filled with hype, raw potential and the never ending change to NFL teams. Some situations are concrete and others are about as clear as Chris Henry’s arrest record. But this is the same time that all fantasy footballers are trying to determine those two qualities that should drive your draft -expectations and probabilities (of meeting those expectations). Many teams literally do not know what the depth chart will be in a mere week and a half while others absolutely know but are not saying for some motivational or strategic reason. We’ll know the answer to many questions after week one of the season and all the answers by mid-season. Here’s where I would slide my bet on some of the less than certain situations out there:

JaMarcus Russell -You will not see him play this year. You may never see him in a Raider’s uniform. Why Oakland picked him knowing this would happen is unknown but there’s no big rush for Russell to get into a uniform for what should be a pretty bad team again this year. Nice stash in a dynasty league and worthless in a redraft.

Browns QB – Charlie Frye starts the season and Derek Anderson sulks on the sideline. Brady Quinn is going to be allowed to season on the sideline ostensibly for the entire season until the Browns are done opening their year with PIT, CIN, OAK, BAL, NE and MIA. By their week 7 bye, Romeo Crennel starts renewing old relationships in the NFL that he will need next year when he is looking for work. Quinn takes over in week 8 and looks good because he is compared to Charlie Frye.

Chiefs QB – Damon Huard opens the season and plays pretty much the entire year. Occasionally the Chiefs will let Brodie Croyle play but only enough to remind them why they will stick with Huard.

Ronnie Brown/Jesse Chatman – Regardless of how talented and motivated (or not) that Brown is (or is not), there is no way that Jesse Chatman can be the answer to any question other than “name the guy that only had 428 rushing yards in his first five years”. But Cam Cameron appears intent on being the most befuddling new coach in the league and almost overlooked is Lorenzo Booker who makes a nice third down back. Reason says Brown is the primary here – by a large margin – and that Booker plays a relief role but reason is apparently defined differently by Cameron over the last month. The pendulum on Brown has swung wildly in the past month and the reality is probably somewhere in the middle. Brown has a decent year, Booker ends up with some marginal value and by the end of the year no one remembers Chatman… again.

Laurence Maroney -I still think that Sammy Morris gets more playing time than popularly believed if only because he hurt NE last year and Belichick loves to get players who did well against the Pats in the past. My money is on Maroney looking awesome for the first month of the season, getting dinged up and then me getting hate mail for projecting a good game for him one week when he practices, suits up and only has one carry in the game. And then the rest of the season every Maroney owner starts him with their fingers crossed and gets rewarded at least most of the time.

Carolina RBs – Have to admit that I have never been a DeShaun Foster proponent and I like DeAngelo Williams. But I also have to admit that John Fox has never once called me to ask who he should start despite me waiting for the call. While I would love to see Williams getting 25 carries per game, nothing so far has suggested that the Panthers are going to do that so the best that Williams’s owners can hope for is that Foster gets injured. On the plus side, this is not entirely improbable.

NY Giants RBs – The optimism that Rueben Droughns is going to have resurgence in his career has seeming died down now and I think that is warranted. My expectation is that Jacobs is the power back that Tom Coughlin loves and produces nice numbers this year so long as he is not on the sidelines in an oxygen tent too often. I expect the wildcard here is not Droughns but Ahmad Bradshaw in a relief role.

Titans RBs – Brown, White and Henry. White, Brown and Henry. White and Brown. Henry. Sheesh – I know I don’t want any part of the guessing game on my fantasy team. I do think there will be fantasy value from the backfield in TEN this year. But I do not expect it to come from the same player every week. White doesn’t have the speed to be a big factor because Vince Young ensures the LB’s stay close to the line. Brown has some speed but never stays healthy. Henry – he has more the total package but has faded over the summer. I expect this backfield to change throughout the season.

Washington RBs – Clinton Portis has been nursing a knee condition this summer but will play in the regular season. LaDell Betts had a great time relieving him last year and was resigned. Now Portis is saying he expects to be on another team next year. Man – that’s good enough for me. RBBC during the year with Portis pouting and Betts enjoying himself.

Packers passing game – Driver will be solid as ever and Greg Jennings will be underrated in drafts. James Jones was a great sleeper pick but recently has too much hype on him. The bottom line to this offense is that Brett Favre will throw for 3863 yards to gain the all-time passing record even if it means he has to use running backs, tight ends, wideouts or equipment managers wearing a green and gold helmet. Driver, Jennings and Jones will all post decent yardage but only Driver will be significant in touchdowns.

Houston passing game – Matt Schaub is much heralded for a QB that really hasn’t played much in the NFL but he should be a nice addition and allow Andre Johnson to post very nice numbers. Jacoby Jones looks like a hot rookie and should figure in but he is a rookie and Kevin Walter is not. Johnson ends the year as the only HOU wideout with truly significant fantasy numbers.

Atlanta passing game – This will be fascinating because honestly – who knows what a passing game looks like in the Georgia Dome? And the Falcons are going to need to throw. Joe Horn is the wily veteran here but mostly wily because he found another team to pay him a nice salary during his run for the golden watch. Michael Jenkins has been moved to the slot which seems a mismatch for a guy who is 6′4″ and not all that fast. Roddy White looks sharp until he drops the pass but in fairness he is learning how to catch the ball from a quarterback now. I expect Horn remains the starter with marginal numbers at best, White has some nice games and Jenkins gets his spot back from Horn next year. This is a new offense and coaching staff – they’ll try numerous things through the year.

Jacksonville passing game – Byron Leftwich is in a do-or-die year and so far he doesn’t really look to be on the “do” side of the equation. I expect at some point David Garrard once again gets the start if only because Leftwich flops or gets injured. The wideouts are being all mixed up this year as if they were the problem and Ernest Wilford should have a decent year as the wideout they cannot ignore though they try to. Matt Jones is also in a pivotal year but so far as been beaten out by Dennis Northcutt which is pretty remarkable. Once again, this team will look like it should be much better than it ends up being.

New England passing game – Tom Brady has never looked so good. But Randy Moss is nursing a hammy and the depth chart (which never meant much in NE anyway) constantly seems in flux. I expect Moss to catch a decent number of TDs but not to reprise the heavy use he had in his previous MIN years. What a great player to draw the secondary away from everyone else! Donte Stallworth will have a few great games, get hurt and will do nothing the week you start him. Wes Welker will have surprising stats (in a NE sort of way) because Belichick likes him and Welker fits the Pats mold better than any other WR. This is still NE and Brady is going to have great year. The NE WRs will have great games, but stringing them together for any one individual is hard to accept.

There are a few expectations of some situations out there. This is truly one of the most attractive qualities to fantasy football because the NFL is so dynamic and every year stands unique. Heading into your draft? Think about those undefined situations out there because there is great fantasy value in some of them… just don’t take them as your starters in week one.

The preseason is winding down and we know more now than we did a month ago. Now that my NINE drafts and auctions are over, I am anxiously waiting to see how a handful of players will do this year because I just have very good gut feelings about them. They also, not coincidentally, ended up on many of my teams. These are the players I see as excellent values in drafts and that have much more upside than risk.

Ben Roethlisberger – Big Ben had a terrible 2006 if you factor in his win-loss, interceptions and hospital bills. But he also threw for 3528 yards and 18 touchdowns which was not too bad. He’s in a new offensive scheme that may not prefer the run as heavily and has what I think is an underrated set of receivers. The guy has undeniable talent and should start to really come into his own as a QB this year. He usually ends up as a QB2 for a fanasy team but should play more like a QB1.

Ronnie Brown – The talented Auburn back has had good and bad games to this point in his career. He is starting to learn his third new offense in three years and so far the measuring stick for him has been during the two Nick Saban years (which came after the horrific end of Wannstedt) and now he runs in a Cam Cameron offense that will feature him and which will also throw to him as well. He comes off as a RB2 in most drafts and I just like his situation and where he can be reached in a draft or auction.

Adrian Peterson – Not the Chicago version but the Minnesota rookie. He was terrific in college and now goes to a team with a decent offensive line, a fast carpet in the Metrodome and a lighter overall schedule. Yeah, Chester Taylor is there which is why Peterson could be had in the 4th round but this kid has all the talent. Everyone likes to consider him as injury prone but we’ll see what happens in the NFL if he will just stop trying to crush defenders and step out of bounds once in a while. I grabbed him cheaply in many leagues but his one big run a week ago ended getting him as easily.

Brandon Jacobs – Yeah, he is 250+ pounds which seems to scream “slow and battered” but he also runs a 4.45/40 (albeit with little shake and bake). You know Tom Coughlin loves his running game and Rueben Droughns has been recently moved to fullback. Great schedule and an offense that wants to grind it out. Should be very interesting.

Bo Scaife – I want to say Vernon Davis but he’s been shooting up everyone’s rankings. The Titans have a tough schedule and plenty of reasons to want to throw. Young is still learning the passing game and his buddy from UT has already been a comforting outlet for him.

Santonio Holmes – I admit I have a thing for highly talented young receivers on my team and Holmes was the first drafted wideout in 2006. He just has the look of a nice breakout this year.

Andre Johnson – Not exactly a sleeper since he had 103 catches last year but he has never had more than 6 TDs in any season or more than 1147 yards. He has also never had a QB except for David Carr and I can’t wait to see what Schaub could do for him. He has top ten talent easily – he may finally have the QB to showcase that.

Calvin Johnson – Again – he’s been rising in drafts all summer even though he never had an eye popping game in preseason. But he’s such a wonderful melding of talent, potential and opportunity that if anyone could reprise Randy Moss’ rookie season, it is Johnson playing in a Martz offense that will throw the ball against all reason.

Though I play in many leagues – more than I wish I did – I end up with a lot of teams that have similar players which works out great when you hit your sleepers. Most of these guys I have as either my second starters or even back-ups, but those are the players I am watching just a little more intently this year. Fantasy football is all about catching the rising star and getting better value back than you spent on players.

Good luck on your sleepers!

Draft season is over for me, so I thought I would let you in on the players that ended up on more than one of my teams. All PPR leagues.

Brian Westbrook: Ended up with him in two leagues where I drafted 9th. He fell to me twice and I was glad to take him there each time. Another season of weekly torture over the dreaded “game time decision” only to have him take the field and rip off a buck fifty and two touchdowns. Better stock up on the Tums.

Marvin Harrison: Marvin was my WR of choice in both the drafts where I drafted Westbrook. When I take a guy that is an injury risk like Westbrook is, and will produce the amount of stress that Westbrook will, I want the most dependable “risk free” stud WR I can get. Harrison is a rock. Plug him in and forget him. I passed Steve Smith to take him in one draft leaving myself wide open to self loathing if the Panthers get their head out of their ass and Smith goes commando.

Lee Evans: I drafted Evans also in the same drafts I got Westy and Harrison. He is the show in Buffalo. I am counting on him putting up WR1 numbers, and I feel this combination of Harrison and Evans gives me an advantage at WR over most all the teams in my league. He is rock solid where he is being drafted around the early 4th round most times.

Ladell Betts: I didn’t get him on all my redraft teams, but I kind of wish I had. At the very least this guy is going to get 1200 combined yards, and if Portis is headed where I think he is headed, Betts could be in for a another big year. I drafted him right after Marion Barber in both drafts, and Betts was the guy I was hoping for. Crazy fool that I am, I think last years Ladell Betts is this year’s Ladell Betts. The fantasy community is asleep at the wheel on this guy, and the fact that Portis may very well be flaming out. If I am wrong, I may be the one flaming out!

Jon Kitna: I got Kitna in two redrafts, and hold him in my dynasty. I’ve pounded the drum enough about Kitna this preseason. I got him at 6:12 in one league, and at 7:09 in another. Kitna fits perfectly into my methodology of waiting on a quarterback, but gives me the added bonus of still being able to go toe to toe with his higher priced bretheren on any given Sunday. I was going to go Vince Young in the 2nd draft, but I just couldn’t resist Kitna at 7:09.

Vince Young: I love playing the contrarian. I feel like I am standing alone on the bandwagon. I do admit, it looks kind of bleak in Tennessee. The odds appear stacked against the Titans. But Vince is all they have. You won’t catch me betting against him until he at least fails to deliver just once.

Brett Favre: I backed up Kitna twice and Vince Young once with Favre. He is probably the only guy left in the league whose name was called in my very first fantasy draft lo’ those many years ago. You don’t think Favre is going to go out swinging? Please. And when backing up a couple of quarterbacks that most consider high injury risks, there is a certain calming effect with calling out the name Brett Favre in one more fantasy draft. I hope I don’t need him. But he will damn sure be there if I do.

Devery Henderson: I got him pretty cheap in an early draft. Then he got too expensive for awhile, but his ankle sprain dragged his value back down to my price range. I drafted him early 8th and late 8th as a 4th WR. I am expecting lower WR2 numbers.

Greg Jennings: Here is an example of the dangers of drafting early. Jennings situation is not looking good, and my depth at WR is sagging already before the season even starts. Looks like Devery Henderson is my WR3 instead. I’m holding my breath…….already!

Demetrius Williams: shhhhhhhh

Mike Furrey: Furrey finds himself the forgotten man. But don’t cast him out in the lake just yet. Remember the numbers Az Hakim put up as a slot receiver in the Greatest Show on turf? And that was with Marshall Faulk in the lineup. Detroit’s version of Marshall Faulk doesn’t exist. At least a healthy one that is. I’d say 1000 yds. is not out of the question, I will take that from a guy you can get in the last half of the draft.

Patrick Crayton Crayton ended up on ALL of my drafted teams this year. He is a great hedge on the Owens / Glenn injuries that we know are coming. He is my WR5 or WR6. If he gets the opportunity this season, I expect big things. This is a guy that I didn’t want my leaguemates to get their hands on. If he takes the field, I want him on my side.

Tony Scheffler: I think I have Scheffler in all of my leagues as a TE2. Outside of Bo Scaife, you won’t find a higher upside TE2. If you are into that kind of thing. I am always into making sure I don’t have to go up against a guy I should have kept off other peoples rosters when I had the chance.

Vernon Davis: Going for the gusto baby!

Marques Colston: Yes, I am afraid of the sophomore slump. No, I cannot resist any offensive player on the Saints regardless.

Cadillac Williams: After suffering through a miserable season with Cadillac last year in my orphan dynasty league team, and having him directly responsible for dragging me down to the dark depths of fantasy football I barely knew existed, who knew I would be back for more? But there he was sitting there at 5:09 in the Huddle Top Gun League. Just too tempting to resist. God help me……….

Jason Elam: He is a kicker. Who cares? Well, if I have to have one, I’ll take one that I can usually get in the last round of the draft, and has finished in the top ten in the league every season for the last decade. That’s about as sure a thing you will find in the wacky world of kickers.