2009 Fantasy Football Sleepers

With the departure of Terrell Owens and considering no quarterback in the league has thrown more TDs of 20 or more yards over the last two seasons than Tony Romo, conditions are ripe for a WR to emerge in Dallas as a significant fantasy threat. Sure, TE Jason Witten will benefit from Owens' departure, but Witten doesn't represent a downfield threat, and he needs help to avoid constantly being double-teamed by defenses. Then we have WR Roy Williams, who the Cowboys made a move last year to snare as a headline acquisition from Detroit. We aren't entirely sold on Williams being able to completely fill that role, and he will come at a premium draft price and may or may not be able to justify that price given his injury history (only one full 16 game season played in his five year career) and overall lack of production at a high level (only one season with more than 1,000 yards receiving). Let's face it, Williams didn't exactly connect with QB Tony Romo in over 10 games in Dallas last year (only 198 rec. yards and 1 TD), and reports have them struggling to get on the same page already early in camp in 2009. Then we have Miles Austin, who represents a great value pick for later in your draft. Austin comes at a much lower draft price than Williams, but he has a great shot at breaking out. At 6'3 and 215 lbs, he is cut from the same mold as Owens, and like Owens, Austin has the wheels to get downfield and be an explosive playmaker. An x-factor going for Austin is that he is also a candidate that fits the "WR Three Year Rule", which is a year receivers have an increased probability of breaking out with a big year (See our "Wide Receiver Three Year Rule" article). The downside with Austin is that he does bring injury concerns to the table, which is also helping him to fly low under the radar at a very cheap draft price - just where we like it. Given Austin's low draft price and conditions in Dallas, he won't cost you very much and could emerge as a significant factor in 2009. We always like to sprinkle a variety of sleepers that can be targeted throughout your draft, and Austin is a great target for late in your draft.

Bill Polian, the Colts' President, is always right. This will be explained later, but for now you need to just take that for fact. This creates a bit of an enigma upon first look at the 2009 NFL draft. Polian and the Colts drafted Brown in the late 1st round of the 2009 NFL draft, so you have to assume that Brown is going to be a great NFL back. However, Polian also got the Colts to draft Joseph Addai in the late 1st round of the 2006 NFL draft. How can 2 backs both be impact players. Surely this must be some sort of glitch in The Matrix. At this point, you need a little information to make you feel more confident about the statement that Polian is always right. In his 21 seasons in NFL front offices, his teams have made 15 playoffs, 7 championship games, and four Super Bowl appearances with a World Championship to cap off this amazing career. His eye for talent is keen. Polian played critical roles in the Buffalo Bills acquiring Bruce Smith, Jim Kelly, Marv Levy, Cornelius Bennett, and Thurman Thomas. If that doesn't make you say, "Wow!", you should see his list of players acquired for the Colts. Under Polian's watchful eye, the Colts drafted Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James, Joseph Addai, Reggie Wayne, Anthony Gonzalez, Cato June, Dwight Freeney, Bob Sanders, Dallas Clark, and others. The answer to the conflicting question of two good RBs existing at the same point in time is that Addai isn't an elite RB anymore. He has become brittle, and he is quickly turning into a complementary back. Addai was a great selection because he helped the Colts win their first Championship in Indianapolis only 2 years after being drafting. Brown is a great talent that had been drafted to replace Addai as the main back for the Colts. At Connecticut, he became the first Husky to lead the nation in rushing, averaging 160.23 yards per game. He was the only NCAA player to rush for 2,000 yards in 2008. He set Big East season records with 2,083 yards on 367 carries. His speed isn't blinding, but he has a good build, good hands, and can bang it between the tackles with illusiveness. Just remember that Polian is always right.