I have said this before – I hate using the word sleeper when it comes to fantasy football discussion. It simply is a way for a fantasy writer to say a player could provide fantasy value but says this without fully committing to that player. Now with drafts here, there are few players who I think will surprise, some I am sure you know of, some perhaps not.

Cardinals, they say they want to run more, no way, their pass run ratio will be the same as 2008…..Falcons, Matt Ryan is having a great pre season, he is being drafted on average early in the sixth round in twelve team drafts……Ravens, to my surprise Ray Rice is holding on to the starting running back position, he has been a late 5th round selection….Bills, even with Terrell Owens, stay away from quarterback Trent Edwards, 2 rookies are starting on the offensive line….Panthers, Jonathan Stewart has been hampered by an Achilles injury, DeAngelo Williams will share carries with someone, if Stewart’s injury lingers, rookie Mike Goodson has sleeper written all over him….Bears, wide receiver Earl Bennett is another sleeper, he has been coming off the board on average in the fifteenth round, the fact is he is a better receiver than Devin Hester and has been working well with Jay Cutler , although keep in mind TE Greg Olsen or Matt Forte will lead the Bears in receptions this year and Marvin Harrison could land here soon….

Bengals, Laveranues Coles could get lost here, Chad Johnson is the clear go to receiver and Chris Henry could steal the goal line receptions as he did in 2006, Coles’ real value may only be in point per reception leagues…Browns, rookies Brian Robiskie or Mohamed Massaquio will start along with Braylon Edwards at wide receiver, veterans Mike Furrey and David Patten may not make the team,  from the rumor mill, the loser of the Derek Anderson Brady Quinn battle will be traded to the Buccaneers, head coach Eric Mangini does not want a Norm Van Brocklin, Bob Waterfield type of quarterback controversy all season, Mangini likes Brett Ratliff and is comfortable with him as the back up….. Cowboys, they will use 2 TE sets to get the talented Martellus Bennett on the field with Jason Witten, Witten is everyone’s top fantasy TE and could lose some touches and value, do not reach for him, he is being drafted in the third round on average, my thinking is that is way early for him…

Broncos, Brandon Marshall has been selected late third round on average, with Knowshon Moreno hurting, Correll Buckhalter is the lead back but another sleeper is Peyton Hillis, with all their injuries he has proven he can be the guy, scoring in 4 consecutive games in 2008….Lions, stay away from highly touted rookie TE Brandon Pettigrew, he has a pulled leg muscle that could nag him a good part of the season….Packers, Ryan Grant is running well, target him as a 4th round selection who will bring value….Houston,  veteran Chris Brown has the sleeper tag on him, he is making a run at Ryan Moats to be their goal line back, Houston may give Steve Slaton a rest when they get inside the 2 yard line, taking some value from him…..Colts, Joseph Addai’s value continues to drop, head coach Jim Caldwell said Addai and rookie Donald Brown will share carries, Addai has been selected on average as the 20th running back on the boards, Brown is at 34, rookie wide receiver Austin Collie is making a run at the third wide receiver position, which plays in the slot, this position has always brought fantasy value, Brandon Stokely caught 10 touchdowns during Peyton Manning’s record breaking season from that postion, Collie is another sleeper…

Jaguars, do not get caught up in all the Maurice Jones-Drew hype, yes he will have a big season, but he is being selected on average as the third over all pick, he is not going to get every touch that Fred Taylor would have received, he is going to give carries away to Greg Jones at the goal line, I have him fifth….Kansas City, Larry Johnson has dropped 22 pounds and is running well, he is being selected on average as the 25th running back, early 4th round in twelve team drafts, he will bring value based on that draft position….Dolphins, I have never been a Ronnie Brown fan, but he should see more touches in 2009, Ricky Williams is starting to show his age, 32, this pre season…. Vikings, keep in mind Brett Favre is not going to attempt 40 passes a game with the running game Minnesota has, Favre is a high QB II, keep an eye on Percy Harvin, draft him as your last wide receiver if you can, if you believe the Vikings’ coaching staff he will bring value….Patriots, do not read much into TE Chris Baker’s 2 touchdown receptions from Tom Brady against the Eagles, Ben Watson did not play that game, Baker if he makes the team is there to block, the running back situation here is as cloudy as ever, stay away from all of them…

San Francisco, Shaun Hill has won the starting quarterback position, he brings value as a fantasy back up, especially since he plays in a defense soft division….Seahawks, with Deion Branch’s knee injury still bothering him, Nate Burleson should move into his starting position along with TJ Houshmandzadeh….Buccaneers, head coach Raheem Morris wants to run the ball, Derrick Ward and Earnest Graham will both get carries, Ward  should get more than half though, he is being selected on average at the end of the 4th round, if possible, stay away from wide receiver Antonio Bryant, his injury, the weak quarterbacking, the coaches philosophy, and the presence of TE Kellen Winslow all seem to indicate a drop in statistics for him….Titans, they are a running team first but rookie Kenny Britt has played well although Justin Gage and Nate Washington are the starting wide receivers….Redskins, while you will not see much of Clinton Portis in pre season he remains a low RB I….