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2010 SLEEPERS: QB'S & RB'S
by Scott Mickels
Published: August 17, 2010, 3:53 pm
QB'S
 Derek Anderson, QB, ARI: With Kurt Warner now retired, Matt Leinart is lined up to take over the reigns in Arizona. However, Leinart has yet to prove, in his limited playing time over the last four seasons, that he has what it takes to be a consistent, reliable starter. He's only thrown for over 700 yards once in his career and that was his rookie year back in '06. He also threw for 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions that year—both career highs. In the three years combined since, he's thrown for 3 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Now, all of a sudden, we're to believe he's ready to pick up right where Kurt Warner left off? In steps Derek Anderson. It really wasn't that long ago that he threw 29 touchdowns in Cleveland. Granted, his accuracy has declined, but he still has a strong arm and despite it seeming like he has been in the league a lot longer than he has, is only 27. He's obviously got a great target in Larry Fitzgerald and a more run-oriented offense could help as well. Anderson has impressed this off-season and as a result it seems Leinart's leash has gotten a little shorter. If Anderson can supplant Leinart as the starter early in the season, or perhaps even before, he has a great chance of being a nice bounce-back candidate this year.
 Matthew Stafford, QB, DET: We all know he has the talent and potential, and an improved supporting cast this year can only help. In fact, the Lions have actually made some good moves this off-season to help Stafford. They traded for Rob Sims to help Jeff Backus on the left side, traded for another field-stretching tight end in Tony Scheffler and signed a possession receiver in Nate Burleson. Not to mention, trading up in the draft in order to get Jahvid Best to help the running game. Stafford also plays in a pass-first offense in Detroit where he'll get the opportunity to air it out a ton, especially considering it's likely the Lions will be playing from behind more times than not. Also, remember, he had a span last season in which he threw a touchdown in five straight games, 10 touchdowns total, so he has the ability to be a consistent weekly performer. As long as he can avoid the injury bug, he's poised to make huge strides in his sophomore season.
 Charlie Whitehurst, QB, SEA: Whitehurst is easily the deepest sleeper of the bunch. He was drafted in '06 by the Chargers, but with Philip Rivers in town was never able to get much playing time. Now that he's been traded to Seattle, all that has changed. He's currently slotted as Matt Hasselbeck's backup. However, he's impressed Seattle coaches during the pre-season so much that he's not only distanced himself from J. P. Losman as the bonafide #2, but has apparently created a quarterback controversy for the starting position. Chances are Hasselbeck will be under center Week 1, but keep in mind he's 35 and hasn't remained healthy for a full season since '07. Of course, Whitehurst has yet to throw a pass in a NFL game, but don't let that discourage you. He had a 60% completion percentage in college and has the wheels to improvise and still make something happen when the play breaks down. He has good weapons in T. J. Houshmandzadeh, Deion Branch and an underrated tight end in John Carlson. This is the first time in his career that Whitehurst has a legitimate chance to start. Keep an eye on him; he could be a pleasant surprise this season.
Others to note:
Chad Henne, QB, MIA: Has a legit #1 target in Brandon Marshall and is accurate enough to improve on a surprising '09.
Kevin Kolb, QB, PHI: Showed flashes of brilliance when given the chance last season. A poor man's Matt Schaub; should have more success now that he's finally the starter in Philly.
Brady Quinn, QB, DEN: With the Broncos having a love/hate relationship with Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow still a year away, he has the outside chance to steal some valuable playing time.
RB'S  Toby Gerhart, RB, MIN: Obviously Gerhart's main fantasy value lies as Adrian Peterson's handcuff. He's a big back with deceptive speed, but still remains behind Albert Young on the Vikings' depth chart at this point. Of course, Young hasn't done anything to impress or establish himself as the clear backup to Peterson either, so Gerhart's window remains open. In fact, Young only has 12 career carries in the NFL, so it's not as if he's a veteran with experience on his side. My guess is once Gerhart gets acclimated to the pace and rigors of the NFL, he'll be fine. In addition to giving AD a breather from time to time, he could develop into a good third-down back or steal the occasional goal-line carry. He'll likely go undrafted in most leagues, but is only an injury away from getting some major playing time.
 Montario Hardesty, RB, CLE: Hardesty looked to be the favorite early on to tote the rock in Cleveland, but has yet to get things going this pre-season, namely because of injuries. Jerome Harrison is expected to start the season as the starting running back, but Hardesty should make an impact at some point this year. His size and running style fits perfectly with the Browns' scheme. In fact, he actually reminds me a lot of former Browns' running back Kevin Mack, for those of you old enough to remember him from the late-80's. Hardesty's biggest hurdle, which has been since college, is injuries. Considering he hasn't played yet this pre-season and continues to fall further behind, Harrison will likely be the starter to open the season. However, if he can stay healthy, Hardesty has a great opportunity to replace Harrison as the starting running back. Even if he doesn't win the starting gig by himself, he's still bound to get the majority of the carries. His frame and bruising style is better equipped to handle more pounding and more carries than the quicker, smaller-framed Harrison.
 C. J. Spiller, RB, BUF: I realize Spiller isn't exactly a sleeper here, as he's getting drafted in most leagues, but with Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch injured, it appears the Bills will be turning to their first-round pick almost immediately, which on paper would seem to give his fantasy value a big boost. Spiller was arguably the quickest back in the draft this year. The Bills had planned on using that quickness in more of a change-of-pace role or put him in a position to make big plays, perhaps in the slot, on a screen play or maybe even in a Wildcat formation. However, those plans have changed temporarily with Jackson and Lynch out, as I mentioned. Spiller will initially go into the season as the Bill's feature back. In addition to his speed, Spiller has decent hands out of the backfield. My only concern is his size. He doesn't have the frame to carry the ball 20 times a game. As a matter of fact, he didn't even average 20 carries a game his senior year at Clemson. This comes back to what I was saying earlier about “on paper”. He may get the bulk of the carries early on, but without a good compliment in Jackson, he risks getting injured, overworked or both. Still, with all that said, and provided the opportunities he'll get, consider Spiller a low-end #2 or a high-end #3 in most leagues.
Others to note:
Jahvid Best, RB, DET: With Kevin Smith still nursing injuries, the big-play maker from Cal could slip into a starting role and get the bulk of the carries in Detroit.
Anthony Dixon, RB, SF: Glen Coffee's retirement kicked the door wide open for Dixon as Frank Gore's handcuff, although Brian Westbrook's arrival puts a bit of a damper on the party. Still, Gore and Westbrook are not durable.
Javon Ringer, RB, TEN: Has impressed Titans' coaches this pre-season. Rookie LeGarrette Blount is in the mix as well, but doesn't have the speed and quickness of Ringer.
 Scott Mickels, FPM Staff Writer/Editor, Member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association
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