Top 4 2010 Fantasy Football Sleeper Picks – Wide Receivers

The wide receiver position is the most likely of any position to produce some major sleeper candidates during any given fantasy football season. The reason for that is quite simple in that there are just so many players at the position.

Check any NFL team depth chart. Most teams carry at least seven players at the WR position while some have as many as nine. If a WR1 or WR2 goes down someone has to step up. Figuring out just who that player will be is the hard part.

Fantasy Wide Receivers – Age & Injury Go Together

When trying to scrounge up some sleeper picks at the WR position one of the first things we look for is aging receivers who are susceptible to decline due to age and/or injury history.

There are always young guns waiting in the wings when a veteran starts to show his age or gets hurt. The Roy E. Williams and Miles Austin situation in Dallas last season was a prime example of that. Williams was unproductive and had nagging injuries and Austin stole the show.

We also look for players that have an up and coming QB, a new pass oriented Offensive Coordinator or have moved to a powerhouse team. Charger WR Vincent Jackson was in that position with QB Philip Rivers. He went from scoring 121 FP in 2007 to 218 FP in 2008 as Rivers morphed into a stud quarterback in San Diego.

Top Four 2010 Fantasy Sleepers – Wide Receiver

Johnny Knox – Bears: Everyone remembers the  “Greatest Show On Turf” that was built by Mike Martz and how it dominated fantasy football in the early part of the last decade. Martz is now trying to weave his magic with the Chicago Bears as their offensive coordinator. Forget about his stints with the Lions and 49ers as Martz didn’t have the talent he has now. Opportunity Knox, you may want to get that.

Nate Burleson – Lions: Burleson languished in a virtual hell for most of his four years in Seattle. He does however get another life with the Lions and while some may say that is worse than hell, you should take a second look. The Lions still don’t have much of a defense which means they will be in a ton of shootouts this season. With Calvin Johnson still the focal point for the opposing defense;  Burleson should find lots of space to roam and he will get a lot of looks from QB Stafford.

Early Doucet – Cardinals: It was tough to put Doucet on this list but he is hard to ignore given his situation. First, he showed signs of brilliance in the the playoffs last season as he had 14 catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns in two games. Second, he is battling for the WR2 position with Steve Breaston now that Anquan Boldin is in Baltimore. The QB situation is unsettled in Arizona but if Derek Anderson returns to his 2007 form; Doucet could pay decent dividends.

Louis Murphy – Raiders: This was another tough call because of  the QB situation in Raider Land. If you believe that QB Jason Campbell can revive his ailing career in the Black Hole, them Murphy is the man in Oakland. We can picture Murphy doubling his 2009 production which came in at 114 FP as a rookie.

Sleepers abound at the wide receiver position, just don’t get too cute with them. Take the information available to you and don’t pass it up.