Late Rounds/Undrafted
Most of these guys will go undrafted, but a couple of them might sneak into the final rounds of your draft. I will always advise fantasy footballers everywhere to draft your kicker in the final round of your draft, whether that round is the fourteenth or the twentieth, and usually draft your defense in one of the two previous rounds. These guys kinda fall into that same category if your roster size is sixteen players or greater. There is a fine chance that you could find better sleeper options during the final stages of your drafts than these players, but if they go undrafted, follow their progress and the team/player situations around them closely. They could surprise you during the season. I'm talking about...
Alex Smith
~~What do Frank Gore, Micheal Crabtree, Vernon Davis, and Josh Morgan have in common...other than being 49ers? All four guys put together compose one hell of a life raft for Smith. Take away any one of these guys and Smith might sink. After taking over for the ineffective Shaun Hill during week 7 Smith has resurrected his waning career. He has encountered some well documented but easily forgotten problems with an injured throwing shoulder that derailed his 2007 season and caused him to find the IR for almost the entire 2008 season after a second surgery on it. Through the ten and a half games he played in 2009, he completed 225 out of 372 attempted passes (60.5 percent) for 2350 yards, 18 TDs and 12 ints. Project that over an entire sixteen game season and he would have completed approximately 343 out of 567 attempted passes for 3581 yards, 27 TDs and 18 ints. That would've ranked him right around the fourteenth best QB for the season in standard scoring formats. Not too bad for a supposedly busted QB in a run-heavy offense. Morgan will be entering his third year with the 49ers and Crabtree will have an entire offseason and preseason to learn the plays and develop rapport. Put it all together and
Smith could be the best QB2 next season.
~~When Chad Pennington messed up his shoulder...yet again...in week 3, Henne's destiny as the future starting QB of the Dolphins franchise came to fruition much sooner than expected. He started off pretty slow, throwing for under 200 yards in five out of his first eight full games as a starter (not counting week 3 when he replaced the injured Pennington) and throwing only 7 TDs to 6 ints during that span. In week 13, he suddenly put his big-game potential on display against the Patriots, completing 29 out of 52 pass attempts for 335 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 int. He also threw for well over 300 yards in weeks 15 and 16. In that final five game stretch, from week 13 through week 17, Henne had those three games over 300 yards along with 5 TDs and 7 ints (his high interception count is simply part of the learning curve of an inexperienced starting QB). Those stats are not too shabby with Davone Bess as the best receiving option. Henne doesn't have either a go-to WR or a reliable big-play WR. If the Dolphins address their need for a stud WR, maybe by drafting Dez Bryant or trading for Anquan Boldin, Henne could blow up the stat sheet on a regular basis. If the Dolphins do not address the WR position with a big-play WR, Henne may not be worth drafting, but certainly watch him closely early next season.
Jason Campbell
~~I've never liked this guy, from a fantasy perspective. He has always been relatively unreliable and inconsistent. On top of all that, he has always had a decent amount of unwarranted hype surrounding him. Flying just under the radar, Campbell actually put together a very solid season, posting career highs in all the passing categories (even ints, though 15 isn't terrible). He had a mundane stretch from the start of the season through week 11, posting notable stats only during week 3 at Detroit and week 7 against the Eagles. However, starting in week 12 at Philadelphia, he got on a small hot streak posting over 220 yards and multiple TDs in four of his final six games. His biggest performance came against the Saints in week 13 when he dropped 367 yards, 3 TDs and 1 int on the Superbowl Champs. The Redskins new head coach, Mike Shannahan, has recently met with Campbell and gave him what is reported to be a generally positive review, although nobody knows exactly what was discussed. Campbell is scheduled to be a restricted free agent, but it's safe to say no team will pay a first and third round draft pick to acquire him. The scenario to play close attention to will be if Shannahan drafts a QB, maybe Sam Bradford or Jimmy Clausen with the fourth overall pick, to either give Campbell some competition or spell his end in Washington. Either way, Campbell performed well enough to be a solid QB2 this next season, especially with both Devin Thomas and Malcom Kelly entering their third years, and Chris Cooley returning from his injury.
Matt Moore
~~He is a perfect example of taking advantage of opportunity. Jake Delhomme broke his finger in his throwing hand during the week 12 game against the Jets. For Moore, the biggest door of opportunity in his life swung wide open, once it was apparent Delhomme wouldn't be playing week 13 and beyond. Delhomme was starting to become very infamous for his massive turnover games, so his broken finger ended up being a blessing in disguise for the Panthers. After 18 ints and 3 lost fumbles through eleven games, fans were clamoring for a change. What they ended up receiving was a huge change in the turnover category. Through the five games Moore started, he only had 1 turnover (via int) to his 8 TDs. The biggest kick in the huevos to the Panthers organization is the enormous contract they signed Delhomme to, prior to the season ($42.5 million through 2014). Including the rest of his signing bonus, Delhomme is slated to make close to $12 million for the 2010 season alone. It would seem like a perfect scenario to cut him, but there are no guarantees that Moore can produce over an entire season. The most likely scenario is that Delhomme will be retained and a healthy competition should ensue between the two QBs throughout training camp and the preseason. If having no turnovers through the last four games of the season, and brilliantly conducting two 3 TD, 0 int games in weeks 15 and 16 show any indication of the starting QB for this next season, Moore will be the man.
Early Doucet
~~Buried as the fifth WR on the Cardinals roster behind Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Steve Breaston, and even Jerheme Urban throughout the season, Doucet has had a difficult time getting on the field. Doucet seems to essentially be the heir-apparent to Boldin, having a similar size and skill set, but being considered more of a burner than a tough guy. Boldin has been on the outs in Arizona for what seems like a decade, and in this, the final year of his contract, seems like a perfect opportunity for a trade to take place for the Cardinals. The rumors have already been swirling about the Dolphins and Ravens having interest in Boldin. In this, his second year, Doucet was standing on the sidelines for the most part trying to learn the plays, formations, etc to get himself on the field and relegate Urban, who I have come to know as "the average white guy." Doucet's hard work finally paid off when Boldin essentially sprained his entire left leg in week 17, opening the "opportunity door" for Doucet. The injury caused Boldin to be held out of the Cardinals' two playoff games against the Packers and the Saints'. Doucet showed what he is capable of by posting 6 receptions for 77 yards and 2 TDs against the Packers and 8 receptions for 68 yards against the Saints. Kurt Warner's departure causes the value of all the Cardinals' receiving options to dwindle a bit, but if Boldin gets traded, Doucet still gets a boost in value. Given the Boldin trade scenario, Doucet will probably still be the third option behind Breaston, but he will still be worth a look in the final rounds of your draft.
Brandon Gibson
~~He will certainly stay on the free agent market of your leagues after your fantasy drafts conclude. He didn't even make much of an impact with his fantasy numbers during the second half of the season when he was on the field. But consider this--he is a rookie, known mainly in dynasty circles, who had an average college career on a bad team (Washington State)...I emphasize bad team...was drafted in the sixth round by the Eagles, then traded to the Rams before week 7, had very limited time to learn the new playbook and acquire timing with first Marc Bulger then Kyle Boller (both awful QBs), and finally saw the field after Keenan Burton got injured, putting up 7 catches for 93 yards in the first action of his career in week 10. After that week he also posted one 6 reception game and two 5 reception games, scoring a TD in one of them. At the start of the season, Donnie Avery had all the hype surrounding him as the go-to-guy, only to continue to disappoint throughout the season, and Laurent Robinson stepped up immediately in week 1 showing his reliability and play-making abilities by outperforming all other Rams receivers, only to break his leg in week 3 and be put on IR. The Rams played the rest of the season with a collection of young "no-name" receivers, but considering how futile the offense was and how bad the QB situation was, Gibson was still able to emerge and post very nice reception totals from that mess. This next season, Robinson and Avery should continue to be the top two WRs, but Gibson has done enough as a rookie to become the third option in this offense with his spectacular hands and quick learning ability. The Rams will more than likely have a new QB under center, but he can't be any worse than what Gibson worked with this season. Don't forget about him when you scan the waiver wire throughout this next season.
The final installment of these Postseason Exercises will attempt to keep players who have been injured for most of the 2009 season fresh in your memory going into your upcoming drafts.
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