Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Identifying a sleeper in fantasy football can be tough. On one hand, you want to pick somebody who’s not a known commodity, however, has the upside to surprise. Also, you are looking for a player that projects to have a much better season than they did the previous year. Instead of trying to identify your own sleepers we will take out the guess work for you in our 2010 Fantasy Football Sleeper Quarterbacks. At quarterback, you’ve got a good mix of young players on the upswing and veterans looking to bounce back. Remember, these guys are sleepers because they are not top-five or top-10 players at the position, so be sure you have a solid starter or a good safety net in place.

Chad Henne, QB, Miami Dolphins – The Miami Dolphins are known as a running team with backs Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, as well as the usage of their Wildcat offense. That won’t change this year, however, expect to see a little more balance. Chad Henne took over at quarterback last season when Chad Pennington suffered a season ending injury, and Henne played adequately. He threw for 2,878 yards with 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, which are decent numbers for a first-time starter. One of the reasons Henne is intriguing entering 2010 is the way he finished last season. He threw for 300-plus passing yards in three of the Dolphins last five games and he had five touchdown passes during that span.

Yet there is more to Henne than just playing well when called upon. His average yards per attempt continued to rise as the season went on, a sign that he became more comfortable with the offense and didn’t check down all the time. That’s a good sign of growth in a young quarterback. Also consider the Dolphins traded for receiver Brandon Marshall, who catches everything and have two young receivers in Brian Hartline and Davone Bess who should produce on the outside and in the slot. Henne also has a solid red zone tight end in Anthony Fasano. Factor in the pass-catching ability of Brown and Williams and Henne has many different options to throw the football to in Miami. Look for the third-year quarterback to be a consistent contributor in 2010 who is on the verge of being a QB1 in 2011.

Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions – As a rookie in 2009, Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was thrown into the fire immediately and he struggled. He started his career with five interceptions and just one touchdown in the first two games, threw five-interceptions in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and injuries forced Stafford to miss six games. However, at times Stafford showed incredible resolve behind a bad offensive line, including the game with the Cleveland Browns where he threw for five touchdowns, and 422 yards while leading the Lions to a come-from-behind win.

The thing about Stafford is, he’s got an incredible arm. He makes throws most NFL quarterbacks can’t, and he’s going to start making them more often. The Lions quietly had one of the best offseasons in the NFL, bringing in guard Rob Sims, wide receiver Nate Burleson, tight end Tony Scheffler and drafting dynamic running back Jahvid Best. Also, remember wide receiver Calvin Johnson is healthy now and tight end Brandon Pettigrew is more experienced. With maturation and his new supporting cast, Stafford is going to be great, and don’t be surprised if it starts in 2010.

Carson Palmer, QB, Cincinnati Bengals – Carson Palmer is not getting the attention he should be from fantasy football owners, and that’s mostly because they still expect him to go out and throw 30 or more touchdowns a year. The Cincinnati Bengals didn’t need Palmer to throw too much last year because their defense and running game carried them to an AFC North division title and the playoffs.Yet, Palmer still posted respectable numbers, throwing for 3,094 yards with 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Also, his completion percentage, quarterback rating and average yards per attempt were all higher in 2009 than they were in his limited 2008 appearances.

The Bengals are expected to be more balanced offensively this year than last. They return a young and improving line, and have one of the leagues top wide receiversChad Ochocino.However, the big news is the acquisitions they made this offseason to help out Palmer. Cincinnati drafted tight end Jermaine Gresham and wide receiver Jordan Shipley, signed veteran receivers Terrell Owens and Antonio Bryant (injured), and resigned veteran tight end Reggie Kelly. The addition of Owens could be the difference maker in Palmer’s success. He has developed an early rapport with the future Hall-of-Fame wide out and for the first time in years Palmer has a legitimate deep threat. Palmer is ranked No.15 in our 2010 Fantasy Football Draft Guide, but he’s has QB1 potential.

Mark Sanchez, QB, New York Jets – Similar to Stafford, Mark Sanchez of the New York Jets was thrown into the fire right away and struggled as a rookie. He had four touchdowns and just two interceptions in the first three games, then had eight interceptions and just one touchdown in the following three games. He ended up with 2,444 yards, 12 touchdowns and 20 interceptions, but as you can see Sanchez’s biggest problem is consistency. Some games he looked great and others he looked completely lost.

Most young quarterbacks need a year to let the speed of the game come to them, and as good as Sanchez is at dealing with pressure he is not excluded from that group. Sanchez has already looked more comfortable and confident in camp and preseason, and that’s a good sign. But the best thing to like about Sanchez is the team around him. Aside from a stellar offensive line, the Jets return Shonn Greene at running back, Braylon Edwards, Jerricho Cotchery and Brad Smith at receiver and emerging tight end Dustin Keller. Oh yeah, they also traded for wide receiver Santonio Holmes and signed running back LaDainian Tomlinson. These additions, along with the NFLs best offensive line, give Sanchez the opportunity to thrive in his second NFL season. As long he is more consistent, Sanchez will have a good year. Target him as a low-end QB2 late in your 12-team draft and if he produces you will reap the benefits.

Jason Campbell, QB, Oakland Raiders – So the Oakland Raiders have been a wasteland for quarterbacks ever since Rich Gannon left. Year after year Al Davis makes decisions that have to be questioned. This all changed in 2010 when Davis finally made a move that could pay off, as he traded for former Washington Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell. Campbell caught a lot of grief in Washington for never blossoming into a superstar, however, if you look at his numbers from the last three seasons and you’ll see that his quarterback rating, completion percentage and average yards per attempt are all trending upwards.

In Oakland, Campbell has a plethora of young and improving targets to throw to, such as receivers Darrius Heyward-Bey and Louis Murphy, as well as tight end Zach Miller. What is nice about this group is that all three pass catching option have the ability to make the big play. The question is the offense line. It’s been pretty bad the last few years and looks to be pretty mediocre again. If they can block long enough for Campbell to remain upright, he could continue to improve. If he takes a lot of sacks, as he did the last two years in Washington, it could be a different story. The truth is Campbell is an unknown because he is on the Raiders, however, the potential is there. Ranked No.23 in our Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets, Campbell has the ability to make it in the top 13-18 area and establish himself as a solid backup or spot starter if he continues his improvement.

 
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2010 SLEEPERS:  QB |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  |  DEF   (click to view)

2010 BUSTS:  QB  |  RB  |  WR |  TE  |  K  |  DEF   (click to view)

Cheat Sheet RANKINGS:  QB  |  RB |  WR |  TE |  K |  DEF

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