On the one hand, I can happily blame the lack of success of some of my 2014 sleeper picks on injuries and other unforeseen factors. On the other, this list still looks ugly compared to my bust calls, all of which I essentially nailed and will be grading later. So, without further delay, let’s do some grading.
QB
E.J. Manuel – Grade: F
Benched but should have been playing by season’s end over the struggling Orton, in my opinion. The final game he played he saw at least 4 of his first 8 passes flat-out dropped by his receivers. Don’t be surprised if Manuel is named the starter going into next season and ends up a top 20 fantasy QB. His scrambling ability will give him an edge over some other QBs if he gets the opportunity.
Jake Locker – Injured
Too bad for Locker that he just can’t stay healthy. Like many, I like what I see in him at times but it’s hard to believe he’ll be able to start and stick in there for a full season. He’ll be playing for another team in all likelihood next season but will probably be holding a clipboard most of the way. Good luck to him and here’s hoping for better times in his future.
RB
Ray Rice – DNP
We all know the story. Ignoring that, I’ll defend the pick of the Ravens RB as a sleeper since Justin Forsett finished as a top 10 fantasy RB. Their problem in 2013 was clearly their offensive line and the hiring of Gary Kubiak was a fantastic change for this running game. No reason to think that changes next season unless Kubiak finds himself as a head coach again.
Chris Johnson – Grade: F
Finished 34th among RBs as two key factors hurt him most of the way: Chris Ivory’s health and the Jets’ atrocious QB play. Stunningly, Ivory made it through the season, something few expected, I would assume, given his history. And the QB play was simply awful and led to the Jets playing from behind in a lot of contests. Still looked good at various times throughout the season but a RB committee on a bad team is rarely going to be a good thing for fantasy purposes. Maybe next year…
WR
Keenan Allen – Injured Late – Grade: F
Started to come on a bit in the second half of the season and amazingly still finished in the top 50 despite missing the final two and really 3 games of the season. Had he scored 10 points in each of the final 2, he would have cracked the top 30 WRs. The Chargers offense just became rather erratic this season and guessing who was going to be the fantasy stud each week became a headache. I still like Allen and think he was underused this season but we’ll have to see how he is when he returns next season hopefully fully healthy. The guy is too capable of making great plays to get the limited targets he got this season.
Jeremy Maclin – Grade: A+++
Tapered off a bit only scoring 2 of his 10 TDs in the final 8 weeks of the season but still finished as the 9th best WR in fantasy standard scoring. Not a bad value for a guy typically projected well outside of the top 20 WRs coming into the season. As I stated in my projections, I thought he was going to be a better receiver than DeSean Jackson in Chip Kelly’s offense and that was true (although only very slightly). Good for him that he stayed healthy. The question about that now is: can he stay on the field two season in a row?
Marques Colston – Grade: F
Finished the season pretty strong but, as his owners know, there were some brutal parts in the beginning and middle that were hardly bearable. Did look healthier than he was last season but it’s hard to imagine at this moment that he’ll return to the Saints and be a key fantasy factor over the likes of Cooks, Graham, and Stills (who I already kind of like as a sleeper next season). Colston will have to land in a dream situation to be considered a top 30 WR going into next season’s drafts.
TE
Garrett Graham and Ladarius Green – Grades: F
I don’t feel too bad about the Green pick since so many assumed he was going to take over for the seemingly ageless Gates this season and that obviously never happened. But the Graham result was just stunning to watch all season. The Texans just decided to never use the TE in the passing game and it will be hard to even consider the position again as long as the coaching stays the same. Graham didn’t play bad. He simply was never looked at. Raise your hand if you saw that one coming…
Def
Buffalo Bills – Grade: A+++++
Finished as the second best fantasy defense and was awesome this season. Jim Schwartz proved his prowess and showed why he got a head-coaching gig in the past. Have to rank this pick as my best sleeper but kind of disappointing that it’s a defense. Kind of wish I hit bigger on some other positions…
Last Minute Fantasy Football Pickup 