Fantasy Sleepers: Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

Wide Receivers:

Anquan Boldin, San Francisco 49ers /Steve Smith, Baltimore Ravens

Both of these older WRs are lumped in and just not getting the respect they deserve. In his 12 year career, Anquan Boldin has never finished worse than the 35^th ranked WR in PPR leagues and over the last two years has been the 15^th (2013,) and 18^th (2014,) ranked WR at season’s end. Even with the addition of Torrey Smith to the 49ers passing game, Boldin should be the number one option and continue catching a ton of passes. Steve Smith was 11^th among WRs in points last season in PPR and is obviously the #1 target for Baltimore again. Since he is 36 years old, he comes at a discount in fantasy leagues this season. Breshad Perriman isn’t ready to face opposing teams top CBs yet and Smith should be a consistent producer even at his age. Don’t be afraid to go old and get some bargains.

Marqise Lee, Jacksonville Jaguars:

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a young offense centered around 2^nd year QB Blake Bortles and rookie RB TJ Yeldon. Bortles has a bevy of weapons with most of the focus on 2^nd year WR Allen Robinson and TE standout Julius Thomas. The forgotten man in all this is the WR the Jaguars drafted higher than Allen Robinson in Marqise Lee. Lee was seeing increased targets toward the end of the season and has the talent to play on the outside or in the slot for the Jaguars. He can be had about 10 rounds after Allen Robinson in many drafts and could put up similar statlines between the 20s. A cheap end of the bench player with upside, Lee could have some 6-8 catch games this year.

Tight End:

Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings

Rudolph was a big breakout name for 2014 before injuries derailed his season. He has missed 16 games over the last 4 seasons and had foot, knee, and ankle issues over the last few seasons. We were never able to see the full potential of Teddy Bridgewater with a talented TE like Rudolph, and Bridgewater used the TE a lot with guys like Chase Ford and Rhett Ellison being relevant at times last year. Rudolph is coming cheap after the injuries and if he stays healthy, Rudolph could be both an outlet for Bridgewater and a red zone threat.

Virgil Green, Denver Broncos

One of great ways to decide on tight ends is get the guy who will have the elite QB. Tom Brady has made almost every TE he has had relevant. Drew Brees with Jimmy Graham was exceptional for fantasy, and Peyton Manning created a household name out of Julius Thomas. With Thomas moving on to Jacksonville, one would think Peyton Manning’s new TE should be able to put up solid fantasy numbers. Virgil Green was drafted the same year as Julius Thomas and has shown himself to be an elite blocking TE. He has the athletic ability to be a good receiver too, and he should finally be given the chance. Worth stashing him on the end of your roster and easily cutting him if he does not produce.

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