RADIO
As fantasy football draft season heats up and enters full stride, RotoBaller will be bringing all sorts of high quality analysis and sleepers to target in your drafts. These are four solid wide receiver sleepers for your 2014 fantasy football drafts.
Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles
A top 25 WR entering the 2013 season, Maclin tore his ACL (along with the hearts of many fantasy owners) during training camp, and his season was all but done. If you look at his numbers from 2010 to 2012, Maclin caught 22 touchdowns, had eight games with at least 100 or more receiving yards, and totaled 2,680 yards overall. With the departure of Desean Jackson to Washington, Maclin is in line to be the team’s #1 receiving option in Chip Kelly’s high-octane offensive attack. Looking at his current ADP (78), Maclin is a prime example of what a low risk and high reward player is all about. There’s too much to gain, and so little to lose by drafting him at that slot.
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Justin Hunter, Tennessee Titans
For all the praise Kendall Wright is receiving for his performance last year, not enough people are talking about Justin Hunter’s potential. Besides the fact that he had twice as many touchdowns as Wright did, besides the fact that his playing time was minimized thanks to the former coaching regime, one key aspect that points the arrow up for Hunter in 2014 is the arrival of Ken Whisenhunt. All one has to do is take a look at what Whisenhunt was able to do with Kennan Allen last season. He has a knack for getting big receivers heavily involved in his game plan. Hunter's ADP is currently 160 which puts him at the end of most standard drafts, and he has a lot of nice upside at that price.
Terrance Williams, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys are expecting second-year receiver Terrance Williams to play at a high level this year; and why shouldn’t they after what he showed during his rookie campaign (44 receptions for 736 yards and five touchdowns). Williams will start this upcoming season opposite to Dez Bryant, and he should benefit a lot from the heavy coverage that Bryant is sure to see.
If that isn’t enticing enough, he plays for the Dallas Cowboys who project to have one of the most pass-happy offenses in the NFL in 2014. On top of that, the Cowboys defense will very likely be terrible in 2014, leading to many games where Romo will be throwing from behind. Williams current ADP is 96 which makes him a WR3/4 in most leagues, but he has the chance to produce as a solid WR2 if he reaches his potential. The Cowboys didn’t even flinch after releasing Miles Austin because they truly believe Terrance Williams will have a breakout season-- and so do I.
DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans
There is nowhere for the Texan’s offense to go but up, and Hopkins is poised to be a big part of it. Whether or not Andre Johnson is a Texan come Week 1, Hopkins usage is going to ramp up in 2014. Considering all the QB issues the team endured last season, Hopkins still managed to put up a decent line of 52-802-2.
People are quick to forget that just two seasons ago, Hopkins was the #1 receiver in a Clemson offense that featured Sammy Watkins. The potential is there and now it’s just time to execute. Hopkins ADP sits at 137 right now, which makes him a WR4/5 in standard leagues - he can certainly put up WR3 value by the end of the season.
