The No Names – these are your practice squaders, your buried on the bench guys, your faded into obscurity washouts—essentially, the guys with the least chance of doing anything. They are here simply so that, like Arian Foster after he went undrafted, you at least know their names.
- Gartrell Johnson, RB, Atlanta Falcons (5-10, 219 ; age 24)
Johnson's name will remain in my mind solely because he is second all-time for total yards in a bowl game to Chris Johnson, having racked up 375 rushing and receiving yards as a senior in the '08 New Mexico Bowl. While he's done little (79 yards in two years) at the pro level and is buried behind two or three backs in Atlanta, he's still got potential if Michael Turner and Jason Snelling both incur injuries. He has the size to make his fantasy money between the tackles and the quick feet and burst to bounce runs outside for extra yards. Keep an eye on him until he develops or disappears.
- Jeremiah Johnson, RB, Denver Broncos (5-8, 209 ; age 24)
If you read my all-important sleepers lesson in part one of this series, you had to know Johnson would find his way into a category. My rule of thumb is once you identify a potential sleeper you don't give up on him until he completely disappears for at least two seasons (as in not in the league or attempting to return). All that said, this actually could be Johnson's year to contribute. John Fox's arrival to Denver means that Knowshon Moreno will not get all the carries. It also means that the Broncos will employ the same zone-blocking attack that made Johnson a good fit in Houston. With Correll Buckhalter aging, perhaps JJ can steal some carries and show off his Steve Slaton Lite skill set…perhaps.
- Dezmon Briscoe, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2, 207 ; age 21)
Briscoe was a highly productive receiver at Kansas but was only a 6th round pick by the Bengals in the '10 draft. He was then cut by Cinci due to strong depth at WR and claimed off waivers by the Bucs. Coming into the draft his stock took hits because he ran a very pedestrian 4.67 40 time and his maturity was questioned. But with Tampa he showed some nice promise at the end of the season with a 4-catch, 65-yard game that included a beautiful TD grab. With his size and excellent hands, he could easily work his way into the line-up and has potential to be the third WR in Tampa and a productive possession receiver. Watch him closely during the preseason.
- Taylor Price, WR, New England Patriots, (6-1, 212 ; age 23)
Price was inactive for virtually all of his rookie season in 2010, but without a true number one receiver currently on the Pats' roster, he has a shot to emerge as a second year player. With good size and 4.4-speed, he could be a strong deep threat option to play across from Brandon Tate or Deion Branch. And just like with offenses in Indianapolis and Green Bay, all the receivers in New England need to be watched because Tom Brady can make anyone look good. See if Price can climb into the rotation in the preseason because he could make a strong bye week replacement.
- Kahlil Bell, RB, Chicago Bears (6-0, 219 ; age 24)
Chester Taylor will turn 32 in September and was flat out ineffective last season. While Bell didn't see any game action in '10, he did prove in 2009 that he can run the ball with some gusto, averaging 5.5 yards per on 40 carries. He doesn't have blazing speed or tremendous size, but he runs with decisiveness and a low pad level, allowing him to break through arm tackles. If Taylor goes down with injury, Bell could become the only backup to Matt Forte. The promise he showed in '09 could be seen again if that opportunity arises.
- Andy Fantuz, WR, Chicago Bears (6-4, 221 ; age 27)
The Bears neglected to draft a wide receiver, despite many analysts' cries for them to get Jay Cutler a true number one target, ideally someone with some size. Instead of drafting a big receiver though Chicago went out and hunted one down, signing Fantuz as a free agent out of the CFL. The former Saskatchewan Roughrider brings his 6-foot-4 frame to a Mike Martz offense that is loaded with mostly diminutive burners and is likely to lose the 6-2 Devin Aromashodu to free agency. Though it's unlikely he'll overtake Johnny Knox as the Bears top receiver, Fantuz could become their best redzone target. After racking up nearly 1,400 yards last year in Canada follow this hulking hoser to see how his game translates in the NFL.
- Tyrell Sutton, RB, Carolina Panthers (5-8, 213 ; age 24)
With such a small sample size (25 attempts), it's hard to really get an idea of what Sutton can do in this league, but having averaged 5.6 yards a carry thus far begs that there could be more to come from this tiny package. Despite having very mediocre speed (nearly 4.7!) and not much size to brag about, Sutton manages to pick up yards in chunks because he treats every run like it will be his last, fighting and juking and scrapping for every inch. Assuming DeAngelo Williams parts ways with Carolina, Sutton is next in line for third down work if Mike Goodson were to get hurt. If we get to see what this hungry runner can do with more field time I doubt he will disappoint.
- Lonyae Miller, RB, Dallas Cowboys (5-11, 220 ; age 23)
If only he weren't wearing that star on his helmet, this big speed back could have a real shot at becoming a star. For now he's a great wait-and-see prospect. Miller has made a career problem of getting into backfields with too much talent. The upside of that is that he has very little wear on his 23-year-old body. At Fresno State he had the misfortune of playing alongside Ryan Mathews and now he finds himself backing up the likes of Felix Jones, Tashard Choice and DeMarco Murray. If he can get out of Dallas he may get a chance to showcase the excellent size and 4.4-speed that allowed him to put up over 800 yards and 7 scores on nearly seven yards a carry as a junior at Fresno State. If he's stuck in big D this will only be his year with a mass of injuries to the other RB's. Either way he must be watched closely for his upside.
- Maurice Stovall, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-4, 217 ; age 26)
Though he has been in the league for five seasons and has only posted a measly 660 yards and three TD's, Stovall is worth keeping an eye on, if for nothing else, than because he is a big target with good speed and overall athleticism. He has struggled through his career to stay healthy and as a result has not been able to stick as a regular in the Bucs' receiving rotation. With quite a few talented young wideouts, Stovall will likely be let go in free agency. If he can land with a team needing to add size on the outside, he may finally realize the potential that comes with his natural attributes.
- Jay Finley, RB, Cincinnati Bengals (5-11, 203 ; age 23)
Though he fell to the seventh round in this year's draft, Finley has a chance to produce as a rookie because he enters a potentially favorable situation in Cincinnati. Even if the Bengals were to bring back Cedric Benson to a team making a youth movement, he is beginning to break down at this stage of his career. With no other back on the roster that can truly handle the load of a feature back, Finley could be in line to compete for a committee role. As a senior at Baylor he showed enough speed, running strength and wiggle to garner some carries in a time share. Pay attention to this situation because a Bensonless attack means a sleeper will likely emerge.
- Adrian Arrington, WR, New Orleans Saints (6-3, 195 ; age 25)
Arrington's length and strong hands have shown up in flashes during his three preseasons with the Saints. But each year he has found himself buried on the depth chart of a strong receiving corps and/or banged up with injuries. If New Orleans parts with free agent Lance Moore and incurs some injuries to other wideouts, Arrington could finally get his turn to shine. His lone appearance during the regular season came in the final week of 2010 and he turned in a 7-catch, 77-yard game. Perhaps those numbers are just the start of a promising career as a possession receiver. In the pass-happy Saints offense that could translate to a ton of catches and some serious yardage.
- Freddie Barnes, WR, Free Agent (6-0, 210 ; age 24)
Some guys are worth watching because of one statistic that jumps off the paper, one thing that says this guy is a supreme athlete or football player. Barnes is one of those guys. Though he never made it past the Bears' practice squad as an undrafted free agent in 2010, and he has already been released by the team, Barnes warrants fantasy attention because of one single number—155. The number stands as the most receptions in a single season in NCAA history. He racked that total up as a senior at Bowling Green while also netting nearly 1,800 yards and 19 scores over their 13-game season. He may not be the best athlete. He may not have been NFL-ready last year. But that number says he is a football player, a talent worth watching until he is gone for good or here to stay.
- Chad Jackson, WR, Free Agent (6-1, 205 ; age 26)
Despite only catching 13 passes as a rookie while battling hamstring and groin injuries, Jackson managed to display his playmaking skills, turning three of those catches into scores. Unfortunately, that was nearly five years ago. He has done basically nothing since except toil on a couple other rosters before getting cut by the Bills after the 2010 preseason. Nevertheless, Jackson is still only 26 and possesses good size and 4.3-speed. His hands and route running may not be strong enough to land him a spot on an active roster, but he warrants watching until he disappears altogether. After all, the Patriots thought it wise to make him a second round pick. They must have seen something more than just speed. Right?
- DeAndre Brown, WR, Undrafted Free Agent (6-6, 239 ; age 21)
Maturity is his major issue. He ended up undrafted out of Southern Mississippi because teams worried about his diminishing statistics but even more so the questions about his character. He is a physical freak with great size and solid (4.5-ish) speed and he made a big splash as a freshman. But things have gone downhill for this monster and it remains to be seen if he can turn it around. Nevertheless, his size can't be coached and he will likely get picked up quickly by a team in need of redzone help. If he lands in the right offense with a veteran QB and mature receivers perhaps they can get him to reach his physical potential.
- Mario Fannin, RB, Undrafted Free Agent (5-11, 228 ; age 23)
The big red flag on Fannin is that he was never able to establish himself as the lead back at Auburn despite being a freakish athlete. Hence why he went undrafted. But consider this: he spent his entire Tigers career until last season competing with Ben Tate for carries. And last year he had to fight with freshman stud Michael Dyer as well as a certain Heisman dual-threat QB for the rushing duties. Taking a closer look you'll see he can catch well out of the backfield (97 career receptions), proved he can pick up yards when given the carries (career 5.9 yards per attempt) and he doesn't have much wear on his bones. Add that to his big, chiseled frame and sub-4.4 speed and that equals someone worth watching.