Andre Roberts - Fantasy Football Sleeper

So we have yet to come out with our top five sleeper wide receivers for the 2013-14 fantasy football season. When that list comes out, it is quite likely that Andre Roberts's name will make the cut. That's because Roberts is such a deep sleeper that TOO MANY will forget about him. Some will say that he's such a sleeper pick that he's "in a coma." However, I believe that YOU will want to be in a coma if you don't go after this guy, especially if you are in a PPR league.



Past success: Each of his last two years as an Arizona Cardinal, Andre Roberts has caught over 50 passes. Each of the past two years he has had over 100 targets. Most of those targets and catches have come from prolific passing machines like Ryan Lindley and John Skelton. Now he has a proven QB in Carson Palmer throwing him the ball.

Why Roberts is overlooked: People overlook Andre Roberts because of Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd ahead of him. It's true that Roberts got his looks ONLY because Fitz was being triple teamed and ONLY because Floyd had training camp issues and missed regular season games. Once Floyd got back in the saddle by the end of the year, Roberts took a back seat. Roberts had 50 catches in his first 11 games, and only 14 over the last five weeks once Floyd taken his spot as the #2 receiver.

This year, Floyd is projected as a breakout player as the #2 receiver. That means that Roberts is the #3 and only on the field in three-WR sets.

Why you pick Roberts: Again, now he has Carson Palmer throwing him the ball. Maybe even more important is the new coach: Bruce Arians. Maybe you remember a couple of other slot WRs who have succeeded in the Bruce Arians system: Antonio Brown and T.Y. Hilton. Both were far beyond the sleeper role with the Arians offense. They were closer to Sleeping Beauty roles, rarely drafted or even known. But both ended up their years as top 30 WRs as a slot guy.

With no-name QBs, Roberts was able to rack up over 100 targets, 50 catches, and 3 TDs on average over the past two years. I see another 50 reception season quite easily, probably over 60, approaching 700 yards and probably 4 TDs. The catches alone make him worthy of a pickup. That's 4 catches per game, and even in a half-point PPR league that's an extra two points per game that many WR3 will not be able to give you. And not to mention you're one injury (or suspension if you think of Floyd) away from Roberts being an every-down player again. Floyd might seem like the breakout player, but I see Roberts having the better year in the Cardinals system.