The fantasy football season is gearing up to start and one of the most important positions for owners is at wide receiver and that is especially true for PPR leagues and this season the position looks like it is shaping up to be deep, as DeAndre Hopkins, Chris Givens, Michael Floyd and Golden Tate as well as Kenbrell Thompkins are looking like prime pickups.
In PPR leagues the wide receiver is a premium position and that makes sleepers even more essential, especially past players like Brandon Marshall, Dez Bryant and Calvin Johnson, who are looked at as the best wideouts this season. Hopkins could be a fantastic surprise in fantasy, as the Texans have not yet had a wide receiver to compliment Andre Johnson, a former top five player and now they do and he is explosive.
Anyone who watched Hopkins in college knows he has the goods and with the Texans a solid running and passing team, he could have plenty of chances with Matt Schaub. Hopkins has explosive speed and while some owners were worried when he suffered a concussion in the preseason, he has been fully cleared to play on Monday night against the Chargers for week one. Arian Foster and Ben Tate give the team a nice rushing game and having Hopkins on the outside with Johnson is something the team has not had in years.
Texans coach Gary Kubiak is ready to give Hopkins a starting slot and he could put up some nice touchdown and yardage numbers this season. Hopkins is a fast and tough receiver and a first round talent and he should be able to sit as the number two receiver in Houston for years to come if he can be consistent on the field and in workouts. During his career at Clemson he had over 200 catches with 27 touchdowns and 3,009 yards and he also was an electric returner and he could be exactly what the Texans are looking for on offense.
Chris Givens is looking like a sleeper stud this season, especially with Sam Bradford developing. Givens will benefit from the departure of Danny Amendola as the number one option and with the team drafting speedy Tavon Austin to line up with him, he should be poised to make some big plays this season. Givens had a nose for the big play last season with a 16 yards per catch average and after catching 42 balls for 689 yards and three scores, he is primed for a big season with Bradford. The team also lost Brandon Gibson and is brining on a new tight end in Jared cook, making his familiarity with Bradford a bonus.
Michael Floyd is looking like another solid sleeper since he is playing alongside Larry Fitzgerald and now that Bruce Arians is there with Cardin Palmer, he will get his chances in the passing game. Floyd has good size and durability and he should be able to put up very good numbers as a deeper option in leagues for the Cardinals. Reuben Randle is considered top options especially if Hakeem Nicks can't stay healthy, as the Giants need a third receiver and he has the size for it. The G Men were 12th in the league in passing and they are expecting to be passing even more this year.
Golden Tate is another solid option for the Seahawks and so is Stephen Williams, as Percy Harvin will be out and both players will be expected to step up. The team has Russell Wilson as the QB and with Sidney Rice also banged up, Tate should have some nice scoring opportunities as the season goes on, as evidenced by his play against the Packers last season.
