By NFL Fantasy Football Analyst: Russ Bliss

There is no shortage of potential 2009 fantasy football sleepers at the WR position. What I specifically look for in my sleeper WR’s are those guys who are drafted as bench depth as WR’s 3-6 on a fantasy team that have a real chance to outperform their draft position considerably and become regular fixtures in fantasy starting lineups. With that in mind, here are 5 of my favorites for 2009 fantasy football drafts.

1) Mark Bradley, Kansas City Chiefs. After toiling in Chicago for 4 seasons, Bradley was released by the Bears and finally got a chance to start for another team. In 8 starts for the Chiefs in 2008, Bradley caught 30 passes for 380 yards and 3 TD’s. Considering he was the 3rd or 4th option in the offense, along with being an in-season acquisition, and don’t forget the suspect play at QB, those stats are pretty remarkable. The new coaching staff has already anointed Bradley the starter opposite Dwayne Bowe in 2009 and the departure of TE Tony Gonzalez opens up more passes going to the WR’s. Given the new offensive system is very QB friendly, Bradley has a realistic chance to catch 70 or more passes for close to 1,000 yards and 6-8 TD’s in 2009. And it never hurts that it is a contract year for Bradley either.

2) Mark Clayton, Baltimore Ravens. Clayton has yet to live up to his first round draft status back in 2005, but he is entering his contract year in 2009. In 2008, Clayton averaged a whopping 17.0 yards per reception on 41 grabs with rookie QB Joe Flacco, proving he can be a deep threat. Flacco should be better in his second season and if Clayton can start catching more passes, there’s a high upside there. The concern with Clayton is his propensity for nagging injuries and currently he is struggling with a foot injury, but if he can stay healthy, and he should be motivated in a contract year, Clayton could finish 2009 higher on fantasy football rankings than he started it.

3) Mike Walker, Jacksonville Jaguars. With the departures of Reggie Williams, Matt Jones, and Jerry Porter, the starting spot opposite Torry Holt is Walker’s to lose. The Jags prefer Walker’s size to Dennis Northcutt and are really hoping he can finally shake off his injury plagued first 2 seasons and produce for them. I touted Walker as a potential dynasty league fantasy football WR sleeper back in his 2007 rookie write-up. Walker showed off his skills in 2008 with a 6 catch for 107 yards performance against Pittsburgh in week 5, but a sprained knee derailed any more potential big games. Coming out of college Walker had knee concerns and it has followed him into the NFL so far, but if he can stay healthy, there’s an excellent chance he turns into the top WR on Jacksonville in 2009.

4) Miles Austin, Dallas Cowboys. Entering his 4th NFL season, Austin is in a prime position to really turn heads in 2009. He’ll battle Patrick Crayton for the starting spot opposite Roy Williams, but the Cowboys would really prefer Crayton in the slot and have the bigger, speedier Austin on the outside. By midseason last year, Austin had passed up Crayton as the team’s #3 WR but a sprained knee cost him 3 weeks and Austin fell behind Crayton. Austin’s potential is one of the reasons the Cowboys felt they could cut ties with Terrell Owens.

5) Josh Morgan, San Francisco 49ers. Morgan showed flashes of big play ability as a rookie in 2008 and will battle for a starting spot in 2009. The 49ers have penciled in rookie Michael Crabtree as one starter, but opposite him it’s a battle between Morgan, Isaac Bruce, Brandon Jones, and Jason Hill. Bruce is an aging veteran and his best years are clearly behind him. Jones is injury prone and came over as a free agent from Tennessee but is more suited as a complimentary WR than a potential strong fantasy starter. Hill has big play ability, but has been inconsistent and also has had problems staying healthy. Expect Morgan to come out of preseason as a starter and while Crabtree will get a lot of the media, it will not surprise me at all if Morgan outperforms him in 2009.

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