Let's take a look at how free agency altered the Wide Receiver landscape in the fantasy football game. If you are looking to pick up some sleeper picks in the later rounds of your fantasy draft then some recent free agent moves may have helped you in your quest. One of the more interesting moves at the wide receiver position was Mike Sims-Walker going to the St. Louis Rams. Last year proved that QB Sam Bradford can play even without a ton of talent in his wide receiver core, and when he was healthy Sims-Walker was a legit fantasy wide receiver. Now I've never been a David Garrard fan so the fact that I'm going to say that Bradford is already a better passer than him should come as no surprise. If Sims-Walker can remain healthy, the connection between him and Sam Bradford could be worth a pick in the late rounds and Sims-Walker could even be a good 3rd receiver that could start with some favorable inner division matchups on your fantasy team. He is ranked as the #37 WR on NFL.com fantasy football so getting him late in the draft shouldn't be a problem and it will be a very good pickup.
It's kind of hard to call a rookie a sleeper pick but when the Atlanta Falcons selected WR Julio Jones 6th overall in the 1st round of this years draft, I knew they had big plans for him. Now he is playing behind the #2 WR on NFL.com fantasy rankings in WR Roddy White but I think that may be an advantage for him. With a quarterback like Matt Ryan throwing him the football he can still be a huge contributor to the offense. Even if he finds himself behind WR Harry Douglas on the depth chart (which I can't see happening) he can still catch a lot of passes out of the slot. With all of the double teams on Roddy White, Matt Ryan should find Jones early and often on game day. Believe it or not, at the time of this writing Julio Jones isn't even on the top 50 fantasy Receivers on NFL.com's rankings so you can get him for a steal in the final rounds of the draft and he could potentially be a starter on your fantasy team day 1.
This next pick really depends on what happens at QB for the Cincinnati Bengals. As of right now if Carson Palmer upholds his threat of retirement, then it looks like the job will go to either Bruce Gradkowski or rookie Andy Dalton. I think if they can trade for someone like Kyle Orton from Denver this could be a great pickup. Rookie WR AJ Green, taken #4 overall in this years draft is a big target at 6'4" 211 lbs. and is in position to be the teams #1 receiver. Green is currently listed as the #44 WR on NFL.com's fantasy rankings and could be a good pickup in the later rounds, especially if you play in a keeper league because this guy will be a beast when they solve the QB problem.
And last but certainly not least is WR Braylon Edwards. Inside sources are reporting that the Arizona Cardinals are really pushing to get Braylon Edwards to replace WR Steve Breaston who signed with the Chiefs in Free Agency. If this does happen then he would be a nice second target behind WR Larry Fitzgerald for newly signed gun-slinger QB Kevin Kolb. Much like Julio Jones he would be open more because of the double teams on Larry Fitzgerald. He is currently ranked as the #34 WR on NFL.com's fantasy rankings with no team so he will be a middle round pick, but he should still be a solid fantasy receiver this season.
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