Eleven Fantasy Football Breakouts for 2011

Many 2010 fantasy football leagues were won by the guys with Arian Foster, Peyton Hillis and Michael Vick. I had one league where one owner landed all three! Yes, that owner took home the title (with relative ease). No, it wasn't me.

Teams with those players did an excellent job at analyzing the fantasy landscape for potential breakouts and nailing some of the best players of this past season. Now it's time to get a head start on the scouting for 2011 and see if we can turn up some more breakout players.

Sam Bradford, QB, STL
Last season's No. 1 overall pick came through for the Rams in a hurry, taking a one-win team to the brink of the playoffs in his first season. He excelled by any measure, completing 60 percent of his passes, sporting a TD:INT ratio over 1.0 and winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Now he'll get the chance to work with QB guru Josh McDaniels, who has been hired by St. Louis to fill the offensive coordinator role. McDaniels did wonders for Matt Cassel in 2008 and Kyle Orton in 2009, but Bradford's talent tops that of either quarterback.

If he picks up on McDaniels' system early -- and his immediate success in the league makes that possibility likely -- he could post top-10 QB numbers next season. Mark him down for 4,000 yards, 20 TDs and less than an interception per game in his second season.

Tim Tebow, QB, DEN
He'll need an off-season trade of Kyle Orton to live up to my absurdly-high ranking of him, but Tebow has crazy upside. Only Josh Freeman came close to Tebow's fantasy numbers in the last three weeks of the season, which also happened to be the first three starts of his career. He's nowhere near where he needs to be as a passer in the league, but his legs and his ability to get into the end zone severely limits his downside in any given week.

Plenty of NFL teams will be looking for help at the QB position, so it's highly likely Denver will be able to unload Orton for a nice package in a trade. If that happens, I like Tebow as a top-10 option next season, throwing for 3,200 yards and 15 TDs while rushing for 800 yards and another 10 TDs. Even with 20 interceptions thrown in, that would make the former Gator a top-10 guy.

Ryan Torain, RB, WAS
Torain has had a reputation for being brittle, a fair statement considering he's missed more games than he's played in his career. However, when he's been on the field, he's shown why Mike Shanahan has been so high on his talent. He rushed for 4.5 yards per carry in 2010 while posting three games with over 100 yards. His best performance came in Week 14, when he returned from injury to destroy the Buccaneers in the first half en route to a 172-yard day.

Unless the Redskins bring in a big-name back, Torain will get the opportunity to prove he can stay healthy and be a top back in fantasy football. Clinton Portis certainly doesn't pose a serious threat to Torain's playing time. If Shanahan forgoes adding a marquee back (which would be against his modus operandi anyway), I think Torain can top 1,200 yards and score 8-10 TDs.

Beanie Wells, RB, ARI
Talk about an underwhelming player. The former first-round pick came into the league with a lot of hype, but minor injuries as well as a timeshare with Tim Hightower have limited his effectiveness so far. In 2010, he didn't do much when he had the ball, rushing for just 3.4 yards per carry. A lot of the blame can be placed at the hands of the Cardinals' failings at the QB position, as teams had no trouble stopping the run when they didn't have to respect the pass.

Things could change in 2011. The Cardinals have the opportunity to add some talent at quarterback, as several prospects, free agents and backup QBs should be on the market. If the Cardinals can add someone with a respectable arm, Wells could find a lot more running room in 2011. He should find himself with the majority of carries next season, and if that total tops 200, he could have a quality fantasy season.

James Starks, RB, GB
The rookie out of the University of Buffalo played in just three games in the regular season, but that didn't stop the Super Bowl champions from leaning on him in the playoffs. He led all playoff backs in rushing yards while topping 20 carries in the Packers' second-round and third-round wins. He then picked up all the Green Bay carries in the Super Bowl, rushing for 52 yards on 11 attempts.

Since Starks has shown the ability to win crucial games as the lead back, it makes sense for the Packers to move on from Ryan Grant and his $5 million salary. He has a great chance at being the No. 1 RB in Green Bay next season, and with defenses sure to be intent on stopping Aaron Rodgers, he could see a very nice yards-per-carry average. If Grant gets traded or cut, Starks will shoot up 2011 cheat sheets.

Jerome Simpson, WR, CIN
Coming into December of 2010, Simpson had recorded just one catch in his three-year career. So what's he doing on this list? After tripling his career total by catching two balls in the Bengals' Week 15 game, Simpson exploded for 124 yards and two TDs on six receptions against the Chargers in Week 16. To follow up the performance, he notched 12 catches, 123 yards and a TD in Week 17 against the Ravens.

Terrell Owens isn't going to be back in Cincinnati, and there's a chance Chad Ochocinco will be gone as well. If the Bengals can talk Carson Palmer into staying, Simpson will be poised to take fantasy leagues by storm in 2011. I saw his auction price go through the roof in my dynasty league, so I know firsthand the buzz Simpson is already creating. I like him to top 1,000 yards and score 6-8 TDs in his first season as a starter.

Jordy Nelson, WR, GB
We discussed Nelson's teammate Starks a bit earlier, but now let's get to the real star of Super Bowl XLV. The Steelers defensive backs had no chance of stopping Nelson, as the receiver hauled in nine passes for 140 yards and a sweet TD for the first score of the game. He's shown flashes in the past, but this was the first time Nelson was relied upon to be the team's main target, and he delivered on the world's biggest stage.

James Jones has had a trouble with drops in his career, so even if the Packers bring him back they may be unwilling to make him a starter. Donald Driver is clearly on the downside of his career, and that leaves Super Bowl hero Nelson to step up and become a big part of the Packer passing game. Aaron Rodgers has shown a willingness to spread the ball around and hit the open target, and with defenses focusing on Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley in 2011, Nelson could be that open target much of the time.

Danario Alexander, WR, STL
Looking solely at his stats, you could say Alexander had a very pedestrian rookie season. He caught just 20 passes and only one touchdown. He didn't top 100 yards in any game. He missed time with injury, a problem that's dogged him throughout his football career. On the plus side, he had brief flashes where he showed the ability to be the Rams No. 1 receiver, and he seemed to have a great rapport with Sam Bradford. On the even better side, Josh McDaniels was hired to run the offense.

Could we have another Brandon Lloyd-type situation on our hands? Alexander will have to battle with Donnie Avery and potentially a free agent or two for playing time, but he has the size and potential to be a top receiver. Should he win a starting job, I think he has a shot at cracking 1,000 yards and scoring a handful of TDs.

Emmanuel Sanders, WR, PIT
As the 2010 season wore on, Sanders began to see the field more. As Pro Football Focus pointed out, he played about 70 percent of Pittsburgh's offensive snaps starting in Week 10. While it led to just 300 yards and two TDs, he's primed to receive even more playing time in 2011. Hines Ward is starting to fade, and that should lead to Sanders seeing a big uptick in targets next season.

It also helps that Sanders has an elite quarterback under center, and if he can establish himself as Ben Roethlisberger's second option in the offense, he could easily top Hines Ward's 755 yards and five TDs from 2010. In the two seasons prior to last year, Ward topped 1,000 yards in each while scoring a total of 13 TDs. That gives you an idea of the ceiling Sanders would possess as a starting receiver in Pittsburgh.

Jacoby Ford, WR, OAK
Ford may not look like much on the field or in the box score, but he's pound-for-pound one of the most exciting players in the league. It took till Week 7 for Oakland to make him a part of the offense; by Week 9, he was making highlight reels en route to a 148-yard game against Kansas City. He would go on to post another 100-yard effort a few weeks later and finish the season with 470 receiving yards and two receiving TDs.

He also showed versatility on the field, rushing for 155 yards and two TDs on ten carries (including a 71-yard scamper in Week 15) and returning three kicks for TDs. He'll have to fight for a starting role in 2011, but his explosiveness can't be questioned. Isn't that exactly what the Raiders' receiving corps has been missing? Count on Ford entering next season as a starter, and watch him top 1,000 combined yards while scoring TDs on the ground, through the air and on kickoffs.

Jimmy Graham, TE, NO
Graham drew a lot of buzz coming into the 2010 draft, and he earned even more fantasy buzz when the Saints selected him. An excellent receiver at the position, Graham had to battle Jeremy Shockey for playing time last season. By the end of the season, the rookie was seeing more targets than Shockey, and Graham parlayed the attention into four TDs in the last three games of the season. He finished with 356 yards and five TDs on 31 catches.

Shockey's $4.2 million salary should give the Saints good reason to part ways with the veteran and give the starting role to the cheaper, better Graham. As a receiving tight end in a passing offense, Graham has Dallas Clark-type upside. If chemistry continues to develop between Graham and Drew Brees, he could wind up a top-five fantasy tight end as early as 2011.