Sleeper Watch

When you catch 101 passes for 1377 yards and score eight touchdowns as a rookie, you probably can’t be considered much of a sleeper in your sophomore season. Yet Anquan Boldin has fallen off a lot of radar screens following an August injury which caused him to miss the first seven weeks of the season. Now, the young receiver looks set to return either this week or the following Sunday, and fantasy owners should take note.

Boldin was the surprise Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2003 after ranking third in the NFL in both receptions and receiving yardage, trailing only Torry Holt and Randy Moss. The fact that Boldin put up such numbers on a team that ranked just 23rd in the league in passing (184.9 yards per game) and dead last in scoring (14.1 points/game) made his feat all the more impressive. This year, Boldin will benefit from the presence of talented rookie Larry Fitzgerald, forcing defenses to split their attention between two dangerous receiving threats.

If for some reason Boldin is still available in your league (thanks to a low number of bench slots, for instance), pick him up if you could use help at wide receiver. He might not be worth starting just yet, but once he has a game or two under his belt, expect him to become a valuable fantasy contributor again.

And if another owner already has Boldin stashed away on his roster, watch his progress closely. If he only starts off slowly in his first game or two, consider targeting him as a buy-low candidate.