High-upside fantasy football wide receivers

The final fantasy football drafts of the preseason are going down in the next couple of days. Now is the time to take some chances.

Jacoby Jones ready to break out

Winning in fantasy football leagues is never an easy task. You need to be informed, you need to have a strong draft and having lady luck on your side never hurts. You also need to target players late in your draft -- call them deep sleepers, if you will -- that have the potential to far exceed potential.

A year ago, had you drafted quarterback Michael Vick, running back LeGarrette Blount, and wide receiver Stevie Johnson in the final rounds of your draft, you probably would had a successful fantasy season. All three players were high-upside options, yet all three options were very low risk based off of where you could have selected them in your fantasy football draft.

Which wide receivers should you take late-round fliers on in 2011? The following list of players has low average draft positions and should strongly be considered for back-end spots on your fantasy roster -- I'm talking No. 5, No. 6, No. 7 receiver types.

Keep in mind ADP is by no means gospel and every league is different. These players are, however, typically available late in drafts. Snagging them there provides little risk, yet plenty of boom.

Nate Burleson, Detroit Lions - ADP: 114
Burleson won't be available as late as some other receivers on this list and I do see him drafted often - in fact, he has been going higher and higher in recent drafts. Regardless, I'm all in on him right now. The Detroit offense has the potential to be special this year if quarterback Matthew Stafford can stay healthy. He and Burleson appear to have a good rapport, and playing opposite of Calvin Johnson will lead to plenty of single coverage. Burleson, when healthy, has posted very solid numbers during his career. With the Detroit secondary still atrocious, there will be many games they need to win via shootout.

Danny Amendola, St. Louis Rams - ADP: 125
Throw an asterisk on Amendola, as I'm probably not taking him unless it is a PPR-style scoring system. Despite catching 85 passes a year ago, he only scored three times and his 8.1 yards per catch doesn't present much big-play potential. The Rams have a new, pass-happy style offense but also have a lot of receivers in the mix. Amendola, however, is a steady option for weekly PPR points if you invested heavily in running backs during the early rounds of your draft.

Lee Evans, Baltimore Ravens - ADP: 175
Evans has been a one-trick pony much of his career, but the good thing here is his one trick (catching the deep ball) is exactly what the Ravens have lacked offensively. His numbers in Buffalo regressed each of the last two years, but I blame that more on the offense than Evans. In Baltimore, he'll play the second fiddle to Anquan Boldin and Evans has seemed to build a decent rapport with quarterback Joe Flacco during the preseason. He won't catch 70 passes anytime soon, but he should be good for at least 50 and I wouldn't be shocked to see him score close to eight touchdowns.

Jacoby Jones, Houston Texans - ADP: 204
I have a strong history of jumping on wide receivers a year too early. I was all over Jones a year ago, and I still love almost everything about him. He is a talented, big-play receiver on a high-octane offense. He makes some mental mistakes from time to time and is still competing with Kevin Walter for playing time, but Jones is the superior athlete and a new contract could help push him onto the field more. With Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels pulling a lot of defensive attention, Jones could excel against single coverage. I love him as a fifth or sixth receiver, and you can pluck him incredibly late in league drafts. The sky is the limit if the playing time is there.

Denarius Moore, Oakland Raiders - ADP: 207
The Raiders have craved talent at the receiver position for a number of years now, and Moore was the talk of the town during training camp. He catches almost everything thrown his direction, has good body balance and has made quite a few acrobatic catches. However, the reality is this is the Raiders' offense and a rookie receiver we're talking about. Inconsistency will be likely, but Moore will be given an opportunity to make his mark immediately. I have no problem taking a chance on a young, raw talent with a world of upside.

Harry Douglas, Atlanta Falcons - ADP: 208
Douglas is a player not on the radar of many, and rightfully so. The Falcons committed a lot to land rookie receiver Julio Jones, have a stud in Roddy White and a very solid tight end in Tony Gonzalez. Those three big-name players will help Douglas succeed this year. With defenses focused on them, Douglas, who has a nose for finding holes in the defense schemes, could excel.

Brandon Gibson, St. Louis Rams - ADP: 210
Gibson has some solid range, and deceiving speed. The Rams' offense with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels at the helm will use every inch of the field possible while looking for big plays down field. Gibson has the talent to provide those plays, but he needs opportunities. He's jockeying with many other receivers in St. Louis for a roster spot and playing time, so this one could go either direction. As a final-round flier, you could do a lot worse.

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