1. Tavon Austin, Wide Receiver, St. Louis Rams
As the St. Louis Rams first round draft pick, Austin, did not pan out that well for the most part in 2013. The underperforming Austin, who averaged just slightly over 26 receiving yards per game, with only four season touchdowns, let his late-round fantasy drafters down as well.
However, just around the time most Austin owners were frustrated enough to drop him to the waivers, recall Week 10 of 2013, where Austin went nuts with 138 yards and two touchdowns, including a 98-yard punt return. If quarterback, Sam Bradford can remain healthy in 2014, Austin has the potential to develop into the No. 1 receiving threat for the Rams, making him a solid fantasy flex option with upside in 2014.
2. DeAndre Hopkins, Wide Receiver, Houston Texans
The 2013 rookie Hopkins is another example of a first round draft pick who really fought an uphill battle last year. It was surely not a pretty season for the whole Texans offense, who underperformed and took a huge nose dive in 2013 losing a ridiculous 14 games in a row. With complete quarterback chaos occurring in the Texans offense, Hopkins really never had the chance to offer much reward to his fantasy owners.
If the Texans can get their quarterback situation in check in 2014, Hopkins, who miraculously ended up with over 800 receiving yards, amongst the rotating quarterbacks, should be a viable fantasy option in 2014.
3. Montee Ball, Running Back, Denver Broncos
Ball, a second round draft pick, was a big name running out of the starting gate in fantasy drafts in 2013. While the rookie seemed to be the favored Denver running back to take on the lead duties, fantasy drafters who picked him earlier than they should have got cheated as Knowshon Moreno clearly made the lead role his own very early in the season.
2014 could bring to fantasy drafters who trust picking Ball, more of what they bargained for last year. Moreno is going out to test the free agency and if he departs Denver, Ball, who averaged 4.7 yards per carry in the minimal time he played, should emerge into a fantasy RB2 in no time at all.
4. Kenny Stills, Wide Receiver, New Orleans Saints
With the exception of a few dynamic weeks in 2013, the rookie Stills was a truly risky fantasy play, due to underperforming most of the season. In 2014, look for him to become more polished of a player at the hands of quarterback, Drew Brees. What we saw of Stills limited plays last year, was that his could really make some fantastic catches in crowded situations, and he was extremely speedy in escaping defenders. Watch for more explosive plays out of Stills in 2014 as Brees begins to trust him more. Stills may just be that fantasy stash you begin using more often than not in your 2014 lineup.
5. Andre Ellington, Running Back, Arizona Cardinals
Ellington, had his coach allowed him more field time instead of limiting his carries per game, would have been a solid RB2 in 2013. His numbers for his rookie season were impressive at 5.5 yards per carry and over 1,000 yards combined in both rushing and receiving. Ellington is too explosive of a player not to see more work in 2014, and hopefully we will see him take over the lead running back carries for the Cardinals. Fantasy drafters should expect higher fantasy points in return if they take a chance with Ellington in 2014.
6. Terrance Williams, Wide Receiver, Dallas Cowboys
Williams was a fantasy steal if you managed to acquire him mid-season in 2013 when he had some considerably spectacular plays while covering the WR2 duties of the always-injured Miles Austin.
When Austin returned, Williams’ targets began to fizzle out causing many fantasy owners to drop him to the waivers. From what the rookie Williams accomplished in 2013, he is by far a more effective wide receiver than Austin, who really can’t remain upright for more than a handful of games during any given season. Dallas will continue to be a heavy passing team, and with defenses set to contain Dez Bryant, don’t be surprised to see Williams shift into the opposite receiving slot and become a reliable WR2 for your 2014 fantasy team.
7. Kenbrell Thompkins, Wide Receiver, New England Patriots
We didn’t get to see much from Thompkins in 2013, but what we witnessed from the rookie at the beginning of the season was promising. Thompkins managed four receiving touchdowns in his first four weeks of play, and appeared to be a trustworthy target for quarterback, Tom Brady. Unfortunately, injuries and the return of tight end, Rob Gronkowski, diminished Thompkins' fantasy value later in the season.
The accident-prone Danny Amendola, if he remains with the Patriots, will inevitably miss time as well as Gronkowski in 2014. Additionally, Julian Edelman may depart as a free agent, giving Thompkins the opportunity pick up where he left off, showing us more of what we witnessed last year. Thompkins could easily earn a spot as a flex for your 2014 fantasy team.
8. Ace Sanders, Wide Receiver, Jacksonville Jaguars
The rookie Sanders really began to show us some effective plays outside of his kick returner role, starting around Week 11 in 2013. While the quarterback situation is not ideal by any means in Jacksonville, Sanders seemed to click with Chad Henne last year as he led the team in targets some weeks while the injured Cecil Shorts and suspended Justin Blackmon were away.
Sanders could certainly see a bigger role in the Jaguars offense in 2014, especially if Blackmon, who can’t stay away from mischief, misses time. Worth a later round pick, Sanders may be a sleeper you can count on as a flex player in 2014.
9. Mychal Rivera, Tight End, Oakland Raiders
Rivera is a fantasy “dark horse” player advancing into 2014. We all know the Raiders need improvement in so many areas, so hopefully, a new quarterback is among the Raiders’ priorities in 2014. If it is, Rivera, who showed off some powerful plays in 2013, could do a bit more damage as a fantasy tight end this year. Rivera ranked seventh among the 2013 rookies in receiving touchdowns with four for the year. While Rivera is not advisable to draft as your primary tight end in 2014, he shows the potential to develop into a TE2 during the 2014 fantasy season.
10. Khiry Robinson, Running Back, New Orleans Saints
Robinson, who was originally undrafted at the start of 2013, was basically a ghost in the Saints offense during the regular fantasy season. We did however, receive a sampling of the rookie’s explosive running back capabilities during the playoffs as he averaged 4.9 yards per carry postseason and even added in a rush touchdown against the not-so forgiving Seahawks defense during the divisional matchup.
The Saints running backs, with the exception of Mark Ingram, are not getting any younger. So as Robinson begins to mature, we should see more of his involvement in the Saints offense, making him a relevant fantasy option. Robinson is worth a late-round draft pick with the likelihood that he will evolve into a flex-worthy option for your 2014 fantasy team.