Keep an eye on these guys...

With your fantasy football draft now in your rear view mirror you are feeling elated or a little apprehensive about the upcoming season. Two stud running backs, a top tier quarterback, three receivers to fear, and a defense/kicker combo sure to give you an edge over the competion each week. With nearly 200 players taken in the draft only scrap heaps remain to upgrade your team. While this is true, now is the time to start building a list of players to keep an eye on as the season begins. This is a group of players flying under the radar who just might be able to contribute if the circumstances are right.

RB - At running back you want to consider who might falter due to injury or production issues and who might be there to capitalize should that occur. While injuries are nearly impossible to predict, production issues aren't. One player taken high in many drafts that just might falter is Ronnie Brown of the Dolphins. The second overall pick in the 2005 draft had a solid rookie season with over 1,000 yards in just 13 games even with Ricky Williams in town. With Ricky smoked out of Miami last season, most figured Brown would greatly improve on his rookie stats. But Brown actually took a step back with just 907 yards and 4 touchdowns, hardly the stuff of a late first, early second round FF draft pick. Brown looked less than impressive in the preseason averaging just 3.1 yards-per-carry on 27 attempts. Could the new coaching staff in Miami be ready for a switch?

Probably not, but a running-back-by-committee approach could be in the works and the player Brown could be splitting carries with? Try Jesse Chatman. Who? Chatman is second on the depth chart to Brown and had a strong preseason averaging 6.4 yards-per-carry while scoring two touchdowns, two more times than Brown. Chatman is a journeyman who has also spent time with the Chargers and Saints. In reality this says more about Brown than Chatman, FF owners beware.

I saw a number of owners draft Denver's Mike Bell this year. Bell burst onto the scene as a rookie last year in Denver with nearly 700 yards and 8 touchdowns while teaming up with Tatum Bell who had more than a 1,000 yards and is now with Detroit. But the Broncos signed Travis Henry who is an adept "one cut" back that fits Denver's running system perfectly. Many owners think that the Broncos always utilize a RBBC approach at running back. Guess they forgot about Clinton Portis and Terrell Davis. Regardless, word out of Denver is that rookie Selvin Young (Texas) has beaten out Bell anyway to be the backup. If you want to handcuff Henry, Young would be the better choice.

QB - Most owners didn't think of drafting a Chief's quarterback with Green off to Miami and Brodie Croyle as the heir apparent. Not so fast. Herm Edwards has named Damon Huard the starter after Croyle struggled big time in the preseason. Now if you are counting on Huard to win you a championship, good luck, but if you are looking for a backup who will most likely only play in your starters bye week Huard isn't a bad option. He doesn't make a lot of mistakes and who isn't impressed by his 11 touchdowns to just one interception a year ago when filling in for Green? His 98 QB rating is probably a lot higher than most of the other backup quarterbacks in your FF league put up a year ago.

WR - Everyone is now wondering who the next Anquan Boldin or Marques Colston will be. Rookie wide receivers aren't supposed to make a big impact, let alone unheralded ones. While Lions rookie Calvin Johnson has likely been drafted, a solid season from him wouldn't be unexpected. Then there are the guys like Mike Furrey who went from being the Rams safety to leading the NFC in receptions with the Lions. Who might be candidates at the receiver spot who could surprise this year?

With Eric Parker sidelined to start the season in San Diego, keep an eye on rookie Craig Davis out of LSU. He had a solid training camp and brings the kind of deep speed the Chargers have been missing the past few seasons. He showed his potential with a 40-yard touchdown grab in San Diego's final preseason game against the 49ers and could be a nice third wide receiver option this season.

Another rookie receiver to keep an eye on is Jacoby Jones from the Houston Texans. Jones didn't get much attention coming out of Lane (yes, I said Lane) heading to the NFL. Houston has a new quarterback, Matt Shaub, and a solid receiver in Andre Johnson looking for a nice compliment. Jones had an outstanding preseason with 11 receptions for 139 yards and two touchdowns.

K - Expect the Cowboys to have a solid offense this season with Tony Romo, TO, Terry Glenn, Julius Jones, and Marion Barber III. But what about the kicker? Well Martin Gramatica has been put on the IR and the winner of the kicking battle, by default, is rookie Nick Folk. Folk didn't miss a kick in the preseason and word of out Valley Ranch was he hardly ever missed a kick in practice either. So if you waited till the last round to draft a kicker and aren't happy after a week or two with their prodution check out how Folk is doing.

Even if you really like you FF team it is a good idea to have you eyes on a number of players to add throughout the season for depth purposes alone. If you can upgrade a starting spot, even better. Knowing who might be a surprise producer this year, watching the injury reports, and keeping aware of who other players are dropping (especially when bye weeks come into play) are the best ways to upgrade your team throughout the season.