2009 Fantasy Football Breakout Players

By Breakout Players I don’t mean sleepers, but veterans who are known quantities in the the fantasy football world that may see a significant increase in their stats for the upcoming season. These breakout candidates can catapult your team to the playoffs. Randy Moss and Tom Brady in 2007 are the most prominent examples. Thomas Jones and Kurt Warner are perfect examples from 2008. I may reach a round earlier than ADP for a breakout player just to be sure that to roster them. In this section I’ll be highlighting the guys I’m banking on to break out this fantasy football season.

I’m working on my 2009 TE rankings and Brent Celek is really starting to grow on me. Celek served as McNabb’s safety valve in the playoffs, when it mattered most. In three Playoff games he posted 19 receptions, 151 yards, and 3 TDs. That’s incredible production from a non-top 5 TE. He did this with fellow receiving TE L.J. Smith sharing time on the field. Now that L.J. is shipped off to Baltimore it’s officially the Brent Celek era in Philly.

So what should we expect from Celek in 2009? Nothing like what he did in the playoffs – McNabb spreads the ball around way too much for that. Westbrook, Jackson, Curtis, and even Brown will get their looks. Philly will continue to pass a ton, though, and Celek could average 6-7 looks per game. That’s enough to land him in the top 10 on my fantasy TEs rankings. I’ve got him bunched in with Owen Daniels, Greg Olsen, and John Carlson. He’s ranked just ahead of them though because he’s got the upside.