Back Page: Sleepers in the backfield

By Bob Harris, Special to SI.com

With the regular-season opener exactly two weeks away, it's time to break out with some sleeper recommendations to help you keep a step ahead of the competition when draft day rolls around.

The focus this week is on the backfield.

In order to qualify as a 2003 sleeper, the five quarterbacks and running back featured here had to be drafted in the second half of this year's 16-round SI.com Experts League draft.

Each player is listed with the pick used to select him (in parentheses) in order to give you a better feel of where each might be available in your draft.

Quarterbacks

Trent Green, Kansas City Chiefs (9.01): Green is coming off his best season as a pro and -- with a healthy Priest Holmes leading the way -- the Chiefs should be among the league's more explosive units this fall.

He heads into the third week of preseason play ranked second among all NFL signal callers in passing yardage with 271, has connected on 18 of 31 attempts with one TD and currently boasts a passer rating of 97.6. And he's reportedly looked very sharp during workouts this summer.

In an article published Aug. 11, Pro Football Weekly reported that Tony Gonzalez, among others, was praising Green for his passing display thus far in the preseason. The star tight end said that every ball Green throws is right where it needs to be. Green cited improved rapport with his receiving corps as a major factor.

Chad Pennington, New York Jets (9.05): Herman Edwards' emphasis on an improved vertical passing attack seems to contradict the basic premise of a true West Coast offense, which generally relies on a more controlled passing game. But the Jets' head coach believes throwing deep on occasion will be vital to his team's overall success this fall.

Problem is, that's not Pennington's strength. That may explain why the SI.com experts found 14 other NFL signal callers more attractive. As hard as Pennington may have worked on improving his timing with the receivers over the offseason, throwing the deep ball effectively starts with arm strength.

Nonetheless, it's hard to dismiss a guy who, in 13 starts (including the wild-card win against the Colts), posted 25 touchdowns and only four interceptions.

Brad Johnson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10.02): Never known for his durability, Johnson arguably moved into the ranks of the league's toughest signal callers last season. Sure, he missed some action, but he still played well enough through broken ribs, a back injury, a nasty gash above one eye, double vision and a variety of lesser bumps and bruises to keep an otherwise suspect offense afloat to win a Super Bowl title.

And you didn't have to be a veteran NFL scout to realize the Bucs scored only one touchdown in the three games Johnson missed.

It's also worth noting that the injury to Falcons quarterback Mike Vick isn't the only reason head coach Jon Gruden has kept his starting quarterback off the field for all but 22 plays this summer.

According to the Sports XChange, Johnson and the rest of the first team offense get the majority of reps in practice and are spectators in the games. That tactic isn't likely to change much over the next two weeks. The primary focus will be on preparing for the first three weeks of the regular season when they're slated to go up against three very tough defenses (Philadelphia, Carolina and Atlanta).

Jay Fiedler, Miami Dolphins (11.02): Although he has a 28-13 record since becoming Miami's starter, Fiedler has suffered serious injuries in two of the past three seasons, which is clearly a factor in his sleeper status.

But Fiedler, who began working out early in February, believes participating in a full offseason program will help him avoid the semi-annual physical setbacks he's now known for. As he explained it: "The past two years, it's been a shoulder injury or elbow tendinitis that kept me out of the weight room and from doing a lot of things to get myself in shape. I'm hoping this year I can do all the things to get me in the best shape that I've been in for the past five years."

Despite back spasms that bothered him early in camp, the former Dartmouth star has come on strong since. According to the Miami Herald, "Fiedler was exceptionally accurate throughout [Tuesday's] practice and was exceptionally smooth with his throwing motion, having perhaps his best day of training camp. ..."

Jon Kitna, Cincinnati Bengals (16.03): While Carson Palmer continues to impress in preseason action, head coach Marvin Lewis continues to deny he has any interest throwing the first-round draft pick into the regular-season fray anytime soon.

If that's indeed the case, Kitna -- in light of last year's strong finish, a talented young receiving corps and the fact that Lewis has given offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski the freedom to jump-start a vertical passing game -- could emerge as one this year's top fantasy steals.

Running Backs

Onterrio Smith, Minnesota Vikings (9.02): Head coach Mike Tice has made it perfectly clear that he's not comfortable going into this year's regular season opener against the Packers with Smith as his starting halfback.

"That won't happen," Tice explained "I won't go into Green Bay and start a rookie. That certainly won't be a possibility. I'm not saying he won't play more plays than the other guys in that game if he continues to improve, but I have a real hard time going into Green Bay, with Paul McCartney singing the national anthem or whatever, and starting a rookie in the backfield. I'm very uncomfortable with that."

But that hardly means the rookie will be relegated exclusively to patrolling the sidelines. With starter Michael Bennett out the picture until at least October, Smith still looks like the most promising prospect from among a group of leftovers that also includes Doug Chapman and Moe Williams.

In case you missed it, team officials gave Smith a first-round grade heading into the draft, rating him just ahead of Larry Johnson, the first running back selected, as the best back in the draft. "He's a guy with great hands, great speed -- he's a 4.5 guy, 4.51 -- and we're just excited to add him to the mix," Tice said at the time.

Bottom line? Nothing against Chapman or Williams, but Smith, a talented, intuitive runner with a compact build and a lot of upper body strength, is going to be very hard to keep off the field -- at least on first and second downs.

Kevin Faulk, New England Patriots (10.03): According to Boston Globe reporter Mark Blaudschun, head coach Bill Belichick says that the battle at running back between Antowain Smith and Kevin Faulk could turn into a committee approach if no one emerges.

"The running back situation is a good, competitive one," said Belichick. "I think Antowain and Kevin are good players, have good, solid strengths. I think both of those players are going to be productive for us. They have been in the past. How exactly it's going to work out, I don't know. I'm sure it will be decided on the field. We'll do what we think is best for the team."

But with Faulk getting a majority of first-team work early in camp -- with Smith relegated to working on a more situational basis -- things seem to be falling his way. Either way, Faulk is a much more explosive and dangerous threat than the plodding Smith -- something that hasn't been lost on Belichick.

"Kevin played well with the opportunities he had last year," the coach recently acknowledged. "You can't deny his production level last year as a runner, receiver and returner. That's why we're giving him some more opportunities to compete this year. He's worked hard on improving in areas like ball security and blitz pickup."

So far, so good. Smith's slow start along with Faulk's strong finish last season -- and minor injuries to Antwoine Womack and J.R. Redmond -- all seem to point toward an expanded role for the former LSU standout.

Tony Hollings, Houston Texans (14.08): Although I believe Stacey Mack has the starting job nailed down here, Hollings is definitely an interesting prospect capable of emerging as a wild-card threat.

Of course, it's been less than a year since he underwent reconstructive knee surgery (last Oct. 1), but Hollings was the NCAA's leading rusher with 633 yards at the time he tore his right ACL last season. Even though he's been bothered by inflammation at times early in camp, team officials have been surprised by his swift recovery.

The 5-10, 216-pound Hollings made his NFL debut in Houston's Aug. 15 preseason loss to Dallas, racking up 45 yards on 14 carries. It was a promising-but-unspectacular effort -- an effort Mack critiqued as follows:

"Tony definitely has talent and speed. But I tell him that everything won't be outside. You're going to have hit the holes some times. You have defensive ends who can chase you down outside in this league. Any crease you see, you have to hit it. Tony is a young guy and once he learns, by his second or third year, he's going to be an exciting back."

Second or third year? How about a little sooner?

I'm starting to believe the Houston Chronicle's Carlton Thompson got it right in an article published Aug. 15, when he wrote: "When healthy, Hollings will be difficult to keep off the field. The question is: Will he be 100 percent this year?"

Either way, Hollings is worth a risk if he's available this late in your draft.

Najeh Davenport, Green Bay Packers (15.11): After hitting the field for all 32 games in his first two seasons as a Packer, injury problems finally caught up with Ahman Green last year. A strained patella tendon, a concussion and a bruised kneecap combined to sideline the former Cornhusker for two full games and parts of three others.

Make no mistake about it: The effort to keep Green healthy this year will definitely benefit Davenport, who was described as a one-man wrecking crew during the first week of camp.

"When you're a serious running football team, with the kind of power schemes that we use, you need at least two guys sharing the load," running backs coach Sylvester Croom said. "I don't think Ahman's wearing out but I'm always worried about injuries to running backs."

Davenport had just 39 carries for 184 yards in his rookie season, including 32 for 157 yards in two games against the Lions when Green was hurt. His year ended in Week 10 with a fractured orbital bone.

A shade over 6-foot and just under 250 pounds, Davenport has put his days as a swingback behind him. He's a full-fledged running back now looking to become the next pile-driving big back in the league.

"I want him to make people afraid," Croom said. "I want to put fear into them. If he's hungry and plays with some attitude, ain't too many people who are going to deal with him. ..."

Except, that is, fantasy owners who believe Green's hard-running style makes it likely he'll once again be bothered by the kind of nagging injuries that slowed him last year.

LaBrandon Toefield, Jacksonville Jaguars (16.10): Given Fred Taylor's rather dubious injury history, Toefield heads into the 2003 season as an interesting "handcuff" prospect.

"Toefield looks like he belongs in this league," head coach Jack Del Rio said recently. "The kid runs with poise." He also got an approving nod from Taylor, who -- surprise, surprise -- has not practiced or played since sustaining a bone bruise in his left knee July 30. "I like what I see from Toefield," Taylor said.

Of course, Toefield's production will depend solely on Taylor's health -- or lack thereof.

Florida Times-Union sports writer Bart Hubbuch reported Wednesday that Del Rio reacted strongly when asked if Taylor's knee injury is worse than the Jaguars have let on.

"First of all, I'm not going to be dishonest about anything," Del Rio said. "Second, I deal in reality and not perception, and the reality is that we're pleased with where he is, with our plan [for him] and with how he's progressing. There's nothing more to the story than that."

Del Rio reiterated that Taylor might play in Saturday night's preseason game against Tampa Bay if, as expected, he returns to practice this week. None of which is much comfort to Fantasy owners burned by Taylor in past seasons. But for the risk takers, Toefield is starting to look like a very promising insurance policy.

That's all for now; check back next week when we'll review this year's top sleepers at wideout, tight end and yes, even place-kicker.

Bob Harris is Editor and Webmaster of the TFL Report and Senior Editor for Fantasy Sports Publications.