Fantasy football is finally upon us as the NFL regular season is quickly approaching. There are multiple strategies fantasy owners can use when drafting this year, but one thing is consistent—being able to identify potential studs, busts, and sleepers. The ability to identify these factors is crucial in making a successful push for your Fantasy Championship.

Breakout Studs

Kyle Rudolph:

Minnesota Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph should be on people’s fantasy radar this season. He is only 24 years-old, and has had solid fantasy impact in the past despite throws from mediocre quarterbacks.

This year Rudolph has an opportunity to emerge as a top-tier tight end, due to the addition of his new offensive coordinator Norv Turner. Turner is the same offensive guru who has helped produce top-tier tight ends like future hall-of-famer Antonio Gates, and Jordan Cameron of The Cleveland Browns.

According to Fantasypros.com, Rudolph is projected to be taken in the eighth round of most fantasy drafts. This could end up being a steal if Turner’s track record with tight ends shows us anything. This is a similar situation to Jordan Cameron in 2013, but with a better quarterback situation.

Andre Ellington:

Ellington became much more popular over the 2014 offseason. The second-year running back from Clemson is coming off a surprisingly productive rookie campaign where he ran for 652 yards, averaging 5.5 yards per carry, according to NFL.com. He also brings catching to the table after catching for 371 yards last season, according to NFL.com.

Additionally, he was sharing carries with Rashard Mendenhall last season. This upcoming season, Ellington will get his opportunity to shine since Mendenhall is retired.

Cardinals Head Coach Bruce Arians will certainly look to Ellington to be his bell-cow running back in 2014, making him a possible fantasy dynamite. Draft Andre Ellington this season, because the hype is real.

Potential Busts

Peyton Manning:

Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning is coming off a record-breaking season, so it may be appealing for fantasy owners this year to burn their first selection on him.

This strategy could turn out to be catastrophic, with the risk of missing out on grabbing a top tier running back, or an elite wide receiver. The running back and wide receiver positions are not nearly as deep this year as the quarterback position. The quarterbacks you can draft in the later rounds are good enough to make taking Peyton in the first a risky move.

According to NFL.com, only one quarterback has put together consecutive 5,000-yard seasons, and that is Drew Brees. The New Orleans Saints quarterback should be available in the second or third rounds of most drafts this year.

Zac Stacy:

The St. Louis Rams running back was one of last year’s fantasy darlings who helped many owners win championships. This year, however, the circumstances have changed; teams know who he is.

Stacy will undoubtedly face eight men in the box multiple times this season due to the injury of starting quarterback Sam Bradford. Additionally, Stacy has to run against the NFC West which includes some of the top defenses in the league, another significant factor working against him.

According to NFL.com, last year Stacy’s only strong outing against an NFC West opponent occurred in Week 8 while facing the Seahawks. He ran for 134 yards with no touchdowns against the Hawks. In his other two division games in 2013, he combined for a total of 97 yards and one touchdown, which calculated 15.7 fantasy points in standard leagues. Although Stacy could potentially be a solid second running back to own this season, avoid drafting him as your number one running back.

Sleepers

Terrance West:

The Cleveland Browns will be without their star wide receiver Josh Gordon for this season due to his one-year suspension. This news is potentially devastating for the Browns passing game, but it could be beneficial for fantasy owners.

The Browns are going to have to run the ball a lot in 2014 to be competitive. Ben Tate was signed as a free agent this offseason to compete for the starting job. However, by drafting Terrance West in the 2014 draft the Browns may have intensified that competition.

West is a small school stud coming off of a record-setting season at the FCS school, Towson, where he ran for 2,509 yards and 41 touchdowns, according to espn.com. He runs with ferocity and has surprising moves out of the backfield. West is coming off a solid preseason which puts him a position to supplant the often-injured Tate, and take over in 2014 as the Brown’s lead back.

Andre Williams:

Rashad Jennings was signed by the Giants this offseason to become their starting running back. However, Jennings is 29 years-old with very little NFL starting experience.

Enter Andre Williams. Williams was a Heisman finalist, and led the NCAA in rushing this previous season. He is a powerful back with the burst and quickness necessary to be a bell-cow back in the NFL. His only knock right now is his pass catching ability, but that can come with time as he adjusts to the high tempo of the NFL game.

He looks awesome in the preseason, and if the Giants feel Jennings isn’t getting the job done this season they will not hesitate to give Williams his shot. He is the kind of player you can draft in the late rounds as he is a low risk player with a possible high reward.