At the time of this writing, the Vikings and Steelers have officially gotten underway in training camp, with the rest of the league to follow suit within days. In this last piece of the Burning Questions series for the 2015 preseason, we look at one key sleeper and one key bust at each of the main fantasy positions (QB, RB, WR and TE). To set the ground rules, we define a “sleeper” as a player who will outperform his draft position, and a “bust” as a player who will fail to meet the expectations of his draft position. With that said, let’s dive in.

Quarterback - Sleeper: Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota Vikings

Derek Carr received the bulk of the rookie QB praise last season, but Teddy Bridgewater will be the QB from the 2014 draft class who will achieve the most success, starting with this season. Bridgewater showed vast improvement as the 2014 season wore on, culminating with his last six games, posting an impressive stat line of 10 TDs and 6 INTs while averaging 240 yards passing. Not blown away by those numbers? Understood, but note that Bridgewater’s performance will only ascend from here, now that he’s gained additional experience and will have the help of a certain future hall of fame RB to help him out, not to mention emerging WR Charles Johnson. To give you an idea of where Bridgewater should go, I would take him over Colin Kaepernick, Sam Bradford, Carson Palmer and Jay Cutler – so high end QB2 range. 

Quarterback - Bust: Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos

Last year was a tale of two seasons for Peyton Manning. The first half of the year went according to plan, with Manning posting video game numbers. Then, starting with the game against the Rams, Manning struggled the majority of the rest of the way, with the game against the Dolphins excepted. Furthermore, Manning only threw 5 TDs combined in his last five games. So did Manning’s performance take a nose dive due to injury? Or has Manning’s arm strength slipped to the point that he’s no longer a top QB? The thought here – the answer lies somewhere in between. In early draft results, managers are selecting Manning among the top five QBs. I would place Manning more in the 8 to 10 range, and would take Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Ryan and Tony Romo ahead of him. 

Running Back - Sleeper: Justin Forsett, Baltimore Ravens

Justin Forsett finally got the chance to show his chops as a featured back, and sure enough he ran with the opportunity (pun intended). Forsett ran for more than 1,200 yards, averaging 5.4 yards per carry, and he found the end zone eight times. Forsett earned a new contract from the Ravens and will be their starting tailback entering the 2015 season. While Forsett will turn 30 years old during the season, he’s got low mileage. Look for similar results to last season for Forsett, with a slight bump since he’ll be the starter from week 1. Early results show drafters selecting Forsett in the early third round. Early to mid-second round would be a fair spot for Forsett, ahead of RBs such as Mark Ingram, Alfred Morris and Frank Gore.

Running Back - Bust: LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills 

Whether coached by Andy Reid or Chip Kelly, LeSean McCoy has found himself in favorable offensive situations, which he has capitalized on to the fullest. Now McCoy makes the move to a new team, in a new division and with a new coach. Trading Philly for Buffalo, McCoy will now face stalwart run defenses within his division in the Jets, Dolphins and Patriots (to a lesser extent), in each case twice this season. Of additional concern is the fact that the Bills do not have a solid QB, nor an innovative offensive system, so McCoy will be the focus of defensive game plans without much help. McCoy will still produce, since he’s a terrific player, but he should be selected in the second round, rather than the first round, and expectations should be tempered. 

Wide Receiver - Sleeper: Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers have rightfully become a WR factory. Doesn’t hurt to have the game’s best QB leading the charge. While the Packers have both Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb leading the way at WR, don’t sleep on Davante Adams. He will cement his role as the third amigo this season. While he posted inconsistent numbers last year, the tape showed what type of talent Adams has, and he displayed the same against the Cowboys in the playoffs. On average, Adams is being selected in the 40-45 WR range, and it says here that he’ll finish as a top 30-35 WR. Move Adams up your draft board. 

Wide Receiver - Bust: Kevin White, Chicago Bears

I wrote about Kevin White in the rookie piece for our Burning Questions series, so I won’t repeat too much of the same analysis in this space. While Bears’ fans and football fans alike should be excited about Kevin White, owners should brace themselves for a learning curve and growing pains. White is not the polished route runner that his rookie mate Amari Cooper is, yet he is being drafted within a stone’s throw of him. I place White in the top 40 WR range, rather than the top 30. In time, White will be a force to be reckoned with, but temper expectations for this season. 

Tight End - Sleeper: Dwayne Allen, Indianapolis Colts 

With the additions of Frank Gore and Andre Johnson, the Colts should vault into offensive juggernaut territory with Andew Luck leading the way. T.Y. Hilton and Coby Fleener also present weapons for Luck, but the most unheralded weapon for the Colts is Dwayne Allen. While posting modest receiving stats, Allen finished with 8 TDs last season. Certainly Luck has more mouths to feed this season, but look for Allen to continue to ascend, and even with the demand to placate more players on offense, Allen will ‘get his’. You should select Allen ahead of Jordan Cameron, Delanie Walker and the player below.

Tight End - Bust: Julius Thomas, Jacksonville Jaguars 

Whether Julius Thomas was just waiting to bust out given the opportunity, or if Peyton Manning elevated Thomas’ game to another level can be debated. The good news, regardless of what side of the fence you’re on, is that we’re about to find out. Thomas obviously bet big on himself, going to the offensively challenged Jaguars franchise. What’s the outlook here? Ultimately, it depends on how you view Blake Bortles. I’m not a believer, so for me, Thomas drops to the back end of the top 10, rather than the middle, where folks are drafting him now. Pass catchers changing teams tend to see a down tick in their numbers during the first season, as they adjust to a new offense, QB, etc. Downgrading his offensive surroundings significantly will only further this issue for Julius Thomas.