Whether you’re in an awesome fantasy league with close friends or some piece of crap random league cause you don’t have any, there will come a time in the upcoming season when you will need to rely upon players who may not necessarily have been their team’s or your first choice in the depth chart. But thanks to horrific injuries, mental meltdowns, and off-the-field problems, there will be a handful of guys that emerge halfway through the year and post mind-boggling stats. Here are the absolute best of those guys:

Montario Hardesty – RB, Cleveland Browns
Thanks to a brutally physical style of running, Peyton Hillis is a ripe target for a gruesome injury any week.  His backup is two-year vet Montario Hardesty, who is also willing to risk it all for a yard, and until one of his collarbones snaps, he’ll chew up a ton for you.

Richard Bartel – QB, Arizona Cardinals
The third-year QB out of Tarleton State is only third on the Cardinal depth chart, so when starter Kevin Kolb and backup John Skelton are benched early in the season, Bartel should shine and create a historically successful link with Larry Fitzgerald.

Jeremy Kerley – WR, New York Jets
Starters Burress, Holmes, and Mason are considered the Larry, Moe, and Curly of NFL WRs, but when either Larry or Moe is arrested on a reckless endangerment charge, Schemp (aka Kerley) will be ready to step in and run end-arounds to prevent Sanchez from having to throw.

Michael Hoomanawanui – TE, St. Louis Rams
The 2nd-year TE out of Illinois (??) is poised to take the starting job from veteran Billy Bajema, and ultimately be the standard by which Samoan tight ends in the NFL are judged. Had the fifth-most receiving touchdowns for rookie TEs last year.