Remember Sidney Rice? The receiver who burst onto the fantasy scene in a big way in 2009? That was pretty sweet.

But there was a time when Rice was unwelcome on many fantasy teams.

We all heard the hype when he broke into the league. Rice is going to make Minnesota fans forget about Randy Moss. WR1 stud for years to come. Every week starter, no contest. A difference maker.

And then, the reality set in — Rice struggled at the start of his career. Battled injuries. Had trouble getting on the field. Fantasy owners quickly fell out of love.

Until last year.

Rice gave fantasy owners hope where they may have been none and should serve as a lesson to all fantasy owners: Where there once was hype, there still could be potential.

Several NFL players now fit the bill of the post-hype player. Guys who, long ago, were revered as the next comings at their positions by many an owner, now banished to the middle-to-late rounds or even undraftable in fantasy leagues. Perhaps these guys could rise from the ashes to become the next Sidney Rice in 2010.

Quarterbacks

Carson Palmer, Bengals
Bit of a stretch to call Palmer post-hype, but he has been trending that direction that last few seasons. Still has a decent WR1 with Chad OchoCinco and the team drafted tight end Jermaine Gresham in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

Matt Cassel, Chiefs
Fantasy owners soured of this guy quickly in 2009, but the Chiefs brought in Charlie Weiss to run the offense. And that is one thing Weiss does really, really well.

Vince Young, Titans
Young, considered a sleeper by some, seemed like a more mature player when he again took the reigns last season and played well — by his standards — down the stretch of 2009. Do not count him out just yet.

Running Backs

Laurence Maroney, Patriots
Maroney has soured on more than a few fantasy owners in just about every fantasy league since he entered the league. The talent obviously is there and the Pats will give him opportunities again this year. Fantasy owners can get him at good value.

Darren McFadden, Raiders
Jury still out on McFadden, but many fantasy owners believe he is busted. This could be a make-or-break season for McFadden from a fantasy standpoint.

Cadillac Williams, Buccaneers
Few thought he would play after one gruesome knee injury much less two. But here he is, vying for the starting running back job in Tampa Bay again this summer.

Jerious Norwood, Falcons
The sleeper hype is just about dead with Norwood, but he remains a Michael Turner injury away from a lucrative spot in the Falcons’ lineup.

Wide Receivers

Santana Moss, Redskins
Never been a big fan of Moss from a fantasy perspective, but the addition of Donovan McNabb makes him a little more interesting this season.

Nate Burleson, Lions
He signed a big deal to play in Detroit and luckily has Calvin Johnson to take some pressure off him. That way he can worry more about catching Matthew Stafford’s passes and less about being the man.

Chris Chambers, Chiefs
Chambers got new life last season after the Chargers parted ways with him. He played well in KC with limited practice with the team, so an offseason of work with the Chiefs should help his productivity.

Jabar Gaffney, Broncos
Someone has to catch passes in Denver and fantasy owners know all too well that Eddie Royal did not do enough of that last year. Brandon Marshall is gone and there is no proven No. 1 on this team, so Gaffney has a golden opportunity to be relevant again.

Michael Clayton, Buccaneers
An afterthought, perhaps? Likely undraftable, but worth watching the first few weeks of the season. The Bucs added some young talent at wide receiver all of whom could push Clayton into more production.

Tight End

Ben Watson, Browns
So much athleticism and talent, but never really developed into the perennial top-5 tight end most fantasy owners expected. With little competition for targets in Cleveland, Watson will get the chance to be a solid TE1 this season.