Last weeks sleepers may have paned out nicely for some fantasy owners, for some maybe they didn’t. This week is again plagued by the bye weeks with New Orleans, Jacksonville, Carolina and Chicago all on bye fantasy owners may find themselves in need of a bye week replacement that can make a big splash. That is where this weeks sleepers can come in handy!
Quarterback
Christian Ponder, Minnesota Vikings.
Ponder has played well so far this year, and has a highly favorable match up against a poor Redskins D. The Redskins have already given up 147 points this year, which is the 4th most amongst all defenses, and they are allowing the 2nd most passing yards per game. Even the most novice fantasy player can realize that if a team is giving up a ton of passing yards and a ton of points, the QB going against them is a solid play. Ponder is coming off a nice game where he went 25-35 for 258 yards and 2 touchdowns along with 2 interceptions, his first 2 of the season. With the good D and run game the Vikings have they are not going to rely on Ponder to throw the ball as much as some stud QB’s will have too, but if you need a bye week replacement Ponder should be a very solid start. Expect around 15-18 fantasy points in standard leagues.
Running Back
LeGarrette Blount, Tampa Bay Bucs.
Now Blount is still the back up behind starting tailback Doug Martin, but he did see 6 carries last week and scored his first touchdown of the season. The coaching staff has been excelling on how well Blount has performed in practice and that can win him some carries come game time. He has a favorable match up this week against the Chiefs who allow 105 rushing yards per game, and so far have given up 5 total touchdowns to running backs, 3 of which were rushing. With how poor the Chiefs have been playing it will not be surprising if the Bucs get a lead and look to control the clock by running the ball. Blount’s success all comes down to how many carries he sees and whether or not he can find the end zone. He does fall in the TD-or-bust category, but this week with some big name RB’s on bye he can be a very good bye week replacement. Expect around 5-22-1 from Blount this week. But don’t forget Blount does have some big play potential, despite his large frame.
Wide Receiver
Josh Gordon, Cleveland Browns.
Gordon had only two catches last week against the Giants, but they went for 82 yards and 2 touchdowns. However he was targeted 8 times and it is no secret that the Browns have a bad WR core, which has left QB Brandon Weeden looking for a go-to receiver. Gordon could emerge in that role, and he certainly has the ability to burn defenders deep down field. The match up isn’t the best as Cincinnati hasn’t allowed over 90 yards to an opposing WR all season and have only allowed one touchdown to a WR in the past 3 games. But if the Browns play like they have all year, they will be trailing and airing the ball out late in the game, which could be great for Gordon. Expect around 4-61 and a potential TD from Gordon.
Tight End
Dwayne Allen, Indianapolis Colts.
A lot of people know that the Colts used their first round pick on QB Andrew Luck and their second round pick on TE Colby Fleener. What they don’t know is that they used their third round pick on another TE, and he is Dwayne Allen. While he is a great blocking tight end, he has proved that he can catch the ball, especially in the end zone. He is not targeted as much as Fleener, but he has put up 38 and 35 yards in each of his last two games, and has two scores on the season. Fantasy wise he is shaping up to be the better own of the two Indy TE’s, but he does fall into the TD-or-bust category. The Jets have struggled to stop TE’s this year as Scott Chandler, Heath Miller and Owen Daniels have all found the end zone against the Jets this year. Expect around 4-34-1 from Allen.
DST
Bills
Many of you are likely wondering how a defense that has allowed 176 points against, the second most in the league as a sleeper defense. The Bills have looked awful on D the last 2 games, giving up 580 and 621 total yards against, along with 52 and 45 points against. But this week they get the Cardinals and their atrocious O-line. They Cards allowed QB Kevin Kolb to get sacked 9 times last week to the Rams, so the Bills front 4, who were raved about early in the season, to get to him a lot. If they can get to the QB they should be able to control the tempo of the game, and allow their ball hawking secondary to actually make a play or two, instead of having to attempt to stay in coverage for 5 seconds.
Here you go this weeks sleepers! They all can be solid starts this week as a bye week or injury replacement, and worth stashing going forward.
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