Last week all of our sleepers ended up exceeding expectations, except Dwayne Allen who did not pull in a TD, hopefully leaving you with a win this past week. Well, we are here to do it all again! This is a week with six teams on bye- Atlanta, Denver, Kansas City, Miami, Philadelphia and San Diego. Many fantasy owners will need a bye week replacement, or in need of replacing a injured stud, and we are here to help!
Quarterback
Brandon Weeden, Cleveland Browns
Weeden started off his NFL career in a shaky manor, but seems to be settling into his own. He has a good match up this week against the Colts, who have been burned in the air the last two weeks allowing 5 touchdowns to only one interception. That is big as interceptions are what have killed Weeden’s fantasy value thus far, he is throwing for plenty of yards and a score or two a game. Now equipped with deep threat Josh Gordon expect Weeden to put up around 16-20 fantasy points in standard leagues.
Running Back
Vick Ballard, Indianapolis Colts
Ballard is fresh off of a big stinker in his first NFL start last week against the Jets. Ballard was a bottled to only 25 yards on 8 carries, but the entire Colts team was beat down last week and they played a majority of the game down multiple scores. The team was unable to get anything going, but expect better from the entire team this week against the Browns. Ballard, if given the carries, could put together a very nice game. Expect around 13-62-1 with some involvement in the passing game as well.
Wide Receiver
Kendall Wright, Tennessee Titans
Wright has a favorable match up this week against a Bills D who have allowed a lot of yards and points all season, until last Sunday. Even though the Bills only allowed 150 yards in the air last week, expect them to allow more this week. Wright has been the Titans leading receiver over the last three weeks and will look to add onto this. He is especially great in PPR leagues, but if he can hold onto the ball in the end zone this week he will please owners in all formats. Expect Wright to put up around 7-69-1 this week.
Tight End
Dustin Keller, New York Jets
Last week in Keller’s return from injury he pulled in 1 catch for 6 yards, but it was a pleasant sight just to see him healthy and on the field. This week against New England the Jets will not man handled the Pats like they did the Colts. Which means they will not go up big and just rely on Shonne Green to ground-and-pound for a majority of the game. Most actually expect the Jets to play from behind which means they will have to air the ball out and Keller has been a favorite of Sanchez’s in the past. This along with the fact that the Pats are not great against tight ends, this could lead for success for Keller this week. Expect around 5-42-1 from Keller.
DST
Browns
The Browns D is coming off of a fantastic week 6 against the Bengals. The Browns force a lot of turnovers this year as they have already racked up 10 interceptions and 4 fumbles. That along with the fact that they can get to the QB a time or two each game adds up to a lot of points, as long as they don’t get blown out in the process. This week against the Colts, who seem to be turnover prone this year. Quarterback Andrew Luck has already throw 7 picks in just 5 games, it could lead to a big day for the Browns D. There is always the potential to returning a pick to the house, and return man Josh Cribbs always has the potential to go all the way on special teams. The Browns have a lot of potential this week and are a solid bye week replacement.
Good luck this week!