By Chris Weeks, Tuesday, October 2, 2012 9:10:48 PM EDT
There's a reason we call these guys super sleepers. Often times they are filling in for a starter or we believe they'll get enough touches in garbage time to make them fantasy worthy. These guys aren't going to carry your team to the playoffs, but they could come in handy during a bye week or to fill a gap due to injury. If you're looking for someone then check these guys out. A good number of these guys are still available in many leagues.
Through the first four weeks of the season, Dalton and the Bengals are averaging 28 points a week. Over the past three weeks Dalton has thrown 8 touchdown passes, accounting for nearly 75% of that average. When a guy is playing well you need to ride him until he breaks. Luckily for Dalton owners, that week will not be this Sunday when the Bengals host Miami. This is the same Dolphins secondary which just allowed Arizona's Kevin Kolb to throw for 324 yards and three touchdowns last weekend. On the other side of the ball, Miami has been solid and if Cincinnati has trouble running the ball that means plenty of opportunities for Dalton. I don't know if you'll find a better matchup than Andy against the Dolphins secondary this Sunday.
Don't look now, but Ponder and the Vikings are 3-1 on the season. One could argue the Vikings' loss week 2 to Indy was a bad loss, but Minnesota followed up in weeks 3 and 4 with wins over the 49ers and Lions -- two of the NFC's big dogs. A big reason the Vikings have been successful this season is Christian Ponder. Through four games he has just 4 touchdowns, but those came in weeks 2 and 3 giving him two multi touchdown games. This weekend the Vikings will host a Titans defense which just held Texans quarterback Matt Schaub to 202 yards last weekend, but he threw 2 touchdowns and at no point were the Texans trailing. The Titans secondary is one of three to allow double digit touchdowns through the first four games. In addition, opposing quarterbacks have a 118.3 passer rating against Tennessee this season. After not throwing a touchdown last weekend, Ponder is due for a couple this Sunday. If you're looking for a starting quarterback with a good matchup this weekend then look no further than Christian Ponder.
This week Phillip Rivers and the Chargers host one time Charger Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints in the late game Sunday night. With the Saints defense currently ranked 32nd against the run ( and allowing more than 186 yards per game), fantasy owners looking to fill a bye week gap have to consider starting Jackie Battle. Over the last 3 games Battle has carried the ball 14 or more times twice and found the end zone 4 times. In what is sure to be a back and forth high score game, Battle should get plenty of opportunities to post fantasy worthy numbers. We're not going to sit here and tell you we expect 15+ touches for Jackie this weekend, but 8-10 for 30-50 yards with the possibility of a goal-line touchdown or two is not out of the question.
It's not often that we'll advise fantasy owners to play both the number one and two running backs, but this week's matchup between the Texans and Jets is one of those times. The Jets run defense once one of the best in the league has quickly fallen apart and become one of the worst. Through the first four games New York has allowed more than 172 rushing yards per game (31st in the league) and a league high 7 rushing touchdowns. With the Jets run defense struggling as much as they are, one has to believe Arian Foster and Ben Tate will have a field day Monday night. The Texans should be leading for most of this game and they'll look to Foster and Tate to run the ball in an effort to control the clock. As the game winds down, it wouldn't surprise me to see Tate getting a good number of carries (enough so to make him fantasy worthy this weekend). In a similar matchup week two against the Jags, Tate carried the ball 12 times for 74 yards with a pair of touchdowns. If Ben's injured toe doesn't keep him off the field, we could see respectible numbers from him against the Jets Monday night.
There was a lot to like about Domenik Hixon last Sunday when the Giants faced off against the Eagles. Hixon stepped in for the injured Hakeem Nicks to lead Giants receivers with 6 receptions on 11 targets for 114 yards. Not only did Domenik's stat line look like Nicks', but Domenik himself looked like Nicks on the field as he made many of the back shoulder catches we see Hakeem making week in and week out. This Sunday the Giants head home to host the Browns and their 28th ranked pass defense. If Nicks continues to miss time, there is no reason fantasy owners shouldn't start Hixon.
We're not going to beat around the bush; the Jets offense has looked horrible this year and no more so than last weekend's game against the 49ers. Not only did they fail to score a point on offense, defense, nor special teams, but they lost their number one receiver --Santonio Holmes-- to a foot injury. Just how long they'll be without his services is still unknown, but it sounds like Holmes could miss a month or more. In addition to the loss of Holmes, rookie Stephen Hill is still recovering from a week one hamstring injury which could keep him out of the lineup for an additional week or two. This leaves the Jets receiving corp with Kerley and Chaz Schilens as the starters. With the Jets hosting Houston on Monday night, there's a good chance New York will be playing from behind for most (if not all) of the game. This means they'll have to air it out to catch up and someone has to be there to make the receptions. Even though the Jets offense has struggled, we have a hard time believing they will be shut out two weeks in a row. If you're looking to fill a bye week gap, a starting receiver on a struggling team is uaually a better option than a third receiver in a good offense.
With four teams on a bye, many fantasy owners will find themselves scouring the waiver wire looking for a quality one week stop gap. One such player who is available in nearly 80% of fantasy leagues is Marcedes Lewis. Sure the Jags offense is struggling and the passing game is ranked 31st, but we all know they'll have to throw the ball to keep up with the Bears this Sunday; if you're going to start a Jags receiver, it may as well be Lewis. Through the first 4 games of the season Lewis has caught all 9 balls thrown his direction, with two going for touchdowns. This doesn't sound all that great, but considering Lewis missed a week (and 8 of those 9 receptions came in the Jags' two losses he was on the field for), these numbers don't look so bad. In addition, the Bears' run defense has been solid this season allowing less than 68 yards per game on the ground this year, so one has to believe Jacksonville will need to air it out a little more than usual. Lewis may not be the greatest play of the week, but his availability in most leagues makes him a nice option for owners looking to fill a bye week gap.
