Week 12: Super Sleepers
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.
QB Chad Henne, ---
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Henne came into Sunday's game against the Texans early in the first quarter and nearly pulled off a miraculous victory for the Jags. For the game Chad completed 16 of 33 for 354 yards with 4 touchdowns and no interceptions. To state the obvious, Chad was probably the best quarterback in every league's free agent market last weekend. Too bad none of us could look into the future and see that coming. This week things are a bit different and based on what we saw on Sunday, fantasy owners need to pay attention to Henne in the coming weeks. For starters, this Sunday's tilt against the Titans is a favorable match up for Chad. Tennessee's secondary is ranked 26th in the league allowing 266 yards per game and the second most receiving touchdowns in the NFL. After Sunday's AFC south matchup, the Jags make a run through the AFC east weeks 13-16 where he'll see the same teams he faced last year when he was the quarterback for Miami. Henne's experience against the AFC east and Buffalo, Miami and New England's pass defenses being ranked 18th, 27th and 31st should make for a successful run for Chad. Fantasy owners looking for a solid backup heading into the playoffs should take a serious look at Henne.
QB Mark Sanchez, ---
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You can call me a homer if you'd like but I firmly believe Sanchez has a good chance to post fantasy relevant numbers Thursday night when the Jets host New England. In their previous meeting back in week 7, Sanchez completed 28 of 41 for 328 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Unfortunately for Mark, his fumble in overtime is what most fantasy owners are going to remember. Sanchez' week 7 performance against New England was his best game of the season thus far. I know this isn't saying a whole lot, but some guys get amped up for certain teams and perform at a much higher level when they face one and other. For Sanchez this team seems to be New England. If you're looking to replace an injured Ben Roethlisberger or Jay Cutler then Sanchez against New England's 30th ranked pass defense may be a good option.
RB Lance Ball, ---
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In last Sunday's game, Denver's number one back Willis McGahee left the game due to a knee injury. Due to McGahee's history of knee problems, many of us had a feeling this was not good news. Indeed our thoughts were correct and Willis suffered a torn MCL, which will keep him off the field for at least 6-8 weeks. This means Denver's run game will fall on to the shoulders of rookie Ronnie Hillman and fourth year man Lance Ball. Hilliman will likely receive a majority of the carries with Ball being used as a change of pace back. With McGahee out of the game last Sunday, Ball had 6 carries for 35 yards and 3 receptions for 21 yards. So long as Hillman remains healthy we expect Ball to continue to see 8-10 touches a game, similar to what we saw against San Diego. If Hillman struggles at any point in the season the timeshare could become more of a 50-50 split, making each back a viable flex start. Until that time comes it may be best to stash Ball away.
RB Vick Ballard, ---
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The Colts have a nice matchup this weekend when they host the Bills on Sunday afternoon. Buffalo's run defense is ranked 31st in the league, allowing over 153 yards per game. In addition to allowing opposing backs to run all over them, Buffalo has allowed a league high 16 rushing touchdowns. While Indianapolis' run game has struggled from time to time, this should not be the case on Sunday. For the first time this year Ballard could top 100 yards rushing and take some of the load off rookie quarterback Andrew Luck. One thing fantasy owners need to be aware of is the status of fellow back Donald Brown. If Brown is able to play this weekend without being hampered by his knee then we could see a split back approach. If this becomes the case we still like Ballard as he is more likely to get the goal line carries. If both backs are healthy they could each end the game with 70-90 yards and a touchdown. For now (until we hear more on Brown's status), Ballard is a nice fantasy start this Sunday.
WR Kenny Britt, ---
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From a fantasy perspective Britt has done little to warrant owner's attention this season. In 8 games Kenny has just 27 receptions for 312 yards with one touchdown. Typically when fantasy owners see numbers like these, it is a good idea to stay away. This could be the case for Britt on Sunday, but we believe a respectible 70-90 yards and a touchdown are within reach for Kenny this weekend. The Titans return from their bye week well rested and prepared for a face off against AFC division rival Jacksonville. The Jags pass defense has been anything but steller this year. Through 11 weeks Jacksonville's secondary is ranked 28th in the league having allowed 14 passing touchdowns and 277 yards per game. In addition, Jake Locker's return to action against Miami with an added bye week means we should see a healthy quarterback under center for Tennessee. If Britt is going to do anything this year it has to happen this weekend.
WR Michael Crabtree, ---
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I heard there was a football game on Monday night, but when I changed the channel to watch the game it didn't seem as though Chicago had come to play. The Bears managed just 192 yards of total offense in the game, while San Francisco -- with second year man Colin Kaepernick -- posted 366 yards of total offense. If Kaepernick continues to play as well as he did Monday night, Alex Smith won't be rushed back to the field as he recovers from a concussion he sustained week 10 against the Rams. While Kaepernick's body of work is limited, it is clear the young man has a good grasp on the offense. While completing just 16 passes Monday night he found 7 different receivers. Colin's ability to see the field and spread the ball around helps not only himself to be successful but his teammates as well. Of the 16 pass attempts in Monday's game 5 of them went to Michael Crabtree, who pulled in 3 for 31 with a touchdown. This may not seem like a lot, but Crabtree is only averaging 4.7 receptions per game this season so having Kaepernick under center doesn't look like it will change Michael's numbers much. This week San Francisco heads to New Orleans to face a Saints defense that is allowing a league high 462 yards a game. After 11 weeks the Saints are ranked 31st against the pass and 32nd against the run. There is little reason to believe if San Francisco could be as successful as they were against a solid Chicago defense that they won't be as successful against this Saints defense. Crabtree may not post big numbers from a yardage perspective, but a solid 10 point performance a fourth week in a row is not out of the realm of possibility.
WR Julian Edelman, ---
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Late in Sunday's blowout win over Indianapolis, Tom Brady lost one of his favorite targets -- Rob Gronkowski -- to a broken forearm. The loss of Gronkowski leaves a big gap in the Patriots offense. Due to his size and athletic ability, Rob is a very difficult player for opposing teams to cover often causing teams to double team the tight end. With Gronk out of the line up, New England will need to find another receiver to pick up the receptions he would have had. This first man up for this honor will likely be wide receiver Julian Edelman. At just 5' 10", Edelman plays a very similar style to that of fellow receiver Wes Welker. This is both good and bad for New England. On the bad side, Edelman is a downgrade on size when compared to Gronkowski. However, on the other hand, Tom Brady is very comfortable playing with Welker (whose playing style is similar to Edelman's), so there is a comfort level already there between Tom and Julian. Edelman's size, speed and versatility will be difficult for opposing teams to match up against. If you're looking for a receiver with potential who also happens to be on a team with a great quarterback then Julian is your man.
TE Zach Miller, ---
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Over the past month, teams have struggled to slow down Marshawn Lynch who has rushed for at least 100 yards in each of Seattle's last 4 games. This weekend that 100 yard rushing streak could be in jeopardy when Seattle heads to Miami. The Dolphins run defense is currently ranked 9th in the league allowing just 98 yards per game. We expect Miami's focus to be stopping Lynch and forcing rookie quarterback Russell Wilson to make plays. If Miami's run defense is successful then Seahawks receivers could be in for a treat. The Dolphins secondary is currently ranked 27th in the league allowing 277 yards per game. One receiver who could have a nice game this weekend is Zach Miller. In Seattle's game two weeks ago agains the, Jets Miller had 5 receptions on 6 targets for 37 yards. While not great fantasy numbers, his 6 targets were second only to Sidney Rice's 7 and accounted for nearly 33% of Seattle's pass attempts. Sometimes just getting the ball into your receiver's hands is an issue, but that doesn't seem as though it will be an issue here.