Let’s remind ourselves of the formula:
Sleeper Rating = Amount of Talent (Individual + Team Support) + Opportunity
I have to give a quick shout out to the Valedictorian of Sleeper Math, Ahmad Bradshaw. It’s sad to see him move on after being listed in here every single week. But he proved his mettle and it’s obvious at this point that he’s de-Sleepered himself.
Here are this weeks Sleepers from all three tiers. There are a lot of really good trade targets out there, particularly in Tier I. If you aren’t out there making trades, or at least attempting to, there’s something wrong with you. No ones team is that stacked.
Tier I
Steve Slaton 18 (9+9) – Slaton had another lackluster week. He still scored a respectable number of points but didn’t break out. I’m targeting him in trades in all my leagues. I just think he has several 25+ point performances in him this season.
Greg Jennings 18 (9+9) – Stepping out on this limb makes me nervous. The problem with Jennings is that Aaron Rodgers isn’t getting enough time to throw the football which makes Jennings, a deep threat, less potent. Even so Jennings has consistently been a top producing Fantasy receiver and his slow start is worth buying low on.
Matt Forte 18 (9+9) – Cutler isn’t going to throw him the ball as much as Orton did. Even so Forte should benefit from the Offense being more potent and get plenty of chances to get in the End Zone. He also just had a Bye week which negatively dilutes his Overall Ranking.
DeSean Jackson 17 (9+8) – 1 catch for 1 yard? A lot of people are worried that Philly is spreading the ball around too much and Jackson won’t put up big numbers. I think you can get a sizeable discount on him right now and I’d be very interested.
Brandon Jacobs 17 (8+9) – Ahmad Bradshaw’s ridiculous Sunday destroyed Jacobs’ value. I was down on him coming in to the year because I felt like he was being drafted way too high. But he’s still a back capable of scoring three touchdowns on any given Sunday.
Brian Westbrook 17 (9+8) – Another target for you risk-takers out there. The Philadelphia backfield is going to be more by committee than it’s ever been but Westbrook’s still the man as long as he can stay healthy. I hate his downside but he’s one of the few players in Fantasy that can single-handedly win you a week when he has a big game.
Anquan Boldin 17 (9+8) – Last week I talked about how everyone was way too down on Fitz. This week I think everyone is way too down on Anquan Boldin. This is the cheapest he’ll be all season so if you’re in the market for a receiver this is the guy I’d go after.
Tier II
Eddie Royal 16 (8+8) – Finally Eddie had a game. I saw him get dropped in a lot of leagues which I thought was pretty harsh. Even after this solid 10 catch performance I think many owners will be looking to trade and get something out of him in case this was just a flash in the pan.
Jerome Harrison 15 (8+7) – Some franchises deserve to be horrible. What were the Browns thinking handing the ball off to Jamal Lewis, aged and coming off a multiple-week injury, 31 times? On top of that they completely ignored Harrison who’s been very effective the past few games. He will be the guy in Cleveland. There’s no way Lewis stays healthy. This is your chance to get Harrison at a discount.
Sammy Morris 15 (7+8) – He runs like Keith Byars. For those of you not intimately familiar with Tecmo Super Bowl that’s not a compliment. But he got the lions share of the carries for New England and I can see him putting up double-digit points more often than not if that continues.
Julius Jones 15 (7+8) – His team hung 35 points and he got almost no digits. I’m really not that in love with Julius but the bottom line is he’s a starting Running Back in the NFL and that has to count for something.
Mike Sims-Walker 15 (8+7) – Whatever he did to get benched in this weekends game it must have been bad. This has temporarily depressed his value and made him an achievable trade target. He has been so good thus far that I’m willing to overlook his potential character issues.
Darren Sproles 16 (9+7) – After two electric weeks to start the season Sproles really slowed down in 3 and 4 then the Chargers had a Bye week. I think he got overworked and will come back and be very productive. Even if Tomlinson doesn’t get hurt again I like Sproles’ production as a Flex option.
Tier III
Andre Caldwell 14 (8+6) – If you own Laverneus Coles you need a Fantasy intervention. Caldwell is the #2 there. Deal with it. That passing game is getting sharper and sharper and with Defenses beginning to key in on Ochocinco, Caldwell is a great player to own.
DeShawn Wynn 13 (8+5) – I am convinced that Ryan Grant is a horrible NFL Running Back. That’s probably too strong a term but I really just don’t feel like he’s explosive, his pad level is too elevated,etc. I can see him getting hurt/replaced by DeShawn at some point.
Shonn Greene 13 (8+5) – For some reason I’m really convinced that he’s poised for a big second half of the season. Thomas Jones isn’t injury plagued but I feel like this is the year it happens. Look Shonn Greene’s acquisition cost is very low so I think he’s worth taking a speculative shot at.
Jerious Norwood 13 (8+5) – He has just started to get completely healthy. If the Falcons start to utilize him in the passing game to keep Turners workload from getting too heavy (which they should do unless they want him getting hurt) Norwood could be a Flex option in deep leagues. If Turner goes down his value is obviously a lot more.
Jamaal Charles 13 (8+5) – Basically the same story as Norwood here.
Beanie Wells 13 (7+6) – He’s now been relegated to Tier 3. If you drafted him in the 6th round, as a lot of people did, I’m sorry but you shouldn’t have done it. If Hightower falters, which he hasn’t even come close to doing, Beanie might get a shot. There aren’t enough carries to make him a viable Flex start right now especially with Hightower getting all the short distance work.
Correll Buckhalter – 13 (7+6) Knowshon is ripping it up in Denver. Buckhalter is no stranger to adversity and I expect him to come back ready to play but that could be a few weeks away. I still think he’s a great stash though because if he gets healthy he’s going to touch the football.
Rashad Jennings – 13 (7+6) The Jaguars are another team in disarray. They obviously didn’t get the memo that you should split your touches because if you don’t your Running Back will get hurt. Maurice Jones-Drew (aka “Pocket Hercules”) looks fully healthy but still the workload could catch up to him later in the season.
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