Jason Avant was the second best receiver for Philadelphia with 54 receiving yards, but as soon as Vick came out of the game, I knew it was curtains for my run of great sleeper picks. That just means it’s time to start a new one! Keep reading to find out who it will be.
After missing the last two weeks, it seems as though DeMarco Murray is ready for action once again and he’s in a fantastic matchup to kick things off. Since it sounds like the Cowboys were playing it safe with Murray this past weekend by keeping him off the field for an extra week, expect big things from him once again.
Chris Johnson is also in a great matchup this week. In fact, with a bunch of easy matchups for the rest of the season, Johnson might actually be someone you want to target in a trade. Don’t sell the farm to get him, but if he’s already on your team, he’s a must start this week.
It can often be tough to have faith in two running backs from the same team, but Ryan Mathews and Danny Woodhead are both great starts this week against a Redskins defense that has given up more fantasy points to the running back position than any other team in the league. I’d probably take Woodhead slightly over Mathews if I had to pick between the two this week, but you can’t go wrong with either of them in this scenario.
Unfortunately for PPR fans, both Steven Jackson and Darren Sproles are in the opposite situation. After terrible showings from both running backs last week, matchups against Carolina and The Jets respectively don’t leave much room for improvement. They obviously still have plenty of potential, but if you have other options, you should seriously consider them.
Speaking of Carolina’s defense, as it turns out they cover the pass pretty well too which could spell trouble for Harry Douglas. Douglas has been money in the bank ever since Julio Jones went down so he’s a hard man to sit, but receivers like Keenan Allen, Ted Ginn Jr., and Denarius Moore have far better matchups this week.
Another receiver with a great matchup this week is Marques Colston. Colston has struggled the past few weeks, which has been incredibly frustrating for fantasy owners, but he should turn things around this week against the Jets. The Jets have been pretty solid against the run, but the pass is a different story and The Saints are still targeting Colston plenty.
Unlike Colston, Danny Amendola should continue to disappoint fantasy owners this week with the Steelers coming to town. Amendola still has value, but until he and Brady start playing like week 1 again, he needs to stay on your bench in almost all cases. In fact, the only receiver of any variety I would start from the Patriots this week is Rob Gronkowski and even he has the potential to be disappointing (see: last week).
If you need a tight end, which you might if you were starting Davis, Thomas, or Pettigrew, Kyle Rudolph and Coby Fleener are decent options this week. If those guys aren’t available, Tyler Eifert and Jared Cook are in pretty great matchups as well, but they should be considered desperation plays this week.
This brings me to my sleeper pick of the week. Rod Streater hasn’t exactly been a reliable fantasy player this season, but he did get approximately one third of Terrelle Pryor’s total pass attempts thrown his way last week. Now, against a terrible Philadelphia Eagles defense, I like Streater’s chances at having his best game of the season.
