Last Saturday I received plenty of great suggestions for renaming
FF4W’s “Bargain Saturday” columns. After
considerable reflection and at least one sleepless night, I’m going with
“Sleeper Saturday.” Thank you, Genevieve
Ruiz, for capturing the essence of this special day in a pithy phrase. Second place goes to Realist Blacka’s “Sweet
Deal Saturday.” Both have been active members
of this community for over two years.
Thanks to everyone for weighing in.
So in this first edition of “Sleeper Saturday,” we’ve got some
obvious sleepers and so deep-dive guys.
At this point in the season, we have a pretty good sense of every team’s
first-, second-, and third-string RBs, WRs, etc. The question is timing—who will step up when.
At QB, as everyone know, I was very down on Eli Manning this
preseason at a time when he was a universal QB1. His remaining schedule is favorable. I think the Eagles’ D is overrated. It adds up to a top 12 QB performance for Eli
this week, whose $7,500 FanDuel price makes him a bargain. And if you’re feeling particularly gutsy,
there’s Ryan Tannehill ($7,300), 2016’s other most disappointing fantasy QB not
named Blake Bortles. This week’s
opponent, the Jets, are yielding 289 passing yards per game (second worst in
the NFL). If Miami hopes to win this
must-win game, they need to do it through the air.
At RB, we know nothing about Paul Perkins’ near-term prospects,
except reports that he should get more involved in the offense. At $4,500, he’s a fantastic flyer if we know
for sure that he’ll earn 10+ touches. But
at this point we don’t know. The 49ers’
DuJuan Harris ($4,500), on the other hand, is a much better plug-and-play if
Carlos Hyde sits. I dropped Perkins for
Harris in my league two days ago, preferring short-term upside over longer term
relevance.
Slightly higher priced RB bargains include Duke Johnson Jr.
($5,200), who I pushed last week as a versatile option to counter the Jets’
stout run D. He came through in Week 8
and will do the same in Week 9. And
Charcandrick West ($5,600) is a good start by virtue of his relatively cheap
price tag. But keep in mind: West is no
Spencer Ware. Instead, he’s a must-start
RB3 in regular leagues and a worthwhile play in DFS. I’m not expecting RB1 numbers.
Torrey Smith is up. Torrey
Smith is down. That’s what you get with
Torrey Smith. So at $5,300 this week,
Smith is an ideal big-play risk to take.
He’ll get you 80 yards and a score or 21 yards and nothing else. When playing DFS, play for the upside. Jeff Janis ($4,500) also fits that mold, particularly
if Randall Cobb sits.
Other WRs I’m eyeing: Darrius Heyward-Bey ($5,200), another big-play
receiver who’s jumped Markus Wheaton on Pittsburgh’s depth chart. Brian Quick ($4,500) is looking like his old
self with I think five solid performances in a row. Facing Carolina’s beatable secondary, there
might not be a safer dirt-cheap WR start out there. Kendall Wright ($4,900) is too inexpensive
based on his weekly breakout potential.
A note on Tyreek Hill ($4,700), who’s getting a lot of attention in
DFS and in regular leagues. He’s scored
in three of the past four weeks. Take
those away, and he’s averaging four catches for 45 yards. I don’t trust him this week.
Finally, the biggest TE sleeper is the surprising Lance Kendricks,
who’s been heavily targeted (7+) in three of the past four games. That’s what you want to see out of a $4,500
player. Kyle Rudolph ($5,000) has seen
similar attention and should earn some fantasy love against Detroit’s
horrendous passing defense.