The new NFL season has just begun and with it a new fantasy football season is born.
Yes, after a long eight-month wait, armchair quarterbacks have run back down the rabbit hole in anticipation of chauffeuring their fantasy teams to a championship – and perhaps a healthy payday, too. With the season now in full swing, it is a good time as any to get the inside scoop on a couple of sleepers that could be serviceable in your lineup. If you are reading this, you are in luck! Below are the top four sleepers with decent upside given the situations they find themselves in.
Jonathan Dwyer – RB – Pittsburgh Steelers
Owned in only 26 per cent of ESPN leagues, Jonathan Dwyer presents a mouthwatering potential to be the sleeper of the year. Chosen in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft, he has been moonlighting for Rashard Mendenhall for the last two years. With the aforementioned Mendenhall having some knee issues in pre-season pertaining to a torn ACL suffered at the tail end of last season, and the fact that Dwyer has shown to be a better, more explosive back than Isaac Redman; he provides solid handcuff potential to the oft-injured Mendenhall.
Rashad Jennings – RB – Jacksonville Jaguars
Two years ago I was very high on Rashad Jennings. Being behind both Maurice Jones-Drew and Deji Karim, he still managed to outshine the latter when given the opportunity. Before blowing out his knee prior to the start of last season, he was in line to be MoJo’s primary back-up. Returning this year without the looming effects of reconstructive knee surgery has allowed him to show once again that he is starting material. With the end of MoJo’s holdout Jennings will return to a back up roll, but will still be in line for carries and a massive upside if MoJo is to go down. Jennings is owned in 67 per cent of ESPN leagues, which is sure to drop with the returning of Jones-Drew.
Davone Bess – WR – Miami Dolphins
OK, this probably isn’t your first rodeo; mine either, so you have probably heard of Davone Bess over the last couple of years. Unfortunately for owners, he hasn’t flourished yet, but I am going to recommend him more this year than any other year anyway. The reasoning behind this starts with rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who has developed a pre-season rapport with Bess. Furthermore, Miami’s other receiving options are lacking in the talent department so don’t expect any long balls to be thrown by Tannehill. Bess flourished best when given looks in short yardage situations, a potential PPR gold mine. If you find yourself in a Points Per Reception league, consider adding him, as he is only owned in 18 per cent of ESPN leagues.
Coby Fleener – TE – Indianapolis Colts
Tight end depth is hard to be found come bye weeks. Enter Coby Fleener. The 6’6”, 247-lbs Stanford product already has ties to Colts QB Andrew Luck – they were teammates in college and connected for 17 TDs over their last two years together. With that rapport already established, and the probability of a more conservative throwing game, Fleener could be the leading beneficiary of the Colts passing game. He is only owned in one third of ESPN leagues, making him a tasty option for your bye week replacement.
And there you have it fantasy buffs and scruffs, four options to ponder while you mull over this week’s starting lineup. Good Luck!
