Matthew Berry On Sleeper Receiver Pickups

Matthew Berry digs deep to highlight some wide receiver sleepers who could pay big dividends over the last two months of the season, including someone from one of the teams with the easiest fantasy playoffs passing schedule:

Justin Gage, WR, Titans (17 percent): Maybe a bit of a surprise for the No. 2 slot on the pickup list but I mentioned him last week in the Mendoza section as someone whom Vince Young was looking at in his first game as starter. It continued in Week 2 of VY’s reign as he caught four for 97. In the two weeks Young has been the quarterback, Gage has 13 targets to Nate Washington’s seven. Now, I don’t like his Week 10 matchup against a better-than-you-realize Buffalo pass defense (I do, however, love Chris Johnson’s chances against the worse-than-you-can-imagine, generously named run defense). But, I do like Gage going forward and especially as long as Vince is the quarterback. Talk about things you never thought you’d write. […]

Lance Long, WR, Chiefs (0 percent): Hah! Thought I’d put Chris Chambers (27 percent) here, didn’t you? In that case, you probably skipped the intro. You might want to go back and read it, it’s got actual football in it and no stalkable celebrities are mentioned. (Sorry, Alanis.) Well, obviously, after Chambers’ two-touchdown performance on Sunday, we have to discuss him, but I actually like Long a little more. Long used to be with the Arizona Cardinals, so he is familiar with Todd Haley’s playbook and clearly, Haley wanted him (he came over after Haley became the Chiefs’ head coach) and in the two games that Long has been active, he has 16 targets. He snatched eight catches for 74 yards last Sunday. He’s playing in the slot (the Steve Breaston role in the Cardinals’ offense) and I don’t think you can count on Chris Chambers to repeat that kind of production, well, ever. Does Chambers warrant a pickup? I guess so, in deeper leagues, but Long is the guy I am more interested in, due to opportunity and role in the offense.