This has been a tough year so far for fantasy owners. I'd be willing to bet that in most leagues, both Chris Johnson and Arian Foster were drafted in the top five picks of the first round. Foster hasn't really played yet thanks to an injury and Johnson has had the most unimpressive start of to a season of his career (less than 100 yards in the first three games combined). Furthermore, Peyton Manning is out and there's a decent chance that you're looking at your season spiraling down the toilet already.
Fantasy Football Week 4: Sleepers Include Raiders QB Jason Campbell
Here’s a list of some sleepers that could help your fantasy football team in Week 4 of the 2011 NFL season.
Don’t fear. Here are some sleepers that may help you squeak out a win in week four.
We’ll start with quarterback:
| Jason Campbell QB Oakland Raiders |
It's definitely true that 99.999 percent of Oaklands offense exist in Darren McFadden's legs but the Raiders will be hosting the last ranked defense in the NFL this weekend. That defense belongs to the New England Patriots. They do have the 10th ranked rushing defense but their passing defense is so bad that it's ranked dead last, which has brought the entire defense to the last-place ranking.
Campbell is only owned in 32 percent of leagues so there’s a decent chance that he’ll be available. If the Patriots spend most of their defensive effort trying to stopping Run DMC, Campbell could have a big week.
| Kyle Orton QB Denver Broncos |
I’ll give the Broncos a snowball’s chance in Hell at beating the Packers in week four but that doesn’t mean that Orton can’t give your fantasy team a win. The Packers have the second worst passing defense in the NFL. They have given up an average of 359.3 yards a game through the air and an average of two passing touchdowns per game.
On top of that, I don't expect Denver's defense to be very effective against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense. Orton will likely be in catch-up mode as early as the second quarter and junk points are just as good as non-junk points when it comes to fantasy football.
Running Backs:
| Cedric Benson RB Cincinnati Bengals |
Benson is owned in almost every league out there but he is only starting on about 50 percent of teams so I’m not exactly sure if that qualifies him as a sleeper or not, but who cares. Starting him in week four against the Bills could be a pretty good idea.
The Bills aren’t exactly awesome at stopping the run. They’re have the No. 24 ranked rushing defense in the league allowing an average of 115. 7 yards and one touchdown per game. What the Bills do have is the third ranked offense in the league and if the Bengals are smart they’ll run the ball a lot in an effort to grind down the clock and keep the Bills high-powered offense off the field.
That’s if they’re smart.
| James Starks RB Green Bay Packers |
Again, here's a guy who is owned in 100 percent of leagues but is started by less than half of the teams that own him. He has a low starting percentage for a good reason -- fantasy football owners don't really care for the whole running back by committee thing and that's exactly what the Packers have in Ryan Grant and James Starks.
This week, though, Grant is out with a bruised kidney which means that Starks will soak up all of the carries. If the Packers get up to a large lead over the Broncos, Starks could get even more.
The only thing to watch out for is John Kuhn, who may get the goal-line carries.
Wide Receivers:
| Demarius Moore WR Oakland Raiders |
Danarius Moore has had two solid back-to-back games. He caught five passes for 146 yards and a touchdown in week two and he ran for a touchdown in week three. Again, he’ll be facing the leagues worst passing defense when the Patriots make the long trip out west.
Moore could have another big game, especially if the Patriots focus the majority of their attention on McFadden.
Torrey Smith scored his first touchdown of his career on his first career catch last week. He then scored two more. At the end of the day last Sunday, Smith had 152 yards and three touchdowns on five catches. He won’t do that every week but that doesn’t mean he won’t get the ball.
Even though the Titans have the second best passing defense in the league, Smith could be a decent play, especially if you're hurting for a receiver in a deep league.
Tight Ends:
There’s no way that Dallas Clark is a fantasy sleeper, right? RIGHT? Unfortunately, this year that’s the case. The Colts have shown just how important Peyton Manning is to their team this year and even though Clark is owned in over 90 percent of leagues, he’s only started around 60 percent of the time.
Curtis Painter will be getting the start this week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night. Painter isn't a rookie quarterback but with little experience, he may lean on his tight end as a safety valvue like a rookie quarterback would. Luckily, Clark is one of the best in the league.
The Bills, who have the NFL’s third-ranked offense, are very good, especially when they’re moving the ball through the air. Scott Chandler, the Bills’ tight end, has four touchdowns in three games and he’s still only owned in 50 percent of leagues. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a lot of yards to go along with those touchdowns but if you’re in a deep league and you desperately need a tight end, go for Chandler in week four. The Bills are playing against the Bengals who are notorious for giving up big plays to opposing tight ends.
Defenses:
The Saints have a middle-of-the-road defense but this week they'll be facing the Jacksonville Jaguars and rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert. Unfortunately, Gabbert goes hand-in-hand with Maurice Jones-Drew but if the Saints defense can bottle up the Jaguars' running game and get out to a lead forcing Gabbert to start throwing the ball, the secondary could clean up.
A few interceptions here and a couple sacks here could be the difference between your team winning or losing this week.
The Vikings defense hasn't been too great so far this season but this week's matchup could be favorable. They will go up against the No. 30 ranked offense of the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday and even though they're on the road they'll likely get to Matt Cassel a couple times and maybe force him to make a bad decision or two. The fact that Jamaal Charles is out makes this matchup even better.
See More:
