When we’re making predictions, a sleeper is someone who hasn’t really produced yet, who we expect to rise in prominence in the games or weeks to come. There are any number of reasons why this might be the case -- a role could change, or a guy could just be getting better, or a guy in front of him could get hurt.
Fantasy football stats: The sleepers of Week 9
What is a sleeper, exactly?
Bob Levey
But these are more reactive sleeper calls. Which means I’m not really predicting things. What I do here is identify a guy who put up a decent score -- not great, not one of the top of the week, but something that would have helped a fantasy team -- who, for whatever reason, wasn’t in 100 percent of fantasy lineups. And then I attempt to decide whether that performance is a fluke or a harbinger of things to come.
So that’s what we do here. Read along:
Sleeper quarterbacks in Week 9
Robert Griffin III (251 passing yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, 24 rushing yards, 14 fantasy points)
It's almost comical putting Griffin in the category of guys who maybe don't get enough attention paid to them, but here we are. This is basically the worst performance Griffin could have put up Sunday and staved off Colt McCoy murmurs in the week to come, but he looked competent out there, doing enough to show why he is the best quarterback Washington has, and it isn't really that close. After a bye, hosting Tampa Bay's bad defense in Week 11, Griffin will be ranked pretty highly.
Mark Sanchez (202 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 5 rushing yards, 12 fantasy points)
This isn’t that much about the specific performance Sanchez put up Sunday, though it was competent as he took over for Nick Foles. It’s far more about the fact that Foles is out indefinitely with a broken collarbone, meaning Sanchez inherits an offense that buoyed a not-actually-that-good Foles to fantasy starter territory, and I don’t see why it can’t to the same for Sanchez. Without having dived too far into it, I fully expect Sanchez to be ranked as a high-end QB2 in Week 10.
Sleeper running backs in Week 9
Chris Polk, PHI (50 rushing yards, 1 touchdown, 11 fantasy points)
Polk started seeing action last week, with Darren Sproles injured. He saw more Sunday, even though Sproles was back in action. All reports indicate that Sproles was fully healthy Sunday, but Polk got the looks as the backup/change of pace for LeSean McCoy, and that very well could continue going forward. You probably won't be starting Polk any time soon, but if you own McCoy, you have to grab Polk as well.
Terrance West, CLE (48 rushing yards, 2 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown, 10 fantasy points)
Through eight games, the Browns' top three running backs have literally been sorted in every order. West has been the lead back, he's been a healthy scratch. Ben Tate and Isaiah Crowell have each taken their turns as the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3. But coming into -- and then out of -- Sunday, West has been the guy the team appears to like the most, and gave him the lion's share of the touches Sunday, while Crowell never even played a snap. If you're using a Cleveland running back, it's obviously West, though you might prefer to just look outside of Cleveland.
Sleeper wide receivers in Week 9
Jarvis Landry, MIA (46 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 10 fantasy points)
Take out Week 1, when the rookie saw no action, and Landry has caught at least three passes every game this season. He has only had more than 50 yards in a game once, but he keeps getting looks (five catches on six targets Sunday). He's clearly No. 2 in the pecking order among Dolphins receiver, surpassing Brian Hartline, and as he gets more integrated into the team's flow, he could see even more usage.
Kenny Britt, STL (32 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 9 fantasy points)
This is as much as "who the heck else to they have?" choice as anything. The Rams lost Brian Quick for the rest of the season last week. Tavon Austin and Jared Cook haven't done anything. The running backs have been largely awful. Britt isn't any great shakes, but when you're the best of a bad lot, you still have the word "best" in your title. If you are desperate, a lead receiver even on a bad team can be attractive.
Sleeper tight end in Week 9
Chase Ford, MIN (66 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 12 fantasy points)
The tight end has now gone for at least 60 yards in back-to-back games, getting his first-career touchdown in the process. Filling in for the injured Kyle Rudolph, Ford hadn't done much until last week, but things are starting to look up ... just in time for the team's bye, after which Rudolph could be back on the field. Bad timing, but you can't really invest in Ford, unfortunately.
