Sleepers - Week 2

  Posted 9/12 by Bob Henry, Exclusive to Footballguys.com

Quarterback

Brett Favre - GB - About the only thing going for the Giants right now is having a home game this week. They'll be without DE Osi Umenyiora this week and they're secondary was abused by the Cowboys on Sunday to the tune of 345 yards and 4 TDs. That's good news for the Packers and Brett Favre. Last week against the Eagles, Favre had defenders hurrying him throughout the game, perhaps he'll have a little more time to work this week. There's also a chance that starting WR Greg Jennings might return to the lineup to give Favre another reliable target outside of Donald Driver.

Ben Roethlisberger - PIT - Jay Cutler completed 24-of-39 for 304 yards with one TD and one INT last week against the Bills. Big Ben didn't throw for 300 yards last week, but all he did was throw 4 TDs against the Browns while completing 12-of-23 passes. The Bills secondary is reeling from the free agent loss of Nate Clements and last week's season-ending injury to FS Ko Simpson. The challenge with Big Ben is whether he can do enough damage in the first half of a game like this. In the second half, he could be reduced to a care taker role and just hand the ball off to Willie Parker and Najeh Davenport to salt the game away.

Worth a Gamble (Good matchup, solid sleeper)

David Garrard - JAX - Tarvaris Jackson threw for 163 yards on 13-of-23 passing with a TD and 10 yards rushing against the Falcons last week. Jackson is a decent benchmark for Garrard, who threw for 204 yards on 17-of-30 passing with a TD and 24 yards rushing against the Titans. Garrard has more experience than Jackson but he should at least match Jackson's numbers making him a solid low-risk play and a great option for QB2 for those of you in 2-QB leagues.

Rex Grossman - CHI - Rex Grossman and the word gamble are not incongruous. They go together like peanut butter and jelly. Grossman has the potential to put up wonderful fantasy numbers if he's not pressured too much or if the matchup is right. Unfortunately, he's just as likely to flame out and throw 2, 3 or even 4 picks, too. The Chiefs defense allowed 225 yards and a 1 TD to Matt Schaub and the Texans last week, but it could've been worse if the Texans weren't playing the entire second half with a comfortable lead, too. The same could happen this week, which is a risk factor with Grossman ... the Bears may not need to throw much if they jump out to a lead. On the plus side, Schaub connected with Andre Johnson for a long TD last week and the Bears will take their shots deep with Bernard Berian, so there's enough upside to flip a coin on Grossman if you're in a tight spot.

Solid Reach (backup / situational player with upside)

Trent Green - MIA - It's hard to get excited about anyone on the Dolphins offense right now, but Green did manage to throw for a modest 219 yards and 1 TD on 24-of-38 passing last week. This week, he faces the same Cowboys defense that allowed 319 yards and 4 TDs to Eli Manning and the Giants on Sunday. The Cowboys are hoping their top corner Terance Newman will return to the lineup this week, so proceed carefully with Green. At least the game is in Miami, so Green won't have to deal with the Cowboys pass rush and crowd noise working in concert, but he will still need to avoid the likes of DeMarcus Ware and company.

Alex Smith - SF - Smith and the 49ers offense struggled most of the night against the Cardinals on Monday, but Smith managed to lead the team on a game-winning TD drive at the end of the game. The Rams offer a potentially much better opponent defensively after allowing 201 yards and 3 TD passes to Jake Delhomme and the Panthers on 18-of-27 passing. They are still without Fakhir Brown at corner, so the 49ers might be able to expose a vulnerable Rams secondary this week making Smith a possibly worthwhile gamble in larger leagues.

If you're desperate (worth a look in deeper leagues)

Tarvaris Jackson - MIN - Last week, the mobile Josh McCown caused the Lions defense some frustration by moving around in the pocket and throwing for 313 yards and 2 TDs on 30-of-40 passing. However, the Lions ultimately prevailed by intercepting McCown twice and forcing two turnovers down the stretch. Tarvaris Jackson threw for only 163 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT last week (and 10 yds rushing), but the Lions defense appears to be a better matchup, so we might expect a slight uptick in his production this week as well. Jackson can do some damage as a runner, but he's still far too risky to use at this point except perhaps as a reach in deeper leagues or 2-QB leagues.

Steve McNair - BAL - McNair looked awful on Monday night against the Bengals. He threw for 203 yards on 20-of-34 throwing, but he was intercepted once and lost a couple other fumbles, too. By contrast, the Jets defense didn't far too well against the Patriots. Then again, there isn't a Randy Moss and Tom Brady to be found on the Ravens roster, so who knows what might happen here. The good news for McNair is that this game is at home; Mark Clayton really isn't M-I-A and the Jets allowed 297 yards and 3 TDs through the air last week. McNair left Monday's game with a groin injury, so it's possible that Kyle Boller could be replacing him this week. Stay tuned to our FBG news blogger this week for more news on McNair's status just in case.

Running Back

Jamal Lewis - CLE - Despite the Bengals defensive performance on Monday night, let's not confuse them for the Steelers just yet. The Steelers confounded the Browns on Sunday limiting their backs to a combined 46 yards rushing. Ouch. By contrast, the Bengals allowed 107 yards rushing, 62 yards receiving and a TD to the Ravens backs. Last year, the Bengals had a difficult time stopping the bleeding and they don't appear to have done much to improve their lot at least on paper. The Browns are at home this week and this looks like a good spot for Lewis to get on track and produce somewhere in the neighborhood of 80 yards and a TD.

Adrian Peterson - MIN - As if you need me to tell you to start "AD" this week. As Starsky said, "Do it". Peterson figures to get the Lions share of the carries this week with Chester Taylor slowed by an oblique strain. Peterson took over the sole RB duties last week then produced a 60-yard catch and run for a TD. The Lions, meanwhile, surrendered 89 yds rushing, 110 yds receiving and 2 TDs to the Raiders backs on Sunday. Look for Peterson to hit the ground running this week.

Worth a Gamble (Good matchup, solid sleeper)

Julius Jones & Marion Barber III - DAL - The Cowboys are effectively using a similar running attack as they did last year under Bill Parcells. Julius Jones starts but Marion Barber takes the field most of the time on third downs and when they get into the red zone, only this year Jones is seeing a bit more action on third downs. They combined for 131 rushing yards, 40 receiving yards and a TD last week against the Giants. This week, they face a Miami defense that allowed 165 yards rushing, 22 yards receiving and a TD to the Redskins RB combo of Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts. Look for the Cowboys RB tandem to be a little more productive this week. Romo can't throw for 345 yards and 4 TDs every week.

Ronnie Brown - MIA - Between Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward, the Giants backs produced a combined 147 yards and 1 TD against the Cowboys defense last week. The Dolphins were nowhere near as productive last week against the Redskins combining for 135 yards (88 yards on 12 receptions) and no TDs. Brown may not get enough carries to be a fantasy stud with Jesse Chatman eating into his touches, but he could do a little better than his meager production in week one, especially now that the Cowboys NT Jason Ferguson is shelved for the season due to injury. The Cowboys run defense may take a slight hit going forward and that could be enough to help Brown's cause this week.

Jerious Norwood & Warrick Dunn - ATL - Ok, so will the real Jaguars defense please stand up? Jacksonville's front seven has been consistently one of the better run defense units in the last the past couple of years, but last week they surprisingly allowed 241 yards on 37 carries to the titanic combo of Chris Brown and LenDale White. This week, the Falcons hope to have similar results with their own RB tandem of Dunn and Norwood. There are two different ways this could unfold this week. You need to gamble correctly that one, or perhaps both of the Falcons backs will be productive. Last week, Dunn got more carries, but did less with them than Norwood. The other gamble is that the Jags defense wakes up and plays up to their previous form, which would almost certainly be bad for anyone throwing the dice on either Dunn or Norwood.

Solid Reach (backup / situational player with upside)

Brandon Jackson - GB - The Giants run defense allowed 131 yards rushing to the Cowboys, although it took them 34 carries to do it. The Packers running game has been struggling all during the preseason and then again in week 1 as the Eagles limited them to 48 yards on 16 carries. Yes, the same Eagles defense that has struggled greatly against the run in the past few years. There's not a lot of room for optimism in this matchup for Jackson, but in a PPR league he could at least catch a few balls and produce some combined yards to at least be semi-useful.

Michael Pittman - TB - With Cadillac Williams likely out this week with bruised ribs, Pittman moves into a more featured role, though he'll be sharing duties with Earnest Graham and potentially even FB B.J. Askew. The Saints defense might seem like a good matchup after the Colts Joseph Addai and Kenton Keith pasted them for 150 rushing yards, a TD and 23 receiving yards. Pittman is a solid option off your bench in PPR leagues, but he'll likely split carries thereby limiting his potential.

Derrick Ward - NYG - Ward has a tough assignment this week, especially with Eli Manning likely sidelined against the Packers. Green Bay's run defense is solid and they'll be potentially loading up in the box to force Jared Lorenzen to beat them via the air. Ward, for this part, looked great against the Cowboys. He ran hard and the caught the ball well enough to plant some seeds of hope for those of you who picked him up off waivers this week. The matchup isn't great, but the opportunity is ripe for Ward.

If you're desperate (worth a look in deeper leagues)

Tatum Bell - DET - Honestly, I can't possibly advocate anyone starting Tatum Bell this week. Against the Raiders last week, Bell must have rubbed the genie lamp in the fourth quarter since he was the benefactor of a Raiders turnover late in the game that set him up with a TD run to bolster his otherwise very pedestrian stats in the box score. The Vikings are a much tougher run defense than the Raiders, so don't expect much out of Tater this week. That said, he could catch 3-to-5 balls like he did last week, so he's still a decent flex starter in leagues that use PPR scoring.

Wide Receiver

Bernard Berrian - CHI - Berrian was targeted 10 times in week one against the San Diego Chargers and he'll likely be the top target again this week. The Chiefs allowed 10 receptions for 185 yards and a TD to the Texans, including a long TD to Andre Johnson. Berrian is known for his ability to strike deep down the field. Look for the Bears and Rex Grossman to take their chances (they always do) and find Berrian for a big gain or TD this week.

Patrick Crayton - DAL - Terry Glenn remains out and there's no reason not to continue rolling with Crayton in Glenn's absence. He was targeted 4 times to TO's 8 against the NY Giants on Sunday night finishing with 3 catches for 51 yards. The Dolphins allowed 190 yards receiving to the Skins WRs last week, though most of that was Antwan Randle-El (5-162-0). Terrell Owens is going to demand more attention from the Dolphins secondary, so Crayton naturally will benefit from the single coverage and perhaps this is his week to break into the end zone while Owens (twice) and Sam Hurd got the honors in week one.

Brandon Marshall - DEN - Oakland allowed the 2nd most fantasy points to WRs (19-232-3) as Calvin Johnson, Roy Williams and Shaun McDonald all caught TDs against the Raiders last week. Meanwhile, Marshall (EEEEEEEE!) scored a TD himself against the Buffalo Bills and he was targeted 8 times (compared to 15 for Javon Walker) finishing with 5-52-1. The Raiders corners are solid, but the Broncos have great size and speed at WR. With Walker demanding a lot of attention, Marshall should continue to benefit and he could have another productive game this week considering how well the Lions fared against Oakland, too.

Worth a Gamble (Good matchup, solid sleeper)

Arnaz Battle - SF - Battle continues to fly under the fantasy radar, but that may not continue much longer if he produces like he did in week one (5-60-0 with a 1-yard TD run on an end around). Battle was targeted 9 times compared to Darrell Jackson's eight. The Rams allowed 146 yards and 3 TDs to the Panthers receivers as Steve Smith and Drew Carter (twice) each found the end zone. If you own Battle, you should probably strike while the iron is hot. He's been sidetracked by knee injuries/pain in the past couple of years, but he has always seemed to be on the verge of becoming a solid contributor for the 49ers. He's healthy right now, his QB is looking his way and the Rams secondary is without their top corner (Fakhir Brown, who is suspended).

Marty Booker - MIA - The Cowboys hope they get Terance Newman back in the lineup after Sunday's defensive debacle against the Giants allowing 20 receptions, 251 yards and 3 TDs to their receivers alone. Booker was targeted 6 times compared to Chris Chambers' 11 times. He's not the #1 option, but Booker almost scored last week (tackled shy of the goal line) and he could benefit if the Cowboys roll a safety towards Chambers if Newman remains sidelined considering his big play abilities.

Bobby Wade - MIN - The main problem with Wade is that he's a Vikings receiver. Minnesota doesn't look like they're ready to open up their offense and sling it 40 times a game anytime soon as long as Tarvaris Jackson is the QB. The upshot is that Wade was targeted 4 times, tied with rookie Sidney Rice for the most among the Vikings WRs last week. Also, this week's opponent (Detroit) allowed 15 receptions for 180 yards and a TD to the Raiders receiving corps. Wade had 1 catch for 28 yards last week, hardly the measure for productivity, but things could be easier this week against a Lions secondary that appears to be softer than your average NFL defense.

Solid Reach (backup / situational player with upside)

James Jones - GB - Donald Driver is the obvious choice this week, but with Greg Jennings (hamstring) out for potentially another week, the rookie Jones deserves sleeper status considering how the Cowboys WRs unloaded on the Giants to the tune of 189 yards and 3 TDs. Jennings was questionable last week after injuring his hamstring in practice last week. It's still too early to know if Jennings is a go, but if he's able to play then he also deserves consideration ' albeit with a certain amount of hesitancy since hamstring injuries can take a lot away from a WR's explosiveness. Either way, Jones stands to see a few more targets and he could be the sneaky play here. He was targeted 8 times last week to Driver's 12 ' and even Ruvell Martin, the team's no.3 with Jennings sidelined, had 5 targets (2-14-0).

Shaun McDonald - DET - It's not often than I'd pay homage to a team's fourth receiver. It just is not a viable, repeatable formula for fantasy success. That said, McDonald is on the verge of becoming the exception. When the Lions insiders said Kitna can use the whole field this year because he has four solid receivers (compared to using half the field last year with just Roy Williams and Mike Furrey being credible targets), well, they weren't kidding. It's only one game, but Kitna targeted his top four receivers 7, 6, 6 and 6 times each. What's more impressive is their production was similar - all had 4 receptions or more and three caught TDs. Ironically, perhaps, McDonald led all receivers with 6 receptions, 90 yards and 1 TD. While it is just one game, McDonald was the most productive of all WRs in the NFL pre-season, too. The Lions under Mike Martz will continue to spread the field and throw almost at will, so if there's ever a chance for a team's 4th receiver to sustain productivity, then the Lions and McDonald are probably it. As a matchup, the Vikings allowed 10 receptions for 88 yards to the Falcons WRs. And, let's face it, the Falcons passing attack is not even remotely as productive as the Lions high-flying act.

Demetrius Williams - BAL - It was almost like Mark Clayton didn't play last week. Like Deion Branch, he opened the 2007 campaign with a great big goose egg. He was targeted twice, but the Ravens passing game was out of rhythm and Steve McNair didn't look comfortable from the get-go. By comparison, Derrick Mason was targeted 12 times finishing with 7-76-0 and Demetrius Williams 9 times (3-55-0). This week's opponent (NY Jets) allowed 17 receptions for 268 yards (most allowed in week 1) and 2 TDs to their week 1 opponents (Patriots). Williams should be a solid target again this week as a WR3/WR4/flex. Clayton was slowed during the preseason because of a sprained ankle. Perhaps he's still not quite 100%, so Williams looks like a good short-term play until Clayton proves he's 100% on the field.

If you're desperate (worth a look in deeper leagues)

Dwayne Bowe - KC - Eddie Kennison is out this week, so Bowe may slide into the starting lineup for the first time as a pro. Bowe is already arguably the team's best red zone receivers, not counting Tony Gonzalez of course. The Bears are a brutal matchup for the Chiefs struggling offense, but chances are they'll be throwing sooner than most teams would be next week while playing from behind. Bowe led the Chiefs receivers with 7 targets last week and he finished with 3-42-0. Samie Parker is another potential sleeper and someone to consider (6 targets, 4-48-0) though he is much more of a long shot to get into the end zone compared to the bigger, more physically talented Bowe.

Troy Williamson - MIN - See Wade's analysis above and much of the same thought process applies here with Williamson, who was targeted 3 times and finished with 2-19-0. Again, the Vikings offense won't be mistaken for the Lions so targets won't be as frequent for Wade, Williamson or Rice. What's worse is that all three players will see time on the field and there's very little to separate them statistically. Rice is probably the team's most talented receiver, with all due respect to Williamson's speed and big play abilities. It's Rice's hands that separate him from Williamson. Still, Rice is just a rookie and Williamson put in a ton of time to rid himself of the drops, so he 's still someone to consider as a long shot in a game like this against a Lions secondary that is extremely vulnerable to big plays.

Tight End

Eric Johnson - NO - Johnson could be the sleeper of the year at the tight end position if he can just stay healthy. In week one, he had 9 targets which ties him for 2nd most among all NFL tight ends. He made the most of them, too. He caught 8 balls for 57 yards. The Bucs, meanwhile, allowed 5 receptions and 43 yards to the Seahawks TE Marcus Pollard...a 35 year old fading veteran, who like Johnson, is trying to become something of a reclamation project for his new team.

Marcus Pollard - SEA - The Seahawks will be without starter D.J. Hackett this week when they face the Arizona Cardinals. Maybe that means Pollard will continue to be targeted on a regular basis after catching 5 balls for 45 yards last week on 5 targets. If you recall, Mike Holmgren predicted during the preseason that Pollard is capable of catching 40 to 50 balls in this offense. He's a bit long toothed, but so far so great for the Seahawks and Pollard.

Worth a Gamble (Good matchup, solid sleeper)

Marcedes Lewis - JAX - Lewis was targeted 6 times in week one as he finished with 4-35-0. The Falcons allowed 3-22-0 to the Vikings last week, but let's be honest, it's not like the Vikings are a high powered passing attack and they certainly don't have a tight end of Lewis' caliber from a talent perspective. For what it's worth, Shiancoe did catch all three passes where he was targeted, so maybe Lewis can do a little more if he gets another 5-or-6 targets this week.

Zach Miller - OAK - If the Broncos pass rush is more disruptive than the Lions was last week, then maybe Miller will be just as involved or even more so as a target. He finished week one with 3-23-0 on 6 targets. The Broncos allowed just 2 catches for 15 yards to the Bills tight ends, though Buffalo has not traditionally involved their tight ends in their offensive game plan to the same degree that Oakland does. Miller remains a bit of a long-shot for fantasy production, but he is being targeted enough to produce if he can convert a few more of those into catches.

If you're desperate (worth a look in deeper leagues)

Jeff King - CAR - King caught an impressive five balls for 35 yards in week one against the Rams. He was targeted 6 times. Granted, he will have a difficult time maintaining high target numbers playing in an offense along with Steve Smith, but as a safety valve and short to intermediate target he will also draw less attention from opposing defenses. The Texans lost free safety Jason Simmons for the year last week, too. So, King is definitely a waiver wire, deep sleeper option you can turn to if your other options are hurt or looking worse than expected.