Fantasy REM: My Deep Sleeper Fantasy picks

Well ladies and gentlemen, with the start of the NFL season being so close I can practically taste it, we have entered a very important time of year for a lot of men (and plenty of women), which is the day of their fantasy football draft. Whether you online draft anonymously from the safety of your man cave or offline draft in Vegas with your buddies (lucky bastard), I can totally understand the dedication and extra work that a true fantasy player will put in to secure the best possible line up. Oftentimes, a well timed sleeper pick up can propel your otherwise average team into fantasy stardom, so for those of you who aren't ESPN Insiders, I offer my FREE advice on the fantasy sleepers that I see a potential value in.


Roy Helu, RB Washington Redskin's

Helu has been a surprising story out of camp for the Redskins this year,as he possesses good size for his position as well as breakaway speed and good hands. The only thing that is holding Helu back from presumably being the starter is the newly acquired Tim Hightower. Hightower is not an elite back, posting a career 3.9 YPC average, but he is a workhorse power back who can catch the ball out of the backfield and is known for his vital blocking abilities in the passing game. The best chance for Helu to leapfrog Hightower is by holding onto the ball, something Hightower has had trouble with in the past. Add to the mix the Mike Shanahan  career killing factor, and Helu looks like a dangerous risk. However, the talent and opportunity he has make him worth a roster spot in a deeper league, if you've got the room. Helu is one Hightower injury away from being the feature back for the Redskins, not the tastiest fantasy starter but well worth your time and effort.


Daniel Thomas, RB Miami Dolphins

If you are reading this article and would start Reggie Bush every game as a feature back if you were an NFL GM, please, stand up. Come on, up and at 'em. Seriously, we're all waiting for you to stand up, so we can laugh at you for that funny joke. Okay, so maybe that is a bit tough, but if you haven't been living under a rock and have actually paid attention to the NFL recently, you know that Reggie Bush has had a mediocre, disappointing troll of an NFL career. No team has startedhim as a feature back in years, and no team wants to. He is still fast, and a dangerous player in some settings. But he isn't a 30 carries a game kind of guy. Never has been. That bodes well for 2nd stringer Daniel Thomas, who has alot of upside and could be a nice compliment to Bush, who projects to be a mostly 3rd down back. Thomas has 30lbs on Bush, and could be the logical choice for goal line situations. I hate to reccomend a player on touchdowns alone, because thats a big risk to depend on week in and week out, but if he can get 10-15 carries with a touchdown every game, he becomes a valuable flex play or No.2 RB option. One more note, Reggie Bush has never stayed healthy for an entire NFL season since he's been in the league. Just some food for thought.


Denarius Moore WR, Oakland Raiders

Get ready for a big surprise. The newest WR in the Raiders camp this year is fast. Not Jacoby Ford fast, but fast nonetheless. Okay, no surprise here. Oakland LOVES speedy wideouts, and they have accrued a stable of them over there over the past few seasons. The problem is, none of them have passed 1,000 yards on the season in the past 3 seasons. In fact, no Oakland player has. The closest one for each of those seasons had been TE Zach Miller, now in Seattle. Moore, while most likely not favored to reach that mark this season, has impressed alot of people during his time in Oakland thus far, and with Chaz Schilens and Louis Murphy hurt, he will most likely start the season at worst as the no. 3 WR on the team, though I think he could easily be better than Darrius Heyward-Bust, I mean Bey. Moore has alot of potential this year, and possibly even some relevant fantasy value, but like any Raiders player not named Darren McFadden or Michael Bush, be careful how much you trust him on your team.


Delonte Carter, RB Colts

Ok, so Carter is on here not because I personally am excited by what I see out of him, but more because he could have relevant fantasy value in a Colt's backfield that hasn't seen a decent RB since Joseph Addai, 2006 edition. The Colt's have done well despite this missing backfield presence, mostly because of the guy who stands right behind the center. However, Joseph Addai has had almost as many injuries problems as Bob Sanders, and hasn't been relevant for the past two seasons. Donald Brown took the workload last year, but he was a placeholder at best. Brown has a career 3.8 YPC average and his longest run in the NFL has been 49 yards. Honestly, Carter could essentially walk right on as the starter in this backfield and nobody would be surprised. He's a tough runner, a jackhammer at 5-9 225, and could be used all over the field for the Colts. He's certainly not the worst RB in the league, and having the team around him that he does, he is worth a pickup if and when he passes Brown.


Rashad Jennings RB, Jaguars

Jennings is not a rookie, and he certainly is known by at least some fantasy owners for the work he put in while MJD wasn't shredding defenses last year. He is substantially bigger than Maurice Jones- Drew, which is to be expected, and just about as fast. He is a good pass catcher out of the backfield, just like MJD, and averaged a superb 5.5 YPC last season on 84 attempts. Jennings will be able to carve out flex value in this back field because of his ability to make a big play anytime he touches the ball. The Jaguars will likely use these two as a compliment to each other, change of pace running strategy which could give Jennings anywhere from 8-15 carries a game. Combine that with an expanded role in the passing game, and Jennings may become worth a roster spot this season.