This article is a weekly look at players generally ranked around the edge of those considered "startable". For the purposes of this article, I will define startable as all players on the edge of starting on a team that starts two defensive linemen, two linebackers, and two defensive backs. Therefore, about the middle of the DL2, LB2, and DB2 range are where the choices begin to get tough. Each position is covered in descending order beginning with the players who have the most prime matchups to those with more risk and less upside to those who are complete reaches. Your mileage may vary, but the idea is to discuss these players and provide you with some analysis that might help you make those difficult lineup decisions a bit easier. I hope that your expertise as an owner has filled your team with enough players that you don't need to consider players outside of the prime cuts discussed here. Good luck and always keep in mind that your feedback and comments are welcome. I also want to thank and give credit to Bob Henry for creating the format for this article.
NOTE: Please double check that any player listed in this article is playing. Also, you should always check the inactives on Sunday.
Defensive Line
Note: When I mention stats of the defensive linemen, the format will be solos/assists/sacks unless otherwised mentioned.
Prime Cut (Great matchup, strong sleeper)
NONE: I have mentioned before that there are a handful of weeks in which there is not a qualified prime cut sleeper and this is one of them. Many of the teams that are the best matchups for defensive linemen this week play against teams that run a 3-4 defense and not only do those teams have very few studs, they also do not have many prime cut sleepers. I cannot justify listing a prime cut sleeper this week because I don't see any. In fact, I don't even see anyone remotely close to being one. Most sleepers among defensive linemen are either low-end sleepers or deep sleepers.
Worth a Gamble (Good matchup, solid sleeper)
Cliff Avril, Seattle Seahawks (vs. Arizona)
Season stats: 14/5/8
Last week: 1/0/0.5
Arizona sacks allowed per game/ranking: 2.7/Tied for 10th
Arizona QB pressure allowed ranking: 8th
Avril has a great matchup against the Cardinals, who are in the top ten on both QB pressure allowed and sacks allowed per game. The Seahawaks have the leagues most dominant defense and are third in the league in QB pressure applied. Avril should have plenty of sack opportunities this week and makes for a solid upper-end sleeper. Only his below average tackle numbers keeps Avril from being a prime cut sleeper.
Solid Reach (Backup/situational player with upside)
Jared Odrick, Miami Dolphins (at Buffalo)
Season stats: 28/8/4.5
Last week: 1/0/0
Buffalo sacks allowed per game/ranking: 3.1/Tied for 4th
Buffalo QB pressure allowed ranking: 3rd
Odrick has a great matchup against the Bills, who are in the top five in both sacks allowed per game and QB pressure allowed. The Dolphins defensive ends have been putting enormous pressure on opposing quarterbacks and that have allowed interior linemen like Odrick more sack opportunities than they would normally get. Consider Odrick a solid low-end sleeper this week and his relatively high tackle numbers gives Odrick a reasonably high floor.
Sheldon Richardson, New York Jets (vs. Cleveland)
Season stats: 37/33/3
Last week: 1/3/0
Cleveland sacks allowed per game/ranking: 3.1/Tied for 4th
Cleveland QB pressure allowed ranking: 5th
Richardson has an enormous amount of total tackles and despite only having three sacks he has been mentioned in this article several times. Richardson has a great matchup against the Browns, who are in the top five in both QB pressure allowed and sacks allowed per game. Richardson should have a handful of sack opportunities and that along with his high tackle numbers makes him a safe low-end sleeper this week.
Derrick Morgan, Tennessee Titans (at Jacksonville)
Season stats: 20/6/5
Last week: 2/0/0
Jacksonville sacks allowed per game/ranking: 3.3/3rd
Jacksonville QB pressure allowed ranking: 7th
Morgan has a great matchup against the Jaguars, who are third in sacks allowed per game and just outside the top five in QB pressure allowed. The Jaguars have been ravaged by injuries along their offensive line and combined with a lot of attempted passes in garbage time, makes Morgan a strong low-end sleeper with upside this week.
Deep Sleepers (For desperate owners only)
Malik Jackson, Denver Broncos (at Houston)
Season stats: 22/11/5
Last week: 3/0/0
Houston sacks allowed per game/ranking: 2.7/Tied for 10th
Houston QB pressure allowed ranking: 6th
Jackson has a solid matchup against the Texans, who are sixth in QB pressure allowed and tenth in sacks allowed per game. With both Arian Foster and Ben Tate our for the year, the Texans once fearsome running game is average at best and that allows opposing defensive linemen more opportunities to rush the passer and basically stop the run on the way to the quarterback. Jackson has played well at times and if you are looking for a deep sleeper with upside and a plus matchup, Jackson may not be a bad option.
Kendell Reyes, San Diego Chargers (vs Oakland)
Season stats: 21/8/4
Last week: 0/0/0
Oakland sacks allowed per game/ranking: 3.0/Tied for 6th
Oakland QB pressure allowed ranking: 22nd
Reyes has a great matchup against the Raiders, who despite being outside the top 20 in QB pressure allowed, are just outside the top five in sacks allowed per game. In a week with a thin crop of sleepers among defensive linemen, you could do a lot worse than Reyes. I will go a step further and classify Reyes as a desperation deep sleeper
Linebackers
Note: When I mention stats of linebackers, the format will be solos/assists/sacks unless otherwise mentioned.
Prime Cut (Great matchup, strong sleeper)
Kevin Burnett, Oakland Raiders (at San Diego)
Season stats: 69/22/2.5
Last week: 4/0/0
San Diego rushing attempts per game/ranking: 29.5/8th
San Diego tackle opportunities allowed ranking: 3rd
Burnett has a great matchup against the Chargers, who are third in tackle opportunities allowed and eighth in rushing attempts per game. Ryan Mathews is playing exceptional football right now and with that the Chargers all of a sudden have a potent running game. The Raiders defense is playing terrible and with them having so much trouble getting off the field, it bodes well for Burnett to post high tackle numbers and that makes him a rock-solid prime cut sleeper this week.
Worth a Gamble (Good matchup, solid sleeper)
Thomas Davis, Carolina Panthers (vs. New Orleans)
Season stats: 72/31/4
Last week: 4/0/0
New Orleans rushing attempts per game/ranking: 23.6/27th
New Orleans tackle opportunities allowed ranking: 8th
Davis has a solid matchup against the Saints, who are in top ten in tackle opportunities allowed. Davis has a relatively high floor and depending on the effectiveness of the Saints rushing attack and short passing game, he could see a high number of tackle opportunities. Consider Davis a strong upper-end sleeper bordering on prime cut territory.
Darryl Sharpton, Houston Texans (vs. Denver)
Season stats: 47/25/0
Last week: 2/8/0
Denver rushing attempts per game/ranking: 29.6/Tied for 6th
Denver tackle opportunities allowed ranking: 1st
Sharpton has a great matchup against the Broncos, who lead the league in tackle opportunities allowed, offensive plays from scrimmage, and are in the top ten in both rushing attempts and passing attempts per game. Sharpton has posted solid tackle numbers over the last two months and I see no reason for that to change this week and for that reason I am classifying him as a strong upper-level sleeper this week.
David Hawthorne, New Orleans Saints (at Carolina)
Season stats: 53/29/3
Last week: 10/0/0
Carolina rushing attempts per game/ranking: 31.1/4th
Carolina tackle opportunities allowed: 10th
Hawthorne has a solid matchup against the Panthers, who are fourth in rushing attempts per game and tenth in tackle opportunities allowed. The Panthers figure to run the ball in an effort to keep the potent Saints passing game off the field and that sets Hawthorne up for a high number of tackle opportunities, making him a solid upper-end sleeper this week.
Solid Reach (Backup, situational player with upside)
Audie Cole, Minnesota Vikings (at Cincinnati)
Season stats: 24/18/1
Last week: 3/4/0
Cincinnati rushing attempts per game/ranking: 29.6/Tied for 6th
Cincinnati tackle opportunities allowed ranking: Tied for 5th
Since entering the starting lineup four weeks ago, Cole has racked up 24 solos, 17 assists, and 1 sack. This week Cole faces the Bengals, who are in or near the top five in both tackle opportunities allowed and rushing attempts per game. Cole offers little in the big play categories and for that reason I am listing him as a low-end sleeper this week.
Deep Sleepers (For desperate owners only)
Barkevious Mingo, Cleveland Browns (at New York Jets)
Season stats: 24/12/5
Last week: 3/0/0
New York Jets rushing attempts per game/ranking: 29.4/9th
New York Jets tackle opportunities allowed ranking: Tied for 26th
Mingo has a great matchup against the Jets, who are tops in the league in QB pressure allowed and second in sacks allowed per game. If you don't mind playing the high risk/high reward angle this week at linebacker, Mingo might be exactly what you are looking for. Just be aware of the pitfalls of starting a 3-4 outside rush linebacker because if they don't get sacks their fantasy score could easily wind up being a clunker. I consider Mingo one of the better risk/reward plays of the year.
Defensive Backs
Note: When I mention stats of defensive backs, the format will be solos/assists/interceptions/passes defended unless otherwise mentioned.
Prime Cut (Great matchup, strong sleeper)
Major Wright, Chicago Bears (at Philadelphia)
Season stats: 62/21/2/3
Last week: 4/1/0/0
Philadelphia passing attempts per game/ranking: Tied for 25th
Philadelphia passes defended allowed ranking: 31st
Philadelphia tackle opportunities allowed ranking: 9th
Wright has a great matchup against the Eagles, who are in the top ten in both rushing attempts per game and tackle opportunities allowed. They rank low in passes defended allowed but Wright's strength is run defense and tackling in the short zones. Wright should have a high number of tackle opportunities in this game and that makes him a solid prime cut sleeper this week.
Worth a Gamble (Good matchup, solid sleeper)
James Ihedigbo, Baltimore Ravens (vs. New England)
Season stats: 21/14/0/3
Last week: 3/0/0/0
New England passing attempts per game/ranking: 41.3/3rd
New England passes defended allowed ranking: 32nd
New England tackle opportunities allowed ranking: 2nd
Ihedigbo has a great matchup against the Patriots, who are second in the league in both tackle opportunities allowed and plays run from scrimmage. With Rob Gronkowski injured, the Patriots are much more likely to throw to the running backs and slot-type receivers Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. That plays right into the area of the field Ihedigbo works in and makes him a strong upper-end sleeper this week.
Solid (Backup/situational player with upside)
Andrew Sendejo, Minnesota Vikings (at Cincinnati)
Season stats: 38/28/1/3
Last week: 4/0/0/0
Cincinnati passing attempts per game/ranking: 36.6/Tied for 16th
Cincinnati passes defended allowed ranking: 7th
Cincinnati tackle opportunities allowed ranking: 5th
Sendejo has a solid matchup against the Bengals, who are fifth in tackle opportunities allowed and seventh in passes defended allowed. They should dominate time of possession against the Vikings and with Sendejo posting solid tacklenumbers in recent weeks, it makes him a solid low-end sleeper with upside this week.
Brandon Carr, Dallas Cowboys (at Washington)
Season stats: 56/8/3/12
Last week: 4/2/0/1
Washington passing attempts per game/ranking: 37.6/Tied for 8th
Washington passes defended allowed ranking: 9th
Washington tackle opportunities allowed ranking: 6th
Carr has a solid matchup against Washington, who are in the top ten in attempted passes per game, tackle opportunities allowed, and passes defended allowed. Carr has been solid in most weeks in which he had a respectable matchup and I don't see any reason for that to change this week. Consider Carr a solid low end sleeper with upside this week.
Johnathan Joseph, Houston Texans (vs. Denver)
Season stats: 43/3/3/15
Last week: 9/0/1/1
Denver passing attempts per game/ranking: 41.6/2nd
Denver passes defended allowed ranking: 25th
Denver tackle opportunities allowed ranking: 1st
Joseph has a great matchup against the Broncos, who are tops in the league in tackle opportunities allowed and plays run from scrimmage. Peyton Manning is not afraid to throw to any part of the field regardless of who the cornerback in and Joseph should see enough action to be a solid low-end sleeper this week. With his high number of passes defended there is some upside but its risky to count on it because the Broncos ranks fairly low in passes defended allowed.
Deep Sleepers (For desperate owners only)
Rashean Mathis, Detroit Lions (vs. New York Giants)
Season stats: 38/1/0/15
Last week: 3/0/0/1
New York Giants passing attempts per game/ranking: 35.2/18th
New York Giants passes defended allowed ranking: 2nd
New York Giants tackle opportunities allowed ranking: 32nd
Mathis faces the Giants this week, a team thatr ranks second in the league in passes defended allowed. The Giants passing game has been wildly inconsistent all year and cornerbacks have had some huge games in terms of passes defended. I am listing Mathis as a deep sleeper because the Giants rank last in tackle opportunities allowed but there is upside because the lack of a running game is a big reason for that. If you are badly in need of a deep sleeper at defensive back, you could do a lot worse than Mathis this week.
