Fantasy football sleepers: WR - Week 13

December 3, 2009 @ 10:43:32

By Tim Heaney
Edited by Cory J. Bonini and Bryce McRae

Fantasy football sleepers: QB | RB | WR | TE | PK | DT

In this article KFFL breaks down the fantasy football sleepers of the week. We will avoid marquee names because players of that caliber are rarely benched, regardless of their matchup. Instead, we will focus on the players that make your fantasy lineup decisions stressful each week. Read on to learn which midrange to low-end players that you wouldn't necessarily consider that you need to get into your lineup.

Note: All statistics are from Week 9 to Week 12, unless otherwise noted.

Fantasy football sleepers: Wide receivers

Michael Crabtree, San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks

Fantasy value: No. 3 or flex

• Crabtree has matured quickly since ending his holdout, becoming the No. 2 target in the Niners' passing game. He has at least four catches in five of his six games this year.
• Behold Seattle's fantasy matchup numbers against wideouts: 13.25 receptions, 171.8 yards, and a league-worst two touchdown grabs allowed per game. Their secondary hasn't been steady, by any means.
• San Fran's increased use of the spread offense should help Crabtree, who played in the system at Texas Tech.

Kenny Britt, Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts

Fantasy value: No. 3 or flex

• With two fourth-down catches in the winning drive Week 12, Britt only further proved his rapport with quarterback Vince Young. The rook had seven receptions in Week 12 and had been an infrequent part of the offense before Justin Gage (back) went down to injury. He has shown his talent in his 15.8 yards-per-catch average.
• Indy has allowed 17.75 receptions per game to wideouts, the most in the league. Their 223.3 receiving yards per game are the second most, and they've yielded one scoring catch per contest to this position.
• Britt should be acquired in all setups, especially with Gage's health in question for the rest of the year. Britt can be found unowned in about 80 percent of polled leagues.

Nate Washington, Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts

Nate Dubs is worth a flier play

Fantasy value: Flex or bench

• Washington has caught no more than three passes in each of his last seven games. With Kenny Britt becoming quarterback Vince Young's favorite receiver, it looks like Washington returns to his 2008 stock as a Pittsburgh Steeler; he's a deep threat and a boom-or-bust play. Justin Gage's (back) injury may prevent him from playing again this season, though, placing Washington in line for some more work.
• This week spells boom: Indy has allowed 17.75 receptions for 223.3 yards and a lone touchdown per game. Their secondary has done a solid job of patching holes this year, but even with cornerback Kelvin Hayden (knee) returning, the Colts still present a vulnerable target.
• Tennessee's matchup and Gage's injury make Washington a solid rental for the week if you're running thin on options; he's available in about 46 percent of polled leagues.

NEW - Davone Bess, Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots

Fantasy value: No. 3 or flex

• Technically the Dolphins' No. 1 wideout, for whatever that means, Bess has seen 32 targets in his last four weeks, though he has only registered 19 receptions in that time. Bess has yet to find the end zone this year.
• Of course, their bout with the New Orleans Saints this past week probably has skewed these numbers, but the Pats have allowed 12.00 receptions, 193.3 yards and 1.75 touchdown grabs per game to this position.
• In Bess' first game against New England this season, he recorded six catches for 56 yards. For the lack of big-play ability he has shown in his career, Bess seems to pack a bit more punch with Chad Henne at quarterback.

Fantasy football sleepers: QB | RB | WR | TE | PK | DT

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Tim Heaney

Since the Boston University alum joined KFFL in 2006, his work has been featured by USA Today/Sports Weekly and Yahoo! Sports, among numerous publications.

Tim competes in Tout Wars and LABR and appears every Wednesday on 1570 AM WNST in Baltimore, as well as frequently on Sirius XM Fantasy Sports Radio.

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