Knile Davis

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Fantasy Football 2014: Six-Pack of Sleepers

Posted by fantasyfurnace on July 17, 2014
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Another fantasy football season is almost upon us and there are players who are poised for breakout seasons to be had every year. Since this year is no exception, we give you our first six-pack of potential sleepers to peruse and consider grabbing on your league’s draft day. *These are in no particular order.

1. Kenny Stills-WR-Saints- Anytime you can put a wide receiver and Drew Brees in the same sentence, that player has potential. As a rookie, the fifth round pick in the 2013 draft had five touchdowns. As a WR3 (or higher)  it’s important that your QB places you in high regard and that’s exactly what Brees has done. Stills is quick and can garner your team some hefty yards after receptions as Stills’ not only averaged 20 yards per catch last season but also had four receptions of 50 yards or more.

#84 WR Kenny Stills dives in for the score vs the Raiders last season. The Furnace believes he will be a favorite of Drew Brees. Photo: neworleanssaints.com

#84 WR Kenny Stills dives in for the score vs the Raiders last season. The Furnace believes he will be a favorite of Drew Brees. Photo: neworleanssaints.com

2. Knile Davis-RB-Chiefs- Davis is a long-shot but in a perfect season he could potentially bring you some  nice fantasy points later in the campaign as opposed to say the first half. Stud back Jamaal Charles will naturally get the bulk of the carries for the majority of the season but now, entering his seventh season, he might just see his load lessened as the long season wears on. Davis’ carries increased towards the end of last season and as he can be quite effective at the goal line plus catch a pass or two out of the backfield. Admittedly a late round (10-12) pick, Davis just might pay your team dividends and makes for a viable handcuff to Charles.

3. Markus Wheaton-WR-Steelers- This young wideout, we believe, has an excellent chance to be the epitome of a sleeper this season given that with the losses of both Jerricho Cotchery and Emmanuel Sanders, Roethlisberger has to throw the ball to someone and the Steelers, aware of this, went out and shored up their offense in the off-season. Wheaton would have seen a bit more action last season if not for a broken finger. With Mike Tomlin already stating that he is expecting “Big things” out of the second year man from Oregon State, Wheaton could make a decent WR2 on most mixed leagues.

#11 WR Markus Wheaton, who will help fill the void for Sanders and Cotchery (both no longer on the Steelers), could emerge as a top 20 WR in the league this year. PHOTO: AP

#11 WR Markus Wheaton, who will help fill the void for the losses of Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery, could emerge as a top 15- 20 WR in the league this year. Photo: AP

4. Aaron Dobson-WR-Patriots- As Clint Eastwood said, “Do you feel lucky?” Well if you do, Dobson should realize an uptick in his production in this his second year in the NFL. Although he only tallied four touchdowns last season, Bill Belichick will want to open the sophomore up more and hopefully soon become one of Brady’s primary targets. Dobson should go somewhere around the 6-8 rounds in most drafts. He has great hands and unlimited potential-if you’re feeling lucky…

5. Tim Wright-TE-Buccaneers-Along with maybe Tyler Eifert of the Bengals, we believe Wright is the best tight end sleeper candidate out there, just waiting for a true breakout year.. He has already shown how talented he is by virtue of his five touchdowns last season on just eight targets. Jeff Tedford, Tampa’s Offensive Coordinator has a long history of schemes involving his tight ends which will also bode well for Wright. If you look at his numbers at the tail end of the last season, you will see how Wright emerged as a featured option and should again this year only for the bulk of the season now.. Keep your eye on Wright who won’t do you wrong if you roster him.

6. David Wilson-RB-Giants- We touted Wilson last year in this very same sleeper category but his season unfortunately came to an end in Week 5 as he went under the knife for a severe neck injury. He still was a 2012 first round pick and has as much speed as any receiver playing today. Most of your comrades in the draft room might opt to let Wilson slide down to the later rounds where, if you are smart and patient, you will find him waiting. We wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up sharing the carries with potential sleeper Rashad Jennings after just a few games into the season. Wilson could, at last, have that real breakout season we know he’s capable of.

#22 RB David Wilson, recovered from last season's neck surgery, should be back to doing flips as the Furnace selects him as their sleeper RB for a second season in a row

#22 RB David Wilson, fully recovered from last season’s neck surgery, should be back to doing flips as the Furnace selects him as their sleeper RB for a second season in a row. Photo: Robert Sabo/NYDAILYNEWS

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Fantasy Football 2013: 10 Rookies worth the Risk- Part 2

Posted by fantasyfurnace on July 27, 2013
Posted in: NFL. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

Here are the final five Rookies that we feel are worth the Risk this season. By doing several Mock Drafts you will be able to see how many of these players are snagged in drafts and when they went off the board. If the first five we wrote about are gone then here is an opportunity to still select some remaining rookies who can serve as excellent backups or could have an immediate impact on your roster. Unlike the first five, this group is more tailor-made for those in deeper leagues. Good luck!

6. Cordarrelle Patterson-WR-Vikings- Admittedly, Patterson would be a question mark but one with low risk and high reward. If allowed to put his talents on display, Patterson would make the perfect replacement to Percy Harvin, now with the Seahawks. Harvin accounted for 20% of the team’s receptions last year so there is enough of a work load for Patterson to potentially become your WR3 at some point in the season.

As the third WR to be selected in the NFL draft in April, Patterson showed that he is an able runner after making catches which would play more into QB Christian Ponder’s kind of game. The 6′ 2″ 216 lb. receiver has 4.42 speed and rushed for 308 yards on 25 carries at Tennessee.  Give him a look if still available in the latter rounds.

7. Eddie Lacy-RB-Packers- If you’re looking for a solid RB3 then Lacy could be your man. The Pack added not one but two running backs in this year’s draft so there will be some competition in their backfield going into the season, however we feel when the smoke clears the one that should garner you the most potential for fantasy points will be Lacy. He’s a big power back (230 lbs) who will see his share of red zone carries. Consider that the Packers were inside the 5 yard line 18 times last season and opted to hand off to a RB on only four of those possessions. That should leave the door wide open for Lacy.

Lacy, the MVP of Alabama’s 2013 BCS title, had 30 of his 355 carries go for touchdowns. Even with sharing the backfield duties with newly added Jonathan Franklin, we think Lacy will emerge as the back most likely to score goal line TDs.

#27 238 lb. running back Eddie Lacy is poised and ready to handle goal line carries for the Packers. Photo: Mike DiSanti

#27 230 lb. running back Eddie Lacy is poised and ready to handle goal line carries for the Packers. Photo: Mike DiSanti

8. DeAndre Hopkins-WR-Texans- When all is said and done, Hopkins has the opportunity to end up as the Texans #2 WR . The good news is that he won’t see that much competition from fellow receivers Lestar Jean or Keshawn Martin so it’s Hopkins’ job to lose here. The bad news is that Houston has a rep for having a run-driven offense and with QB Matt Schaub who likes to throw more short and intermedite routes. Since Hopkins can easily stretch the field, his elusiveness and good hands could insure that Schaub might just begin to air it out more.

Hopkins, at long last, appears to be the perfect compliment to receiving stud Andre Johnson which the Texans have been searching for a long time and someone you should take a chance on in deeper leagues as he will have some fantasy upside.

9. Zach Ertz-TE-Eagles- Is there a log jam at the tight end position in Philadelphia? To quote Sarah Palin, “You Betcha!!” Eagles coach Chip Kelly, by using the 35th pick to grab Ertz, will have to make some decisions. First is whether or not to keep Celek rostered or unload him and his $3.25 million salary. If Celek is released it clearly opens the door for Ertz to become the team’s #1 TE.  None of the three who also includes James Casey, are formidable blockers but they do fit into the kind of offense that Kelly is known for.

Ertz led the Stanford Cardinals in receptions (69) and in yards (898) which is why we think given his age and talent we would prefer him over Celek and believe he could become a sleeper-type pickup in Kelly’s quick tempo offense. He automatically gets a Must Add label in the event Philly releases Celek.

Stanford standout TE Zach Ertz could end up becoming the Eagles #1 TE if Brent Celek is released. The 6' 5" 249 lb TE can be a sleeper type player in coach Chip Kelly's offense. Jason O. Watson/Getty Images:

Stanford standout TE Zach Ertz could end up becoming the Eagles #1 TE if Brent Celek is released. The 6′ 5″ 249 lb TE can be sleeper material in coach Chip Kelly’s offense. Photo: Jason O. Watson/Getty Images

10. Knile Davis-RB-Chiefs- You might consider listing this rookie to be a bit of a stretch but the upside with the former Razorback is very high. A couple of years ago, prior to a severe ankle injury that sidelined him in 2011 at Arkansas, he was considered one of the best backs in the country rushing for 1,362 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Chiefs must have felt that he has completely healed by virtue of them selecting him in the third round of this year’s draft. Currently Davis is their best and probably main option behind Jamaal Charles who himself is no stranger to injury.

Davis, along with his 4.37 speed, might not give you immediate fantasy results but could provide you with a very serviceable handcuff to Charles. Given how frequently RBs get injured, that might not be a bad idea.

**If you haven’t seen our first five rookie selections, then just scroll down to Rookies worth the Risk- Part 1.