Deeper Sleepers Heading Into Week 7

October 16, 2018

Frankie Soler takes an look at some deep sleepers heading into Week 7 of the fantasy football season with players owned in 15% or fewer of fantasy leagues that should be available on the waiver wire.

Apologies for not telling you to add fantasy superstars Nick O'Leary, David Moore, and Brock Osweiller last week. Clearly I have failed you as a fantasy football writer. I am not worthy of your page views. I'm speaking sarcastically, of course. Those were just three of the names that make you roll your eyes and ask yourself "why do we play this silly, masochistic game?" Ideally you're still enjoying the right despite the unpredictability. Maybe? A little? At least try?

It wasn't all bad in Week 6 as we finally saw some flashes of what we've been waiting to see all year. The Patriots continue to increase Josh Gordon's role, Aaron Rodgers appears as close to 100% healthy as you can get, and some early season outliers are coming back to down reality. (Looking at you Javorious Allen.) But with reality starting to trend more towards expectations comes an even thinner waiver wire. Which brings us to another mysterious edition of deep sleepers. These players could be usable in some capacity, but for the most part, it's tough to envision weekly contribution. Nevertheless, they are worth a flier in the deepest of leagues.

Remember, the rule of thumb here is that players cannot be owned in more than 15% of Yahoo fantasy leagues. In a perfect world all you're looking for is depth, something you'll hopefully find here.

Deeper Sleepers For Week 7

Geoff Swaim - TE, DAL (12% Owned)

Geoff Swaim has flirted with appearing on this list for a weeks now so here he is. The Dallas Cowboys have struggled as a whole so it's difficult to view the raw receiving totals as a positive. Swaim's role in the offense is what makes him relevant. Swaim is currently second on the team in receiving yards with 180. He's also third in receptions with 16 and is actually helping the team with 124 yards after the catch. For reference, Ezekiell Elliott leads the team in that category with 170. In short, Geoff Swaim is one of the few sticking points in a below-average Cowboys offense. The fact that he plays tight end is what makes him fantasy relevant as the position has been a mess all season. Swaim can fill in for a bye week or a potentially injured starter.

LeGarrette Blount - RB, DET (12% Owned)

LeGarrette Blount has magically maintained fantasy relevance for what feels like six decades and no one understands how. He's the prototypical bowling ball style running back who brings real life value to NFL teams. In a weird, infuriating way for fantasy, his 2.5 yards per carry basically says it all. He manages to power and plummet his way into the end zone, boosting his fantasy output in the process. But hey, points are points. After scoring two touchdowns in Week 5, Blount will look to get some more goal line work coming out of the bye. That's really all you'd be hoping for with Blount. His rushing yardage isn't going to help you and he has no presence in the passing game. And yet, he's every bit as involved as Kerryon Johnson in terms of rushing attempts. Feel free to take a gamble on LeGarrette Blount if all you need is a desperation shot at a touchdown.

C.J. Beathard - QB, SF (6% Owned)

What a time to be alive. C.J. Beathard makes this week's list by virtue of an inflated fantasy quarterback position. Basically as long as you're not Nathan Peterman level bad, you'll end up being worth a look at some point or another this year. In any event, Beathard does have replacement-level upside. Not exactly a ringing endorsement, but there are plenty of leagues out there where backup quarterbacks are hard to come by. If the alternatives are Brock Osweiller and Eli Manning, Beathard could be your best bet. You can't rely on him this week against the Ram outside of a deep two-QB league, but looking ahead to games against the Raiders and Giants, you may have someone worth using in weeks nine and ten.

Tre'Quan Smith - WR, NO (5% Owned)

There are a few small reasons why Tre'Quan Smith warrants a look as opposed to other available Saints pass-catchers. For starters, he has the most recent big game amongst the bunch with a 111 outing in Week 5 against the Redskins. It certainly helps that the bulk of his production came on that one big scoring play that saw Drew Brees break the record. The Saints also have a banged up Ted Ginn and two tight ends that may eat into each other in Benjamin Watson and Josh Hill. There's room for the Saints to establish another big play contributor, even if it's a very boom-or-bust option. Owners looking to swing for a home-run or nada should scoop up Tre'Quan.

Vernon Davis - TE, WAS (2% Owned)

I'd like to imagine that in the year 2025 Frank Gore, Adam Vinatieri, and Vernon Davis are still being discussed for fantasy purposes. Davis has had two decent games this year, the most recent of which being a three for 48 game with a touchdown against New Orleans. Similar to the previous names on this list, those yardage totals are not very enticing but the Redskins are desperate for weapons right now. Their entire offense seems to be dealing with nagging injuries and Davis has been just fine when called upon in the past. I should reiterate, the TE position is as confusing as any other so that certainly helps. We'll need to see what a healthy Redskins offense looks like but for now, Vernon Davis is worth keeping your eye on.

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