It’s that time of year where injuries are piling up across the league. This is especially true for RBs, where at least 8 starters from the beginning of the season will be on the shelf this weekend. For those of us who weren’t math majors, that’s a quarter of the league’s week 1 starting RBs. Add to this that you may be experiencing the bye week blues and it’s a tough combo for fantasy owners. Woe is us.

Fortunately, our Featured Pros are here to help by identifying the hidden gems that can give your squad a jolt this week. These players are deep enough that they could still be sitting on your waiver wire. For good measure, the experts will also share their picks for the players they think are on bust alert.

If you need additional help, be sure to import your team into My Playbook for recommendations specific to your team and check out our Who Should I Start? tool.



Q1: Give us a player outside of our top 105 Flex that represents a deep sleeper start and tell us why you think he has upside this week.

TRAVARIS CADET, RB (NO vs. GB)

“While most owners were targeting Tre Mason, Denard Robinson or one of the Bills backups this week, one name may have slipped through unnoticed – Travaris Cadet. For most of the season, Cadet has been the fourth back in New Orleans behind Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas and Khiry Robinson, but in recent weeks he’s seen his workload grow with 20 targets over the last three games. His value will mainly be in PPR leagues, but with Thomas sidelined, Cadet could be a smart bye-week replacement.”

– Justin Boone (The Score)

“With New Orleans running back Pierre Thomas on the shelf for a few weeks, Cadet should be a solid play, especially in PPR formats. Cadet has been targeted 20 times in the Saints passing game over New Orleans’ last three games and with Thomas out of the picture, Cadet will be looking at 6-8 receptions as a baseline.”

– Jeff Brubach (The Fake Football)

JOHN BROWN, WR (ARI vs. PHI)

“After a nice start to the 2014 season Brown has been fairly silent in recent weeks. He’s the number 3 receiver and has been in on roughly 50% of the Cardinals offensive snaps, but his production has been hit and miss. It’s what you’d expect from an undersized number three that makes his plays with his speed. This week Arizona will be facing an Eagles defense that is giving up the 7th most fantasy points to wide receivers. Obviously, Fitzgerald and Floyd will get the most opportunities, but Brown is a very nice sleeper candidate. The little man with the wheels could have some big play potential.”

– Kelly Smelser (Punch Drunk Wonderland)

“I like Brown this week against an Eagles defense that’s allowing the seventh-most fantasy points to wideouts. Larry Fitzgerald runs most of Arizona’s slot routes and will get a lot of Brandon Boykin’s tough coverage, while Brown can take advantage of Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher on the outside. A matchup with the Eagles almost always lends itself to a high volume of snaps and passes – and Brown’s a big play just waiting to happen.”

– Patrick Thorman (Pro Football Focus)

JARVIS LANDRY, WR (MIA at JAC)

“Landry could be a steal this week. The Jags are better vs the run than the pass and coverage will focus on Wallace and Clay. Landry has been flashing more and more this year and this has the potential to be his breakout game.”

– Ken Zalis (Pressbox)

MARTAVIS BRYANT, WR (PIT vs. IND)

“He pulled in a 35-yard touchdown in his Week 7 debut and received five targets. Big Ben looked for him deep a couple other times in the game. He has sneaky-good fantasy WR3-type upside moving forward, especially with teams more focused on containing Antonio Brown.”

– Smitty (Fantasy Football Starters)



Q2: On the flip side, what player inside the top 50 Flex is likely to disappoint fantasy owners this week?

KELVIN BENJAMIN, WR (CAR vs. SEA)

“If you’ve been riding the rookie wideout this season, you might be seeing red flags going into his Week 8 matchup. There are several factors at play that make him risky. First, his number of targets has decreased over the last three weeks. That doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but you really want him catching more than 3 balls. Second (and mostly importantly), Carolina is facing a tough Seattle defense. The Seahawks are giving up the 10th fewest points to WRs in 2014. KBenj has been a nice WR2, but he could definitely take a dip in Week 8.”

– Kelly Smelser (Punch Drunk Wonderland)

ALFRED MORRIS, RB (WAS at DAL)

“With Colt McCoy at quarterback in Week 8, Washington will likely be chasing the Dallas Cowboys throughout their NFC East matchup on Monday night. Morris’ routine absence from the Washington passing game means that the game script in this contest could severely cap his possible fantasy output. With McCoy and company likely playing from behind, I would avoid Morris in Week 8. ”

– Jeff Brubach (The Fake Football)

“Morris hasn’t filled up the stat sheet this season, so perhaps the disappointment will be kept in check when he flounders against the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. Over the last three weeks, Morris is averaging 41.3 rushing yards per game with no touchdowns and often finds himself on the sidelines when the team falls behind. The Cowboys are 10-point favorites, which could mean plenty of Roy Helu as the Redskins struggle to keep up with their division rivals. ”

– Justin Boone (The Score)

“I don’t like Morris’ chances to live up to his ranking in a road game in which Washington is more than a touchdown underdog. He’s incredibly game flow dependent, offers nothing in the passing game (5 total catches), and hasn’t had more snaps than Roy Helu in almost a month. He’ll also be playing with an awful quarterback that will allow Dallas to stack the box when Morris gets on the field. Plus, he’s a volume-needy running back, and the Cowboys allow the fewest offensive plays in the league.”

– Patrick Thorman (Pro Football Focus)

GIOVANI BERNARD, RB (CIN vs. BAL)

“I do not love Bernard this week. The Ravens D has been lights out as of late and without A.J. Green the Bengals offense looks ordinary. In week one vs the Ravens, Bernard did most of his damage catching balls out of the backfield, but the last three weeks Gio has had no more than a few grabs a game. He is trending the wrong way headed into this tough divisional matchup.”

– Ken Zalis (Pressbox)

DARREN MCFADDEN, RB (OAK at CLE)

“After rushing for 48 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries last week, it seems many believe in DMac this week against the Browns, who just surrendered a grip of work to Denard Robinson. Yes, the matchup is solid, but DMac is just far too inconsistent to be ranked inside the top 50 overall players this week (and he ranks No. 41 currently). Can he be a flex option this week? Sure, I’m not suggesting he can’t, but he’s ranked like a RB2, which is too high if you ask me.”

– Smitty (Fantasy Football Starters)

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Thanks to this week’s Featured Experts for sharing their insight with us. Please give them a follow on Twitter (links below) to get more of their advice.

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