Deep Fantasy Football Playoff Sleepers

It all comes down to this. Thirteen weeks of blood, sweat, tears, trading, jinxing, waiver wire stalking, reverse-jinxing, and blind luck have brought you to the playoffs. Your road to the mountain-top starts this week. There are always the super studs, the guys you will always start, but then there are the fringe guys who will make or break your playoff run. Be the guy who takes calculated risks, not the guy who blindly plays the same roster every week, regardless of matchups. That guy is not a winner, is probably a tie with coffee stains on it, and nobody likes him. Except the guy playing him, of course.

Here are five guys who would normally be on your bench, but could be the difference in your playoff destiny:

• Santana Moss: Take a look at the pros for starting Santana: 12 targets last week, no Fred Davis this week, a non-existent New England secondary (something called Dan Orlovsky passed for 353 yards and 2 TDs) and now has a couple of weeks under his belt after returning from an injury. The only two cons about Moss this week are that he’s catching balls from Rex Grossman and that he’s directly associated with a Shanahan. I’m not saying that’s definitely bad, but I am saying it’s definitely not good.
• Matt Moore: Don’t laugh. Come on, it’s not that funny. Look at the numbers. His last 3 weeks have been legit. 3 TDs in week 11, 288 yards passing in week 12, and 2 TDs in week 13 (including one rushing). Are you trying to tell me a team who lost Jay Cutler or Matt Schaub down the stretch could do much better? Taking into account the all of a sudden Steel Curtain-esque defense the Dolphins put out (not having given up more than 20 points since week 7) playing an injured Michael Vick or a perfectly healthy and inept Vince Young won’t create short fields for Moore? There’s no reason Moore won’t do well this week, which is reason enough to plug him in if needed.
• Marion Barber: This seems like an obvious play, yet nobody is talking about him. With Matt Forte ruining fantasy seasons everywhere by getting hurt, his worst crime was forcing Lovie Smith to reintroduce Marion Barber back in our lives. If I see Barber over-celebrate one more 4 yard carry I will take a steel chair to my TV. Unless of course he’s starting on my team because I was the unfortunate soul who got stuck with any of Adrian Peterson, Fred Jackson, or Matt Forte and now I’m stuck watching this guy. The question is what else is Martz going to do? 7 step drops with Caleb Hanie? I wouldn’t trust that guy to pass me the salt at the dinner table let alone pass a football in the NFL. I’m assuming a heavy dose of Barber, and one of those doses might cause him to stumble into the end zone. A 20 carry, 70 yard, 1 TD performance is something I can totally see from Barber. And a 1 torn rotator cuff, 1 shattered TV, and 2 herniated disks is something can totally see from myself watching Barber.
• Jonathan Stewart: The Daily Show is quietly putting on a decent show in 2011. Pun totally intended. Take a look at his numbers, especially in a PPR format where he really excels. He’s top 20, which means in standard 10 man league he’s a #2 RB. Most people would not have assumed that at all. In week 14 he plays Atlanta, whom he had 72 total yards and a TD against back in week 6. This time he plays Atlanta at home, coming off 3 solid games, and with Cam Newton unlikely to keep sniping his own running backs for TDs, Stewart could be in line for a good game. I have no updates or predictions for Colbert at the moment.
• Ryan Fitzpatrick: I won’t make any lame Harvard jokes as I have before. I won’t make any jokes aimed at the people of Buffalo. And I won’t make jokes poking fun at Stevie Johnson’s cheek earring or life decisions in general. What I will do is point out that the Chargers gave up 195 yards and 2 TDs to Blaine frickin’ Gabbert (by the way, can Gabbert look like any less of a pro quarterback? The guy flinches when his teammates try to high-five him, calls everyone dude, and throws with his right hand like he’s left handed. Does the Jacksonville brass really think this guy is going to carry Jacksonville for the next 15 years? Is there anything to be said for demeanor and how you carry yourself? These executives are usually wrong and they get to keep their jobs. They’re like inaccurate weathermen, which is really saying something). Fitzpatrick has averaged 276 yards and 2 TDs in the last couple of games, and heading to sunny San Diego to face the 31^st ranked pass defense is like music to your Fitzpatrick-owning ear.

Check Out Our Fantasy Rankings for Week 14