Oakland Raiders-Michael Bush (RB): Before Jacoby Ford broke his hand, he would have occupied this spot. However, he may not practice till the week of the season opener. That leads us to Michael Bush. Michael Bush is a beast who would be a starter on many teams. Last year, when he got double digit carries, he averaged 14.5 pts. per game. I know what your thinking, Hue Jackson said he was going to use McFadden more. While that’s true, McFadden is already out for two weeks with a fractured orbital bone. The guy hasn’t even had a full week of practice! Durability isn’t McFadden’s thing. Another positive for Bush is that he scored 6 out of his 8 TD’s from inside the opponent’s five. The only other red zone threat the Raiders had was Zach Miller, who was shipped off into the fantasy abyss known as Seattle. Look for Michael Bush in drafts, he could win you your league.
San Diego Chargers-Mike Tolbert (RB): Ryan Mathews didn’t show up for camp in shape and failed a conditioning test. Then the day he gets back, he has a toe injury. This all bodes well for the bowling ball known as Mike Tolbert. Tolbert is around 250 pounds and just rolls through people. Here’s a video of him doing it when he was younger. Quite the childhood for Mike. In all seriousness, the Chargers have said they plan on using Tolbert in passing downs and when they get close. For a guy in a high powered offense who will be used in the passing game, get red zone touches, and replace Ryan Mathews when he has a hangnail, he is being drafted way too late. Look for him to get close to his 11 TD’s again this year.
Denver Broncos-Kyle Orton (QB): Quite the mess they have in the Mile High city. I understand the reasoning for Orton over Tebow. What I don’t understand is why Kyle Orton is going undrafted. Maybe it’s because people like their fantasy QB to have some swagger and Orton rocked a neck beard last year that made Pau Gasol take notice. Through the first five weeks of 2010, he avg. over 19 pts per game. That’s Vick and Rodgers territory. It wasn’t his fault the Broncos kept losing, he was on pace for 4,000 yards before being benched. This brings us to the downside of Orton. The knock on Orton is that he will eventually lose his job to Tebow. I disagree with this theory. Fox wouldn’t bench Dellhome until it was apparent he had nothing left. While the Broncos will run the ball more, Orton will still put up decent enough stats to be your backup QB. Orton should be taken ahead of Cassel, yet after Bradford, Stafford and Kolb.
Kansas City Chiefs-Steve Breaston (WR): This space would be better used to talk about Kansas City BBQ rather than a Kansas City Chiefs member having sleeper value. I’m not going to go into great detail about how the Chiefs benefited from having an easy schedule. I’ll also avoid pointing out most of Bowe’s production came within a 7 week stretch. The Chiefs were determined to get Bowe some help, so they acquired Steve Breaston from the Cardinals. Breaston’s best years came under Haley who is also Chiefs offensive coordinator. Breaston is a deep threat who can take the top off of defenses and will not see double coverage. Right now, Breaston is worth looking at in only deeper leagues.