8/26 Sleeper of the Day: Mike Bell

RB MIKE BELL, Eagles

Here's an offseason move that flew under the radar. Bell signed a 1-year, $1.7 million deal with Philly after compiling 654 yards and 5 TDs for the Super Bowl champion Saints. He began the year as a feature back in New Orleans, running for 143 yards on 28 carries in Week 1, but after that he settled into a rotation with Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia last year, Brian Westbrook got hurt, rookie LeSean McCoy had some growing pains, and the Eagles were forced to give fullback Leonard Weaver a career-high 70 carries in an attempt to solve their short-yardage woes.

Fast-forward a year and Westbrook's gone, McCoy's the No. 1 back and Bell was brought in to back him up and handle some of those short-yardage/goal-line duties. With McCoy still getting his feet wet in the NFL and largely untested Kevin Kolb taking over at QB, I can foresee Bell getting a good amount of work this year, especially in the red zone. At 220 pounds he's a power runner and a good complement to McCoy's skill set, and though the Eagles aren't a run-heavy team, Bell will have his fair share of opportunity. He'll make a sneaky good fill-out-your-roster RB at the end of your draft and a great insurance policy for McCoy owners.

It's no prank: Westbrook's been cut

It's a sad time for fantasy football owners as running back Brian Westbrook was cut Tuesday by the Philadelphia Eagles. The onetime fantasy stud says he's not retiring, and though it's unclear where he might end up in 2010, I'm pretty sure his future doesn't include "worshipping the prostate of Howard Stern," as a Westbrook impersonator mentioned in a prank call to SportsCenter (above).

When fully healthy - which wasn't often - the versatile Westbrook was one of the most dangerous players in the game, capable of going off with 100 yards rushing, or 100 yards receiving, or 3 or 4 TDs at any time. His owners can attest to a lot of agonizing over Westbrook being a game-time decision on a Sunday morning, but nobody wanted to be the guy who benched him before another monster game. Lingering concussion and knee problems finally made the 30-year-old Westbrook expendable for Philadelphia, a franchise that's never been afraid to jettison its aging stars. Besides, they've already got a younger Westbrook model named LeSean McCoy waiting in the wings who know becomes a potential breakout star next season.

So what's next for Westbrook? Ideally, he'd land on a team looking for a starting running back - San Diego? Seattle? Houston? - and puts his injuries behind him. He'll be an incredibly risky, yet intriguing, fantasy pick wherever he ends up.

Sit 'Em: Week 15

- RB MATT FORTE at Baltimore: Even if you've somehow managed to limp into the playoffs with Forte as one of your two starting RBs, you know that outside of a handful of games against the league's worst teams, he's been nothing more than average. And he'll be just average against a Ravens D that hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher since Week 9. If you have a better alternative, bench the Bear.

- RB LeSEAN McCOY vs. San Francisco: Instead of being the second coming of Brian Westbrook, Shady has been darn near worthless the past few weeks. Besides, FB Leonard Weaver has been the bigger playmaker and gets the carries at the goal line for the Eagles. Don't expect much from McCoy against the league's fifth-ranked run defense.

- WR PERCY HARVIN at Carolina: The rookie sat out last week with migranes, and the trend (thankfully) in the NFL this year has been to be cautious with these kinds of ailments. Harvin was limited in practice Friday, and while the odds seem to favor him playing, he could end up a late scratch. With the Vikings playing the Sunday night game, that could wreck your plans this playoff weekend. Are you willing to take that risk?


LAST WEEK'S PICKS

- Beanie Wells surprised everybody with 15 carries for 79 yards and a TD, maybe surpassing Tim Hightower on the depth chart in the process.

- Steve Breaston had another 1-catch game. Warned you.

- Santana Moss had 4 catches for 58 yardszzzzzzzzz.

Start 'Em: Week 12

- QB MATT HASSELBECK at St. Louis: The veteran's coming off a rough day in Minnesota (zero TDs, 1 INT in a 35-9 loss), but the Rams' secondary should be the perfect tonic.

- RB JASON SNELLING vs. Tampa Bay: The guy's scored three times in the past two games since starter Michael Turner got hurt, and he'll get the start again Sunday. You have to like the matchup, too, against a Bucs defense that's been torched by the likes of Pierre Thomas (92 yards), Rickey Williams (102 yards), Ronnie Brown (82 yards, TD) and Ryan Grant (96 yards, TD) in recent weeks.

- WR CHRIS CHAMBERS at San Diego: He's got 249 yards and two TDs in three games since becoming a Chief, and now he faces the team that cut him. I like it.

LAST WEEK'S PICKS

- Beanie Wells didn't quite have a career day against the Rams, but 74 yards and a TD will do the trick.

- Another rookie, LeSean McCoy, DID have a career day on the ground (99 yards, TD) in Chicago.

- Santonio Holmes caught 7 passes for 86 yards but, alas, didn't catch a TD as I predicted.

Start 'Em: Week 11

- RB BEANIE WELLS at St. Louis: The rookie has had an increased workload the past five weeks and has scored 3 TDs in his past four games. He could be in line for a career day against the Rams (118 rushing yards allowed per game) if the Cardinals continue to utilize him.

- RB LeSEAN McCOY at Chicago: There's more risk than you'd think, even with Eagles starter Brian Westbrook reeling from another concussion. Shady got just 6 total touches last week (3 carries, 3 receptions), but hopefully stubborn Andy Reid will give the kid the damn ball against the 21st-ranked Bears D that just isn't scary anymore.

- WR SANTONIO HOLMES at Kansas City: Did you realize this dude hasn't scored since Week 1? How is that possible? Bold prediction: Holmes finally scores again this week against K.C.


LAST WEEK'S PICKS

- Laurence Maroney had just 31 rushing yards on 13 carries but scored for the fourth straight game.

- Derrick Mason caught 3 balls for 78 yards but didn't reach the end zone Monday night as the Ravens surprisingly didn't go off on the Browns, scoring just 1 offensive TD.

- Kellen Winslow caught 7 passes and matched his season high for yardage (102).

Photo by The Associated Press

Week 7 recap

- Wow, nice game, Frank Gore (13 carries, 32 yards) - welcome back, guy. Here's hoping the switch to Alex Smith at QB will help the 49ers' offense really get rolling.

- I'm not sure what a lung contusion feels like, but I'm hoping it's not bad enough to keep Andre Johnson out of a juicy matchup against the Bills this week. Dude was on quite a roll before getting hurt Sunday.

- Big-time effort from Ryan Grant (27 carries, 148 yards, TD), even if it was against the Browns. Unfortunately, up next he's got the Vikings, who held him to 51 yards a few weeks ago.

- Keep rolling, Philip Rivers (268 yards, 3 TDs vs. Kansas City). Oakland's up next.

- Steven Jackson keeps piling up the rushing yardage (134) but has yet to hit paydirt this season. That should end at Detroit this week.

- Vikings WR Sidney Rice posted another huge output (10 catches for 136 yards) and is putting up the numbers Bernard Berrian was supposed to this year. Could be in line for a third straight big game against Green Bay.

- Laurence Maroney did end up with the lion's share of the carries again for the Patriots (13) but his 43 rushing yards didn't quite live up to last week's 123 or 7.7 average. He did score a TD, but then again, who hasn't against the Bucs?

- The season-ending broken leg suffered by Leon Washington is a shame, but it's actually good news for Thomas Jones (26 carries, 121 yards, TD) and Shonn Greene (19 carries, 144 yards, TD). And just when the Jets are morphing into a running machine, they slam headfirst into the Dolphins' run defense.

- Finally, a respectable game for the Panthers' Steve Smith (6 catches, 99 yards) - this despite Jake Delhomme's 3 INTs and 56.5 passer rating. Is a QB change in Carolina's future? And will it make a difference?

- It's official: Miles Austin (6 catches, 171 yards, 2 TDs) is everything Roy Williams was supposed to be for the Cowboys, and then some. Unfortunately if you still own Roy it's probably too late to make that roster move. If it's not - you should.

- Thanks for nothing, Matt Forte (49 total yards). Do something against Cleveland this week or consider yourself dropped.

- Ricky Williams, dependable fantasy starter? Sunday's stats (9 carries, 80 yards, 3 TDs) and his season totals say yes.

- Beanie Wells had his best outing of his rookie season against the Giants (14 carries, 67 yards, TD) and appears to have supplanted Tim Hightower (4 carries, 9 yards). But be careful here - he did fumble, too, and that's the reason the Cardinals have been reluctant to use him too much.

- Could Brian Westbrook's concussion be the opening LeSean McCoy needed for fantasy stardom? Possibly, but don't get too pumped if you've had Shady sitting on your bench. McCoy's averaging only 3.6 yards a carry so far, and it wouldn't shock me to see Westbrook facing the Giants this week.

9/2 Sleeper of the Day: LeSean McCoy

RB LeSEAN McCOY, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES



The rookie known as "Shady" will be playing the Correll Buckhalter role this year for Philly - which means he'll be called on whenever Brian Westbrook can't go. And if you've followed football the past few seasons you know that could mean often.

Westbrook is constantly banged-up, partly because the Eagles haven't had a dependable or dynamic back that could spell him and have had few other offensive options. That's not the case this year, as Philadelphia is counting on an infusion of young skill players - DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and McCoy - to get the Eagles over the hump and into the Super Bowl. With Westbrook still recovering from offseason ankle surgery, McCoy has gotten plenty of first-team reps in training camp and the preseason, which will only help prepare him for a big regular season role.

Shady is a younger version of Westbrook: a small, shifty runner who can catch. At the very he'll least make a strong handcuff for Westbrook owners, much more valuable than Buckhalter has been the past few years because he should see the field more often and he's more talented. If Westbrook were to miss any significant length of time this season, McCoy would instantly become a must-have RB.

How does Vick fit into the fantasy world?

Michael Vick continues to grab all the headlines and will be perhaps the biggest story in the NFL as the season opens. But that doesn't mean he should command too much attention from fantasy players.

Vick's signing with the Eagles is the kind of storyline fans and pundits will be talking about for weeks and months, but for fantasy purposes it's just another transaction. No need to go making a major overhaul to your pre-draft rankings. Sure, Vick's an intriguing late-round sleeper because Philly figures to use him in the wildly popular "Wildcat" role that often results in big plays. He gives the Eagles another skilled player who can certainly be an effective runner/passer/receiver in their West Coast offense. But honestly, how many touches can he get in an offense that also includes Pro Bowl performers like Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook and young playmakers DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin?

The idea behind the Wildcat is to utilize the elements of surprise and unpredictability, so how consistently would Vick be used anyway? At least other presumed Wildcat players around the league - Ronnie Brown/Ricky Williams in Miami, Percy Harvin in Minnesota - will be taking more snaps at their regular positions throughout the game, whereas Vick would only be stepping onto the field at a few strategic points when the Eagles use the package.

Make no mistake, McNabb is the starting QB. This won't be an even timeshare. Of course, taking into account McNabb's history, there is a decent chance of him getting injured at some point and Vick perhaps taking over, but that's not something you can bank on. And even then, the Eagles do have a supposed QB of the future, Kevin Kolb (although he's hurt right now). And assuming Vick is listed on Philly's roster as a QB and is eligible at that position in fantasy leagues, it's hard to justify taking him as your No. 2 fantasy QB when you could instead own another starter in the league - say, Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger, Carson Palmer, Matt Hasselbeck, etc. - who will see the field far more often and produce many more points on a more consistent basis.

If your league allows three QBs, by all means, take Vick. If your league allows really deep rosters with open bench spots from any position, Vick's your guy. If the Eagles for some reason use Vick exclusively as a RB/WR, snatch him up. The potential is there for some cheap fantasy points. But good luck predicting when they might come.

The true concern for fantasy purposes should rest with anyone who owns an Eagles skill player. Every time Vick touches the ball he'll be taking away potential points from Westbrook, Jackson and co. And more alarmingly, how will the signing affect McNabb's psyche? You could look at it as yet another slap in the face for a franchise QB who's been maligned by his team's fans for years, witnessed the franchise draft a potential replacement (Kolb) and who was benched by his coach last year for poor play. Now McNabb's got to deal with the circus that follows such a publicized move, and the guy may have to take a backseat to Vick at key points in the game and give up snaps. There's potential here for bad blood and fan backlash if the Eagles, clearly in a win-now-at-all-costs mode, aren't winning. And instability is never a good thing for fantasy production. Maybe it's no big deal, but it's something to think about