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Fantasy Football Sleeper Picks
It’s that time of the year when we say goodbye to our loved ones and focus on what’s really important. FANTASY FOOTBALL!!! So lock your doors, step into your war room and get your team ready for battle. Fantasy Draft day is around the corner and here are some sleepers that may bring you to the promise land.
QUARTER BACKS
Coming off of a quality rookie campaign, Derek Carr showed improvement every week. He actually made the Raiders interesting enough to watch towards the end of the 2014 season. He threw for over 3000 yards and had 21 touch-downs to 12 interceptions. The upgrades in the receiving core (Michael Crabtree, Amari Cooper, Clive Walford) will deliver the weapons Carr needs to sling that football around to new heights.
Teddy Bridgewater was always known for his poise and command on the football field during his collegiate days. So it shouldn’t be surprising that it didn’t take him long in his rookie year to show those traits early and often. Combining his high football IQ with the brilliance of Norv Turner for consecutive years can only lead to the fantasy promise land. If that’s not enough….Mike Wallace will be one of his targets running on turf! More on that speedster later.
RUNNING BACKS
The speed, toughness and running style Darren Mcfadden has always displayed has probably always made him the first choice on the playground. Unfortunately the injury bug has consistently been a thorn in his side and plenty of fantasy owners. Let by gones be by gones! By all accounts it’s going to be a fresh start for the former Raider. This season he will sport the Dallas star on his helmet while running behind one of the better offensive lines in the entire league. Don’t be mad if you don’t claim him…you’ve been warned.
We all know stakes is high in the running back position and how necessary it is to have a few at your disposal. Whether he’s plug 1, 2 or 3….it would be best to have him on your team. After playing the sidelines for the first four games, Tre Mason started to pick up the offense and show those Auburn skills that had his stock 3 feet high and rising. Pick him up…you won’t be disappointed.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Andre Johnson may be getting long in the tooth but his experience and route running will prove to be the edge he needs. After plenty of seasons with sub par QB’s, he will be playing catch with one of the better of the bunch (Andrew Luck). You may be seriously mistaken if you feel there’s nothing left in his tank.
Golden Tate lived up to his name and delivered some shiny coins to his fantasy owners last year. Some may be wondering why would he be on this list after being on everyone’s radar last year? Well keep in mind Megatron was in sidelinetron for quite a while and gave plenty of opportunities for Tate to step up. Now with Calvin back in the fold the thought process is Tate’s production will decline. It’s a possibility but it’s worth the risk to bet on Stafford sharing the football even more after seeing what the Golden boy can really do.
For some reason Fantasy owners have sipped the wrong Kool-Aid and think that Mike Wallace isn’t worth his weight. We can thank the lackluster relationship with the Miami Dolphins as the cause. But if you look for yourself, you will notice that he hauled in 10 touch down passes last season and caught the most balls of his career the year before. Now on turf for at least half of the season and still possessing that blazing speed, he and Teddy Bridgewater may bring back glimpses of Culpepper and Moss. Just a thought.
The salsa returns to the Meadowlands this season under the radar thanks to the explosive performance of his fellow wide out Odell Beckham Jr. This should give Victor Cruz enough time to get back to speed and dominate in the slot as he did before his season ending injury last year. One on one coverage is all the doctor ordered to get Cruz dancing in the end zone to fantasy owners delight.
TIGHT ENDS
Powder blue uniforms? Tight End? “He must be talking about Antonio Gates right?”. Guess again. I’m talking about the heir apparent Ladarius Green. He may not have shown much of anything last year. But that’s because Mr. Gates was back at his old pro form..again. However, the Chargers plan to incorporate him much more into the offense this year and the 4 game suspension Antonio will be serving will provide just enough time for Green to prove his worth.
Heading into his 10th year in the NFL, Owen Daniels is back with one of his biggest supporters (Gary Kubiak) and will be teaming up with the legendary Peyton Manning. These two coaches should make the most out of Daniel’s capabilities on the field
and bring out the best of what he has. The departure of Julius Thomas clears the path of the football right into Owen’s mitts. If you believe in history repeating itself, you should rest assure that Captain Coach Manning will create those mismatches Tight Ends love to feast on.
Almost every year for the past 6 years and on the same day, Iâve posted the same pic of me in the hospital during my temporary and untimely demise in 2015. A few weeks after I was back to ânormalâ, I asked Eric âWhyâd you take the pics?â And he said, âI knew you would want to write about it if you lived.â Eric was right. Eric was often right and Eric always had my best interest at heart. I am going to miss my friend.
You ever meet someone and become friends immediately?! Well this was not the case with Eric. Before he was my manager at Morgan Stanley, I would often see this 6â4″, giant white guy walk up to the only black woman at work, say something then walk away without any hint of human emotion. Naturally I thought he was a jerk until I asked her âYo, is that dude bothering you?â She laughed and proceeded to tell me he was a great person, which I ultimately got to experience first hand. Little did I know this Italian from Staten Island was more Brooklyn than most Brooklynites.
Eric was not with the shits!! If there were ever someone who lived their life in direct, honest and no uncertain terms, that would be Eric. He would ask me questions at work like âWhy are the other consultants making more money than you?â I knew the answer to that question and so did he. Eric then proceeded to increase my salary by 15K. After arguing with all our managers that âYou need to hire Alfred!â, they eventually did 1 year prior to the 2015 incident. In the hospital, one of my friends asked me, âWhat if you didnât have health insurance when this happened?â I would be in debt for the rest of my life is the obvious answer. I still am in debt for the rest of my life but at least, it is to those who made sure I had a more enjoyable life and for that, I will gladly repay.
My mom loved to tell me the story of how she met Eric. After they told her I was going to be in the ICU for some time, she told the doctor âWell Iâm not going anywhere.â She then hears a voice from that back of the room that says âWell Iâm not going anywhere either!â That was Eric and in true form, he was at that hospital every single day until I was discharged.
Eric passed away in December 2021 of stage 4 cancer. After feeling faint on his way to my bbq, he went to get checked out and was diagnosed. During the past 5 years, Eric lost his mom, twin brother and dad. I can’t even begin to imagine what that must have felt like but I’m glad that pain he was feeling is no more.
From being my manager to my business partner, writer, book editor, artistic director, and most importantly, my friend, I am going to miss you MC Krispy E a.k.a âEnrique Pollazo!â And although you told me Enrique means Henry in Spanish and not Eric, it was too late!
Sidebar. The day I was discharged, while everyone was deciding what was best for me, no one had remembered that I would need clothes in order to leave the hospital. Eric shows up (unasked) with all the clothes I had on the day I coded, laundered and ready to go. I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve friends like this but i need to keep doing it! Sidebar complete.
Rest in Peace Eric. âBe Good.â
I had the distinct pleasure of participating in a panel discussion on writing your first book, presented by the Harlem chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Alongside Jim St. Germain, Author – A Stone of Hope: A Memoir and Dr. Keneshia Nicole Grant, Author – The Great Migration and the Democratic Party: Black Voters and the Realignment of American Politics in the 20th Century.  We opined on pain points, benefits and strategies regarding our inaugural voyages into authorship. Feel free to watch for your self and I hope this provides some insight to all those looking to make the same voyage. Enjoy!
