I watched Sunday's games at my brother's house. Over the course of the early games, I put in waiver claims on several different players. Some you'll read about below, some you won't.
For example, when DeMarco Murray hobbled off the field with what looked like an ankle injury, I threw in a claim on Joseph Randle, who the Murray owner didn't have. With C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson sidelined, I threw waiver money at Bryce Brown.
It was that way much of the day. Things were a little on the weird side Sunday, and as a result a lot of guys we were ignoring a few days earlier became harder to ignore.
Who were some of those guys? Well, check it out:
Sleeper quarterbacks in Week 7
Ryan Tannehill, MIA (277 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 48 rushing yards, 23 fantasy points)
Tannehill had his biggest game of the season Sunday, highlighted by his accuracy -- he started the game 18-of-19 passing in the game before cooling off at the end. Tannehill also ran for 48 yards, including a 25-yarder on fourth-and-1. Only a few weeks ago, Tannehill was possibly in danger of being benched, with 12.3 fantasy points a game through Week 3. Since, though, he's averaged 20 per game. He doesn't have an enormous ceiling, but Tannehill's floor appears to be reasonably high as well.
Drew Brees, NO (342 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, 1 interception, 13 rushing yards, 20 fantasy points)
No, Drew Brees is nowhere near a sleeper in any real sense of the word. But his 20 fantasy points Sunday marked a season-high, and that warranted mention. Brees has been far less than his normal self so far this season, so if this is a sign he's getting it back together, his owners would be pretty grateful.
Sleeper running backs in Week 7
Denard Robinson, JAC (127 rushing yards, 1 touchdown, 18 fantasy points)
After the horrific struggles of Toby Gerhart, and the slightly less horrific struggles of Storm Johnson, no one could have expected much out of Robinson as the Jacksonville starting running back, but he had a huge game. The team still has the same offensive line it did a week ago, so it's hard to project Robinson to keep this up, though he will get the chance. What's interesting to me about Robinson going forward is that in most leagues, he'll have dual eligibility, able to play at both wide receiver and running back. You could do worse things in fantasy than to start a running back with guaranteed touches as your last wide receiver if you're struggling.
Tre Mason, STL (85 rushing yards, 1 touchdown, 14 fantasy points)
Some people *coughmecough* were marginally high on the rookie out of Auburn entering the season, only for Benny Cunningham to take over the team's No. 2 role. Seven weeks in, Mason is starting to get much more action. He had no touches until a week ago, and he's looked OK now for two weeks. With Zac Stacy doing very little, Mason could stay interesting and relevant for the next few weeks.
Sleeper wide receivers in Week 7
Doug Baldwin, SEA (123 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 18 fantasy points)
This wasn't entirely unpredictable -- the Seahawks had moved on from Percy Harvin before the weekend, and Baldwin is almost certainly the best receiver they have left. Still, 123 yards is a big number. Baldwin was the Seahawks' favorite target Sunday, as Russell Wilson threw to him 11 times. Paul Richardson, a rookie, came into Sunday's game with only one career catch, but hauled in four for 33 yards, so he could also be more interesting with Harvin gone. Baldwin needs to be owned in all leagues, though maybe hold off on actually starting him until we get a better look at his long-term reality.
Kenny Stills, NO (103 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 16 fantasy points)
Stills' existence was one of the biggest reasons I was hesitant on Brandin Cooks entering the season. In a lot of ways, they are similar players, and there's not much reason to think Cooks will do things that Stills hasn't or can't do. Entering Week 7, Cooks had been better than Stills, though not by a lot, as neither had been overwhelming. Sunday, however, was Stills' 2014 coming-out party, with 103 yards to Cooks' 23. If you can own one of the two, it's Cooks, but Stills isn't as far behind as most would have said.
Sleeper tight end in Week 7
Charles Clay, MIA (58 receiving yards, 1 touchdown, 11 fantasy points)
Clay's fantasy scoring by game entering Sunday: 2-3-2-3-3-11. He had gone from on the edge of starting territory at the start of the season to "Why the heck would you own him?" before Sunday's game, which saw Clay go for a season-best 58 yards. After a reasonably successful season a year ago, Clay had fallen all the way off the radar. Sunday's marginally productive game isn't enough to get Clay back into any strong territory, but it means we have to watch him again.