Sneaky Starts: Week 6

Oct 11, 2013

All but the luckiest fantasy owners at some point need to find the proverbial diamond in the rough -- a waiver wire or bench player who is capable of putting up some points in a pinch. This weekly feature is dedicated to that part of fantasy football. It's not pretty, but it's part of the game.

In Week 5, our Sneaky Starts included Sam Bradford (QB9), Terrelle Pryor (QB11), Eli Manning (QB12), Danny Woodhead (RB11), Andre Ellington (RB22), Brandon Bolden (RB30), Alshon Jeffery (WR1), Terrence Williams (WR5), Justin Blackmon (WR6), Denarius Moore (WR13), Jeremy Kerley (WR16) and Kellen Winslow (TE14).

At 4for4, we use Adjusted Fantasy Points Allowed (aFPA) by position heavily in our rankings and analyses. For more detail, click here.

Note: These recommendations do not override our weekly rankings, which are updated throughout the week and weekend.

Chiefs QB Alex Smith (vs. OAK)
Smith is the #12 QB in fantasy football, yet he's only owned in 66% of ESPN leagues, and is only in 24% of starting lineups this week. The Raiders are #18 in QB aFPA, so Smith owners should enjoy his usual production this week.

Ravens QB Joe Flacco (vs. GB)
The Packers have been pretty brutal against the pass (#31 in QB aFPA), and Clay Matthews is out, so Flacco should be able to stand comfortably in the pocket and pick the Green Bay secondary apart. The Packers are likely to put up some points, so the Ravens will have to throw.