Sleeper Watch

Make no mistake – Champ Bailey is a fantastic NFL player. He has speed, leaping ability and anticipation. In short, he has all the skills necessary to ruin a wide receiver’s day (and unlike brother Boss, he’s healthy, too).

Unfortunately, those skills don’t translate into fantasy value. If opposing quarterbacks are afraid to throw to your side of the field, you won’t be compiling big numbers. So far, touchdowns not scored by the guy you’re covering isn’t a stat.

Nonetheless, Pro Bowl cornerbacks of Bailey’s status are frequently drafted far too early in IDP leagues, well ahead of lesser-known DBs such as the Giants’ Omar Stoutmire, Houston’s Eric Brown, or Bailey’s former teammate Matt Bowen, who in all likelihood will all put up fantasy numbers equal to or better than Bailey’s norm of between 60 and 70 tackles and a couple interceptions thrown in for good measure.

So if Bailey tends to be overvalued in fantasy drafts, what could turn him into a possible sleeper? The answer is offense.

In practice this week, Bailey stepped in as a wide receiver, a position he is familiar with from his college days at Georgia, and is committing Denver’s offensive playbook to memory. Needless to say, if he were to see occasional action at WR this season, his fantasy value would increase significantly.

It’s still too early to start counting any chickens, however. More often than not, when the possibility of a defender playing both ways is raised, those plans are soon dropped (see Woodson, Charles). Besides, trying to guess Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan’s plans might just be the ultimate exercise in futility. Nonetheless, the potential fantasy rewards of a two-way Champ Bailey are large; if you play in an IDP format, keep an eye on news out of Denver.