Sleeper Watch

It’s every fantasy owner’s favorite week: week 17, when many of the game’s top players will only be making brief cameo appearances, leaving owners who still have a championship game to play very much in the lurch. This year, a whole host of teams may be giving key personnel some extra rest, including New England, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, San Diego, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Green Bay, forcing owners to choose between starting players who might spend much of the day on the sidelines and searching for last-minute plug-ins.

If you’re planning on going the way of the plug-in, Washington RB Ladell Betts might be one of the best options for this week. With Clinton Portis placed on injured reserve with a torn tendon, Betts will get the start in the season finale. The third-year pro has only seen light duty this season, but has looked solid when asked to spell Portis, carrying the ball 64 times for 253 yards, averaging a solid 4.0 yards per carry.

This Sunday, Betts and the Redskins host the Minnesota Vikings who have allowed opposing rushers to gain an average of 125.9 yards per game. Perhaps more telling is the 4.7-yard average gain per carry given up by the Vikings: only the lowly Cardinals (4.8) have fared worse.

Ladell Betts obviously can’t be considered an A-list starter, even against Minnesota, but if the stars who carried your team to the championship game might be spending the afternoon cheering on the second- and third-stringers from the sideline, Clinton Portis’ understudy just might be the top RB fill-in you’ll find in the craziness of week 17.