Sleeper Watch

Troy Brown stole the headlines in New England’s 40-22 victory over St. Louis by filling in at cornerback after Asante Samuel was forced to leave the game, but Brown wasn’t the only Patriot to show some versatility. Linebacker Mike Vrabel took a turn lining up on offense, and wound up catching a two-yard TD pass from Tom Brady. Clearly, Vrabel can’t be expected to do so every week, but this wasn’t his first TD reception, either. He already puts up respectable numbers on defense, and any stats he gains on the other side of the line of scrimmage are a nice bonus.

Compared with his 2003 campaign, Vrabel isn’t racking up quite as many sacks (three compared with 9.5 last year), but his tackles more than compensate for the missing sacks. Whereas he only recorded 37 a year ago, the eight-year vet has already made 32 stops this season, along with eight assists.

Obviously, that number won’t rank him among the league’s elite. Vrabel has always been far more valuable to the Patriots’ than he has to fantasy owners. But in deeper IDP leagues, he’s certainly a viable option whose value has risen considerably since last year. And if he picks up the occasional reception as well, his owners definitely won’t complain.