Sleeper Watch

Brian Westbrook, a sleeper? How can the starting running back on the defending NFC champions, a player who rushed for 812 yards last year with an excellent 4.6 yards-per-carry average, be considered a sleeper, particularly with most fantasy owners’ eyes firmly on the RB position? Everybody knows that Westbrook is a valuable player, right?

True enough, but many owners are nevertheless underestimating just how valuable the fourth-year rusher can be in the right fantasy scoring system. In leagues that award points for receptions, Westbrook’s stock soars like an Eagle.

Last year, Westbrook led all running backs in catches with 73, and given the question marks surrounding Philadelphia’s wide receivers, it’s likely that he’ll again play a key role in the team’s passing game.

Just how valuable are those receptions? In leagues which award one point per catch and one point per 15 rushing yards, Westbrook’s receptions are equivalent in value to 1095 yards - more than Deuce McAllister (1074) or Jamal Lewis (1006) compiled on the ground last season.

Add to that the 703 receiving yards (115 more than the next-best RB, Domanick Davis) Westbrook racked up last year along with his six receiving touchdowns (also tops among rushers), and it’s clear that given the right scoring system, the Eagles’ feature back isn’t just a solid fantasy option, but among the league’s elite.