Sleeper Watch

Hello, my name is KC Chance and I am an Oakland Raiders fan. Or perhaps sympathizer is a better description at this point. I’ve rooted for the Silver and Black since I was in the 6th grade (no, I won’t tell you what year that was) and my love for the Raider Nation has never wavered. Still, you’re going to begin to doubt my allegiance, because for the second time in less than a month I am picking a sleeper quarterback primarily because he is opposite Oakland on Sunday. Let’s face it, even though the Oakland Raiders did have their way against Matt Leinart and the Arizona Cardinals in Week 7 and have played very well against the pass so far this season, they are still less than intimidating overall as an opponent. Which leads us to this week’s “Sleeper of the Week” recommendation:

This week’s sleeper is Pittsburgh Steelers backup quarterback Charlie Batch. As of this writing, according to ESPN.com, Batch is only on 1.4% of fantasy teams. For managers needing a strong second QB, who are desperate to fill a gap due to the bye-week blues, or who have been bitten by the QB injury bug, Batch should be readily available on any waiver wire.

Batch should be starting for the injured (listed as questionable on the injury report) Ben Roethlisberger this week. Although Coach Cowher has not come right out and said Big Ben is 100% out this week, he would be nuts to play him. With Ben Roethlisberger recovering from his second concussion in less than four months he is at serious risk of developing a pattern of long term susceptibility to concussions if he is not allowed to completely heal from this latest injury. I’m sure everyone is familiar with the concussion problems that ended the careers of quarterback greats Troy Aikman and Steve Young. Even though the Steelers are sitting at 2–4 I realize Bill Cowher is still entertaining fantasies of returning to the Super Bowl to defend the title, but risking the long-term health and career of an MVP caliber quarterback at this juncture would be purely selfish. Roethlisberger was knocked unconscious! No matter what the doctors say, the man needs to sit this one out. And why not? He’s got a pretty dang good backup facing a pretty dang bad opponent!

Charlie Batch’s stats so far this season are excellent. He is 24 of 39 for 410 yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions in basically one and a half games. His quarterback rating this season is 136.8! Call me crazy, but as a nine year veteran, Batch appears to have finally found a comfort level in the pocket that only time and patience can nurture in a backup. He should perform well considering his team’s time of possession will be off the chart (Oakland’s offense is absolutely anemic) and there is not one sound reason why Batch shouldn’t get the start. Even if the Pittsburgh Steelers do decide to stick Roethlisberger back on the field, I honestly believe (and I hate to predict it but facts are facts) that one good shot from a Raiders’ linebacker will have Big Ben back on the cart and Batch out on the field for this week, and perhaps for many weeks to come.

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