Sleeper Watch

Thanksgiving is a day to gather around the dining room table, meet and greet old friends and family, consume massive amounts of turkey and pie, and watch a Thanksgiving Day classic: football. A newer tradition associated with the holiday is the unwelcome screaming and ranting produced by the fantasy football owner’s guttural voice when a quarterback torches his starting defense, yet again, or the trash talking and leaping from the couch that occurs when your starting running back scores his fourth touchdown. Yes, fantasy football is definitely a solidified part of Thanksgiving tradition, at least here at the Cafe.

With that in mind, I decided that while filling in for KC Chance for this week’s sleeper of the week I would write about a sleeper who will play on Thanksgiving Day. Looking through my options, my eye fell on a young sophomore running back that was drafted in the fifth round. Yes, I speak of Damien Nash, third string running back for the Denver Broncos.

If any pick was ever a sleeper, this pick is. I wrote a focus article on Tatum Bell about a year ago, and in that article I was careful to point out that Mike Shanahan typically likes the running back by committee. This still holds true to this day, with Mike Bell getting 22 touches last week, and Damien Nash picking up 13. What’s most impressive about Nash is his 5.2 yards per carry last week against a solid San Diego rush defense, and his three receptions for 36 yards.

This just in from Denver: Both Tatum Bell and Mike Bell are listed as questionable on the Denver injury report this week. Even if one of them were to play, I would still expect Nash to get a good number of carries this Thursday at Kansas City. His yardage per carry and ability to catch out of the backfield make Damien an interesting and perhaps rewarding play this week against the Chiefs. Kansas City is ranked 16th overall in the NFL in rush defense, giving up over 115 yards a game.

I don’t necessarily recommend you play him unless you are desperate for a running back though. As I mentioned before, Shanahan can be a little strange at times, and who knows if he might be hiding information on the health of his players. Hey, we have seen Bill Belichick do it in the past. However, owners of Mike or Tatum Bell may find him to be the more reliable play this week. Owners of the recently sidelined Kevin Jones might find Damien Nash as a valuable pick up. Whatever your circumstances, Nash should be a great play if you’re in need of a running back this week.

I’m fairly confident that if you start Nash this week you will not regret it. I look for Nash bring in about 80 yards and a score this Thursday, and that’s certainly enough for me to be happy. If it’s of any comfort to those of you who think I’m not willing to put my money where my mouth is, I’m starting Nash this week in place of Willie Parker (Who incidentally I think is a bad start this week. Bad enough that I’m benching him in favor of my sleeper).

Bottom line: Nash is about as safe a pick as choosing Frodo to carry the ring into the heart of Mordor with only a single hobbit by his side. But hey, “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future,” and it would not be a sleeper pick if it did not involve some risk. I believe that Nash will change the course of tomorrow’s game at Kansas City. I welcome all criticism and comments in the Article Discussions thread. Happy Turkey Day everyone!

 
Daniel Gilford is a Jesus Freak and a Communications major at St. Petersburg College in Florida, with a knack for writing and an interest in Meteorology. Recently Daniel can be found mulling in a corner, bemoaning his fallen Eagles and sobbing about the loss of McNabb to both the Eagles and his fantasy football teams. If he somehow pulls himself out of the closet, he can be found posting in the forums under the alias danleroi22.
 

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