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Fantasy football week 7 sleepers: 5 running back sleepers

By Zachary Thompson

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Oct 4, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Brandon Browner (39) and defensive end Bobby Richardson (78) tackle Dallas Cowboys running back Christine Michael (30) during the fourth quarter at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints won 26-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 4, 2015; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Brandon Browner (39) and defensive end Bobby Richardson (78) tackle Dallas Cowboys running back Christine Michael (30) during the fourth quarter at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints won 26-20 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

Christine Michael-Dallas Cowboys

The biggest wild card in fantasy football this week and possibly for the rest of the season is Christine Michael.  Coming into the season, the Cowboys running back position was one of the most important training camp battles to watch as Dallas tried to replace the departed DeMarco Murray behind a very productive offensive line.  Joseph Randle emerged from camp as the primary back, but Dallas also acquired Christine Michael in a trade from Seattle just as the season got underway.

So far this year, Michael has only two carries for a total of five yards, but Randle has reportedly frustrated the coaches in Dallas and has largely underwhelmed aside from one huge half against the Falcons back in week 3.  The rumblings out of Dallas’s bye week practices were that the coaching staff is ready to move on from Randle and give Michael the chance to produce. Michael has freakish athletic upside, but he hasn’t ever gotten full-time or even timeshare work in the NFL regular season.  He has long been an intriguing fantasy option and was a handcuff to Marshawn Lynch for a few years in Seattle, so fantasy owners have been waiting for him to get his chance.

He should get his shot this Sunday against the Giants, but exactly how much work he’ll get is a huge mystery.  Michael even admitted yesterday that he is “just as clueless as you are” about what his role will be.  What everyone seems to agree on is that he’ll get more carries but just how many and what he does with those carries will be one of the huge storylines for fantasy football going forward after Sunday.

Michael definitely is attractive at his minimum salary on DraftKings (3,000) and even is 5,600 salary on FanDuel.  He’ll be widely owned and played on those sites this weekend, and if he produces or not will be a deciding factor for success in the tournaments on those sites.  In season-long leagues, Michael should definitely be added based on his long-term upside even though he is a high-risk, high-reward play for this week.  He’s available in just over 50% of ESPN leagues, but he could be a breakout performer if he can steal the job and get the work behind Dallas’s effective offensive line. There are only two late-afternoon NFL games this week, and as the Cowboys face the Giants almost every fantasy owner will be watching Dallas’s backfield and either pulling for Michael or hoping he stays relegated to the “unrealized potential” scrap heap. Coming into the week, he’s a high-risk, high-reward play, but how he does will greatly impact this week and the rest of the season in fantasy football.

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