FanHouse Justin Forsett

Everyone loves fantasy football sleepers, but they change depending on league size and availability. We're here each and every week to give you a look at good plays for all types of leagues.

Our two running back picks from last week, LeSean McCoy and Justin Fargas, ended up with great lines, and if you had either as your fill-in RB2 for the week, I'm sure you were pleased with their performances. Unfortunately, the rest of our sleepers didn't hit.

What does that matter for this week, you say? How about ... more running backs! That's right, call now and we'll double your RB sleepers at no additional cost!

Now that the spirit of Billy Mays has passed through the column, let's check out the POaYD crew this week.

Need a last-minute fill-in for this week? 4th and 26 is here to throw you a couple deep sleepers, guys available in at least 90% of Fleaflicker leagues that could give your fantasy football team a big boost.

If you're looking for sleepers, check out our weekly Passed Out at Your Desk column. If that well has run dry (and seriously, David Clowney is claimed in your league?), you're now in the right place. We'll throw a couple obscure darts at the board and see if any stick.

Remember, if you want specific advice tuned to your fantasy situation, drop by the Sunday Tailgate chat today. We always have a lot of fun and answer a ton of fantasy questions leading up to kickoff.

Point No. 8,450,931 under the heading "Why Preseason Results Are Meaningless" takes us to Seattle. After two games, the Seahawks are 2-0 with wins over Denver and San Diego. But it's hard to get excited over that record given that the Seahawks' running game was about as effective as taking a knee.

In their first game, the Hawks' leading rusher was rookie Devin Moore with 32 yards on eight carries. Last week, quarterback Seneca Wallace led the way with 20 yards -- three other backs averaged less than 2.5 yards per rush. On top of that, projected starter Julius Jones missed the contest with a mysterious leg injury.

So with desperation close to setting in, Seattle reportedly signed veteran Edgerrin James to a one-year deal on Monday. Pro Football Talk first reported the deal.

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse previewed each and every team, closing with the Seahawks. Click here to view the rest.

Meet the ...
Jim Mora Space Needlers, starring T.J. WhosYoMama on air guitar and T.J. Duckett on drums. Mora succeeds Mike Holmgren after his decade-long reign and vows to change some things. That includes ramping up the rushing attack and attacking on defense. But Mora's goal is easier stated than accomplished short-term, and when looking at this roster from a fantasy perspective, the more enticing options seem to be in the passing game.

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The only thing that didn't go well for the Colts in their romp of the Ravens Sunday was the state of their backfield.

Joseph Addai was forced to depart the game after only three yards rushing, and rookie Mike Hart suffered a bad knee injury, if reports surfacing have any accuracy. This leaves Dominic Rhodes alone in the backfield. He can deal with being the main running back, as he's done it before in Indianapolis ... but the Colts still need a backup. The Indy Star speculates:

A leading candidate is Chad Simpson, who is on the practice squad. Whomever the Colts add to the roster for Sunday's game at Green Bay likely will have some familiarity with their offense.

That might include Clifton Dawson, who saw action in 13 games a year ago but was waived Aug. 26, or Justin Forsett, who was waived last week. Forsett currently is on Seattle's practice squad. It won't include Kenton Keith, who backed up Addai last season but signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League after being released in late August.

The Colts better keep their fingers crossed that Rhodes can stay healthy and carry a full workload, because none of these candidates are even in the same ballpark as Addai or Hart talent-wise.

The only thing that didn't go well for the Colts in their romp of the Ravens Sunday was the state of their backfield.

Joseph Addai was forced to depart the game after only three yards rushing, and rookie Mike Hart suffered a bad knee injury, if reports surfacing have any accuracy. This leaves Dominic Rhodes alone in the backfield. He can deal with being the main RB, as he's done it before in Indianapolis ... but the Colts still need a backup. The Indy Star speculates:

A leading candidate is Chad Simpson, who is on the practice squad. Whomever the Colts add to the roster for Sunday's game at Green Bay likely will have some familiarity with their offense.

That might include Clifton Dawson, who saw action in 13 games a year ago but was waived Aug. 26, or Justin Forsett, who was waived last week. Forsett currently is on Seattle's practice squad. It won't include Kenton Keith, who backed up Addai last season but signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League after being released in late August.

The Colts better keep their fingers crossed that Rhodes can stay healthy and carry a full workload, because none of these candidates are even in the same ballpark as Addai or Hart, talent-wise.

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback:One of the consistencies of Mike Holmgren's regimes has been strong quarterback play. Maybe Matt Hasselback never became the "next Brett Favre", but maybe, on a number of levels, that's actually a good thing. What Hassyback has become, though, is one of the most consistently underrated and, um, consistent signal callers in the league. He's not flashy but he doesn't need big name wideouts to post big stats either. He's got a bad back early this year though, and I'm automatically docking the Seahawks one "heat point" for refusing to use Seneca Wallace at wideout. Also: Charlie Frye. Heat Index: 7

Running Back: There's something to be said of your running back situation when neither Julius Jones nor Maurice Morris can perform at a high enough level in training camp or preseason to make Mike Holmgren name a starter. T.J. Duckett could still be cut, although with the recent Ben Obomanu injury, it looks like both he and Justin Forsett could be on the roster, with Duckett manning goal line carries and Forsett returning kicks. It's not a really attractive situation either way you slice it. Heat Index: 5

I think it was pretty widely assumed that T.J. Duckett's only purpose as a member of the Seattle Seahawks would be handled around the goal line. Any other time, he would be squarely on the bench. Except for maybe fourth and one or such relevant situations.

Point being, he wasn't going to play a lot. But it turns out that, via 'Hawks Insider, he might not play at all.

I just listened to Mitch Levy's interview of Mike Holmgren this morning, and a couple things jumped out:

1) While discussing Justin Forsett, he said that his decision at the end is either with the Seahawks or elsewhere. He essentially acknowledged that Forsett will not get through waivers if they try to place him on the practice squad. He also said he realizes that there could be a public backlash if the guy is cut.

2) Regarding T.J. Duckett, Hugh Millen was very critical, saying that he is a one-trick pony whose one trick is not that effective. Holmgren did not really defend Duckett, instead acknowledging that "the pile is pretty big" in front of him, meaning the other running backs. He said the Duckett decision also will come down to the end.

Both points kind of go hand-in-hand; if Forsett, who could end up being a deeeeep fantasy sleeper, ends up making the team (and he should, if you like to base opinions on preseason statistics) then suddenly Duckett isn't necessarily expendable, but he's a waste of space as a fourth running back.

My guess would actually be that Duckett doesn't make the team; how much good can he really do in just specialized situations, particularly with the Seahawks proclivity at passing on short yardage situations. At least holding onto Forsett would make the fans happy (noted above) and give them some legit options.

We've already spent a good chunk of FanHouse real estate covering the Golden Bears and the likelihood of their mediocrity in 2008. But in the interest of equal time (and bet hedging), it seems only fair for us to explore the other side of the argument as well. After all, this team has spent their fair share of time in Top 25 the past few seasons, even if they have managed to lose more than a few seemingly winnable/gimme games.

Jeff Tedford's team enters this season as the prototypical wild card: (a) they've been successful the past few seasons but have seemed to struggle under the weight of high expectations, and this year will have a decidedly lower profile than they did the past couple; (b) they have some key departures, but several of the replacements for those who left could actually prove to be a substantial upgrade by the time everything shakes out; and (c) they have a schedule that sees all but one of their tough games take place at the comfy confines of Berkeley's Memorial Coliseum.

Let's take a closer look at how Cal might manage to shock the "experts" and contend in 2008.