8/26 Sleeper of the Day: Mike Bell

RB MIKE BELL, Eagles

Here's an offseason move that flew under the radar. Bell signed a 1-year, $1.7 million deal with Philly after compiling 654 yards and 5 TDs for the Super Bowl champion Saints. He began the year as a feature back in New Orleans, running for 143 yards on 28 carries in Week 1, but after that he settled into a rotation with Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia last year, Brian Westbrook got hurt, rookie LeSean McCoy had some growing pains, and the Eagles were forced to give fullback Leonard Weaver a career-high 70 carries in an attempt to solve their short-yardage woes.

Fast-forward a year and Westbrook's gone, McCoy's the No. 1 back and Bell was brought in to back him up and handle some of those short-yardage/goal-line duties. With McCoy still getting his feet wet in the NFL and largely untested Kevin Kolb taking over at QB, I can foresee Bell getting a good amount of work this year, especially in the red zone. At 220 pounds he's a power runner and a good complement to McCoy's skill set, and though the Eagles aren't a run-heavy team, Bell will have his fair share of opportunity. He'll make a sneaky good fill-out-your-roster RB at the end of your draft and a great insurance policy for McCoy owners.

Sit 'Em: Week 15

- RB MATT FORTE at Baltimore: Even if you've somehow managed to limp into the playoffs with Forte as one of your two starting RBs, you know that outside of a handful of games against the league's worst teams, he's been nothing more than average. And he'll be just average against a Ravens D that hasn't allowed a 100-yard rusher since Week 9. If you have a better alternative, bench the Bear.

- RB LeSEAN McCOY vs. San Francisco: Instead of being the second coming of Brian Westbrook, Shady has been darn near worthless the past few weeks. Besides, FB Leonard Weaver has been the bigger playmaker and gets the carries at the goal line for the Eagles. Don't expect much from McCoy against the league's fifth-ranked run defense.

- WR PERCY HARVIN at Carolina: The rookie sat out last week with migranes, and the trend (thankfully) in the NFL this year has been to be cautious with these kinds of ailments. Harvin was limited in practice Friday, and while the odds seem to favor him playing, he could end up a late scratch. With the Vikings playing the Sunday night game, that could wreck your plans this playoff weekend. Are you willing to take that risk?


LAST WEEK'S PICKS

- Beanie Wells surprised everybody with 15 carries for 79 yards and a TD, maybe surpassing Tim Hightower on the depth chart in the process.

- Steve Breaston had another 1-catch game. Warned you.

- Santana Moss had 4 catches for 58 yardszzzzzzzzz.

Hot Pickups: Week 14

FOUR STARS (Out of five)

RB JEROME HARRISON, Browns: There was some thought in the preseason that Harrison might supplant Jamal Lewis as Cleveland's feature back, but he started the year hurt and wasn't much of a factor, outside of a 121-yard game in Week 4. That changed when Lewis suffered a serious season-ending concussion and Harrison totaled 97 yards from scrimmage last week and caught two TD passes. Pittsburgh's D doesn't look quite as dangerous anymore, and Harrison's involvement in the passing game is a good sign entering Thursday night's matchup.

THREE STARS

FB LEONARD WEAVER, Eagles: It's not often you see a fantasy-relevant fullback, but Weaver is just that, especially since Brian Westbrook's concussion problem started. He's been popping off big plays, whether it was the 41-yard TD run the first time he faced the Giants this year, or a 63-yard catch-and-run in last week's drubbing of Atlanta, and could be worth a shot in the dark as your flex in this week's showdown with the G-Men.

WR DEVIN THOMAS, Redskins: Washington's been waiting for their second-year receiver to break out, and he finally did last week against the Saints (7 catches, 100 yards, 2 TDs). Surely Jason Campbell and Co. would like to see a sequel this week against the Raiders.

RB SAMMY MORRIS, Patriots: Just when you thought Laurence Maroney had become the Pats' unquestioned feature back, Morris snuck in with 9 carries (his second-most of the year) for 40 yards and 2 catches for 25 yards. I wouldn't be shocked to see him take a starring role against Carolina this Sunday.

TWO STARS

QB BRUCE GRADKOWSKI, Raiders: Am I really advocating starting a Raiders quarterback at such a crucial juncture, against a Redskins D that's actually one of the league's best agaginst the pass? Not quite. But Bruuuuce has actually been productive the past three weeks (6 TDs), and while I don't particularly like him this week or next week on the road against Denver, I love his Week 16 matchup at Cleveland in what is the fantasy Super Bowl for most leagues. Just sayin' ...