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Top Ranked Post-Hype Sleeper

C.J. Spiller1. C.J. Spiller (RB, BUF)

ESPN: 40th overall player and the 18th ranked running back

Yahoo!: 34th overall player and the 17th ranked running back

Company: He is currently ranked behind Ryan Mathews, Ben Tate, and Reggie Bush at ESPN and Andre Ellington at Yahoo!.

Bold: I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he outproduced Zac Stacy this season.

If some love is good, more is better. It was just 12 months ago that Spiller was widely considered a fantasy first rounder, often ranked ahead of LeSean McCoy and Marshawn Lynch among others. So what has changed? Well, he battled a laundry list of injuries, but that didn’t stop him from recording a career high in touches on a per game basis.

His lack of health allowed Fred Jackson to shine in an increased role (253 touches for 1,277 yards and 10 scores), but the 33-year-old has 1,394 career touches and if prevailing wisdom was that Spiller’s value would increase last year as a result of Jackson’s diminishing role, that shouldn’t change now.

The soon-to-be 27-year-old experienced a quadriceps injury to open the season and battled through ankle/knee issues as the season wore on, yet he still managed to rank atop the league in Breakaway percentage, upside that simply seems to be ignored with his preseason ranking.

E.J. Manuel should only improve with a season of experience under his belt and the addition of Sammy Watkins/Mike Williams gives this Bills offense the ability to challenge defenses down the field, thus keeping opponents honest. Reports out of Upstate New York have Buffalo’s coaching staff “eager” to see what a healthy Spiller can accomplish, and that’s a year after they wanted to “give him the ball until he throws up.” It is clear that the Bills know they have a difference-maker on their roster, something fantasy owners should be encouraged about it in this era of RBBC.

Next best “Post Hype Sleeper” at running back: Pierre Thomas

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