Michael Crabtree made a splash in his 2013 debut, offering hope he can quickly regain top form after an offseason Achilles injury. He marked his return to the San Francisco 49ers lineup with two catches for 68 yards, including a 60-yard catch-and-run in the second half of a 23-13 win over the St. Louis Rams. The San Francisco 49ers with his help has beaten the Seattle Seahawks crippling their win streak. In fantasy football leagues, Crabtree represents huge value potential on some crucial moments. Can he find his stride quickly enough to help in the fantasy playoffs?

Background history: Fifth-year wide receiver who made a triumphant debut with two catches for 68 yards in a Week 13 win over the St. Louis Rams. As the 49ers’ leading receiver a season ago, he missed the team’s first 11 games after tearing his Achilles tendon in OTAs. Off to a slow start, he started to figure out the NFL games last season after first struggling to live up to the fans expectations as the No. 10 overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft.He had a monster two-year career at Texas Tech, catching 227 passes for 3,067 yards and 40 touchdowns in 2007-’08. Michael has been more of a force in the intermediate game and red-zone during his pro career, as he’s averaged 13.0 yards per catch in five seasons.

2013 stats: 2 rec., 4 targets, 68 yards, 0 TDs in 1 game.

Some numbers:  Have you seen his catches, targets and receiving yards rise in each of his first four seasons. Hauled in 85 catches for 1,105 yards and nine touchdowns last season as the 49ers made a run to the Super Bowl. For everyone’s rejoice he established  a connection with the QB Colin Kaepernick as the season went on, finishing with 11 touchdown grabs in his last 12 games, including the postseason. He got 55 targets in his last four regular-season games, becoming the focal point of the 49ers’ attack. Dynamic has since changed with veteran Anquan Boldin now in the fold as the team’s No. 2 wide receiver.

His strengths: Michael Crabtree is a proven producer at a time of the fantasy season when few such options exist. His tear late in the 2012 season bodes well for the final four games, assuming he continues to get healthy and earn more snaps. Two catches, including a 60-yarder in the second half, and four targets in his first action of the season are a good testament to his improving condition.

Risk factors: Michael Crabtree must prove that he is healthy enough to take on the field, and get into a rhythm in the 49ers’ offense along with Boldin and Vernon Davis both in the fold and the 49ers leaning more on the run, it remains to be seen how much work Crabtree will get over his final four games. With San Francisco in the playoff hunt, there’s an outside chance a spot is locked up early and starters get rested in Week 17.

Michael Beasley– With Dwade once again having issues with his knees, Beasley is getting more and more minutes. While the Heat are looking to trade for another shooting guard it doesn’t matter Beasley gets a lot of touches with Lebron off the court. Beasley is a supremely talented player and not owned in many leagues.

Derrick Williams– Williams is finally out of Minnesota where they had basically given up on him. In a start with the Kings Williams went for 31 points. The King’s have been making a lot of moves and look like a dynamic offense now. With Rudy Gay starting at SF now WIlliams will have to beat out Jason Thompson for the starting PF spot which is very possible. Either way he will be getting a lot of minutes.

Trevor Ariza– Ariza is averaging 16.4 Points, 6.1 Rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game while shooting 44% from 3. He is a must pickup as a top 25 fantasy player right now. And still he is only owned in 76% of leagues.

Isaiah Thomas– Fantasy owners have long been irritated with the Sacramento Kings on not starting Thomas at PG. Well the Kings just traded Greivis Vasquez to the Raptors. In Thomas first start he put up 24 points and 12 assist with four three pointers. He is still available in more then 20% of leagues. Go ahead and check your waiver wire this could be a season saving pickup.

Martell Webster– The Wizards are performing better then expected this year, and so has Webster. He is solid in every statistic and is a good 3 point shooter if that is needed.

John Henson– Henson is starting to get starters minute and producing. He has gone for 18.5 Points 12 rebounds and 1 block average in his last 2 games. With Larry Saunders hurt Henson should continue to produce.

Terrance Jones– Jones has become a key fantasy asset since moving into the Rockets starting lineup. His only down side is his free throw shooting, but in his last game he went for 16 points, 13 Rebounds, 2 steals, and 5 blocks.

Brandon Bass– The Celtics as a team have been on fire in the last 7 games it so and Bass has been no exception. He is steadily rising in value as he has been uping his points per game and block totals. Still only owned in 45% of leagues where finding good centers can prove difficult.

Alec Burks– Burks has been a sort of enigma. He shows flashes of great skill but never has everything clicking at once. He has scored in double figures in each of his last 7 games while also picking up a handful of assist and rebounds. We hope that he can start to add in the assist category. But for now especially in deep leagues he is worth owning.

Paul George started to make his presence felt during the playoffs last season. Then and especially during the Eastern Conference Finals, he uplifted his performance on both ends of the floor and matched against LeBron James perfectly. This season, he is showing more of the same with the Indiana Pacers. He has emerged as the best player of the team and he is gradually establishing himself as a true superstar. However, should fantasy owners prefer him to Kevin Durant and LeBron James for their fantasy teams?

The truth is that George, aged 23 will need continue to play with consistency in order to solidify his value and his position in the elite of the NBA. We simply can’t judge a player from a single playoff series or 10-15 good games into the season. However, there is truly no sign of him slowing down.

George is on a breakaway season currently, averaging 24.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG and 3.4 APG this season, all above his career averages.  He is also averaging 46.9 FG% and 39.4 3P%. Again, those numbers are above his career-averages.

Are these numbers enough to put him over LeBron James and Kevin Durant? Obviously not. Or to put it better, they are not yet enough to put him over those two superstars. LeBron James is averaging 25.5 PPG, 6.2 RPG and 6.2 APG, while shooting 59.1 FG% and 45 3P%. Durant on the other hand is averaging 28.5 PPG, 8.2 RPB and 5.0 APG. He is shooting 4.64 FG% and 36.6 3P% this season. As it’s now obvious, George will need some more ground to make up in order to be able to reach those two.

However, he has all the potential to do so, if he continues to improve his outputs, just like he did up to now. Of course, Durant and James are the two biggest monsters in the NBA fantasy-wise. However, at this stage, George is the one who holds the momentum, as his performance is gradually improving. On the other hand, LeBron James, much like the entire Miami Heat team seem to be an autopilot.

George has exploited the absence of Danny Granger. This current season and the one before, Granger has been battling through injuries and this game George a unique chance to emerge as the leader of the Pacers.

The latest outputs that George is putting up makes the entire NBA world wonder how far he can go. As he continues to grow and mature as a man and as a player, he is expected to become even more dominant. He has the physical abilities and the body-frame that will allow him to go much further.

Now, it’s time for him to work on his consistency and also build a strong character. He will have to pass from many tests, similar to those LeBron and Durant have passed through their careers already. Nonetheless, fantasy owners should have him under the scope all season and they could trust him. They could even select him over Durant and LeBron, as he has the tendency to drastically improve his performance.

Right Wing- Jaromir Jagr

Jagr has notched 11 goals and 11 assists thus far this season. A great plus minus, penalty minutes and this is all being done for New Jersey! There is a good chance of him being traded to a contender later on this season. Jagr is still a great player even at age 41 and only owned in 64% of leagues.

Left Wing- Steven Downie

Need a couple more penalty minutes to get you over the hump, or maybe a boost in your plus minus? Well if so Steve Downie is a good option. Although he only has one goal on the season, his 13 assist, 63 penalty minutes and 10 plus minus makes him a top 50 player. For him to only be owned in 43% of leagues is a big blunder. Pick him up!

Center- Nathan MacKinnon

The Colorado Avalanche are having a great season, and the 2013 number 1 pick is contributing nicely in his first season. 5 goals, and 11 assist so far on the season. He has great line mates so I see him putting up even better numbers later in the season. Owned in 40% of leagues.

Defenseman- Andy Greene

In his last 8 games Green has 1 goal, 5 assist and a plus minus rating of 3. He is getting lots of ice time for the devils and is playing a lot of their power play minutes. Solid fantasy defenseman are difficult to find so getting Greene during his hot streak is a good idea. Owned in 25% of leagues.

 Goalie- Ondrej Pavalec

Goalie is usually one of the hardest places to find good production, so if you don’t have one you are probably in trouble. A quality one that you might be able to find on the wavier wire is Pavelec. Owned in 68% of leagues, he has a 2.66 GAA on the season. Winnipeg’s defense is not very good either so he gets an opportunity to get a lot of saves.

Stafford and the Detroit Lions travel to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia during week 14 of the 2013 NFL season. These two teams have been two of the best in the NFL in racking up points and yardage on the offensive side of the ball. This week they get to face off in a game that could be very high scoring if either defense doesn’t limit the opposing quarterback.

Stafford enters this game behind only Peyton Manning in passing yards through the first three quarters of the 2013 NFL season. That could change this evening as Drew Brees is currently third and only 188 yards behind Stafford. Nonetheless he is still one of the NFL’s top passing quarterbacks and that won’t change in week 14. Stafford has thrown for 3,825 yards, 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in guiding the Lions to the top of the NFC North. Now the Eagles don’t rank as one of the worst passing defenses but they have allowed the most fantasy points to opposing receivers in the NFL this season.

This opens up the opportunity for Stafford as the Lions enter this game with a healthy Calvin Johnson as well as Nate Burleson in the receiving game. Johnson enters this game leading the NFL with 1,299 yards receiving to go along with his 12 receiving touchdowns. Johnson who didn’t play at all in the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers demands double and triple teams which will create plays for Burleson as well as the emerging Kris Durham.

For the Eagles and fantasy owners it comes down to how well Nick Foles plays this week against a Lions defense that is allowing over 17 points a game to opposing quarterbacks. This season the Lions defense has allowed 3,197 passing yards, 21 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions through the team’s first 12 games of the season.

This gives fantasy owners a chance to start Foles who has yet to throw an interception this season. Foles has completed 63 percent of his passes this season for 1,791 yards, 19 touchdowns and zero interceptions. Foles isn’t the only player on the Eagles you want to start as both DeSean Jackson and Riley Cooper are must starts against a Lions secondary that is allowing over 28 points a game against opposing receivers. This season the Lions defense has allowed 2,165 receiving yards and 16 touchdown receptions.

Now the matchups for the running backs don’t look as promising as the Lions have allowed only five rushing touchdowns this season. The Eagles haven’t done quite as well but still have limited opposing running backs to only seven touchdowns in 12 games this season. The only concern I have is if the passing games are both running on high this game it could open up the running game as well as goal line opportunities for both Reggie Bush and LeSean McCoy.

This game is a fantasy heaven for any fantasy owner of almost any player on either the Detroit Lions or Philadelphia Eagles.

Many people around the NFL world are arguing about fantasy sleepers, players who are more likely to be picked on the third day of the draft. There are many reasons, for a sleeper to awaken like favourable matches and one of them is injury.

With week 14 of the NFL season fully underway, for many fantasy enthusiasts this means playoffs. Some NFL super stars have been underachieving and others are hindered by injuries. This is where the sleepers appear in this story, it is absolutely crucial to find the right sleepers with good favourable matchups. These are some of the many factors which must be mustered, if that player is ever going to get into the starting draft line up.

Here, we are going to have a look at some of the best sleepers which could strengthen the fantasy squads this week.

Andre Holmes, Wide receiver, Oakland Raiders

Holmes is just a typical sleeper; he succeeded to burst out on the field versus the Dallas Cowboys team. He established a good connection with the quarterback Matt McGloin seven times for a 136 yards in total. After that McGloin expressed lot of confidence in Holmes targeting him 11 times in week 13.

He finds a very favourable matchup versus the New York jets secondary. Because Holmes isn’t viewed as the No.1 receiver on the Raider’s offense, meaning that he would most likely be facing the rookie Dee Milliner.

Sam Bradford, Quarterback, St.Louis Rams

Bradford is certainly a talented player, his arrow is finally pointing up after the St.Louis Rams committed to get him some pass protection receiver help. We shall see if he will rise to the occasion and delights us with some beautiful passes in his future career.

Giovani Bernard, Running back, Cincinnati Bengals

Giovani Bernard could make a fantasy impact as a rookie out of the Bengals backfield; he will start as a backup to BenJarvus Green-Ellis. The kid’s got a talent so we wouldn’t be surprised Giovani thrust forward into a more vital role as the season is progressing through. We are cheering for him to overcome Green-Ellis in PPR formats this year and become a trending fantasy football player.

T.Y.Hilton, Wide receiver, Indianapolis Colts

T.Y.Hilton was a surprisingly good performer for the Colts team in which he was considered a freshman in 2012 and also a “lucker”, because of his notoriety of being drafted in high stakes contests. Hilton’s value got to new heights, but he is still behind Darrius Heyward-Bey at the moment. He will have to be able to pass Heyward-Bey on the depth chart so he can live up to his draft potential.

Jordan Cameron, tight-end, Cleveland Browns

Cameron with his 6’5” and 250 pounds is in amazing shape. Now he on his third season, this former USC prospect is hyped a lot, especially after playing three very impressive games this season with already 20 receptions for 269 yards and four scores.

The Houston Rockets are off to a solid start in the 2013-2014. Despite the injuries of James Harden and Jeremy Lin plus the issues with Omer Asik, the team has a 13-5 winning record. Houston currently holds the sixth seed in the West, but they could emerge towards the top in a few days or weeks.

Dwight Howard is starting to become consistent. Superman seems to have found his role in the offensive rotation and he is delivering almost every night, especially now that Asik’s role is downsized. Howard is averaging 16.7 PPG, 12.4 RPG and 1.94 BPG. He is leading the team in field goal percentage with 56.6%, but his free-throw percent is still low, 54%. He certainly can do better, fantasy-wise, but any fantasy owner knows that D-12 will deliver and that’s essential.

Harden, on the other hand, apparently hasn’t been affected fantasy-wise from the presence of Howard. Some analysts believed that with the addition of Dwight Howard, Harden would see less shot attempts and thus his scoring would go down. On the contrary, Harden is leading the Rockets in scoring with 23.6 PPG on a 45 FG% and 32.2 3P%. The 24-year old guard is also averaging 5.6 APG and 4.6 RPG and he is considered as one of the best fantasy players in the league and for any owner. His recent injuries were an issue, but once he gets things going, he will be unstoppable.

Chandler Parsons is performing slightly better than expected. He is averaging 17.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG and 3.9 APG. He is also shooting very well from the field, 53.2 percent and 39 percent from long range. Parsons is definitely and emerging All-Star and a solid fantasy pickup for any team.

Jeremy Lin and Patrick Beverly are the two surprises for Houston this season. The point guard duo is playing very efficiently up to this point of the season. In fact, in some games, either Lin or Beverly have exploded for huge performances. Lin is averaging 15.3 PPG to go along with 4.5 APG in 30.1 MPG. He is also shooting 50.3 percent from the floor and 39 percent from downtown.

Beverly on the other hand is averaging 9.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG and 2.3 APG in 30.5 MPG. He is shooting 40.5 from the field and 36.5 percent from three-point range. His numbers might not cause jaws to drop, but he is a nice little addition to any fantasy team, coming in an affordable price.

Terrence Williams, Omri Casspi and Francisco Garcia complete a very capable supporting cast for Kevin McHale. Jones is currently averaging 10.1 PPG, 6.5 RPG and 4.6 APG and he has filled in perfectly for Asik. Casspi can be considered as a sleeper this season. With 8.9 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 3.5 APG in 21.2 MPG he has definitely made some fantasy owners happy. Casspi is shooting 46.6 percent from the field and 41.2. Almost any player of the supporting cast from Houston has proved that he can catch fire, when given the chance and that he can deliver big time for the team, when it’s needed.