Can Derrick Mason Make Fantastical Noise On Sunday?

Ignoring half of last week's suggestion, I think this series of posts got off to a pretty good start by suggesting Mr. Joel Dresseen as your Vicks Sleeper of the Week.

Self-congratulatory pats on the back aside, I've got to follow it up as the good people at Vicks demand it if the staff wants to keep rolling in Nyquil.

The first sleeper I will throw out is newly acquired wide receiver Derrick Mason. Mason, acquired for a conditional 7th round pick from the New York Jets, is likely to see most of his snaps in the slot, as his strengths are good route-running and dependable hands, which fits into the Houston West Coast offense.

Given the Jacobalypse last week, I imagine Mason and Kevin Walter will see the lion's share of receiver targets. Being a veteran, I can't see Coach Kubiak or Matt Schaub shying away from trusting Mason early.

The second sleeper, for those playing in an individual defensive player league, is inside linebacker Brian Cushing. According to Yahoo, Cushing is only owned in 18% of leagues. In five games, Cushing has 36 tackles (24 solo). More importantly, Cushing is coming off the best game of the young season with seven solo tackles, a sack, and a pass defensed against run-heavy Oakland.

The brunt of Baltimore's attack will be running back Ray Rice, and he will be Cushing's focus. As evidenced the past two or so weeks, Cushing is also being utilized more as a blitzer by Wade Phillips. With Mario Williams out, I expect Cushing to continue his increased involvement in the pass rush.

What say you, BRBers? Which Texans are you expecting big fantasy games from? What about the rest of the league? Anyone else jump on the Pierre Garcon bandwagon? Use the comments for all your fantasy observations and questions.