Fantasy Football: Sleepers to Claim for Week Three: Niles Paul

Sep 21, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back

(34) runs from Cleveland Browns inside linebacker

(53) during the second quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Ravens won 23-21. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

2) RB Lorenzo Taliaferro, Baltimore Ravens

Last week, Bernard Pierce excelled as the stand-in for Ray Rice, but missed his chance to put a lock on the job when a thigh injury kept him out of Sunday’s game. In his place, both Lorenzo Taliaferro and Justin Forsett performed well against the Browns on Sunday.

However, of the two, Taliaferro was the more impressive, rushing for 91 yards in 18 carries with 1 TD, vs. 63 yards on 11 carries for Forsett. The big difference here is that Taliaferro is 226lbs compared to the lighter Forsett at only 197. Most teams would look at Taliaferro as the guy to go to in the red zone, which would give him more chances to put up TDs.

Even so, you will need to keep a close watch on the Baltimore running back situation. Many observers still think Bernard Pierce will be the no.1 back upon his return, but any of these 3 could emerge as “the guy” if he can get hot in the next few games.

If one of the players can seize the job, he will likely be a useful fantasy asset.