Fantasy Football IDP Sleeper Watch: Stewart Bradley

The 2009/10 season was a major disappointment for not only Philadelphia Eagles fans of Stewart Bradley, but also fantasy owners who drafted him high, thinking he would have the breakout season many envisioned.

Well that was then, and this is now.

The Philadelphia Eagles seemed to struggle at the LB position last year, with more shuffling than a poker dealer at Harrah’s Chester, but in reality, the Eagles makeshift LB corps (Will Witherspoon now with the Titans, Omar Gaither, Joe Mays, and more) filled in admirably.

But again, that was then and this is now.

Ernie Simms was brought in from Detroit, Alex Hall was brought in from Cleveland, and to be honest, Stewart Bradley still leads the way as the probable leader for the Eagles, as well as, a great sleeper pick at LB ready to finally provide the fantasy fodder we have all been waiting for.

The Quick Breakdown:

The Philadelphia Eagles play a lot of “roll to the ball” style defense or “ball hawk” defense, which bodes well for any LB playing in a similar system.

He is a three-down back with size and speed capable of not only making tackles, but also getting to the QB and conceivably garnering some INTs which all point to a lot of fantasy points.

In 2008, Bradley acquired 86 solo tackles, 22 assists, one sack and one INT and it was that flash of brilliance that had everyone believing last year was going to be his breakout year. You can believe this season will be more than better.

The Eagles face just about every run-heavy team in the league this year (Jaguars, Redskins, 49ers, Titans, Giants, and Vikings) and with that comes nothing but opportunities for fantasy points.

Remember, you don’t need the Eagles to win these games, only that you need their competitors to stay true to their game-day approach and run the ball, giving Bradley and company every chance to chalk up fantasy points.

Summary: The Eagles are very happy with Bradley’s recovery and initial OTAs (don’t worry about that recent calf issue, either, as it was just a simple example of cramping) and if the Eagles are happy with their LBs, then you can confidently draft Bradley high, and enjoy the ride all season long.

I hope you enjoyed this small piece, and please check out our additional 2010/11 Fantasy Football Sleeper reports at Fantasyknuckleheads.com