When I drive my car from around 30 mph and start accelerating the pedal feels sluggish and the rpms shoot up a little when a press harder and then the car kind of "engages." I replaced the opti and water pump which solved other problems but this is still there. I also replaced the fuel filter today but hardly noticed a difference. Any ideas on the culprate?

EDIT: forgot to mention I have a ticking sound coming from the front end