Fantasy Football Week 14: Biggest Sleepers at Every Position
In Week 14, the last group of teams—six clubs in total—will be on a bye. Fantasy football managers who are preparing for playoff matchups or need a win to clinch a postseason berth need a quality sleepers list.
You've come to the right place.
Believe it or not, the Las Vegas Raiders offense is trending in the right direction, just in time to help you fill holes on your fantasy roster.
Two middle-round rookie running backs should be priority pickups. One of them is set to make his first start of the season.
Lastly, a 31-year-old wide receiver may shine on the Monday Night Football stage in a fast-paced game.
All sleeper options below are available in more than 50 percent of leagues based on FantasyPros' consensus roster percentages.
QB Will Levis vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (10 Percent Rostered)
1 of 8
Will Levis has shown improvement since his return from a shoulder injury. Over the last four weeks, he's thrown for seven touchdowns and two interceptions while averaging 240 passing yards. On the other hand, Levis has lost one out of three fumbles in that stretch.
Though Levis still has issues with turnovers, he pushes the ball downfield enough to rack up fantasy points. In Weeks 10 and 12, Levis finished 10th and 13th, respectively, in fantasy scoring among quarterbacks.
This could be the week that Levis puts together a standout performance. He'll face the Jacksonville Jaguars, who field one of the NFL's weakest pass defenses.
The Jaguars allow the most passing yards, the second-most passing touchdowns and the most fantasy points to quarterbacks.
Moreover, following an abysmal offensive performance on the road in Washington, Levis and Co. should be eager to bounce back in a divisional matchup.
QB Aidan O'Connell at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2 Percent Rostered)
2 of 8
We don't advise chasing fantasy points from the previous week, but Aidan O'Connell has an intriguing matchup with a defense that's more vulnerable than the unit he faced last Friday.
In Week 13, O'Connell threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns against the Kansas City Chiefs' 23rd-ranked pass defense–a unit that relies heavily on blitzes (second-highest rate) to pressure the pocket. Clearly, he can pick apart a blitz-happy defense.
On Sunday, O'Connell will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who allow the third-most passing yards and blitz at the fifth-highest rate.
Last week, the Buccaneers allowed Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young to throw for a season-high 289 yards. Though that game went into overtime, Young only threw for 16 yards in the extra period.
Now the unquestioned starting quarterback in Las Vegas, O'Connell has a chance to stack quality performances in a rejuvenated offense that's averaging 377 total yards in three games under interim offensive coordinator Scott Turner.
With wideout Jakobi Meyers and rookie tight end Brock Bowers playing at a high level, O'Connell could throw for another 300-plus yards against the Buccaneers.
RB Blake Corum vs. Buffalo Bills (17 Percent Rostered)
3 of 8
Last week, Blake Corum logged season highs in snap count (32 percent) and rushing yards (42). Most importantly, he saw action in a competitive game, taking eight carries.
The Los Angeles Rams may finally trust Corum to split the backfield workload with Kyren Williams.
If so, Corum could have a productive outing against the Buffalo Bills. The Bills allow the third-most fantasy points to running backs and give up the third-most yards per carry (4.9).
Despite a lopsided loss to Buffalo last week, the San Francisco 49ers averaged 5.7 yards per carry. Their top two running backs, Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason, averaged at least six yards per carry.
The Rams' best chance to upset the Bills starts on the ground. They must slow down the game to keep Buffalo's second-ranked scoring attack on the sideline. Corum could continue to eat into Williams' workload in a matchup against a shaky run defense.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
RB Isaac Guerendo vs. Chicago Bears (9 Percent Rostered)
4 of 8
The San Francisco 49ers placed Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason on injured reserve. We know that rookie fourth-rounder Isaac Guerendo can take advantage of an expanded workload.
Guerendo has shown flashes in games against the and Dallas Cowboys (14 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown) and Seattle Seahawks (10 carries for 99 yards), leading the team in rush attempts for both games with Mason banged up and McCaffrey on injured reserve.
Though the 49ers claimed Israel Abanikanda off waivers, promoted Patrick Taylor Jr. to the active roster and added Ke'Shawn Vaughn to their practice squad, Guerendo will likely handle the majority of touches out of the backfield, given his production in the head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense.
Guerendo will be a popular add, but he still qualifies as a sleeper on less than 50 percent of rosters. Even if you're stacked at running back, make room for him as he prepares for a matchup with the Chicago Bears' 25th-ranked run defense.
WR Brandin Cooks vs. Cincinnati Bengals (20 Percent Rostered)
5 of 8
Like Adam Thielen last week, Brandin Cooks could turn back the career clock to produce WR1 numbers against a bottom-tier pass defense.
Years past his prime and going through an injury-riddled campaign, Cooks is justifiably available in most leagues.
Cooks missed two months of action because of an infection in his knee but saw the most targets among Dallas Cowboys pass-catchers and scored a touchdown in Week 13. CeeDee Lamb didn't play in the fourth quarter of that game because of a shoulder injury, but that's another reason to roster Cooks this week.
Lamb may suit up at less than 100 percent, which could result in more targets for Cooks.
The Cincinnati Bengals have surrendered the seventh-most passing yards, and they're tied for fourth in passing touchdowns allowed, but the club is fifth in scoring.
Dallas may need to speed up its offensive tempo to keep pace with Cincinnati. Cooks could see several targets on Monday.
WR Tre Tucker at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7 Percent Rostered)
6 of 8
In his 340-yard passing performance against the Kansas City Chiefs, Aidan O'Connell connected with Tre Tucker on a 58-yard deep ball at a crucial point in the game.
Though Tucker only saw one target last week, his big play with O'Connell under center isn't a fluke.
Midway through last year, O'Connell took over for Jimmy Garoppolo. He developed a rapport with (his 2023 draftmate) Tucker on deep throws. Tucker averaged 17.3 yards per catch, with by far, the team's highest average depth of target (18.5).
The Raiders placed wide receiver DJ Turner on injured reserve. In his absence, Tucker may get more touches on jet sweeps, end-arounds and a carry here and there.
Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' 30th-ranked pass defense, Tucker could produce some big plays as a pass-catcher or on gadget plays as the top speedster in the Raiders offense.
TE Will Dissly at Kansas City Chiefs (26 Percent Rostered)
7 of 8
Will Dissly is back on the sleepers list after he posted a goose egg in catches against the Atlanta Falcons last week.
If you picked up Dissly after our recommendation to roster him in Week 11, which was his most productive game of the season (four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown), don't dump him yet.
Dissly has a favorable matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, who allow the fourth-most fantasy points to tight ends. So, unlike last week when he only saw one target, Dissly should be a big part of the Chargers' passing attack in this matchup, especially with rookie wideout Ladd McConkey working through a knee injury.
Dissly ranks second among Chargers pass-catchers in targets (53), and he saw at least four targets in three consecutive games before Week 13. In a potential bounce-back spot, Dissly could finish in the top 10 among tight ends in fantasy scoring this week.
TE Grant Calcaterra vs. Carolina Panthers (1 Percent Rostered)
8 of 8
The Philadelphia Eagles may play the Carolina Panthers without their starting tight end. Last week, Dallas Goedert suffered a knee injury.
According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Goedert's injury won't end his season, but he's a candidate for short-term injured reserve.
Goedert's potential absence would open up opportunities for Grant Calcaterra in the best matchup for tight ends. The Carolina Panthers allow the most fantasy points to players at the position.
Goedert has missed three games this season, and in two of those contests, Calcaterra hauled in at least three passes while on the field for more than 91 percent of the offensive snaps.
As Goedert recovers, Calcaterra is slated to start against the Panthers. He may be the Eagles' No. 3 option in the passing game behind wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, who's trying to work his way back from a two-week absence due to a hamstring injury.
Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com for details.
Fantasy points scored against statistics are provided by FantasyPros.
Looking for more insight to prep for your draft or make some tough roster decisions? Check out all the latest B/R Fantasy Football essentials here.
Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
