Fantasy Football 2014: 5 Week 13 Sleepers to Start in a Pinch

The following is a public service announcement: We’d like to thank you for participating in the bye-week portion of the fantasy football 2014 season. If you survived with your hair and playoff prospects mostly intact, congratulations. If injuries continue to plague your lineup, please contact Tim Wright, Jarvis Landry, Latavius Murray and Ryan Tannehill for assistance.

This concludes our public service announcement.

The previous message holds especially true for Julius Thomas, Larry Fitzgerald and Arian Foster owners who found themselves scrambling for game-time substitutes last week.

A sleeper in this context is any player who is available in approximately 50 percent or more of ESPN fantasy leagues with a favorable matchup per ESPN’s fantasy points against statistic. Rankings and point totals are based on scoring leaders in ESPN standard leagues (membership required).

Defense/Special Teams: New York Giants at Jacksonville Jaguars

Al Bello/Getty Images

This pick is less about New York’s qualities—or lack thereof—than it is recognizing just how dreadful Blake Bortles and the Jaguars are in the turnover department.

• The Giants rank 27th in NFL team defense, surrendering 24.5 points per game, according to Pro Football Reference.
• New York grades out at 21st in team defense, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
• The Giants are tied for 31st in fantasy D/ST scoring, averaging 6.7 points per game.

There isn’t much to endorse on defensive coordinator Perry Fewell’s unit this season. However...

• Jacksonville is tied for second-worst in the league with 24 turnovers, according to PFR.
• The Jaguars grade dead last in team offense, according to PFF.
• Bortles leads the league with 15 interceptions as he struggles through his rookie campaign.

Gus Bradley’s crew sheepishly represents the worst team in D/ST points against, providing 14.0 PPG to opponents. The D/ST facing the Jaguars averages a top-five finish. Only the Bengals failed to crack the top 10, finishing tied for 12th with seven points in Week 9.

The Giants are available in 95.5 percent of ESPN leagues...shocking. Pick them up with confidence whether you’re a seasoned D/ST-streamer or a Chiefs, Packers or Patriots owner facing an unappetizing matchup.

Honorable mentions

• Indianapolis Colts vs. Washington Redskins
• St. Louis Rams vs. Oakland Raiders

Week 12 results

• Indianapolis Colts (featured), finished tied for third with 15 points
• San Diego Chargers, tied for third with 15
• Green Bay Packers, 17th with four

It’s simple: Stream whichever D/ST is playing the Jags.

Tight End: Tim Wright, New England Patriots at Green Bay Packers

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

Wright isn’t so much a great sleeper tight end to start this week as he is the most obvious tight end handcuff in the league.

Rob Gronkowski owners should be aware 2014 is his healthiest season since his All-Pro performance in 2011. He missed 14 games during 2012-13 combined with serious injuries. He hasn’t missed a start this season, leading all tight ends with 11.9 PPG.

Wright scored admirably so far through 2014, ranking 13th among fantasy tight ends while playing in Gronkowski’s shadow. He’d be a top-five tight end if his 5.1 PPG production went up even 50 percent due to another devastating injury to Gronkowski.

Therefore, picking up Wright this week is less about an OK matchup with Green Bay—ranked 14th in tight end points against—and much, much more about insuring your investment in Gronkowski for the playoffs.

Don’t hesitate; Wright is available in 95.5 percent of ESPN leagues and should be stashed by every Gronkowski owner who doesn’t have Jimmy Graham or Julius Thomas for a backup.

Honorable mentions

• Kyle Rudolph, Minnesota Vikings vs. Carolina Panthers
• Jermaine Gresham, Cincinnati Bengals at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week 12 results

• Coby Fleener (featured), tied for 24th with two
• Charles Clay, did not play
• Niles Paul, tied for 34th with one

Fleener and Paul failed to shine when injuries to Dwayne Allen and Jordan Reed pushed them into the spotlight. Clay sat out Sunday due to a bad hamstring and knee ailment. His backup Dion Jordan finished tied for 17th among tight ends with three points.

Wide Receiver: Jarvis Landry, Miami Dolphins at New York Jets

Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

There are plenty of great sleeper matchups at wide receiver in Week 13—see the honorable mention section below—but Landry and the upstart Dolphins rise to the top.

The second-rounder out of LSU boasts five touchdown grabs this season, tied with the likes of Alshon Jeffery, Roddy White and fellow rookie Sammy Watkins. Ryan Tannehill favored him over Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline in Miami’s Week 12 shootout in Denver. (Snap count provided by PFF).

	Snaps	Tgts	Rec	Yds	TDs	Pts
Landry	45	11	7	50	2	17
Wallace	47	5	4	35	1	9
Hartline	43	2	2	39	0	3

Meanwhile the listless Jets are just playing out the string as the impending end to the Rex Ryan-era approaches.

The 21st-ranked defense in wide receiver points against held just three WR-corps out of the end zone this season: Kansas City (because no Chiefs WR has scored a touchdown yet in 2014), San Diego (because it ran all over New York in a lopsided affair) and Chicago (because Jeffery and Brandon Marshall began the season hobbled).

Landry’s value elevates further through his explosive special teams play. PFF grades him tops among kick returners.

The rookie is still available in 88.7 percent of ESPN leagues; that's good news for Marshall, Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald owners who are nervous about their prospects for Week 13.

Honorable mentions

• John Brown, Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons
• Malcolm Floyd, San Diego Chargers at Baltimore Ravens
• Charles Johnson, Minnesota Vikings vs. Carolina Panthers
• Rueben Randle, New York Giants at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week 12 results

• Andrew Hawkins (featured), tied for 25th with nine
• Malcolm Floyd, tied for 59th with three
• Kenny Stills, tied for 25th with nine

Two out of the three sleepers mentioned here did well, but several wide receiver dark horses cracked the top 20 last week: Robert Woods (17), Jarvis Landry (17), Stedman Bailey (14), Charles Johnson (13), Joseph Morgan (12), Cole Beasley (12), Justin Hunter (12) and Louis Murphy (11).

Running Back: Latavius Murray, Oakland Raiders at St. Louis Rams

USA TODAY Sports

There aren’t any great sleeper plays at running back this week, at least on paper.

Murray floats to the top not because Oakland drew a favorable matchup—the Rams rank 10th in running back points against—but because he’s the most likely of the available RBs to get the bulk of his team's carries.

The biggest obstacle facing the sixth-rounder out of Central Florida—Go Knights!—is the concussion he suffered after scorching the Chiefs for 28.0 yards per carry and two touchdowns early in their Thursday night game.

"

Also on Latavius Murray, he has been doing some exercising, which is another step in the process for him to play.

— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) November 25, 2014

"

Murray—available in 89.7 percent of ESPN leagues—is a must-add this week, even if he doesn't pass concussion protocol.

Honorable mentions

• Daniel Herron, Indianapolis Colts vs. Washington Redskins
• LeGarrette Blount, New England Patriots at Green Bay Packers
• Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 12 results

• Tre Mason (featured), tied for 22nd with eight
• Jonas Gray, did not play
• Knile Davis, tied for 68th with zero

It wasn’t a good week for sleeper running backs, as embodied by Gray’s rise to the cover of Sports Illustrated through his fall into the depths of Bill Belichick’s doghouse.

Quarterback: Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins at New York Jets

Joe Mahoney/Associated Press

I’ve heard derisive comments on the sports-talk airwaves from “football guys” trashing PFF for ranking Tannehill right behind Peyton Manning—ninth and 10th, respectively. The criticism is probably fair, but Manning does have four two-interception games this season to Tannehill’s one.

Would I start Tannehill over Manning? Of course not.

But I would start Tannehill—currently starting in 30.2 percent of ESPN leagues—over Matt Ryan (31.1), Philip Rivers (43.2), Jay Cutler (45.2) and Colin Kaepernick (45.8).

He’s not an elite passer—he's ranked 15th, averaging 234.7 yards per game—but he is an elite runner who is ranked fourth, averaging 25.1 yards per game. Those rushing yards add up, pushing an otherwise average fantasy showing into the top 10 among quarterbacks (ranked eighth, 17.2 PPG).  

Miami closes out Week 13 on Monday night in New York, facing the league’s worst defense in quarterback points against. In fact, Tannehill doesn’t face another tough defense versus fantasy QBs this season, according to Fantasy Pros.

He’s still available in 47.7 percent of ESPN leagues and makes a great replacement for owners who are struggling with the disappointments of the quarterbacks listed above.

Honorable mentions

• Eli Manning, New York Giants at Jacksonville Jaguars
• Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota Vikings vs. Carolina Panthers

Week 12 results

• Josh McCown (featured), tied for 18th with 12
• Kyle Orton, 11th with 18
• Zach Mettenberger, tied for sixth with 19

McCown and Lovie Smith did not exact revenge on their former team, but McCown did outscore Jay Cutler (eight) in fantasy. Sometimes, moral victories do count, especially for Tampa Bay.

Week 13 is pivotal for all those bubble teams that are hoping for a shot at the fantasy playoffs. Don’t trot out an underperformer when alternatives like these are waiting on the waiver wire to propel you over that next hurdle.