Fantasy Football Week 15 Cheat Sheet: Deep Sleepers to Target for Playoffs
December 13, 2017
Glory is just around the corner.
In most leagues, the fantasy football regular season came to a conclusion as the Miami Dolphins were upsetting the New England Patriots on Monday night.
Week 15 is here, and that means it's time for the start of the fantasy playoffs. These matchups are often decided by one last-minute move for a player who finds a way to score a touchdown even though he had done little the preceding 14 weeks.
We offer the following deep sleepers for your consideration.
For our purposes, we are looking to add difference-makers. A deep sleeper is defined as a player who has less than 40 percent ownership in Yahoo fantasy leagues.
In addition to helping those in the fantasy playoffs, these players may also be worth considering in daily fantasy football.
Deep Sleepers (Parenthetical numbers indicates percentage owned)
- QB Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears (5 percent)
- QB Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers (24 percent)
- QB Nick Foles, Philadelphia Eagles (12 percent)
- RB Kerwynn Williams, Arizona Cardinals (12 percent)
- RB Danny Woodhead, Baltimore Ravens (39 percent)
- RB Rod Smith, Dallas Cowboys (16 percent)
- WR Mike Wallace, Baltimore Ravens (40 percent)
- WR Tyrell Williams, Los Angeles Chargers (36 percent)
- WR Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks (39 percent)
- TE O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (23 percent)
- TE Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions (31 percent)
QB Nick Foles, Philadephia
Losing Carson Wentz is a brutal blow for the Philadelphia Eagles. Head coach Doug Pederson knows Foles is the quarterback who had an 8-2 starting record in 2013 with a remarkable 27-2 TD-to-interception ratio.
Foles may not be able to take the Eagles a long way in the postseason.
However, he should be able to take an excellent first step as the Eagles play the Giants on Sunday. New York has the 32nd-ranked defense in the league, and Foles should be able to slice and dice them without any problems.
This game will be crucial for Foles. He has a chance to increase his confidence before the Eagles host the Oakland Raiders in Week 16. The Raiders have the 25th-ranked pass defense, and that also appears to be fertile ground for the new Eagles quarterback.
RB Kerwynn Williams, Arizona
This is a move that few fantasy owners are considering, but Williams is growing in stature within the Arizona organization, and he figures to play a key role in the game plan this week against the Washington Redskins.
Williams is in the position he's in because of injuries the Cardinals have suffered. He came to the forefront in Week 13 against the Los Angeles Rams when he carried the ball 16 times for 97 yards.
He was even more active in the Week 14 victory over the Tennessee Titans as he carried the ball 20 times for 73 yards.
The Redskins have issues when it comes to run defense, as they rank 26th against the run. Arizona head coach Bruce Arians seems certain to give Williams at least 15 carries, and that means he has a chance at 75-plus yards.
WR Tyrell Williams, Los Angeles Chargers
It's fairly difficult to understand why Williams is not owned by at least 75 percent of the fantasy football managers in the Yahoo environment.
He is the Chargers' No. 2 receiver behind Keenan Allen, and quarterback Philip Rivers clearly likes him. Williams has 52 targets with three games to go in the regular season and he has caught 32 passes for 580 yards and three touchdowns.
He caught all four of his targets in Week 14 against the Redskins for 132 yards and a touchdown. That kind of performance indicates that he should be even more involved in the offense this week when the Chargers play at Kansas City in a crucial AFC West game against the Chiefs.
The Chiefs have the 28th-ranked pass defense, and the Chargers figure to exploit this weakness. Allen figures to get double coverage, and that could result in a productive game for Williams.
TE O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay
While Howard has not had a dominant rookie season, remember that he was the No. 1 tight end in last spring's draft and that Tampa Bay selected him with the No. 19 pick.
While he was at Alabama, he showed he had tremendous hands, excellent acceleration and the ability to get open.
Howard has been targeted 38 times and has 25 receptions for 402 yards and five touchdowns, and he tied his season high in Week 14 against Detroit when he was targeted six times.
Howard is averaging an impressive 16.1 yards per catch, and that's more than Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson or fellow tight end Cameron Brate. Look for him to make big plays against Atlanta.