Fantasy Football Week 14 Cheat Sheet: Identifying Sleepers for Deep Leagues

This could be the money week in your fantasy football league.

Week 14 of the NFL season often represents the end of the regular fantasy season because Week 15 is the start of the playoffs and Week 16 is often used for the championship game.

This is the way it has been done for years because NFL teams often use the getaway game in Week 17 to play untested backups and remove veterans early.

Since nobody wants their fantasy championship decided by the whim of head coaches, Week 17 usually does not count in fantasy football.

Week 14 counts for quite a bit, and there are moves to be made by all contending players. Those who had Kareem Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs will have to find a replacement following his dismissal by the team last Friday after video of him shoving and kicking a woman in February was released by TMZ.

In addition to possibly needing a new running back, fantasy players have to make additional adjustments to their roster prior to this crucial week, when a win could mean entry into the playoffs and a loss will result in an offseason of regret.

We are going to provide advice for sleepers in deep leagues. A sleeper is a player who is on 50 percent of Yahoo rosters or less.

Here's a look at our suggestions:

QB Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins (5 percent)

QB Case Keenum, Denver Broncos (20 percent)

QB Eli Manning, N.Y. Giants (22 percent)

RB LeGarrette Blount, Detroit Lions (42 percent)

RB Rashaad Penny, Seattle Seahawks (30 percent)

RB Ito Smith, Atlanta Falcons (32 percent)

WR Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (46 percent)

WR Anthony Miller, Chicago Bears (34 percent)

WR Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers (48 percent)

TE Antonio Gates, Los Angeles Chargers (4 percent)

TE Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens (2 percent)

QB Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins

Just as this week may be the most critical week of your fantasy football season, this may be the most important game of the Miami Dolphins' season.

The Dolphins have a home game Sunday against the New England Patriots, and the visitors have been the kings of the AFC East on an every-season basis.

Many like to look at the division as one superior team and three sluggish entries, but the Dolphins are the second-best team in the division and are in playoff contention.

The Dolphins don't play well when they travel to New England, but they more than hold their own in games in South Florida. They have won four of the last five meetings with the Pats on their home field, and this could be a big game for Tannehill against the New England defense.

The Dolphins are a much more efficient team when Tannehill is healthy and in the lineup. He is a sharper leader than backup Brock Osweiler, as evidenced by his 98.4 passer rating compared to Osweiler's 86.4 mark. 

Tannehill has completed 118 of 178 passes for 1,313 yards with a 13-6 TD-interception ratio. Tannehill threw for 350 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in his last home start against the Patriots in the 2015 season, and that game was a 20-10 Miami victory. He also led the Dolphins to a 33-20 home win over New England in 2014 as he threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns.

The Patriots are 7.5-point favorites, per OddsShark, and that indicates that many handicappers believe the Pats will win on the road with ease. But given the importance of the game for the Dolphins coupled with the presence of their starting quarterback, that should not be the case.

Tannehill is primed for a big game and could be an excellent addition to a fantasy team in need of a quarterback.

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press/Associated Press

RB Rashaad Penny, Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have been one of the biggest surprise teams in the NFL this season.

At the start of the year, the Seahawks looked like a team in decline. They had been known for their "Legion of Boom" defense for several seasons, but that unit had appeared to lose its bite through age and attrition.

The NFC West clearly belonged to the Los Angeles Rams, and the San Francisco 49ers looked like a team on the rise with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The Seahawks would battle the Arizona Cardinals in an attempt to stay out of the division's basement.

But as the season reaches the second Sunday in December, the Seahawks are an impressive 7-5 team that is currently holding on to the No. 1 wild-card spot in the NFC. They are a middle-of-the-pack team on offense and defense, but they have been successful with an old-school game plan.

They have the top-ranked running game in the league, and that means they have gotten excellent work out of their offensive line and their stable of running backs.

Penny has shown he is capable of getting the job done when the Seahawks call on him. He has 73 carries for 369 yards and two touchdowns. He has 12 carries of 10 yards or more, and 16 of his carries have resulted in first downs.

He had seven carries for 65 yards and a touchdown in last week's win over the Niners, and he will be counted on this week when the Seahawks host the Minnesota Vikings Monday night.

Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers

This could be the year the Chargers make a huge impact in the postseason.

The Chargers are a talented team and have a 9-3 record going into the final quarter of the season. They are a game behind the explosive Kansas City Chiefs and have a chance to run down the first place team.

The Chargers host the slumping Cincinnati Bengals Sunday, while the Chiefs have to contend with the defensive strength of the Baltimore Ravens.

The Chargers and Chiefs play the following Thursday night in Kansas City. If everything goes well for the Chargers, they could have a one-game lead on their rivals after that game.

But the first step is beating Cincinnati Sunday, and the Chargers should be able to pummel their opponents.

Williams could be one of the primary beneficiaries for this motivated team. He doesn't have a ton of receptions to this point in the season, but he does make them count. He has caught 27 passes for 471 yards with seven touchdowns.

Quarterback Philip Rivers has been having a sensational season, and he has spread the ball around quite a bit. Look for him to continue to do that against the Bengals, and Williams could easily catch one or two TD passes and help out sharp fantasy owners.

Peter B Joneleit/Associated Press

TE Antonio Gates, Los Angeles Chargers

The big man who has an excellent chance to end up in the Hall of Fame after his career comes to an end has been ignored by many fantasy football general managers this season.

Gates may be 38 years old and slow at this point in his career, but Rivers will still throw the ball to him. Perhaps not with the frequency that made him a star in the league, but Gates has caught 19 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns, and 14 of his receptions have resulted in Los Angeles first downs.

Gates caught five passes for 80 yards and a touchdown in the Week 11 loss to the Broncos, and we expect him to get back to that form in this game.

Gates could be a key factor for the Chargers down the stretch, and we will gamble that he can cause problems for the Bengals in this game.