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

While the fantasy football calendar doesn't allow for in-season celebrations, we're sneaking in a quick pat on the back for all managers still standing at this point of the 2020 campaign.

This process has been overloaded with possible pitfalls. If you avoided enough of them to either be headed to the playoffs or advancing through them as we speak, that's a commendable achievement.

OK, with that out of our system, let's snap back to reality—you need to prepare for a crucial playoff matchup. We're here to help by identifying the top waiver-wire sleepers (available in 50-plus percent of Yahoo leagues, per FantasyPros) at the marquee positions.

Quarterback: Philip Rivers, Indianapolis Colts (40 Percent Rostered)

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Remember, sleepers can sometimes hide in plain sight.

While waiver wire columns often zero in on shiny new objects (which we'll do in this same piece), sometimes the quietly reliable veterans are the best route to take. That feels especially true at quarterback, where workloads aren't likely to change in significant ways at this point of the season (at least for non-disastrous reasons).

If you're in the market for an oldie-but-a-goodie, we'd recommend a long look in Philip Rivers' direction. He's been letting it fly from the second he landed in Indy—his Colts debut featured 46 pass attempts and 363 passing yards—and he's striking the right balance between volume and efficiency of late.

He has thrown for at least 285 yards in his last four games. He's finished three of those contests with multiple touchdowns and had a completion percentage north of 74 in half of them. His subtle hot streak should continue this weekend when he works against the Las Vegas Raiders, who allow the ninth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks, per Yahoo.

Running Back: Ty Johnson, New York Jets (2 Percent Rostered)

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Nothing changes a player's outlook more than injury, and Ty Johnson is the latest proof.

He probably wasn't on anyone's radar before Sunday, as the 2019 sixth-round pick entered the contest with only 71 career carries. But once Frank Gore exited early with a concussion, Johnson raced his way to fantasy relevance.

Once the Jets called Johnson's number, they never looked back. He'd go on to tally 22 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown, plus he caught both of his targets for another 13 yards.

The volume potential with Johnson is too great to ignore. If Gore can't go in Week 14, Johnson becomes a must start with RB2 potential.

Wide Receiver: T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts (45 Percent Rostered)

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Remember him?

Of course you do. T.Y. Hilton was once a set-him-and-forget-it star in the fantasy realm, having once authored four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. But a lot of time and injuries have passed since then, and given his sluggish start to 2020, it was fair to wonder whether his fantasy-relevant days were behind him.

Apparently not.

After raising a few eyebrows with four catches for 81 yards and a score in Week 12, he upped the ante with eight grabs for 110 yards and another touchdown on Sunday. While that doesn't mean he'll perform at a star level going forward, it does mean he should be rostered in virtually all leagues for the chance he can keep this heater going.