Fantasy Football Week 14: Biggest Sleepers at Every Position
As the level of competition kicks up a notch heading into the fantasy football playoffs, you may need sleeper picks with a little more boom potential if the point projection heavily favors your opponent.
Even managers who play it safe with high-floor players should pick up a few streamers as alternative starting options if in need of a comeback.
Week 14 selections offer a balanced mix of deep sleepers with upside and players closer to the 50 percent threshold who are less likely to bust with few or zero points.
At quarterback, a new starter can rack up points as a passer and ball-carrier. While he's unproven, his dynamic ability could produce numbers comparable to Taysom Hill's.
Among the running backs, a player with eligibility at two positions draws some intrigue. While he lacks a lengthy track record at either spot, his last performance gives us hope for a developing pattern.
Check out the biggest sleepers for Week 14, each of whom is available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo leagues.
Quarterbacks
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Philip Rivers vs. Las Vegas Raiders (40 percent rostered)
Since Week 11, Philip Rivers has hit his stride, throwing for seven touchdowns and two interceptions while racking up at least 285 yards in all three outings.
He now has a soft matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders' 24th-ranked pass defense. The Silver and Black allow the ninth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks.
Furthermore, the Raiders secondary may take the field without starting cornerback Damon Arnette, who's in the concussion protocol, and safety Johnathan Abram (knee). Rivers may have a feast this Sunday.
Andy Dalton vs. Cincinnati Bengals (14 percent rostered)
The Dallas Cowboys had a decent performance through the air against the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday. For most of the game, quarterback Andy Dalton had a clean pocket. He threw for 285 yards, two touchdowns and an interception while taking just one sack.
Dalton only recorded one pass for more than 20 yards, but give the Ravens' 14th-ranked pass defense some credit. He'll face a lesser unit in his next outing. The Cincinnati Bengals field the 25th-ranked pass defense, a unit that's surrendered 23 touchdowns through 12 games.
Dalton could have a strong fantasy output in a "revenge" game versus his former team. He's thrown multiple touchdown passes in two of his past three outings.
Jalen Hurts vs. New Orleans Saints (12 percent rostered)
For managers in need of a boom, Jalen Hurts offers major upside. The Philadelphia Eagles named him the starter Tuesday, per ESPN's Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen. He replaced Carson Wentz in the third quarter of last week's matchup with the Green Bay Packers.
In relief, Hurts provided a spark to the Eagles offense, throwing for 109 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also ran for 29 yards.
Hurts has a tough matchup against the New Orleans Saints, who've allowed the fewest total yards through 13 weeks. However, the rookie signal-caller's rushing ability raises his fantasy ceiling. As a collegian, he ran for 3,274 yards and 43 touchdowns through four terms.
Running Backs
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Phillip Lindsay vs. Carolina Panthers (44 percent rostered)
Phillip Lindsay didn't have an impressive Week 13 showing by any means. He recorded 14 carries for just 26 yards while his running mate, Melvin Gordon III, ran through the Kansas City Chiefs defense for 131 yards on 15 attempts.
Still, Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur seems committed to a split workload in the backfield. Gordon out-touched Lindsay by a small margin, 16-14, which bodes well for the latter on the sleeper radar when he goes against a Carolina Panthers defense that's eighth in fantasy points allowed to running backs.
Over the last two contests, Lindsay has recorded 23 carries for 46 yards, but he's in a good spot for a bounce-back performance.
Ty Johnson vs. Seattle Seahawks (34 percent rostered)
In Week 13 against the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets running back Frank Gore exited early with a concussion. Ty Johnson and Josh Adams split 30 carries, and the former logged 22 rush attempts for 104 yards and a touchdown.
If Gore sits out, Johnson would face the Seattle Seahawks' fifth-ranked run defense, but that unit gave up 190 yards to the New York Giants last week.
Coming off career highs in carries and rushing yards, Johnson is worth a shot because of his potential volume.
Cordarrelle Patterson vs. Houston Texans (10 percent rostered)
Managers should note that Cordarrelle Patterson has RB/WR eligibility in Yahoo leagues. If you're struggling to find a running back at this point in the season, take advantage of his dual-position designation.
The Chicago Bears opted to attack the Detroit Lions' 28th-ranked run defense last week, rushing 31 times for 140 yards and three scores. David Montgomery (17) and Patterson (10) split the majority of the carries, and the latter finished with 59 yards and a score on the ground in his most productive rushing performance of the season.
The Bears could carry over that run-heavy game plan against the Houston Texans, who rank 31st versus rushing attacks. If Patterson catches any passes, consider that a bonus. He has 20 receptions for 128 yards this season.
Peyton Barber vs. San Francisco 49ers (6 percent rostered)
According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, running back Antonio Gibson has turf toe and may sit out Sunday. If that's the case, J.D. McKissic would likely see a boost in targets as a pass-catcher while Barber handles a majority of the carries.
Gibson exited his previous outing in the first quarter. Barber recorded 14 rush attempts for 23 yards and a touchdown.
Managers shouldn't count on Barber for a top-10 fantasy finish among running backs against the San Francisco 49ers' ninth-ranked run defense, though he'll have an opportunity to score in goal-line situations.
Wide Receivers
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Allen Lazard vs. Detroit Lions (38 percent rostered)
Allen Lazard may have surpassed Marquez Valdes-Scantling on the Green Bay Packers' wide receiver depth chart. In his third game back from core muscle surgery, he converted four targets into three receptions for 50 yards.
While that's not a ton of volume, Valdes-Scantling didn't haul in a pass with two targets, which included one drop. Remember, Lazard had a hot start to the 2020 campaign, logging 13 receptions for 254 yards and two touchdowns through the first three weeks.
Next on the slate, Lazard has a favorable matchup against the Detroit Lions' 26th-ranked pass defense, which played without Jeff Okudah (shoulder) and Desmond Trufant (hamstring) last week.
Tim Patrick vs. Carolina Panthers (25 percent rostered)
Rookie wideout Jerry Jeudy has shown some promise this season, but Tim Patrick leads the Denver Broncos in receiving yards (607) and touchdowns (five). The former had one catch for five yards while the latter hauled in four passes for 44 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs last week.
Coming off a two-touchdown performance and with three 100-yard games this season, Patrick should have your attention in the final weeks of the fantasy campaign. He'll face the Carolina Panthers' 19th-ranked pass defense in his upcoming matchup.
Breshad Perriman vs. Seattle Seahawks (20 percent rostered)
Coming off a quiet game in which he caught one of four targets for 22 yards, Breshad Perriman could see a spike in looks Sunday.
Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, New York Jets head coach Adam Gase declared wideout Denzel Mims out for the upcoming matchup with the Seattle Seahawks as he tends to a "family emergency" in Texas.
Mims has seen at least seven targets in four of his six contests this season. Perriman could pick up the slack at an opportune time against the Seahawks, who allow the most fantasy points to wide receivers.
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Tight Ends
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Jordan Reed vs. Washington Football Team (25 percent rostered)
In his previous outing, Jordan Reed scored a late touchdown with the game well in hand for the Buffalo Bills. Nonetheless, he has a decent role in the San Francisco 49ers' passing offense with 16 targets over the last three contests.
While tight end George Kittle works his way back from a knee injury, Reed should continue to see a fair number of targets as the preferable pass-catching tight end option over Ross Dwelley, who has six targets in the last three games.
In Week 14, Reed will face a Washington Football Team defense that allows the 13th-most fantasy points to tight ends.
Dalton Schultz vs. Cincinnati Bengals (20 percent rostered)
Despite the Dallas Cowboys' talented wide receiver group, Dalton Schultz continues to make an impact as the starting tight end in place of Blake Jarwin, who's on injured reserve with a torn ACL.
In Tuesday's matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, Schultz hauled in all four of his targets for 44 yards. He's become a safety valve in the Cowboys' aerial attack with at least four catches in five consecutive contests.
Schultz will go up against the Cincinnati Bengals, who allow the second-most fantasy points to tight ends.
Will Dissly vs. New York Jets (2 percent rostered)
Since tight end Greg Olsen ruptured his left plantar fascia in Week 11, Will Dissly has played at least 54 percent of the offensive snaps each week. In his last outing, he had an active role in the Seattle Seahawks' passing game, hauling in four of his five targets for 28 yards.
Even though Dissly's Week 13 production doesn't generate much excitement, he saw enough targets to give managers hope for solid fantasy output against the New York Jets, who allow the most fantasy points to tight ends. Last week, Gang Green surrendered 200 receiving yards and two touchdowns to the Las Vegas Raiders' Darren Waller.
As a former wideout, Waller has more refined receiving skills than Dissly, but quarterback Russell Wilson could still look to exploit the Jets' intermediate pass coverage in the middle of the field.
Fantasy points allowed provided by FantasyPros.
Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com for details.
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