Fantasy Football Week 15: Sunday Sleepers

Looking for a sleeper option who may be available on your waiver wire and could make a major impact this week?  Let’s take a look at a few options (for consideration on this listing from week to week, a player must be owned in less then 50 percent of both Yahoo and ESPN leagues).

Quarterback

Kerry Collins—Tennessee Titans—vs. Houston

He’s had a very up-and-down season, to say the least, though much of the problems were likely due to injuries.  He returned to the starting lineup in Week 13 against Jacksonville, when he went just 14-for-32 with zero TD and two INT.  Of course, he followed that up last week against Indianapolis, going 28-for-39 for 244 yards, three TD and zero INT. 

The return of Kenny Britt certainly does wonders for Collins’ potential value.  He had four receptions for 39 yards in his first game back, though he was targeted eight times.  Considering that he hadn’t played since Week 8, it shouldn’t be a surprise that he had some timing issues with Collins (who is also just getting back into the swing of things).  With more time should come better results.  (Keep expectations under control, though.  While Britt did have a TD five straight games prior to the injury, only twice did he have more than 41 yards.)

This week Collins draws a Houston defense that continues to be the worst in the league statistically.  They are allowing 279.9 passing yards per game, and have allowed 29 TD with just 10 INT.  It’s easy to imagine him having a strong performance for those in two-quarterback formats.

Collins is currently owned in eight percent of Yahoo leagues and 4.9 percent of ESPN leagues

Other quarterback sleepers:

• Sam Bradford—St. Louis Rams—49 percent of Yahoo leagues, 33.8 percent of ESPN leagues
• Jon Kitna—Dallas Cowboys—43 percent of Yahoo leagues, 26.1 percent of ESPN leagues

Wide Receiver

Anthony Armstrong—Washington Redskins—at Dallas

The first time Dallas and Washington met was Week 1, with Armstrong doing very little (one reception for 11 yards).  Since then he has developed into a much more integral part of the offense.  No, he’s not a lock to put up big performances, but he’s been steady with at least 40 receiving yards in every game starting in Week 4. 

The Cowboys are allowing 254.4 passing yards per game.  They have allowed 27 TD and have been prone to allowing the big play (fourth most passing plays of 40-plus yards at 10, fourth most passing plays of 20-plus yards at 47).  With Armstrong tied for fourth with five receptions of at least 40 yards, he certainly has the potential to break another one.  For those in deeper formats, there certainly are far worse gambles to take.

Armstrong is currently owned in 10 percent of Yahoo leagues and 3.5 percent of ESPN leagues

Other wide receiver sleepers:

• Steve Breaston—Arizona Cardinals—47 percent of Yahoo leagues, 47.1 percent of ESPN leagues
• Arrelious Benn—Tampa Bay Buccaneers—seven percent of Yahoo leagues, 0.8 percent of ESPN leagues

Running Back

Rashad Jennings—Jacksonville Jaguars—at Indianapolis

Looking for deep sleepers among running backs is always a crapshoot.  You just never know what you are going to get because generally, to be owned in less than 50 percent of both Yahoo and ESPN leagues, you aren’t your team’s lead back.  Jennings, however, has scored in each of the last three games, despite limited touches (22 total carries).

The Colts have had problems stopping the run, allowing 141.4 rushing yards per game.  The Jaguars are likely going to try and run the ball, control the clock and play keep away from Peyton Manning.  That should mean plenty of carries, both for Maurice Jones-Drew and his understudy.

Jennings is currently owned in five percent of Yahoo leagues and 14.2 percent of ESPN leagues.

Another running back sleepers:

• James Starks—Green Bay Packers—16 percent of Yahoo leagues, 6.3 percent of ESPN leagues

Make sure to check out the rest of our Week 15 rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Running Backs
• Top 60 Wide Receivers
• Top 20 Tight Ends
• Top 15 Kickers
• Top 15 Defenses
• Waiver Worthy

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