As we come down the stretch of the fantasy season, finding sleepers off the waiver wire can be the difference between victory and defeat. Injuries at this time of the year are common and most known commodities are already rostered. If you are looking for an edge, you have come to the right place.
WHAT IS A SLEEPER?
In our context, a sleeper is a player who is rostered in less than 50 percent of leagues. That means that more likely than not, the player is available in your league right now. If you play in an open waiver system, you can pick up these players as soon as you finish this article. If your league uses FAAB, you will need to make a bid based on the budget you currently possess.
Let’s kick this off with quarterbacks who are widely available today.
QUARTERBACK SLEEPERS
JARED GOFF
Goff is coming off a strong performance against a tough Bills defense. He is going to benefit from the return red-zone threat DJ Chark vs. a Jaguars defense that has surrendered over 26 fantasy points to the likes of Matt Ryan and Daniel Jones. Goff is a fine sleeper for the Kyler Murray or Justin Fields manager this week.
MIKE WHITE
White is coming off a great performance, throwing for 315 yards and three touchdowns against the Bears. He gets another soft matchup this week against the Vikings who gave up 23 fantasy points to a popular sleeper from last week, Mac Jones. White has great weapons on the outside with first-round pick Garrett Wilson, veteran Corey Davis, and Elijah Moore in the slot. The game is indoors and the Jets could be without running back Michael Carter.
The playoff schedule looks very enticing if you need a long-term answer for the position. It would be wise to scoop up White now before he puts up back-to-back strong performances.
RUNNING BACK SLEEPERS
JAYLEN WARREN
On Wednesday, Jaylen Warren told reporters that he is cleared to return this week after missing week 12 with a hamstring injury. Starting running back Najee Harris left Monday’s game with an oblique injury and did not practice on Wednesday. This is a stash-and-wait situation but it is my opinion that Harris will sit for at least one week.
Warren would be the lead back against an Atlanta front that has given up top-12 weeks to D’onta Foreman (twice), David Montgomery, and Brian Robinson within the last month. If you are in need of an RB2 or flex fill-in, Warren could easily produce 15-plus points this week.
KYREN WILLIAMS
This running back could headline a list of sleepers because the Rams’ offense is a mess. This is more of a safe play with limited upside. The Seahawks look like a great matchup on paper. That number is a bit skewed due to giving up 48 points to Josh Jacobs last week. However, the Rams are low on options. Allen Robinson was just ruled out for the season, Kupp is out, and Stafford is listed as doubtful.
Whether it’s Perkins or Wolford at quarterback, Kyren has led the Rams’ backfield in targets and carries over the past three weeks. The team clearly wants to see what it has in Williams and the negative game script lends itself to more involvement due to his receiving acumen. Williams saw 14 touches against the Chiefs and I expect the same or more against Seattle.
WIDE RECEIVER SLEEPERS
NICO COLLINS
Nico Collins has seen a target share of 26 percent over the past three weeks. Anything over 25 percent is in elite territory. With Brandin Cooks no longer holding team captain status, it appears the Texans are ready to move on from Cooks as their top wide receiver. Collins is a former top-100 pick and should see more and more work.
The team faces Cleveland, Dallas, and Kansas City over the next three games. Look for Houston to be throwing the ball a ton over these next few games and though Davis Mills is inconsistent at best, Collins has the athleticism to turn targets into points. He is a WR3 with upside moving forward.
DEANDRE CARTER
Carter found himself in a prominent role once again last week after the injury to Mike Williams. He saw a whopping 10 targets from surging QB Justin Herbert. He turned them into seven catches. Mike Williams is expected to miss this week at this time and the Las Vegas Raiders have been torched by wide receivers this season. As both teams struggle to play defense, this could be a high-scoring affair that you should target.
Carter also checks the box as one of the strong sleepers for the next month as matchups loom with Miami and Tennessee, two more teams who bleed points to wide receivers.
What sleepers are you targeting this week? Who have I missed? Leave a comment below and follow me on Twitter for more football content.
