Fantasy Football: 5 Major sleepers with tasty Week 15 matchups

Five fantasy football sleepers that deserve consideration for your Week 15 lineup.

The first week of fantasy football playoffs and 14 weeks of the 2020 NFL season are in the books. While some fantasy journeys may have come to an unfortunate end in Week 14, the show must go on for those who advanced.

Many of the fantasy football sleepers highlighted in last week’s article could have aided you if you were in need of help at a certain position, as Philip Rivers, J.D. McKissic, T.Y. Hilton, and Cole Kmet all put up somewhat respectable weeks. After all, your goal when targeting sleepers should be to look for a high upside play with a solid floor while you let your stud players do the heavy lifting.

Looking ahead to Week 15, we are nearing the end of the NFL season with plenty of playoff spots likely to come down to the wire. We also have our first Saturday football games of the season. Whether you scratched and clawed your way into the second round of the playoffs or are dealing with injuries to your squad, here are five fantasy football sleepers that you can feel confident plugging into your Week 15 lineup.

Note: All stats and info via Fantasy Pros. 

Fantasy football sleeper No. 5: QB Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia (vs. Arizona)

In a game where many assumed Hurts’ first NFL start would end up in a disaster, Hurts managed to lead the Eagles to a huge upset of the New Orleans Saints. He flashed his talents as a runner and a passer,  throwing for 167 yards and a touchdown and rushing for 106 yards against one of the league’s top defenses.

In Week 15 he draws a much more favorable matchup against a weak Arizona defense. Considering the state of the Eagles offensive line and receiving weapons, Hurts will likely see around 15 rushing attempts every week, giving him an incredibly safe floor. If he can get his passing numbers up, he could be a league-winning QB1 with great matchups the rest of the way.

Fantasy football sleeper No. 4: RB Jeff Wilson Jr., San Fransisco (vs. Dallas)

Wilson had a solid Week 14 performance, turning 12 total touches into 44 yards and a touchdown against a tough Washington front. However, Wilson’s sleeper value comes mainly from the injury status of Raheem Mostert, who received an MRI on Tuesday. If Mostert was inactive or was on a snap count, Wilson is sure to be the next man up.

He has clearly shown that he is the second-best running back on this team, with the snap counts reflecting it. Tevin Coleman and Jerick McKinnon have not scored a single fantasy point the past two weeks, so Wilson could have high-end RB2 potential in a smash spot against the Cowboys in Week 15.

Fantasy football sleeper No. 3: WR Rishard Higgins, Cleveland (vs. NY Giants)

Since the weather has started to clear up and the Browns have begun playing more competitive opponents, Higgins has been arguably the main beneficiary of this higher passing volume offense. In the past two weeks, Higgins has seen 19 total targets and nabbed two touchdowns.

Even though the game script could certainly favor the Browns running backs, Mayfield has been eyeing Higgins in the red zone. If you need a desperation flex, you could certainly do worse than one of the top receiving options on a high-powered offense.

Fantasy football sleeper No. 2: WR Tim Patrick, Denver (vs. Buffalo)

Patrick has turned in two nice weeks in a row, with three touchdowns in the past two games. However, he has been the Broncos WR1 for quite some time now, as he boasts the most yards, touchdowns, and second-most receptions on the team.

Now he gets a Week 15 matchup against the Bills, which should deliver a strong game script for Patrick. Patrick has been an extremely solid receiver this year who has been overlooked for lack of name value, but that could quickly change if Drew Lock can continue to look competent down the home stretch.

Fantasy football sleeper No. 1: TE Irv Smith Jr., Minnesota (vs. Chicago)

Irv Smith Jr. had a massive Week 14 game, turning four targets into four receptions, 64 yards, and a touchdown. Smith has actually been a viable asset when Kyle Rudolph is not on the field and vice versa, though neither has much value when both are healthy.

If Rudolph is to miss a second straight week, Smith suddenly finds himself in a smash spot against a Chicago defense that has given up nine touchdowns to opposing tight ends on the year. If Rudolph sits, I would roll with Smith over most tight ends not deemed obvious starts.