It’s week 15 people and that means this is the final round of fantasy playoffs before a date in the championship. Congratulations if you’ve made it to this point, it’s no small feat when you consider the up and down season that many have experienced. It’ll be an incredibly interesting week as we expect the return of Aaron Rodgers who is unquestionably a game-changer. Then there’s the loss of Carson Wentz who in his own right was a game-changer this season. Whichever side of the coin you’re on, good luck.
Hopefully, you’ll be on the right side of luck, but just in case you need some extra help, our featured experts below were asked which players they believe present deep sleeper upside and on the flip side, which higher ranked players could disappoint. Now isn’t the time to simply throw a lineup out there. Check out what the experts have to say.
If you don’t see any of your players covered, be sure to check out our Who Should I Start? tool. You can also import your team into My Playbook for instant advice specific to your team.
How the pros dominate college bowl pools 
Q1. Give us a player outside of our top 100 Flex that represents a deep sleeper start and tell us why you think he has upside this week.
Wayne Gallman (RB – NYG): vs. PHI
“While the Eagles have been phenomenal against the run this season, they seem to be trending in the wrong direction, giving up over 100 total yards to both Mike Davis and Todd Gurley over the past two weeks. Much of their appeal has been that game scripts are not leading opponents to run the ball often, but that may come crashing down with Carson Wentz injured. So I have no problem starting Wayne Gallman in fantasy football this weekend after he went for 99 yards on 19 touches against the Cowboys last week.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)
“With the Giants in evaluation mode for the rest of the 2017 season, they could be looking to see more of Wayne Gallman over the next few weeks. We already saw Gallman dominate the snaps (46%) in the Giants’ backfield in week 14, and ran the ball effectively with his 12 carries. Gallman is their best option in the passing game as well, and with the team expected to be playing from behind, we could see another 7 reception day out of him.”
– Rich Piazza (Fantasy Shed)
Tyrell Williams (WR – LAC): at KC
“The Los Angeles Chargers look like one of the most dangerous teams in the league right now, so I’m willing to hitch my wagon to Philip Rivers and take a shot on Tyrell Williams against the Chiefs. Even though he’s been far from reliable, Williams is always capable of making a big play, as we saw last week against the Redskins. This matchup doesn’t scare me, so I’m looking for Williams to get a few extra looks if the Chiefs pay extra attention to Keenan Allen.”
– Matt Camp (Bleacher Report)
LeGarrette Blount (RB – PHI): at NYG
“Look for the Eagles to lean more heavily on the run with Nick Foles now under center, especially this week as 7.5-point favorites over the woeful Giants. That’ll mean more volume for Blount. More importantly, though, is the fact that Blount remains the Eagles’ go-to guy around the goal line. Since Jay Ajayi arrived, Blount has tallied 14 red-zone carries (vs. 5 for Ajayi and 8 for Corey Clement).”
– Jared Smola (Draft Sharks)
Keelan Cole (WR – JAC): vs. HOU
“Cole is boom-or-bust as a No. 3 receiver on a run-first team, but the deep threat often makes the most of his modest targets. The rookie has scored in each of the past two games and sports a 16.8 YPC mark on the year. Moreover, Houston has allowed 8.0 YPA (the second-highest in the league) and can be beat deep, making Cole a deep sleeper with nice upside.”
– Dalton Del Don (Yahoo! Sports)
Tarik Cohen (RB – CHI): at DET
“I like Cohen’s sleeper potential this week. Though we’ve all scratched our heads at his usage throughout this season, the last two weeks has seen his snap count increase from 39% to 51%. In Week 15, Cohen received his most touches since Week 6 (14) and converted 12 carries for 80 yards and two catches for five yards. He almost had a touchdown but it got called back for him stepping out of bounds. Cohen faces Detroit this week, who give up the 4th most fantasy points to RBs this season. They’ve given up at least one TD to the running back position in EVERY game except Week 2. Cohen’s big-play ability gives you plenty of upside, but he of course also presents a dangerously low floor should Chicago revert to limiting his touches.”
– Jennifer Smith (The Fantasy Authority)
Q2. On the flip side, what player inside the top 40 Flex is likely to disappoint fantasy owners this week?
A.J. Green (WR – CIN): at MIN
“Green will see shadow coverage from Vikings CB Xavier Rhodes this weekend. Rhodes has helped his squad limit opposing #1 WRs to just 48.6 yards per game, according to Football Outsiders — 4th fewest in the league. I’m not benching Green this week, but I’m also not expecting WR1 production.”
– Jared Smola (Draft Sharks)
“A.J. Green is a must-start most weeks, but with Xavier Rhodes squaring up against him on the other side of the line, fantasy owners might want to double check to see if they have three better options. Green has continued to get a load of targets, but he has just a 47% catch rate over the last month and five overall bust games on his game log this season.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)
“A.J. Green is averaging 73.1 ypg, which is the lowest since his rookie season. He’ll be shadowed by Xavier Rhodes this week, and the struggling Bengals offensive line will have its hands full in Minnesota. Green’s underwhelming season is about to get worse, and then he gets Darius Slay in Week 16.”
– Dalton Del Don (Yahoo! Sports)
Lamar Miller (RB – HOU): at JAC
“Miller hasn’t run for at least 70 yards since Week 5 while rushing for at least 60 yards just twice during that span. His life won’t get any easier with a trip to Jacksonville on the schedule this weekend. The Jags have held RBs to the second-fewest fantasy points over the last month. Plus, it could be hard for Miller to find scoring chances in such a tough match.”
– Matt Camp (Bleacher Report)
Dion Lewis (RB – NE): at PIT
“While we finally seem to have clear-cut roles for the New England running backs, week 15 in Pittsburgh doesn’t bode well for Dion Lewis based on expected game flow. He’ll get his share of receptions, but with both defenses struggling against the pass, Lewis can find himself in a similar situation as week 14 when he only had 5 carries for 17 yards.”
– Rich Piazza (Fantasy Shed)
Tyreek Hill (WR – KC): vs. LAC
“The definition of boom-or-bust this season, Tyreek Hill (and Alex Smith) will disappoint fantasy owners this week. The LA Chargers defense is legit, allowing the sixth fewest fantasy points to the wide receiver position in 2017. They play at Arrowhead, which helps some; however, the Chargers haven’t given up a TD to a wide receiver since Week 10 and gave up zero 100+ yard receiving performances so far this season. Hill performed well against them in Week 3, catching five for 77 and a TD. But we all know this offense has sputtered since mid-season and are struggling to get any momentum/consistency back. His speed and talent make his upside ever-present, but you’re hoping for a big play and TD to get you your value back at his WR14 (#38 Flex) ranking. FYI, Hill received just three total red zone targets this year, so temper expectations in Week 15.”
– Jennifer Smith (The Fantasy Authority)
Thank you to the experts for naming their sleeper starts and sits. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter if you’re not already doing so and check out our latest podcast below for more great advice.
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