December 13, 2016

Matt Terelle's deeper standard league sleepers & Week 15 NFL waiver wire pickups for the 2016 fantasy football season. These RBs, WRs & TEs and D/STs should be added as sleepers.

What's up RotoBallers. Welcome to my deeper standard league sleepers column for Week 15 of the NFL season. In this weekly article we are going to take a look at some deeper waiver wire options for standard leagues, who could help out your team in this upcoming week.

For reference's sake, we are looking at standard scoring leagues and will be using ownership percentage data from Fleaflicker. In order to qualify as a deep sleeper, a player must be 20% owned or less.

Let's get to the picks!

Editor's Note: Once you're done here, be sure to read about even more Week 15 waiver wire recommendations, for all fantasy-relevant positions. Just click on any link: ALL - RB - WR - TE - QB - DEF - FAAB - CUTS

Quarterback

Robert Griffin III (CLE) @ Buffalo Bills

(Ownership: 14%)

Griffin was extremely rusty in Week 14, completing just 12-of-28 passes for 104 yards and an interception against the Bengals. The rust was to be expected, as he had been out of action since injuring his shoulder back in Week 1. Griffin did manage to salvage his day from a fantasy perspective by picking up 31 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The Browns' offensive line has really struggled this season, but Griffin's mobility mostly allowed him to escape the Cincinnati pass rush and also opened up running lanes for Isaiah Crowell. Buffalo's defense has struggled this season, ranking 21st in the league in DVOA according to Football Outsiders (before Week 14's action). As long as the weather in Buffalo isn't too bad this Sunday, Griffin should be serviceable as a second quarterback in deeper two-quarterback leagues.

Running Back

Dwayne Washington (DET) @ New York Giants

(Ownership: 11%)

Washington turned in the most productive rushing game of his young career, turning 16 carries into 64 yards against the Bears in Week 14. The rookie runner saw a large uptick in workload following Theo Riddick's surprise inactive status on Sunday, but he appears to have carved out a role in Detroit's offense even when Riddick does play. As Detroit's goal line back, Washington has enough of a chance of picking up a score in Week 15 to be considered as a deep sleeper if you are desperate at running back.

Wide Receiver

Marqise Lee (JAX) vs. Houston Texans

(Ownership: 19%)

Lee continues to produce similarly to Allen Robinson this season, despite Robinson having the bigger name in fantasy. The more well-known teammate has 57 catches for 639 yards and six touchdowns, while Lee now has 54 catches for 728 yards and two touchdowns. Despite the similarities (touchdowns aside) between the two players, Lee is still widely available in fantasy leagues while Robinson is owned almost everywhere. Lee stayed hot in Week 14, posting five catches for 113 yards in a tough matchup against the Vikings. Next on the slate will be a showdown against the rival Texans. Houston's pass defense has been stout this season, but they have started to show some cracks over the past few weeks, and they allowed Lee to total four catches for 50 yards in their first meeting this season.

Tight End

Jermaine Gresham (ARI) vs. New Orleans Saints

(Ownership: 7%)

Gresham continues to see an increased role in the Cardinals' offense, partially due to the fact that Carson Palmer is really struggling to throw downfield these days. The tight end came up big for Arizona in Week 14 against Miami, leading the Cardinals with five catches and 45 yards. Not huge numbers, but at this point Gresham's looks aren't going away. He now has exactly five catches in three straight games, rolling up 132 yards and a touchdown over that span. A tasty matchup against a Saints defense that has struggled with opposing tight ends awaits him in Week 15.

Defense/Special Teams

New Orleans Saints (NO) @ Arizona Cardinals

(Ownership: 5%)

New Orleans isn't generally regarded as having a good defense, but the unit has been solid from a fantasy perspective over the past five games. In that span, New Orleans has 15 sacks and four takeaways. While those aren't game-changing numbers, the matchup against Arizona is a favorable one and is worth exploiting. The Cardinals, mostly due to the poor play of Carson Palmer, have allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing defenses on the year. Arizona has allowed 38 sacks, thrown 15 interceptions and lost eight fumbles this season. The sack and interception totals both rank in the top five in the league.