It’s hard to know what a sleeper even is anymore when it comes to Fantasy Football, but, for the purposes of this article, we’ll use the term to mean an asset that’s likely to be undervalued heading into a given week. A player that’s going to be overlooked when it comes to ownership, yet one that has a reasonable path to make people regret that decision. Someone who might set your lineup apart from the pack in a GPP, if you will.
With that in mind, let’s go position-by-position for an early look at Week 16’s slate on DraftKings.
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QUARTERBACK
Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans vs. Cincinnati Bengals, $7,600
In general, I think this is going to be a slate where QB ownership is a little flat. Still, you’d be naive to believe that the likes of Patrick Mahomes ($8,500) and Jalen Hurts ($7,000) won’t garner some serious attention in great spots. That’s not to say that no one at all will be on Watson, yet it just doesn’t feel like there’s all that much interest in Houston’s pivot. Plus, the Bengals have sort of been playing well on defense as of late. In fact, in the team’s past five games, Cincinnati has allowed only a single opposing QB to throw for more than 215 yards, while its conceded a modest total of five passing touchdowns. Despite that recent success, I’ll still ride with the Clemson product. Going back to the beginning of Week 5, Watson is QB3 in fantasy by standard scoring, trailing only the likes of Mahomes and Kyler Murray. It’s also a span of time that’s seen Watson average 26.9 DKFP per start and exceed 30.0 DKFP on three occasions. Basically the Texans know they can’t run — they rank dead-last in rushing DVOA — so the entire offense is their former first-round pick. Sounds like a formula that leads to reward in DFS.
RUNNING BACK
Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns at New York Jets, $5,900
When I say that Hunt will be a variance play in Week 16, I really mean it. It’s incredibly difficult to imagine many people investing in Cleveland’s RB, especially with so many cheaper and viable options on the board. Heck, even if you just limit the player pool to injury-replacements below $6K, you’ve got assets like Le’Veon Bell ($5,800), Giovani Bernard ($4,800) and Darrell Henderson Jr. ($4,400) all drawing the eye away from Hunt. On top of that, the veteran has had woefully inconsistent production since the return of Nick Chubb ($7,800) and logged a season-low 21 offensive snaps on Sunday evening against the Giants. Seems bleak, right? Not so fast. Hunt is still dripping with upside as evidenced by his six games with at least 18.0 DKFP in 2020 — four of which coming with Chubb active. Hunt also comes into this slate as one of only eight running backs with over 1,000 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns this season, a profile that bodes well in a matchup where the Browns have a massive implied point total. I’m willing to admit Hunt’s floor is a little risky, but I’ll be buying if no one else is interested.
WIDE RECEIVER
Alshon Jeffery, Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys, $3,200
Speaking of risk, allow me to make the case for Jeffery as a super value play this weekend. While it was Greg Ward ($4,000) that found the end zone twice in last week’s loss to Arizona, it was Jeffery who led all Eagles wide receivers in both snaps and routes run. That translated into a modest three targets for 63 yards, but if Jalen Reagor’s ($4,600) ankle issue is enough to keep him off the field this coming Sunday, you’d have to imagine that means more opportunity for Jeffery. You couldn’t ask for a better matchup, either, as Dallas has surrendered the most touchdowns to opposing wideouts this season, along with the second-most DKFP. I’m not saying that you should be looking to get Jeffery in every single lineup you build; however, Jeffery could prove to be a useful tool when trying to save some salary. He’s also an inexpensive way to get some exposure to the aforementioned Hurts and differentiate your Philadelphia stacks.
TIGHT END
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears at Jacksonville Jaguars, $3,000
It would be incorrect to say that Kmet was chalk last week against the Vikings, but I think it’s fair to say that the rookie tight end was a person of interest to many people looking to save at the position. It’s hard to blame anyone for noticing the 21-year-old, as Kmet had garnered a tantalizing 14 targets in Week 13 and Week 14 combined. However, the upward trajectory came to a crashing halt in Chicago’s win over Minnesota, with Kmet hauling in just a pair of catches for 12 yards. Still, I’m not willing to go back to completely ignoring the Notre Dame product. Though Kmet’s day wasn’t overly impressive on the surface, he played all 64 of the Bears’ offensive snaps and ran a route on 20 of Mitch Trubisky’s ($5,700) 26 drop backs. If his role doesn’t change in Week 15, I’d anticipate Kmet getting back on track against a Jaguars defense that’s conceded a whopping 8.7 yards per target to opposing TEs — the second-highest mark in the NFL.
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