Fantasy Football Week 15 Cheat Sheet: Deep Sleepers to Target

With an increasing number of NFL players either getting injured or being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, fantasy football managers are scouring the waiver wire for potential replacements. And with some key players possibly out of action for Week 15, it may require deep sleepers needing to be started.

This is also the first week of the fantasy playoffs for most leagues, so now isn't the ideal time to take a flier on a player who you may not have previously given starting consideration. But if the circumstances require it, then managers need to make sure they have the sleepers who are most likely to put up big numbers.

Here's a look at several deep sleepers who may be worth rostering as potential fill-in options for Week 15.  

It's been difficult to rely on Texans running backs this season, because they've used numerous players out of the backfield and they haven't gotten a ton of production on the ground. In fact, they're averaging an NFL-low 77.5 rushing yards per game.

However, Royce Freeman could be a fantasy sleeper worth targeting because of his involvement in the passing game of late. In Week 14, Freeman had six receptions for 51 yards and was targeted eight times, while also rushing for 15 yards on 11 carries.

Although David Johnson will be back this week, perhaps Freeman has shown that he should get more touches moving forward, especially with Rex Burkhead continuing to be ineffective. Houston may want to get an idea of what it has in the 25-year-old Freeman with it already being eliminated from playoff contention.

The Texans have a favorable matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars this week, so it could be worth adding Freeman and seeing how their backfield situation may develop in practices leading up to the game.  

Not only has DeVante Parker missed time because of numerous injuries, but he's been surprisingly quiet when he's been on the field for the Dolphins this season. That now makes him a sleeper, considering he hasn't been a factor in fantasy for most of the year.

Parker returned to Miami's lineup in Week 14 and had five catches for 62 yards. He still has only one touchdown this season, and Jaylen Waddle has taken on a larger role in the Dolphins' passing attack to make up for Parker's absences.

However, Parker could have a solid showing this week, as Miami will have a strong matchup against the New York Jets. It should be a good day for the Dolphins' offense, and they'll likely put up plenty of yards.

So consider Parker a flex option if you're missing some key players, and perhaps this will finally be the week that he gets back into the end zone.

Logan Thomas will miss the rest of the season, so Ricky Seals-Jones is back to being the No. 1 tight end on Washington's offense. However, that didn't lead to a big showing from him in Week 14, as he had only one catch for eight yards in a loss to the Dallas Cowboys while getting targeted four times.

But that was a difficult matchup for Washington's offense, and it could fare better in Week 15 against the Philadelphia Eagles. That could especially be the case for Seals-Jones, considering the Eagles are allowing an NFL-high 18.72 fantasy points to tight ends per game, according to NFL.com.

Last week, Terry McLaurin left Washington's loss with a concussion, and it's possible he won't play on Sunday. If that's the case, the team may need Seals-Jones to step up and fill an even larger role.

Seals-Jones hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 6, but that drought could end this week. So he should be considered a strong streaming option at tight end for fantasy managers.