3 Fantasy Football Sleepers for NFL Week 15

The word "sleeper" gets thrown around a lot in the world of fantasy football, to the point where an actual definition may vary from person to person. In general, in my eyes, sleepers are players who may be flying relatively under the radar in a particular week.

In any case, we all need to find a sleeper from time to time. Whether you're a season-long fantasy football manager looking to roster a potential breakout player before your league-mates, someone playing NFL DFS on FanDuel who needs a spike week from a low-salaried player, or even just a manager in a pinch due to byes or injuries, we have you covered.

Here are some fantasy sleepers who could have a big week this week.

We'll reference our NFL projections. All NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Fantasy Football Sleepers for Week 15

Isaiah Likely, TE, Ravens

FanDuel Salary: $5,200

Low in salary on FanDuel and rostered in just 10% of Yahoo! leagues, Isaiah Likely could blow up this week.

Likely and the Baltimore Ravens are on the road at the Cincinnati Bengals. Not only does this game have shootout potential -- high total (51.5) and close spread (2.5) -- the Bengals are the best tight-end matchup in the NFL.

So far this season, Cincy is getting mauled by tight ends, giving up 96.8 receiving yards per game and 20.4 FanDuel points per game to the position. Those are league-worst marks by a mile. No other team is allowing more than 13.5 FanDuel points per game to TEs.

Likely has played at least 50% of the snaps in all but one of his games this campaign, and he's seen exactly six targets in back-to-back games, one of which was a five-catch, 95-yard day against the Bengals. He has the upside and matchup to finish near the top of the TE ranks in Week 15.

Chris Rodriguez Jr., RB, Commanders

FanDuel Salary: $5,700

Speaking of stellar matchups, Chris Rodriguez Jr. has one this week against the New York Giants.

By our schedule-adjusted metrics, the Giants rank as the NFL's worst run defense and second-worst overall defense. They've surrendered the second-most FanDuel points per game to running backs (26.0) and have allowed the opposition to light up the scoreboard for at least 24 points in seven straight games, including an average of 33.5 points over the last two.

Rostered in just 36% of Yahoo! leagues, Rodriguez can take advantage of the cozy matchup.

Rodriguez, Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Jeremy McNichols are splitting up the work in Washington's backfield. Rodriguez has played at least 40% of the snaps in three consecutive games and has led the Commanders' backfield in snaps in two of those three. He's been operating as mostly a runner -- with McNichols more of the pass-game back -- and with Washington just a 2.5-point road 'dog, game script shouldn't be too much of an issue for Rodriguez.

In a great matchup and in a game that has some shootout potential (46.5-point total and 2.5-point spread), Rodriguez has sleeper appeal in Week 15.

Michael Carter, RB, Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals have a brutal road matchup against the stout defense of the Houston Texans. That may, however, work in Michael Carter's favor.

Assuming Emari Demercado and Trey Benson sit out again, it'll be Carter and Zonovan Knight in the Cards' backfield. Carter has actually out-snapped Knight in each of the past three games, although Carter hasn't logged a single-game snap rate higher than 56% during that time.

Carter is making his mark in the passing game. He's seen seven, three, six and four targets across the last four games, and with Arizona a 9.5-point road 'dog, game script points to another pass-heavy day for Jacoby Brissett and company.

The ceiling isn't great, but Carter checks some boxes in PPR formats and has scored at least 8.7 PPR points in three of the last four games.

New to FanDuel Sportsbook? You’ll receive $150 in Bonus Bets if your first $5+ bet wins! See here for full terms and conditions. Learn about today’s other offers at FanDuel Sportsbook Promos.

Interested in playing NFL DFS? Head over to FanDuel’s daily fantasy football lobby to see all the offerings for this week's slates.

Sign up for FanDuel Sportsbook and FanDuel Daily Fantasy today!

The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.