Everybody knows to start Adrian Peterson, Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown. In this article we will be covering deep sleepers, guys that a lot of people may be able to find on their waiver wire. If you’re desperate for an emergency play or a cheap DFS option, this is where you find those guys. Just remember all these guys are longshots. Don’t bench your stars for them!

QB A.J. McCarron, CIN
McCarron has a tremendous matchup in Cincy against the Baltimore Ravens this week. With that said, he is in danger of potentially missing the game due to a severely sprained wrist on his non-throwing hand, however, it looks like he’ll play. Nonetheless, this caused many Fantasy owners to overlook him on the waiver wire, which means he may still very well be available. While this is a significant concern, it may just turn out to be a blessing in disguise for some Fantasy owners in need of a quarterback. Despite the fact the Ravens’ defense has been much better of late, the Bengals’ weapons are a mismatch, as they are for most defenses. A.J. Green is one of the best wide receivers in the league and Tyler Eifert will make his return to the lineup for Week 17. You add in Marvin Jones and Giovani Bernard and all McCarron has to do is get them the ball; he has the luxury of having a ton of playmakers to target. We really like him as a deep sleeper.

RB Fred Jackson, SEA
What makes Jackson a good option? The fact that he’s not Bryce Brown or Christine Michael. Both of them never fail to disappoint. The bottom line is, you’re better off with the oldest running back in the league than either of those two. For some reason people continue to hold out hope for Brown and and even more so for the woeful Michaels. Last week, Jackson caught five passes for 43 yards and handled two carries. With the other backs predictably struggling and Marshawn Lynch’s return imminent, I expect his touches to continue to increase. There is certainly value here in PPR leagues. There is no reason he can’t catch five or six passes, post 70 total yards and hopefully punch in a touchdown. That is plenty of production from a deep sleeper that is available in the majority of leagues. With all the injuries this season, it may be necessary to role with the old man. He’s been a solid option for a long time.

WR Kenny Britt, STL
Britt has caught a TD in each of his past two games and has definitely had his ups this season. He’s topped 70 yards three times, has one 100-yard game and has twice caught more than five passes in a game. This week he has a nice matchup against the 49ers. They trot out the 25th ranked pass defense and are below average when it comes to slowing down fantasy wideouts. The Rams’ offense is playing well and is on a three game winning streak. During that span they’ve put up 75 points. I fully anticipate the Rams to win this game and Britt is clearly the top wideout on the outside, so opportunities will be there. There are certainly worse options at wideout than Britt. Case Keenum has actually been playing fairly well over the past few weeks, which is a huge boost if he can keep his momentum going. The biggest knock on the Rams’ pass-catchers has been their pass-thrower.

TE Nick O’Leary, BUF
With Charles Clay injured, rookie Nick O’Leary will get the start this week. He definitely has potential. Our top talent evaluator ranked him as the No. 3 rookie TE and this is what he had to say about him prior to the draft. “Say what you will about O’Leary’s combine performance. He’s a big-time player who has made extraordinary catches in massive moments. On film he makes big catch after big catch for Florida State. He has great hands and is a very reliable target on third downs and in the red zone. He’s a tough old school kind of kid. His awareness and instincts are elite and he knows how to create a big target. He does lack some explosiveness but makes up for it with intangibles.”