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 will be stepping in for Andy Dalton who is going to miss time with a broken thumb. Last week, McCarron played fairly well from a fantasy perspective. He went 22-of-32 for 280 yards and two touchdowns. Also, he threw two interceptions. This week he will receive his first start and has a favorable matchup against the 49ers. With the weapons he has, McCarron has to garner at least some consideration. Last week he hit A.J. Green with a 66-yard TD pass. Also at his disposal he’ll have Marvin Jones, Giovani Bernard and possibly Tyler Eifert. If you are desperate at QB, he could be a decent deep sleeper option.

RB Mike Tolbert, CAR
Jonathan Stewart has been ruled out for Week 15 with a foot injury. This leaves a three-back committee in Carolina. Fozzy Whittaker is the most coveted pickup with rookie Cameron Artis-Payne right behind him. Nevertheless, the top choice may be Mike Tolbert. How can we have all missed him? He makes Eddie Lacy look like Randall Cobb. That big man can move, though, and always manages to surpass expectations, especially in PPR leagues. He’s good for about eight carries for 23 yards, five receptions for 21 yards and maybe a score or two. We don’t know how Whittaker and Artis-Payne will be utilizes, nevertheless, we know how great Tolbert is as a pass-catcher and in the red zone.

WR Rueben Randle, NYG
Randle is actually a really strong choice and really should be getting more attention this week. Odell Beckham Jr. is great, as we know, but so is Josh Norman. Even if Norman doesn’t shut Beckham down, he will likely at least slow him down and force Eli Manning to look elsewhere more than usual. Randle is the WR2 in New York. To make him even more appealing, the Panthers CB2 Bene Benwikere is out for the season and 34-year-old Charles Tillman is hobbled with a knee injury. He’ll be beat up at best. Randle’s matchup is much better than meets the eye when you consider the injuries in the Panthers secondary and Norman shadowing Beckham for the majority of the game.

TE Vance McDonald, SF
So yea, this section of the article has pretty much become me naming the 49ers’ starting tight end for the week. McDonald was sidelined last week with a concussion that he endured Week 13. With McDonald out, Blake Bell caught three passes for 49 yards. In the two weeks prior to his concussion, McDonald has 10 receptions, 136 yards and two touchdowns. He is a really decent option. If you lost a guy like Eifert or even Charles Clay and are frantically searching the wire, grab McDonald and put him right in. People forget so quickly about a guy after any and every injury that cost them any time.