Fantasy Football: 4 Sleepers for Week 16

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 field.

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: Week 16

Tyjae Spears, RB, Titans

FanDuel Salary: $5,900

The Tennessee Titans aren't in playoff contention, so there's a chance they begin limiting the workload of Tony Pollard in the final weeks of the season. During Tennessee's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 15, Tyjae Spears logged a higher snap rate (55.4%) than Pollard (44.6%), finishing with 92 scrimmage yards and 2 touchdowns, per NextGenStats, en route to an RB5 finish in half-PPR formats.

Spears hauled in 6 of his 7 targets for 87 yards and a score while the Titans were playing from behind versus the Bengals. At the moment, Tennessee are underdogs to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 16, making it more likely that Spears remains involved in the passing game -- especially if Mason Rudolph draws the start at quarterback.

With targets being more valuable than carries in half-PPR scoring, it's worth noting that the Colts are giving up the 10th-most targets (82), 11th-most receptions (67), and 13th-most receiving yards (489) to running backs. While Spears may not earn double-digit carries, he can return value by producing as a receiver in an offense that is expected to be in a negative game script.

Kendre Miller, RB, Saints

FanDuel Salary: $6,100

The interest level of playing Kendre Miller this week hinges on the status of Alvin Kamara, who suffered a groin injury in Week 15. If Kamara is unable to suit up on Monday night against the Green Bay Packers, then Miller should handle a decent-sized workload for the New Orleans Saints.

With Kamara exiting early in Week 15 versus the Washington Commanders, Miller tallied 46 rushing yards on 9 carries. Upon scoring his first touchdown since Week 18 of last season when he returned in Week 14, Miller was efficient this past week, logging 0.44 rushing yards over expected per attempt and a 55.6% rushing success rate (compared to Kamara posting -3.11 rushing yards over expected per attempt and a 20% rushing success rate).

Despite the Packers being better against running backs than in years past, Miller has an opportunity to handle a three-down role for an offense that doesn't have many weapons. Considering that the Saints aren't vying for a playoff spot, they could be incentivized to deploy Miller more down the stretch to see what he brings to the offense moving forward.

Romeo Doubs, WR, Packers

FanDuel Salary: $5,600

Following a two-game absence, Romeo Doubs wasted no time getting involved in the Packers' aerial attack in Week 15, tallying 3 catches for 40 yards and 2 touchdowns. Green Bay didn't hesitate to give Doubs his starting job back as he tallied a 75.4% snap rate (second among the wideouts on the Packers) and a team-high 85.7% route rate in the win over the Seattle Seahawks.

While it's tough to predict how much playing time the other receivers on the Packers will get, Doubs leads Green Bay's wide receivers in snap rate (77.2%) and route rate (82.5%) in the 11 games he's been active in. Additionally, Doubs is registering the highest target share (18.6%) and air yards share (27.4%) during the same 11-game sample.

The matchup doesn't get much better for Doubs as the Saints are permitting the fifth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. New Orleans has also surrendered the third-most targets (304), sixth-most receptions (186), and fifth-most receiving yards (2,430) to the wide receiver position this season.

Jalen McMillan, WR, Buccaneers

FanDuel Salary: $5,800

Could we be witnessing the breakout of Jalen McMillan as the regular season comes to a close? Across his first eight games this year, McMillan was producing just a 9.9% target share, 21.0% air yards share, 1.6 receptions per game, 18.1 receiving yards per game, and 0.71 yards per route run.

However, over the last two weeks, McMillan has notched a 24.1% target share, 30.2% air yards share, 4.5 receptions per game, 67 receiving yards per game, and 2.53 yards per route run. In addition to that, McMillan has found the end zone three times in the last two weeks after scoring just one touchdown through Week 13 -- which came in Week 1 against the Commanders.

McMillan will look to maintain his momentum in Week 16 versus the Dallas Cowboys, who are allowing the 10th-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers. Along with the Cowboys coughing up the eighth-most receptions (177) and sixth-most receiving yards (2,203) to receivers, they are giving up the fifth-highest catch rate over expected (+2.2%), seventh-highest target rate (20.9%), and fifth-most yards per route run (1.75) to the position.

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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.