Fantasy Football: 6 Sleepers for Week 18

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, sleepers are NFL players who may be flying relatively under the radar in a particular field. That could be an under-rostered player in season-long leagues, a player with an exciting matchup in a given week, or even a potential star just ahead of their true breakout.

In any case, we all need to find a sleeper from time to time. Whether you're a fantasy football hipster looking to roster an exciting new player before your league-mates hear about him, a daily fantasy manager looking for a lower-salary player to fill out a lineup loaded with studs, or even just a manager in a pinch due to byes or injuries, we have you covered. We'll be bringing you six fantasy sleepers each and every week throughout the season.

Fantasy Football Week 18 Sleepers

Tyrod Taylor, QB, New York Giants

FanDuel Salary: $7,000

We could be talking about the New York Giants in a much different light if Tyrod Taylor had been their starter for the whole year.

He's been the team's best quarterback in pretty much every measurable aspect. He's averaging almost a full yard per attempt more than either of Daniel Jones or Tommy DeVito, takes sacks (9.8% sack rate) almost literally half as often as his teammates, and has a proven track record of taking care of the ball with his career 1.6% interception rate. Since taking back over from DeVito partway through Week 16, Taylor is averaging a strong 7.93 yards per attempt, which would rank fourth-best in the league this season.

Simply put, Taylor has played well enough with the Giants this year to warrant respect as a viable option in fantasy football. Their offense -- which ranked near the bottom of the league in most metrics for much of the year -- has looked passable since he worked back into the starting role. He notched 18.8 FanDuel points in last week's close loss to the Los Angeles Rams and should be set up for another solid outing this week against a Philadelphia Eagles defense allowing the most FanDuel points per game (21.2) to opposing passers.

It's worth noting that Taylor is on New York's injury report this week with what appears to be a minor back injury. If the Week 18 of it all leads to Taylor sitting the game out, consider pivoting to San Francisco 49ers backup Sam Darnold.

Darnold has had moments of fantasy relevancy in the past and should look better than usual under 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan's guidance. Plus, Darnold will get to play against the same Rams defense that Taylor found success against last week -- and the Rams have a history of resting important starters in meaningless games.

If your season-long league continues to Week 18, Taylor should get priority as a streamer over Darnold, but keep the former New York Jets quarterback on your radars if it seems like Taylor could take the final week of the year off. Both are viable in FanDuel's daily fantasy contests.

Julio Jones, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

FanDuel Salary: $5,100

We're not recommending Julio Jones this week just because he scored two touchdowns in Week 17 -- though that was certainly encouraging to see. We're recommending the potential future Hall of Famer this week because Jones appears to be in line for a pretty significant bump in usage with the Philadelphia Eagles. Stud wideout DeVonta Smith left the team's Week 17 game with an ankle injury and is now missing practice to start the week. With the Eagles already locked into a playoff spot, they'll likely take a cautious approach with his health and rest him this week.

Smith being sidelined isn't the only thing potentially working in Jones' favor this week. WR3 Olamide Zaccheaus appears to be getting phased out of the offense, as well, playing just 29 total offensive snaps over the team's last three contests. So if Smith does in fact sit, it would more likely be Jones taking over his role than Zaccheaus.

The cherry on top here is that the Eagles' Week 18 opponent -- the Giants -- are allowing the fifth-most FanDuel points to opposing wideouts. So not only will Jones be enjoying a potentially season-high in on-field usage, but he should also be able to capitalize with efficient production in a soft matchup.

If you think the Eagles score a lot of points on Sunday, you can back them to be Sunday's highest-scoring team (+1400) via the weekly specials at FanDuel Sportsbook. And if you like both offenses in that one, you can take the Giants-Eagles clash to be Sunday's highest-scoring game (+1200).

John Metchie III, WR, Houston Texans

FanDuel Salary: $5,100

The Houston Texans have a massive game coming up this Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts with a playoff berth -- and even potentially a division title -- on the line.

Unfortunately, neither of their second or third wide receivers are practicing to open the week. Both Noah Brown (back) and Robert Woods (hip) have missed the team's first two practice sessions this week and appear to be trending in the wrong direction for Saturday. While the Texans have leaned heavily on Nico Collins throughout the year, 2022 second-round pick John Metchie III might get his chance to shine against the Colts this weekend.

Metchie played a season-high 37 snaps in Week 17 after spending most of the season ramping up. He appeared to be the Texans' go-to option to replace Brown but didn't get many opportunities to prove his pass-catching chops in what ended up being a 27-3 blowout win over the Tennessee Titans. We should see much more out of the Texans' passing game this weekend in what figures to be a more competitive game.

The Colts are a much better matchup for receivers in fantasy than they might appear to be on paper. They've allowed massive games to wide receivers throughout the year but haven't been tested all that often -- they have frankly played against a ton of backup quarterbacks this year. This same Texans team had three different receivers top 70 receiving yards against the Colts earlier this year, so it should be a fantasy-friendly spot for Metchie to make his impression on the NFL.

Elijah Mitchell, RB, San Francisco 49ers

FanDuel Salary: $6,600

The San Francisco 49ers are resting star running back Christian McCaffrey in Week 18 after he suffered a calf strain in Week 17, opening the door for the team's backups to establish the run against the Rams this weekend. Elijah Mitchell seems poised to capitalize on that opportunity this weekend. Despite dealing with injuries throughout the season, Mitchell -- in his first game back from a three-week injury -- immediately assumed the team's lead back role in Week 17 after McCaffrey left the game, while teammate Jordan Mason handled just two touches.

Mitchell looked good in Week 17, too. He carried the ball 17 times for 80 yards (4.7 yards per carry) and a score in relief of McCaffrey. We've seen the former sixth-round pick succeed in the NFL before (he totaled 1,100 yards from scrimmage as a rookie), so he's a cut above some of the other backups we've seen. He could be a fantasy stud this weekend against the Rams.

The Rams have already announced that future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald will not play in this game, which could significantly soften up a defense that has allowed the second-fewest FanDuel points per game (14.2) to opposing running backs this year. Mitchell has proven himself to be capable enough of succeeding in the 49ers' offense and should be able to take advantage of the Rams' weakened defensive front.

Israel Abanikanda, RB, New York Jets

FanDuel Salary: $4,700

If you're looking for a really deep sleeper this week, consider New York Jets rookie Israel Abanikanda for your lineups. The fourth-round pick outlasted several adjustments in the Jets' backfield this year, working up the depth chart after the team cut Michael Carter and usurping Dalvin Cook over the past few weeks. The team's decision this week to also part ways with Cook virtually cements Abanikanda as their RB2 for Week 18.

RB2s have a way of becoming RB1s in Week 18, especially when teams -- like the Jets -- have little to gain and no reason to risk the health of their starters as they prepare for the offseason. And while Breece Hall has been stupendous this year, he's still just one year removed from a tough ACL injury and will be an important piece for the team in 2024. If the Jets are looking forward to next year, they may play it safe with Hall in Week 18.

Abanikanda still has a chance to put up fantasy-relevant numbers this week even if Hall plays his usual role. "New" quarterback Trevor Siemian has peppered the team's running backs with targets over the last two weeks as the starter, looking Hall's way a whopping 25 times while still finding time to hit Abanikanda with 7 more. Both of the Jets' running backs should be in play this week in any fantasy formats that reward points for receptions.

Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers

FanDuel Salary: $5,300

The Green Bay Packers kind of struck pass-catcher gold in the 2023 NFL Draft. In addition to finding wideouts who can play -- like Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks -- they also seem to have found a pair of tight ends who can get stuff done in the NFL. It was Luke Musgrave who was making waves earlier in the year, but third-round pick Tucker Kraft has been balling out for the team lately.

Kraft has at least four catches in each of the last four weeks and has converted his looks into 229 yards and a touchdown in that time -- the fifth-most yards across the tight end position. He's been playing a full-time role lately and has already developed into a consistent producer for fantasy.

The Packers could need his services even more than usual in Week 18 as they take on the Chicago Bears and try to secure a spot in the playoffs. All of Christian Watson (hamstring), Reed (chest), Wicks (hamstring), and Musgrave (kidney) are banged up, leaving just Kraft and second-year wideout Romeo Doubs healthy heading into the weekend. That means they could rely on Kraft's pass-catching chops even more than usual.

He could be in for solid production in Week 18, and Kraft's +240 odds to score a touchdown make sense if you think he has a big day.

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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.