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This article originally appeared on RotoBaller.
Back by popular demand in 2015… RotoBaller has brought back for the NFL season our Ultimate 2015 Fantasy Football Sleepers & Waiver Wire Pickups List.
Our team of NFL enthusiasts and fantasy football analysts follow football all day, during the offseason and especially during the NFL season. We recommend NFL players for you to consider as 2015 draft sleepers, ADP values, or hot pickups off the waiver wire once the season starts – every single day of the fantasy football preseason and season. Drafting the right undervalued player or adding sleepers off the waiver wire can be a huge difference maker in fantasy leagues. Last year players like C.J. Anderson went undrafted in many leagues, and players like that helped win a ton of fantasy championships.
What’s better than snagging that big time sleeper hot player off the waiver wire before your league does? Well, not much really. Each day we will update this list, so be sure to check back to see who we’ve added and read the latest analysis about each player. If you aren’t sure who to drop, we’ll help you decide – just ask us in our chat room. Now let’s win some leagues!
3 days ago
Published by: Zach – RotoBaller
BALLER MOVE: Target in Later Rounds as 2nd QB / Matchup Streamer CURRENT ADP: 162 STD, 211 PPR ANALYSIS: The new and improved Chiefs offense gives Alex Smith a legitimate WR1 in Jeremy Maclin, plus an emerging star receiver and tight end in Travis Kelce. They also have potential impact players in WRs Albert Wilson and Chris Conley. For these reasons alone, Alex Smith can be considered as an “undervalued” fantasy football QB option on draft day, especially for those in deeper leagues. Smith looked pretty strong down the stretch last year, averaging over 15 fantasy points a game in his final five games played (DNP Week 17). I expect that to continue with the addition of Maclin. Maybe the most appeal Smith has to offer is his relative safety. He almost never throws interceptions, having finished in the top three in INT% three of the past four years. I do expect a little more aggression from the Chiefs offense this year, which may lead to a slightly higher chance for interceptions, but Smith is still extremely safe. The Texans have a good defense, so Smith’s ceiling is limited in Week 1, but he should still be able to put up a respectable game this week. For those who haven’t drafted yet, he’s a solid option for two-QB league formats, or to target at the end of your one-QB drafts as a second QB and matchup streamer.
3 days ago
Published by: Zach – RotoBaller
BALLER MOVE: Target in Later Rounds for QB1 Upside / Matchup Streamer CURRENT ADP: 188 STD, 168 PPR ANALYSIS: Andy Dalton is probably my favorite streaming QB for Week 1. He is also being drafted very late, but has the upside to return more production that his cost. Dalton struggled tremendously in his preseason Week 2 game against the Buccaneers in primetime, however he finished strong in the week 3 game going a perfect 6/6 passing on his lone drive and finishing it by running the ball in himself. In the regular season I expect a lot more of the latter. Dalton had a down year in 2014, but he was missing several key receivers and with everyone healthy in 2015 it should show up on the field. The Raiders have a formidable front seven with Khalil Mack and company, but I don’t fear the secondary at all. Especially with the Bengals above average offensive line, Dalton should have enough time to find an open man all day long. Dalton may struggle against better defenses, but it should be smooth sailing in Week 1. He has only faced the Raiders one time back in 2012 in which he threw for three touchdowns and no interceptions in that game. I predict Dalton finishes as a QB1 this week, which is pretty good for someone who is barely being drafted and is still out there in so many leagues!
4 days ago
Published by: Jon Keller – Rotoballer
BALLER MOVE: Target as QB2, Streamer, or QB1 in Deep Leagues CURRENT ADP: 138 STD, 163 PPR ANALYSIS: Fantasy-wise Jay Cutler is, in a word, boring. He’s not good enough to be elite, but no longer young enough to be a rising star. Cutler is the guy who gets autopicked by someone who forgot to set his draft order. It’s interesting though – Cutler is coming off one of the best fantasy seasons of his career. In 2014 he threw for 3812 yards and 28 TDs. That’s the second highest yardage total and best touchdown total of his career. It’s true that he’s lost the coaching staff who brought him those numbers and yes, he also lost Brandon Marshall. But he’s getting a huge upgrade as wunderkind coordinator Adam Gase takes over the offense in Chicago. And Marshall’s numbers shouldn’t be hard to replace. Marshall only averaged 4.7 receptions and 55.5 yards per game – his worst averages since his rookie season. Free agent acquisition Eddie Royal and first rounder Kevin White (when he’s healthy) should be able to easily replace those numbers. Royal only did slightly worse last year. Cutler offers worse ball security than skinny dipping in piranha infested waters, but in a strangely positive way. He spreads his mistakes out evenly over the course of the season, just like he does his positive plays. He threw two or more INTs in seven games last year but only once did he not throw at least two TDs that same game (he threw only one at Green Bay). What this all adds up to is consistent, reliable points. That’s an ideal situation as a high level QB2 or even a QB1 with a strong team around him. Target him in the late middle rounds.
6 days ago
Published by: Jose Ortiz
BALLER MOVE: Target in Rounds 11-13 Current ADP: 125 STD ANALYSIS: Joe Flacco has never surpassed 4,000 yards or thrown for 30 TDs, but he is coming off the best statistical season of his career– 3,986 yards and 27 TDs. With new offensive coordinator Marc Trestman running the show, those numbers should only increase. Under Trestman in 2013, Bears quarterbacks Jay Cutler and Josh McCown combined to lead the second highest-scoring offense in the NFL, finishing fifth overall in passing. The Ravens lost Torrey Smith, but Steve Smith Sr. is still a reliable receiver, and Breshad Perriman, Kamar Aiken and Marlon Brown are all young and explosive. Flacco has never missed a game in his career, and he can still throw the deep ball with the best of them. With more designed passing plays, Flacco could put up career numbers and break into the top 10 this season.
6 days ago
Published by: Jose Ortiz
BALLER MOVE: Target in Rounds 8-10 Current ADP: 84 STD ANALYSIS: Heading into his 12th season, Eli Manning may be surrounded by the best offensive cast of his career. A healthy Victor Cruz joins Odell Beckham Jr., Rueben Randle and Larry Donnell in the receiving corps, and Rashad Jennings and Shane Vereen make up a very solid backfield. After a slow start last season, Manning took off once Beckham burst onto the scene. Manning actually finished with arguably his second best statistical season, tallying 4,410 yards, 30 TDs and 14 INTs. He was the number 10 overall fantasy quarterback in 2014 in standard leagues, despite the slow start and an injured Cruz. With these weapons, Manning could easily post top-five numbers this season, but he is currently ranked as the No. 11 QB. Manning is a better value than several quarterbacks being drafted rounds ahead of him.
1 week ago
Published by: Jose Ortiz
BALLER MOVE: Target in Rounds 11-13 Current ADP: 117 STD ANALYSIS: As a rookie, Teddy Bridgewater posted 2,919 passing yards in 13 games and completed 64.4% of his throws. This was on an offense that was missing Adrian Peterson and lacked any consistent play-makers. Bridgewater comes into 2015 with an extra year of experience, a new weapon in speedster Mike Wallace and an invigorated Peterson. Additionally, the potential improvements of young receivers Charles Johnson and Cordarelle Patterson and a healthy Kyle Rudolph at tight end could give Bridgewater plenty to work with. The Vikings also bring in an improved defense that will get the ball back to the offense more often and set Bridgewater up with shorter fields. You can draft him as your backup and watch him turn into trade bait once he starts looking like a top-10 passer. Bridgewater will undoubtedly outperform his ADP this season, and could even reach 3,500 passing yards and 25 touchdowns.
1 week ago
Published by: Frankie Soler – RotoBaller
BALLER MOVE: Target in Rounds 14-16 Current ADP: 166 STD ANALYSIS: Jameis Winston was a controversial figure in college, but his talent has never been in question. Winston is surrounded in Tampa Bay by three massive pass-catchers in Mike Evans, Vincent Jackson and Austin Seferian-Jenkins, all of whom should help Winston be efficient in the red zone. The rookie out of Florida State is a solid QB2, especially in two-quarterback leagues.
1 week ago
Published by: Frankie Soler – RotoBaller
BALLER MOVE: Target in Rounds 12-14 Current ADP: 140 STD ANALYSIS: In 2013, Carson Palmer racked up 4,274 yards and 24 touchdowns, but his 2014 campaign was cut short by an ACL tear after he put up 1,626 yards and 11 touchdowns over six games. Larry Fitzgerald, John Brown, Michael Floyd, Andre Ellington and David Johnson: Fantasy Football Player News & Analysis” target=”blank” href=”http://www.rotoballer.com/fantasy-football-nfl-news/?player=David+Johnson”>David Johnson make for a nice corps of weapons. A healthy Palmer should be a solid QB2 and a good value late in the draft.
1 week ago
Published by: Zach – RotoBaller
BALLER MOVE: Target in Late Rounds of 2QB Leagues CURRENT ADP: Overall #221, QB #26 ANALYSIS: Blake Bortles has looked like a much improved quarterback this entire preseason, and it was most apparent in week three against the Detroit Lions. He played the majority of the game with his starting receivers (Though Marqise Lee and Julius Thomas were both absent), and really looked like a potential franchise QB. Bortles finished the night with a 69% completion rate and 8.4 yards per attempt. He didn’t throw an interception, he wasn’t sacked, and flashed some mobility running for 38 yards. The one downside was once again Bortles and Allen Robinson weren’t quite on the same page, but Bortles was perfect to Allen Hurns and Rashad Greene who are likely to have prominent roles in the offense. The tight ends also got a lot of action, and Julius Thomas should be a big upgrade over any of them. From what I’ve seen a lot of people are still writing off the Jaguars offense entirely, but I think they can take a big step forward this year. That would make Bortles a good QB2 and a decent streaming quarterback against lesser defenses.
1 week ago
Published by: Frankie Soler – RotoBaller
BALLER MOVE: Target in Rounds 10-12 Current ADP: 116 STD ANALYSIS: Having only played in a full 16-game season twice, drafting Sam Bradford as your second quarterback is a risk, but can also have huge upside. Under Chip Kelly in 2013, Nick Foles managed to rack up 2,891 yards and 27 touchdowns in just 13 games. Bradford is likely the more talented quarterback, so in a full season, his numbers can eclipse those of Foles. We’ve even seen Mark Sanchez put up serviceable fantasy numbers in this offense. As long as Bradford can stay healthy, he can finish as a top 12 fantasy QB this season.
