Streaming Sleepers: Week 13

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And now for today’s feature from the Daily Dose…

By :: Juan Carlos Blanco (@jcblanco22)

Each week, Streaming Sleepers will highlight at least five non-QB skill-position players and one team defense that currently have start or roster rates of 20% or less in season-long leagues but may be prudent options this week due to matchups and other circumstances, particularly in deeper formats. 

Additionally, the plays suggested here could be viable DFS large-field tournament options for the coming slate and are likely to carry modest ownership rates in that format as well.

Chris Godwin, TB vs. ARI - 7% start rate

It’s alarming to see Godwin’s start rate this low, but a very quiet Week 12 performance in his return from a long absence has his fantasy outlook muted for the moment. However, Godwin should seem a bump from the 25 snaps he played without setbacks in a difficult matchup against the Rams, a game where he also had to play with Teddy Bridgewater for the entire second half.

Baker Mayfield is set to play through his shoulder issue Sunday against Arizona, and Godwin should operate in his usual No. 2 role while potentially logging close to a normal amount of snaps. The veteran wideout still has plenty of upside and chemistry with Mayfield, and in a game in which the Bucs have an implied team total of well over three TDs (24.5), Godwin is a consideration if you’re in a pinch.

Jakobi Meyers, JAX at TEN - 20% start rate

Meyers likely loses a little luster in the fantasy community this week due to the return of Brian Thomas from his ankle injury, but the former is still a viable option against a beatable Titans defense. Meyers has utilized Thomas’ three-game absence to build some chemistry with Trevor Lawrence, posting a 12-155-1 line on 15 targets.

Meyers averaged a solid 2.35 yards per route run in that sample as well, and Sunday, he’s facing a Titans defense allowing 236.8 passing yards per home game at 11.5 yards per completion. Tennessee is also playing zone at the league’s 11th-highest rate (73%), while Meyers is averaging a solid 1.9 yards per route run against that scheme, including 2.3 in his road games with the Raiders and Jags.

Jordan Addison, MIN at SEA - 20% start rate 

It’s rare to see Addison’s start rate this low, but J.J. McCarthy’s struggles, which helped lead to a Week 12 blanking for the talented receiver, have done a number on Addison’s fantasy outlook. There’s a good news/bad news scenario at play this week for Addison – McCarthy can’t crater his numbers because the second-year signal-caller will sit out due to a concussion, but rookie Max Brosmer will start in his place against a talented Seahawks defense on the road.

Therefore, Addison’s start rate is justifiably low, but if you’re in a bind at receiver, there’s likely worse ways you could go. Not only does he carry significant upside and can pay off his rostering on one play, but the Seahawks defense has surprisingly allowed the eighth-most yards per game at home (336.6), including the fifth-most passing yards per contest in that split (248.8). Addison is averaging a career-high 14.7 yards per catch and has gained 20+ yards on seven of his 28 receptions, so there’s big-play potential there.

Chimere Dike, TEN vs. JAX - 10% start rate 

Speaking of home-run hitters at the receiver position, Dike certainly qualifies, and the fleet-footed rookie comes into Week 13 trending in the right direction. Dike’s game-to-game production is still going to fluctuate to a degree thanks to his fellow rookie quarterback and the Titans’ schematic struggles, but he sports a solid 19-226-2 line on 25 targets in the last five games. 

Dike is also always a threat to pay off for you if your league counts return yardage/touchdowns, as he already has two punt-return TDs this season. Meanwhile, although Elic Ayomanor is expected to return from his one-game absence due to a hamstring injury, Dike should still slot in as the No. 2 receiver against a Jags defense allowing 10.0 yards per completion and 269.5 passing yards per game on the road. 

John Metchie, NYJ vs. ATL - 3% roster rate

Playing anyone from the Jets’ offense outside of Breece Hall admittedly requires a leap of faith these days, but Metchie has quietly been making his mark in New York’s air attack since Garrett Wilson was lost for the season. Metchie has a 9-110-2 line on 10 targets over the last two games, displaying some solid chemistry with Tyrod Taylor in the latter contest by bringing in six of seven targets for 65 yards and a touchdown.

Metchie is the de facto No. 1 receiver for the rest of the season, and his skill set and role is arguably a better fit than fellow wideout Adonai Mitchell’s against a tough Falcons road pass defense that is good about keeping plays in front of it. Additionally, Metchie has been excellent thus far against the man coverage Atlanta plays at the league’s 12th-highest rate (34.3%), averaging 4.2 yards per route run against that scheme.

Tennessee Titans Defense vs. Jacksonville Jaguars - 3% roster rate

The landscape for sub-20%-start-rate defenses is very tricky in Week 13, given four games have already taken place and there simply aren’t any particularly strong candidates. Nevertheless, the Titans defense, at home, against a quarterback in Trevor Lawrence that has committed 14 turnovers in 11 games is somewhat intriguing. The Titans’ unit has played a bit better of late and has a respectable 27 sacks through 11 games, while the Jaguars have surrendered the ninth-most sacks (29) and the game’s projected total has notably come down a full four points to a lowly 41.5 going into Sunday.

ALSO CONSIDER ::

Darren Waller, MIA vs. NO- 1% start rate (*verify active status)

Likely to be active and scored four TDs in the three non-injury-shortened games he’s played this season.

Tyler Lockett, LVR at LAC - 2% roster rate

Don’t look now, but Lockett and Geno Smith have been reigniting their old Seahawks connection to an extent, connecting on 12 occasions for 139 yards (14 targets) in the last three games.

Jayden Higgins, HOU vs. IND - 15% start rate

Displayed plenty of chemistry with Davis Mills in the last three games (13-135-2) and could carry it over into C.J. Stroud’s return in what could well turn into a back-and-forth affair.

Jerry Jeudy, CLE vs. SF - 20% start rate 

Requires a bit a of a leap of faith and likely best left for deep leagues where you’re in a pinch, but Shedeur Sanders could take another step forward in his second start and Jeudy could be a beneficiary against a 49ers defense allowing an NFL-high 272.4 passing yards per road game at a league-high 73.8% completion rate.

BONUS CONSIDERATION: Josh Downs, IND vs. HOU - 9% start rate*if Tyler Warren (illness) is out.