Sneaky Starts: Week 15

Dec 13, 2013

All but the luckiest fantasy owners at some point need to find the proverbial diamond in the rough -- a waiver wire or bench player who is capable of putting up some points in a pinch. This weekly feature is dedicated to that part of fantasy football. It's not pretty, but it's part of the game.

In Week 14, our Sneaky Starts included Ryan Tannehill (QB9), Joe Flacco (QB12), Matt McGloin (QB14), Marcel Reece (RB5), Joique Bell (RB7), Bobby Rainey (RB8), Montee Ball (RB18), Chris Ivory (RB19), Andre Ellington (RB22), Rod Streater (WR6), Justin Hunter (WR9), Hakeem Nicks (WR16), Julian Edelman (WR20), Brian Hartline (WR25) and Charles Clay (TE1).

At 4for4, we use Adjusted Fantasy Points Allowed (aFPA) by position heavily in our rankings and analyses. I'll include the matchup and the positional aFPA ranking in parenthesis after each player's name.

Note: These recommendations do not override our weekly rankings, which are updated throughout the week and weekend.

Let's take a look at some of the best Sneaky Starts for Week 15:

Bears QB Jay Cutler (@ CLE, 23)
Cutler was the #6 QB through the first four weeks and now he’s back starting for the Bears. Rust is a little bit of a concern, but Cutler is a solid start against a Browns defense that is #23 in QB aFPA.

Browns QB Jason Campbell (vs. CHI, 10)
As Pat Fitzmaurice so adeptly described Campbell in this week’s Waiver Wire Watch, Campbell is “the guy that gets to throw to Josh Gordon.” He did have a couple of tough outings against division opponents (CIN & PIT), but also threw for eight combined touchdowns against the Chiefs, Ravens and Patriots in Weeks 8, 9 and 14.

Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill (vs. NE, 19)
Tannehill is quietly the #14 QB in fantasy after throwing five TDs in his last two games. He has scored at least one TD (passing or rushing) in every game this season and faces a banged up Patriots defense.