These fantasy football sleepers for Week 15 are players to keep an eye on and maybe even add to your list of waiver wire pickups and free agent adds this week. Follow Matthew J. Jillson on Twitter at @eatcookcryptos. 

Cruel and vicious creatures, the Fantasy Gods have shown us that they will always have some form of a nasty surprise waiting when we least expect it. Owners of Drew Brees who went to bed soundly Saturday night were confronted in the morning by the horror of a potential season-ending performance against one of the worst defenses in the league. One can’t help but to shake their fist and curse under their breath when faced with the tragic turn some of these locked and loaded roster pillars took this past weekend.

With the final battle just over the horizon, our quest for immortality is drawing to a climax. Battle tested but weary, we have nothing but The Plan left to protect us this late in the season. The need to find any edge has now become more important than at any time in the past few months. The ability to account for the painful flukes and dud performances that happen will be the anointer of a fantasy title.

There is no statistic to show that the Miami Dolphins, for whatever reason, play the Patriots tough — much tougher than anyone would expect, as was evident last weekend. You have to watch them play. These types of details are the edge in the end game that should be watched out for and will give you a monster advantage in starting an optimal line up but also combing the waiver wire for players who will have an outsized opportunity to shine bright. While I couldn’t have forecast the dramatic finish to the Pats and Fins matchup, I felt certain the Patriots were not going to cover the spread, meaning Miami was going to have to put up some points. Keep an eye out for these types of hidden data points and it’ll strengthen your position as league leader.

Remember, major course corrections and deviations from the plan this late into the journey are likely to scuttle your ship. Bad luck will indeed strike when you can least afford it and to the best of us, a jarring reminder of we saw this past weekend. We can’t overly concern ourselves with the impulses of fate but we can choose to withdraw if we see clouds on the matchup horizon to fight the battle on the ground of our choosing. We, along with our champions, are merely the victims of the whims of any given Sunday.

Fantasy Football Sleepers

Ian Thomas (TE, Carolina Panthers, 10% owned)

Since losing Greg Olsen, the Carolina Panthers have leaned heavily on Ian Thomas. He posted 9 receptions on 11 targets last week and was 5 for 5 the week prior. That’s established heavy usage going against New Orleans and Atlanta down the stretch. In the post apocalyptic landscape of the tight end position this season, you are looking at a player who is going to see heavy volume right when you could use it. Those who have been rolling chicken bones on the likes of Ben Watson or similar production players might want to take notice.

DaeSean Hamilton (WR, Denver Broncos, 8% owned)

What a mess Denver’s receiving corps has become. As predicted, Courtland Sutton isn’t rising to the challenge, creating an opportunity for anyone who can pull down the pill. DeaSean Hamilton, I believe, is going to enjoy the “Boyd Effect”: defenses focus on perceived bigger offensive threats creating openings for secondary players. Let’s face it; you’ll be somewhat desperate if you are considering Hamilton. However, you have a strong viable flex starter facing Cleveland and then Oakland to finish out the fantasy football season that is sure to get a ton of volume. In a full point PPR league you must know by now it’s a numbers and volume game.

Darren Sproles (RB, Philadelphia Eagles, 6% owned)

If you’ve been abused by The Curse at the running back position, Darren Sproles might be here to lend a hand at the flex. Having only played three games this season, Sproles has a fresh set of legs and absolutely loves catching the ball. It was announced this week that Corey Clement is heading to the IR, which will hand most of the pass catching duties off to the ex-Charger. Of course, there is always a catch when tangling with the Fantasy Gods. Philly has a tough schedule coming up, facing off against the Rams then the Texans. Classic good news bad/news situation here.

John Ross (WR, Cincinnati Bengals, 9% owned)

John Ross is essentially the new Tyler Boyd in Cincinnati now that A.J. Green is on IR. A receiver who greatly benefits from being overlooked by defenses, Ross has scored in 4 of his last 5 games. Facing Oakland this week, who has consistently given up a ton of points to wide receivers, I suspect Ross is going to have one of those sneaky days. Now, whether or not you have the testicular fortitude to start him in the second round of the playoffs remains to be seen but he is certain, in my mind, to far outperform his projected 6.68 points.

Brett Maher (K, Dallas Cowboys, 22% owned)

Man, the Cowboys all the sudden are hot. Who would have thunk all it would have taken was to put Amari Cooper on any team that isn’t in Oakland and you’d get an offense to surge? With the combined might of ‘Zeke Elliot and Cooper, Dallas has started to generate a lot of scoring opportunities. All of this is good for any kicker, especially one who can drill 50+ yarders like Brett Maher. Finishing the season with potential high scoring matchups, Maher could be that 5-7 point difference maker you look for at this position.

Crypto Corner (NOT financial advice)

1. Coinbase ($BLLR), recently announced that it would be “exploring the option” to add up to thirty-one new digital assets to its exchange. Being one of the main fiat ($CASH) on/off ramps for people to get into cryptocurrencies, Coinbase is the undisputed king of Crypto in the United States. You can expect to see some pumps and dumps for these assets in the coming months as rumors swirl on who and what will be listed. I suggest you do your research, especially as it relates to current market conditions before you consider any impulse buys here.
2. Fidelity Investments, one of the largest players in the investment market that is getting to offer crypto services starting in 2019, has confirmed they are looking at setting up a trading platform that will include up to the top 7 Cryptocurrencies by market cap. In a time where people are doomsaying, one of the largest investment firms on the planet has said that not only are they getting in the game but they’re going deeper than initially announced. Don’t listen to words, listen to and watch the money. Big money is pointing towards crypto, not away from it.
3. An interesting trend is happening in Venezuela of all places. As the economy there continues to crumble and the government is beginning to force people to use the state issued crypto, the Petro, we are seeing big named corporations get on the adoption bandwagon in order to facilitate transactions. Fast food giants Subway and Kentucky Fried Chicken have begun accepting crypto payments in the country. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention and as these types of business see that accepting digital assets can streamline their register operations by eliminating the time needed to count change, we can be sure to see this practice get rolled out to other areas of the world.