5 biggest Week 15 fantasy football sleepers: Chig Okonkwo, Kirk Cousins and more

Well, we had a good run.

Thursday Night Football felt like it had turned a corner and we could count on good games each week, a far cry from the days where it was a laughingstock of the NFL calendar. But you can never fully divorce a thing from its origins, and Week 15 gave us the kind of old-school TNF game that we dread.

The Rams and 49ers combined for zero touchdowns in Los Angeles's 12-6 win, and many fantasy managers were left with their lineups in shambles after Cooper Kupp scored zero fantasy points.

It's fantasy playoff time right now, so getting a zero in your lineup from one of your top players is not good. It means you really have to nail the rest of your lineup on Sunday, which brings us to the point of this article: a look at some sleepers who might help you dig out of the Kupp-sized hole you're in.

Below are five sleeper picks for Week 15. To count as a sleeper, quarterbacks and tight ends need to be ranked outside the top 15 at their position on FantasyPros’ weekly rankings, while running backs and wide receivers are ranked outside the top 25.

Kirk Cousins, QB, Atlanta Falcons

Week 15 ranking: QB24

The last four weeks have been a nightmare for Kirk Cousins, as his combined stat tally over that span features eight interceptions and zero touchdown passes.

Notably, Atlanta has lost all of those games, with Cousins's turnover issues playing a huge role in the team going from NFC South leader to currently out of the playoff picture.

If Cousins is ever going to bounce back, this is the week against a Raiders team that has struggled in pass defense this season, especially recently. The team allows the ninth-most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks, but that obscures how poor its recent turn has been. Since the bye week, the team has given up over 250 net passing yards in each game.

Isaiah Davis, RB, New York Jets

Week 15 ranking: RB32

Breece Hall's Week 15 availability is currently in question, as Hall continues to miss practice with his knee injury. While he hasn't been ruled out officially of the Week 15 game against the Jaguars, it certainly looks like the Jets will be without their star running back for the second week in a row.

Last week against Miami, Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis had a fairly even split of touches for New York, with Allen carrying the ball 11 times for 43 yards while Davis had 10 carries for 40 yards and a score. In the receiving game, Allen caught four passes for 38 yards while Davis caight three for 27.

The two are likely to split touches again this week in a strong matchup against a Jacksonville Jaguars team that allows the second-most fantasy points per game to the running back position.

Both running backs have upside, but if I'm talking about sleepers, I think Davis is more appealing if only for the simple fact that there's a better shot he's still on the waiver wire in your league. Allen is rostered in 53% of Yahoo! leagues right now, while Davis is only rostered in 18% of leagues.

Keenan Allen, WR, Chicago Bears

Week 15 ranking: WR38

The Bears offense has shown a lot of improvement down the stretch, with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams finally looking like the No. 1 overall pick.

Keenan Allen has been a big part of the improvement, finishing as a top 10 fantasy receiver in two of the past three games.

Sure, last week against the 49ers was a disappointing effort, as he finished with just three catches for 30 yards, but he has a shot to put up strong numbers against the Vikings this week. When he faced them last in Week 12, Allen caught nine passes for 86 yards and a touchdown.

Tre Tucker, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

Week 15 ranking: WR59

The Raiders have an enticing matchup with the Falcons this weekend, though it's complicated by the fact that the Raiders are going to be starting Desmond Ridder at quarterback. Ridder's a bit of a mystery at this point, but maybe we'll get a revenge game from him against the team that drafted him?

As for why I see Tre Tucker as a sleeper play, he's been an increase in usage lately. Last week against Tampa was a stinker of a game as he caught just two passes for seven yards, but he had 50-plus yards in the two games before that and has showcased his ability to make big plays down the field, catching a 58-yard touchdown against the Chiefs.

Tucker has a rock-bottom floor, but he also has boom appeal because he's capable of getting loose for a big play at any moment.

Chig Okonkwo, TE, Tennessee Titans

Week 15 ranking: TE25

I really thought this would be a Chig Okonkwo breakout season, but I think I'm still just living in a world where Delanie Walker is influencing me.

See, Walker's success in Tennessee made me think Jonnu Smith would be a star when he took over. That didn't happen, so I think once Smith was gone and Okonkwo was starting to show some upside, I fell back into that same thought pattern.

Okonkwo takes on the Bengals this week, who allow the second-most fantasy points per game to the tight end position. While Okonkwo has finished TE30 and TE32 in the past two games, he's averaged 5.0 targets in those contests. That level of usage could be all it takes to deliver a strong result against Cincy.