Fantasy Football Week 17 Sleepers: Backups like Teddy Bridgewater, Rod Smith could play big roles

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It's Week 17, which means a lot of the players we usually classify as sleepers now qualify as starters. It's just the nature of the week.

Whether due to playoff scenarios or players just resting because their season is over, there could be a lot of backups in key spots. And that's OK -- if you can use it to your advantage.

In seasonal and daily leagues, many of the players listed here should be useful in some capacity. We'll hopefully find out by Sunday morning who is playing and who is out, but these are guys you should gravitate toward based on their upside.

Playing in Week 17 is a gamble. But it could also work out in your favor if you choose the right players in potentially great situations.

Quarterbacks

20.0 projected points	Jameis Winston Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB
The last time Winston played the Falcons was in Week 6, and he was our Start of the Week. He had 37 Fantasy points then, and I'm counting on another strong performance in Week 17 (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, available on fuboTV), even with the potential of Ryan Griffin playing some for the Buccaneers. Winston scored a combined 20 Fantasy points in the past two games on the road at Baltimore and at Dallas, but he had three games in a row with at least 22 points prior to Week 15 -- all at home. Winston is a low-end starter this week, and hopefully he plays the majority of the game in a plus matchup.
18.2 projected points	Kirk Cousins Minnesota Vikings QB
Cousins scored 20 Fantasy points at Chicago in Week 11, and the Bears might not play their starters for most of this game since they will likely end up as the No. 3 seed in the NFC. Chicago needs to beat the Vikings in Week 17 but also have the Rams lose to the 49ers in Los Angeles, which isn't likely to happen. The Vikings also need this game to make the playoffs, and a victory against the Bears will lock up the final wild-card spot in the NFC. Cousins needs to deliver, and he should play well at home, especially if the Bears start pulling starters.
11.6 projected points	Teddy Bridgewater New Orleans Saints QB
With Sean Payton announcing Friday that Bridgewater will start at quarterback, he becomes an intriguing Fantasy option in a matchup with the Panthers, who could be resting players on defense in a meaningless game. We may still see some Taysom Hill, but I expect Bridgewater to get most of the playing time, making him a great option in daily leagues in Week 17.
17.8 projected points	Eli Manning New York Giants QB
The only way you can trust Manning this week is if the Cowboys are going to rest players, which seems likely. Dallas is locked into the No. 4 seed in the NFC and has nothing to play for, so keeping out key players for most of the game makes sense. And even though Manning won't have Odell Beckham (quadriceps) for the fourth game in a row, he should still do well against backups. Manning also has at least 22 Fantasy points in two of the three games without Beckham, and he should be fine relying on Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram and Saquon Barkley.

Running backs

11.5 projected points	Dwayne Washington New Orleans Saints RB
There's a chance the Saints could give some work to Alvin Kamara or Mark Ingram this week, with most likely Kamara getting an opportunity to score. He's currently tied with Dalton Hilliard for the franchise record for most touchdowns in a season with 18, and it would not be a shock to see him get into the end zone if possible to get that team record. But Washington should get most of the work for the Saints this week, and the Panthers might also rest some guys with nothing to play for, including linebacker Luke Kuechly. I like Washington as a great daily play in Week 17.
11.9 projected points	Jeff Wilson San Francisco 49ers RB
Wilson is expected to start with Matt Breida (ankle) out, and he was good the last time he was in this spot. It was Week 14 against Denver, and Wilson had 23 carries for 90 yards, along with one catch for 6 yards on two targets. The Rams will likely make things tough on Wilson on the ground, but he could be needed in the passing game with Dante Pettis (knee) out, as well as potentially Marquise Goodwin (calf). I like Wilson as a starter in all leagues this week given his expected workload.
10.1 projected points	Royce Freeman Denver Broncos RB
Freeman is expected to start with Phillip Lindsay (wrist) out, and hopefully an increased workload will help him end his rookie campaign on a high note. Devontae Booker is also worth a look in deeper PPR leagues, but Freeman should lead Denver in touches. And he scored against the Chargers in Week 11 with seven carries for 23 yards when Lindsay was still the lead running back for the Broncos.
9.0 projected points	Darren Sproles Philadelphia Eagles RB
Sproles has scored a touchdown in three of the past four games, including in Week 13 against Washington, and he has at least 12 PPR points in two of his past three outings. He's being used in the passing game as well with at least three catches in three games in a row, and Washington is among the league leaders with 86 receptions allowed to running backs.
3.2 projected points	Rod Smith Dallas Cowboys RB
There's a good chance Ezekiel Elliott doesn't play this week if the Cowboys' history tells us anything. In Week 17 of the 2016 season, with Dallas locked into the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Cowboys kept Elliott on the bench against the Eagles. It was the right move then, and it should be the same scenario now against the Giants. As such, look for Smith to get an extended workload in this matchup, and the Giants have allowed a running back to score in every game but one. Smith is a great option in daily leagues in Week 17.

Wide receivers

9.4 projected points	Zay Jones Buffalo Bills WR
Jones had two touchdowns at Miami in Week 13 with four catches for 67 yards on nine targets. He has at least nine targets in four of his past six games, and he's scored at least 17 PPR points in three of those outings. Robert Foster should also be considered a sleeper this week against the Dolphins.
9.7 projected points	Marquez Valdes-Scantling Green Bay Packers WR
Valdes-Scantling was back as a productive Fantasy option again in Week 16 at the Jets with five catches for 75 yards on nine targets. He should be involved once again with Randall Cobb and Equanimeous St. Brown both dealing with concussion issues. Valdes-Scantling had a solid game against the Lions in Week 5 with seven catches for 68 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets, and I like him as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver with upside in this matchup at home.
8.8 projected points	DaeSean Hamilton Denver Broncos WR
Hamilton continues to be the most productive receiver for the Broncos since Emmanuel Sanders (Achilles) went down prior to Week 14. In the past three games, Hamilton has at least 11 PPR points in three games in a row, with two touchdowns over that span. He has 30 targets in those three outings and 20 catches, and he should continue to soak up targets from Case Keenum in this matchup with the Chargers.
0.5 projected points	DeAndre Carter Houston Texans WR
Demaryius Thomas (Achilles) is out, and we don't yet know the status for Keke Coutee (hamstring) in Week 17 against the Jaguars. That could lead to Carter getting a big role, and he just had six catches for 61 yards on seven targets in Week 16 at the Eagles. Carter would be a better option in PPR, but this is now twice in the past four games that he has six catches and six-plus targets.
9.1 projected points	Kendrick Bourne San Francisco 49ers WR
Dante Pettis (knee) is out, and Marquise Goodwin (calf) could also miss Week 17. That should leave Bourne in a spot to get a significant number of targets against the Rams. He just had four catches for 73 yards on five targets in Week 16 against Chicago, and he has five games this year with at least five targets. In those five outings, he has three with at least 10 PPR points, and he's worth a flier in deeper leagues based on this opportunity.

Tight ends

6.9 projected points	C.J. Uzomah Cincinnati Bengals TE
Uzomah had four catches for 49 yards and a touchdown on five targets in Week 16 at Cleveland in the first game after Tyler Boyd (knee) got hurt. And Uzomah had six catches for 54 yards on seven targets against the Steelers in Week 6.
5.2 projected points	Gerald Everett Los Angeles Rams TE
Everett has at least eight PPR points in his past two games heading into Week 17 against San Francisco. He's also scored a touchdown in two of his past three home games. I expect Jared Goff to have a breakout game after slumping over the past four games, so all of his targets are on the table this week as potential starters.
14.0 projected points	Cameron Brate Tampa Bay Buccaneers TE
Brate scored against the Falcons in Week 6 with one catch for 15 yards on one target. He hasn't scored in his past two games against Baltimore and Dallas, but he did score three touchdowns in his past three home games prior to facing the Ravens in Week 15.

So who should you sit and start? And what shocking quarterback could win you Week 17? Visit SportsLine now to get Fantasy football rankings for every single position, and see which shocking QB finishes in the top 10 this week, all from the model that out-performed experts big time last season.