ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through the Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Which lesser player will do more in the fantasy playoffs?
SAM HENDRICKS
Sterling Shepard. I know, other than the first 3 weeks of the season I have had him on my bench due to injury. Well, he's back. He started slowly with a not too impressive 2-27 in Week 14, but the potential is there. Let's face it, the Giants are going to be playing from behind a lot versus Dallas, Philadelphia and Chicago. So if you are looking for a deep sleeper who may be on waivers after quite a few weeks out, think about Shepard.
Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 25-year fantasy football veteran who participates in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). He won the Fantasy Index Open in 2013 and 2018.
SCOTT SACHS
A couple of receivers caught my eye based on last week's performance and current circumstances. I certainly have seen an uptick in snaps, targets, and fantasy points for Allen Lazard. He is greatly aided by Randall Cobb's absence, and with routine double coverage on Davante Adams, Lazard sees single coverage virtually every play. Another name to consider as games get more intense and cold weather factors in is Cole Beasley. He had double-digit targets last week and Buffalo has come back to the pack and is fighting for the playoffs. With an almost non-existent running game and the aforementioned cold weather, frequent short passes to Beasley in the slot will keep the chains moving for the Bills.
Sachs runs Perfect Season Fantasy Football, offering LIVE Talk & Text consulting. He has multiple league championships including 2 perfect seasons. Scott is a past winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Poll and a 2-time winner of the Experts Auction League.
DAVID DOREY
Tough question but I'd have to consider Ben Roethlisberger here. At 6-6-1, they are probably not going to the playoffs and Big Ben already said this is his final season. So he'll want to end on a high note. He just threw for 308 yards and three scores against the Vikings last week, and he has the softest remaining schedule of any quarterback. His final four games feature the Titans and Kansas City who always give up passing yards, and then hosting the Browns in Week 17. Even Week 18 at the Ravens is pretty good. He has the schedule, no reason to take it easy.
Dorey co-founded The Huddle.com in 1997. He's ranked every player and projected every game for the last 23 years and is the author of Fantasy Football: The Next Level. David has appeared on numerous radio, television, newspaper and magazines over the last two decades.
ANDY RICHARDSON
How about one for each position? Tua Tagovailoa plays the Jets, Saints and Titans the next three weeks. Jets are horrific and the Saints and Titans are much, much better defending the run than the pass. Devin Singletary has been on my bench the entire season in a league, but I'm strongly considering using him against the Panthers this week, and perhaps the Patriots next week, with New England being more vulnerable to the run than the pass this year. Opportunity and injury/illness have moved Christian Kirk and K.J. Osborn into leading (or co-leading) roles in good passing offenses, and I think they will be viable starters if you're in need. And finally, the Rams are a pass-happy team, which suddenly is down to just Van Jefferson and Tyler Higbee as the No. 2 and 3 options in the passing game -- I think Higbee will out-punch his weight in the final few games.
Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual experts draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.