Week 17 Fantasy Football Deep Sleepers Featuring Raheim Sanders & Calvin Austin III

If you’re chasing a fantasy football championship in Week 17, these deep sleepers—including Raheim Sanders and Calvin Austin III—could be the unexpected plays that tip the scales.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Calvin Austin III (19) celebrates his twenty-nine yard pass reception for a touchdown against the New York Giants during the fourth quarter at Acrisure Stadium. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Week 17 is here, and for most of us who are still alive in our fantasy football leagues, that means we are fighting to win a championship. Sometimes in the biggest games, we have to dig deep to come away with the win. These are the top fantasy football deep sleepers for Week 17. 

QB Josh Johnson, Washington Commanders

This is a scary one, but Johnson is set to start for the Commanders this week. However, he'll be matched up against the Dallas Cowboys. They haven't been able to stop anyone through the air this season, and are allowing the most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. You may not like the player, but it's hard not to love the matchup. If you are searching for a quarterback this week, Johnson could be an interesting option in this game.   

RB Raheim Sanders, Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns running back Raheim Sanders (35) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the second quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field. | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Quinshon Judkins suffered a gruesome leg injury in Week 16, which landed him on injured reserve and ended his season. Jerome Ford is also out, and Dylan Sampson is banged up. That left Sanders as the last man standing in the Browns' backfield last week. After Judkins went down, Sanders led the team with 11 carries for 42 yards and caught his lone target for four yards. Assuming he's the lead back this week in Cleveland, he could be a high-volume option in a run-heavy attack. 

RB Samaje Perine, Cincinnati Bengals

Perine continues to get far more volume than makes sense. Over the past four games, he has carried the ball 41 times and seen seven targets. In Week 16, he carried the ball seven times for 25 yards and a touchdown, and caught two of three targets for 16 yards. This week, the Bengals running backs have a great matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, who are allowing the second-most fantasy points to running backs this season.  

WR Calvin Austin III, Pittsburgh Steelers

With DK Metcalf now suspended for the remainder of the regular season after a confrontation with a fan, the Steelers will have to distribute their targets differently. They have a handful of potential options, including Adam Thielen, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Scotty Miller. If you prefer another wideout, take your pick, but we'd go with Austin in this group.   

TE Elijah Higgins, Arizona Cardinals 

Arizona Cardinals tight end Elijah Higgins (84) against the Green Bay Packers at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Higgins came out of nowhere last week and exploded, catching seven of eight targets for 91 yards. This week, he has a matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, who are allowing the most fantasy points in the league to tight ends. There is a chance Higgins goes back to a very limited role, but with this matchup, that could still be enough for him to be productive against a team giving up over 30 fantasy points per game to the position.