Fantasy Football Sleepers Week 4
As the season goes on and fantasy-relevant players are established, it becomes more difficult to pinpoint potential sleepers each week. But with injuries piling up and the bye weeks approaching, there will be players to know who can help you in a pinch. While there are no byes this week (they don’t start until the following week), key starters have plenty of injuries, paving the way for others to step up and produce for your fantasy squad. There are no sure things when it comes to sleepers. If there were, they wouldn’t be sleepers. But I believe six players will out-produce their projections this week if you need help.
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WEEK 4 FANTASY SLEEPERS
*Start Stat %, Via Sleeper
CALEB WILLIAMS (QB)
CHICAGO BEARS VS. LAR (24% START)
Coming into the season I did not expect much from any of the rookie signal callers, at least to start. I figured it would take time for them to acclimate themselves to the speed of the NFL and that there would be far more lows than highs. For the most part, I was right. While Washington’s Jayden Daniels has been able to find success as a dual-threat quarterback, consistency has been hard to come by for the other rookie QBs. This includes No. 1 pick Caleb Williams. Three games into the season and Williams has thrown for 630 yards, two TDs, and six interceptions. This is not exactly the hot start people hoped for from the top pick in the NFL Draft. But Williams has steadily improved game-to-game and had his best showing this past Sunday against the Colts when he threw for 363 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. This week he faces the Los Angeles Rams, who are near the bottom of the league in pass defense. If the offensive line can give him time, Williams could pick this defense apart en route to a top-10 performance.
BRAELON ALLEN (RB)
NEW YORK JETS VS. DEN (10% START)
Looking at the running back landscape in 2024, it’s easy to envision Braelon Allen as a starter in the NFL. The problem is he got drafted by a team with Breece Hall on it. But talent often wins out. Allen has earned his way onto the field, and has been efficient and explosive when given the chance. In only his second NFL game, he finished in the top seven at the position, and most recently, he finished inside the top 30. That’s not bad for a player who went mostly undrafted in fantasy drafts. No one could have predicted Allen’s success, but the Jets could very well have the best 1-2 punch in the league. Right now, Allen is playing about 1/3 of the snaps. If he continues to produce I could see that rise to 40-45%. I expect Allen to keep things rolling in Week 4 against Denver. The Broncos have given up over 20 PPR points per game to running backs this season. Both Hall and Allen should be busy in this one. He is a solid flex play with RB2 upside this week.
CHUBA HUBBARD (RB)
CAROLINA PANTHERS VS. CIN (39% START)
Chuba Hubbard and the entire Panther offense got an injection of energy with the switch from Bryce Young to Andy Dalton. Against the Raiders, Hubbard carried it 21 times for 114 yards. He was also involved in the passing game, hauling in five receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown. This was good enough for a top-five finish in all formats. The skeptic in me does have to point out that this success came against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders are near the bottom in fantasy points allowed to running backs this season, with only the Cowboys giving up more points to the position. But in Week 4, Hubbard will see another friendly matchup when he faces a Bengals defense in the middle of the pack against running backs. With one more week before Jonathon Brooks is even eligible to return, Hubbard should continue to see a bell cow-type workload and can be started with confidence.
DIONTAE JOHNSON (WR)
CAROLINA PANTHERS VS. CIN (40% START)
The change from Bryce Young to Andy Dalton has done wonders for the Carolina offense. Of course, it’s only been one game, but an encouraging one. After two mediocre performances, Diontae Johnson caught eight of 14 targets for 122 yards and a score. He had not seen more than six targets in the previous two games. Johnson was running clean, crisp routes which led to him being open a lot and now that there is a competent QB under center, there should be brighter days ahead for the sixth-year veteran. On paper, the matchup is not ideal. The Bengals have one of the best pairs of corners in the league in Cam Taylor-Britt and Dax Hill. But they did allow Terry McLaurin to go for 100 yards and a touchdown and the week prior, Rashee Rice had 75 yards and a touchdown. Johnson may not hit the heights of a week ago this week, but he still has the potential to turn in solid flex or low-end WR2 numbers.
JAKOBI MEYERS (WR)
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS VS. CLE (13% START)
This past week, against Carolina, Jakobi Meyers finally showed up, turning in a seven-catch, 62-yard, one-touchdown performance. He also had as many targets (9) as star wide receiver Davante Adams. Still, with neither Gardner Minshew nor Aidan O’Connell looking like the long-term answer at quarterback it’s hard to trust any of the pass catchers in Las Vegas. But this was his second game of over 50 yards and also marked his first trip to the end zone. Last year, Meyers finished as a top-25 WR in all formats, and there’s no reason to believe he can’t do that again. This week, Meyers will face the Cleveland Browns. The Browns have a good secondary which could make it difficult for the Raiders pass catchers, but Meyers has run 44.4% of his routes in the slot, which is where he excels. He’s never going to be a burner who gets you a 60-yard TD bomb, but with steady hands and steadier production, he’s the perfect sleeper candidate.
PAT FREIERMUTH (TE)
PITTSBURGH STEELERS @ IND (32% START)
Somehow, defying all expectations, the Pittsburgh Steelers are 3-0 this season. Justin Fields has begun to look like a competent NFL quarterback and has produced with more than just his legs. While it remains a low-volume passing offense (this past week was the first time Fields threw it over 30 times) it has been an efficient one. This has helped players like Pat Freiermuth become the type of consistent player everyone hoped he’d be. Freiermuth has caught all but one of his targets this season and has either been tied for first or second on the team in targets in every game. The end zone and red zone targets have alluded him, but I expect that to change. This week, Freiermuth gets an Indianapolis Colts defense that allowed Cole Kmet to catch 10 passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. The tight end position has been unpredictable at best and abysmal at worst. Freiermuth has as good of a chance as any number of players to come through for his managers in a plus matchup.
