Anyone can look at fantasy football rankings, but what if you like risks and want to swing for the fences? That is where this article will come in for you. As the season goes on, this will be the spot for you to find the sleepers to start in your fantasy football league. Even more so when byes and injuries start to pile up. Each week I will be picking one fantasy football sleeper at each position. These players are set to outperform their ranking and help win your week on the way to becoming a League Winner! Welcome to Fantasy Football 2023: Week 4 Sleepers.
Now let’s look at what we are picking from:
- I’m defining a sleeper as someone ranked outside of the top 30 for WRs and RBs who will finish in the top 20 at the position. That would be around 14 fantasy points based on the average of last year.
- For QBs and TEs, I am defining them as outside the top 15 but will finish in the top 10. Last year using average points per game that would be 21 fantasy points for QB and 11 fantasy points for TE.
- PPR Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) on Fantasy Pros will be used. These players may not be on the waiver wire but could be big
- I will track the hit rate based on the above settings but also how far the picked sleepers outperform their initial rankings for the week.
Week 2 Review
This was a rough week. None of the sleepers worked out and all finished worse than their prediction. So after three weeks we are 4/12 on sleepers and dropped down to 7/12 picks finishing ahead of their initial ranking. No one on Washington could get it going, Stafford was under pressure all night and Schultz missed a couple easy catches for the Texans. We will bounce back this week!
So, now let’s take a look at some fantasy football sleepers for Week 4 of the NFL season.
QB: Andy Dalton vs the Minnesota Vikings
Fantasy Pros ECR: QB22
I cannot believe I am picking Andy Dalton, but last week he finished as QB7 and threw for over 350 yards. He is the starter until Bryce Young heals up; and in a loss, the offense moved the ball against the Seahawks. This week he gets the Minnesota Vikings who are winless and give up the third most points to quarterbacks. The Vikings might not have much fight left in them and Dalton is a sneaky play this week.
RB: Jaylen Warren vs the Houston Texans
Fantasy Pros ECR: RB31
The Steelers looked a little better on offense last week and it was Jaylen Warren’s second straight game with double-digit fantasy points. He has had at least three receptions in every game this season and in the last two games he has had 14 carries. Warren is on the field over 40% of the snaps and seems to be the receiving option out of the backfield. We saw last week Travis Etienne had a lot of production with four catches out of the backfield against the Texans. Houston’s defense gives up the fifth-highest fantasy points to running backs and Warren could have a big day just through the air.
WR: Rashid Shaheed vs the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Fantasy Pros ECR: WR52
Rashid Shaheed has been electric with the ball early in the season but he just has not received enough targets. After 10 targets in the first two weeks, he had only two last week and did not record a reception. He did still show his speed with a special team’s touchdown. The promising thing is that Shaheed had his highest snap share percentage at 72% last week. With Jameis Winston playing the full game this week, I think Shaheed will get some deep targets that he can cash in. The Buccanneers are missing some secondary players and giving up over 30 fantasy points per game to wide receivers. The Saints have been struggling to get the running game going, so I think the passing game will be the way to move the ball this week.
TE: Gerald Everett vs the Las Vegas Raiders
Fantasy Pros ECR: TE18
The Chargers just lost Mike Williams for the season and many are pointing to Quentin Johnston or James Palmer to pick up the slack. While I think they will get more opportunities, I would not overlook Gerald Everett this week. Last year with Herbert, Everett finished as TE13. He had six targets last week vs the Vikings. Everett just did not receive the red zone targets that went to Donald Parham. The Raiders’ pass defense is not good at all, but they give up the seventh most fantasy points versus tight ends. Everett is a mismatch and I could see him having a big day against the Raiders in the middle of the field.
Good luck to everyone this week! Hopefully these Week 4 sleepers can take your fantasy football team over the top. Make sure to follow our content all year so we can help you to be a League Winner!
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Brandon Haye
Brandon grew up in Jacksonville, Florida and works as a health insurance data analyst. He has no children, but two fur babies - Squirt and Brownie. He and his wife, Katie, spend their time playing poker and enjoying time with their pups. Brandon is a huge Michigan Wolverine and Jacksonville Jaguars fan. He at one time was in 77 fantasy leagues and loves the game of football. Brandon started writing for The Leauge Winners in 2021.