Hopefully, you’re like me and wiped all your “zeroes” out of the win columns in your remaining leagues after Week 3. If not, that’s okay, we still don’t need to panic. You should find solace in one of my leagues, my two starting running backs are Chuba Hubbard and Zack Moss. Now your team looks cuter, right?
Can you believe we’re coming up on one month of football? In a month’s span a lot of people are back to wanting to make Christian McCaffrey kidnapped forever, give Tua Tagovailoa their own brain, put on some pads for the Chargers to play wide receiver and any tight end to prove he can find the end zone AND catch more than one pass.
In its second season, Roto Street Journal presents the top five sleepers of each week. Maybe it’s guys you haven’t heard of. Maybe they’re new to the NFL or on a new team? Maybe they’re filling in for an injury? Regardless, these picks ended up on the right side of the ball more often than not last season.
Let’s be honest, do you really need to be told to start guys like Jared Goff and Geno Smith in an impending shootout? Or to sit someone such as J.K. Dobbins without multiple offensive line and a possible backup quarterback in Week 4?
But what you may need is that extra oomph to start someone you’re on the fence with. You also may have taken a gamble in the draft and feel depleted at a position and are looking to slyly slide someone in this week. And let’s be honest, this happens most weeks.
Last week, we saw 49ers’ QB Brock Purdy, Bengals’ RB Zack Moss, Panthers’ WR Adam Thielen, Cardinals’ WR Greg Dortch and Dolphins’ TE Jonnu Smith make the list.
Purdy, Moss, and Thielen hit double digits, while the others did not muster much. However, I’ll take three out of five – for the third consecutive week – won’t you?
To help you out, I’ll give you my top five fantasy football Week 4 Sleepers and Streamers, and why.
Editor’s Note: These selections rank lower than a Tier 4 on The Wolf’s Fantasy Football Rankings.
Will Levis, QB, Tennessee Titans
@ Miami Dolphins
Will Levis and the Tennessee Titans have a real chance to pick up their first win heading into their Week 5 bye.
Thankfully for Miami, it gets an extra practice day ahead of the primetime matchup, but regardless, five defenders appeared on Friday’s injury report with a team that can’t keep its offense on the field since Tua Tagovailoa’s injury is a set up for disaster.
While Levis has been at the forefront of memes for three weeks, he has a consistent number of pass attempts per game this season and has only increased his passing yardage totals in each game so far.
The Titans’ receive corps, on paper, should have one of the better one-two punches in the league. This could be a game they prove it.
DeAndre Hopkins had one of his three best games in Miami last season, abusing the defense for 124 yards and a touchdown on seven catches. Meanwhile, Calvin Ridley has been shut down by the opposition to begin the year, but gets his best chance of the season for a breakout in Week 4.
I don’t have faith in Miami’s abilities to stop the pass or run, especially as the game goes on. The broken plays and deep throws will quietly pad Levis’ stats even if the Dolphins come up with a turnover. Levis’ career-high 327 yards came against Miami last season.
The Wolf ranks Will Levis QB27 overall for Week 4.
Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
vs Philadelphia Eagles
Tampa Bay either needs to make Bucky Irving its starting rusher or figure out how to get Rachaad White more than 2.1 yards per carry.
The Eagles have allowed Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs, Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson and New Orleans’ Alvin Kamara to all surpass the century mark in total yards in every game this season.
I’m optimistic Irving can reach double-digit touches in this game – and for the third time this season – in what has the makings of a back-and-forth game, even with potentially poor Florida weather conditions.
Bucky Irving ranks in The Wolf’s Tier 4 for Week 4.
Khalil Shakir, WR, Buffalo Bills
@ Baltimore Ravens
Khalil Shakir, who has caught all 14 attempts thrown his way for a team-leading 168 yards and two touchdowns this season, should by now have silenced any doubts that he’s the Bills’ No. 1 receiver. He has also caught his last 27 regular season targets, matching the best run by an NFL wide receiver since at least 1991 (Associated Press).
Shakir and the Bills find themselves in a likely national shootout in Baltimore. Sunday will also be Buffalo’s third consecutive game in primetime, likely meaning the rust has been shooed off the wheels for its offense.
If you’re playing in PPR, Shakir looks the most appealing, having scored at least 13.2 PPR points in the last two games. Good thing for him and fantasy owners, Baltimore has allowed five receivers through three games to score at least 13.2 PPR points, too (CBSSports).
It’s important to note that Shakir’s targets, catches and yards have each increased through three games this season.
Khalil Shakir ranks in The Wolf’s Tier 5 for Week 4.
Zach Ertz, TE, Washington Commanders
@ Arizona Cardinals
I was going to put Bears’ receiver Rome Odunze here, but with a potential return of Keenan Allen, I’m going to throw two tight ends this week (gasp!) and see what the game plan and usage are like for Chicago’s wideouts.
Zach Ertz, like Shakir, is in this sleepers series for the second time in four weeks. Week 2 may have been premature, but that was his best game so far this season in terms of production.
Ben Sinnott isn’t a thought currently in Washington, and a revenge game for Ertz – who played three seasons in Arizona – has to be on tap.
In his past two games, Ertz has nine catches for 100 yards and hasn’t dropped a target.
I am a little hesitant as Buffalo’s Dalton Kincaid (one catch), Colby Parkinson (one catch) and Sam LaPorta (two catches) have all been held in check this season. But, Ertz is an intriguing dart throw given the potential revenge and spark in Washington’s offense.
Zach Ertz ranks in The Wolf’s Tier 2 (of 3) for Week 4.
Josh Whyle, TE, Tennessee Titans
@ Miami Dolphins
I said Ertz was my dart throw, and I may have lied. I’d bet that a majority of readers looked at the name “Josh Whyle” and went, “WTF?”
I did, too, until a deep dive into who this man was and a role he could claim swayed me.
Believe it or not, Whyle has played in the same realm of snap count as starting tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo. They’ve also been targeted the same number of times so far this season, with Whyle seeing his highest snap share and production in Week 3. He has yet to outsnap Okonkwo, but he had more yards than him last week and trailed him by three yards in Week 2.
This has a lot to do with matchup, too. But in a year of tight ends being nearly nonexistent, anyone in the position that is trending upward is worth looking into. Besides, I have to backup my lone quarterback sleeper with someone on the offense. Why not a deep sleeper?
Josh Whyle is not ranked in The Wolf’s Week 4.
