Fantasy football sleepers for Week 4

Week 4 of the 2021 NFL football season is days away, and it’s time to fine-tune your fantasy lineups. This includes hunting for solid flex players and sleepers that can pop off and help you win the game.

Each week during the NFL season, this article will highlight some deep sleepers for you to consider when setting lineups. You’ll never see Tier 1 players mentioned in this article, as I’ll look to unearth legitimate deep sleepers — players either low-owned or rarely started.

Here are some of the deep sleepers you should keep an eye on for Week 4.

Week 4 QB sleepers

Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns

Baker Mayfield and the Browns are 2-point favorites against the Vikings in a possible shootout, with the over/under currently set at 51.5. Per the FTN Fantasy splits tool, Mayfield averages nearly 20 fantasy PPG when playing in a game with a total over 50. He has played one game with a total over 50 as the favorite — and he scored over 30 points in that contest.

Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers

It’s still early, but Sam Darnold has been playing really solid football while recovering from his three-year battle with Gase-itis. He has averaged 296 yards per game and has only thrown 1 INT. He has only tossed 3 TDs, but he’s adding 3 rushing TDs as well, which is even more valuable for fantasy. This week he draws the Cowboys, who have coughed up huge fantasy days to Tom Brady and Jalen Hurts in two of their first three games. This likely shootout (over/under set at 50.5) sets Darnold up for another starter-worthy week.

Deeper sleeper QBs

Justin Fields
Jimmy Garoppolo
Mac Jones

Week 4 RB sleepers

Cordarrelle Patterson, Atlanta Falcons

Cordarrelle Patterson’s touch count through three games: 9, 12, 13. Total yards gained: 7 yards per touch. 2 total TDs scored.

Mike Davis’ touch count through three games: 18, 16, 16. Total yards gained: 4.1 yards per touch. 0 TDs scored.

Patterson should overtake Davis soon in an offense that desperately needs a spark. His rising touch counts throughout September suggest the Falcons are thinking along the same lines.

Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles have run no-huddle 18% of the time — fourth most in the league — and they may be forced to pick up the pace in passing-down situations more often than usual in Week 4 as 7-point underdogs against the Chiefs. Kenneth Gainwell is only 1 target behind Miles Sanders (11-10) through three games, but he leads Sanders 2-to-1 in rushes from inside the 10. Gainwell has a valuable role, and it has a chance of leading to scores in a game with an over/under of 54.5.

Zack Moss, Buffalo Bills

Zack Moss and the Bills are massive favorites (-16.5) against the Texans, who have allowed RBs to average 5.0 yards per carry (fifth most in the NFL) and 9.5 yards per reception (sixth). Moss logged 10 touches in Week 2 and 16 in Week 3 in what looks like a split backfield with Devin Singletary. Against the hopeless Texans, both are good plays this week.

Deeper sleeper RBs

Trey Sermon
Leonard Fournette
Michael Carter
James Conner

Week 4 WR sleepers

Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers

Brandon Aiyuk was in the doghouse for the first two weeks of the season, but he started to step up in Week 3, seeing 6 targets and recording a TD too. The 49ers/Seahawks game has a surprisingly high 52-point over/under, Aiyuk will run the majority (about half) of his routes against Tre Flowers, who has given up an 88% catch rate and 0.33 fantasy points per route covered this year — third most among all starting RCBs in the league.

Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots

We’re going deep into the bag of tricks for this one. Kendrick Bourne hardly cracks our top 100 WRs for Week 4 in the rankings, but I still like him as a true deep sleeper this week. The Buccaneers are struggling so bad in the secondary that Richard Sherman has joined the team in the year 2021, and Bourne is fresh off a 6-96-1 performance.

He only had 3 receptions in Weeks 1 and 2 combined, but his big Week 3 should earn him more playing time as the 2-TE sets in New England have been ineffective to start the season. And the Patriots are likely going to have to pass a lot if they want any hope of winning this game.

Jalen Reagor, Philadelphia Egles

Jalen Reagor has been better in 2021, scoring a TD in Week 1 and having another wiped off the board in Week 2 before producing as Philly’s best WR in Week 3 (albeit with an average 5-53-0 line). Reagor gets a couple of deep shots per game, but the Eagles are also giving him some higher percentage plays to get Reagor in space. His 20.3% team target market share gives him good breakout opportunity against the Chiefs in a shootout game the Eagles will likely be trailing.

Deeper sleeper WRs

Nelson Agholor
Tim Patrick
Will Fuller
Henry Ruggs
A.J. Green

Week 4 TE sleepers

Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers

Pat Freiermuth squares off against the Packers this week, who have struggled against TEs, allowing the third-most points to the position through three weeks (2 TDs to Juwan Johnson, 8-66-1 to T.J. Hockenson, 7-92-0 to George Kittle). Freiermuth is not going to put up Hockenson and Kittle numbers, but a TD (or two if he’s lucky) is certainly on the table this week.

Evan Engram, New York Giants

Evan Engram finished his 2021 debut with only 2 catches for 21 yards and a fumble, but he did see 6 targets, good for a 17% team target market share (second on the team). Both Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton remain banged up and are questionable at best for Week 4. If both sit, Engram is a solid streaming TE option.