Fantasy football sleeper options stole the show in Week 3 of NFL action. De’Von Achane, Tank Dell, and Andy Dalton all finished as top-10 plays at their respective positions last week. Let’s take a closer look at some of my sleepers who are quality starting options for your fantasy team in Week 4.
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Week 4 Fantasy Football Sleepers | Quarterbacks
Jordan Love | Green Bay Packers vs. DET
Expert Consensus Rankings (ECR) still have Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love outside of their top 15 at the quarterback position. I particularly find this to be problematic because he has finished as a top-10 fantasy quarterback all three weeks of the NFL season.
Keep in mind that Love has done this while his top wide receiver and starting running back have missed the majority of the season.
Christian Watson is yet to make his 2023 debut, and Aaron Jones hasn’t seen the field since the season opener. Yet, Love has still managed to throw seven touchdown passes with just one interception through the first three games.
Love may get Jones, Watson, and starting left tackle David Bakhtiari back into the fold against the Detroit Lions, which could give Love a fully operational Packers offense for the first time this season.
He’s already proven he can be productive with Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed as his top options. It could be very exciting to see what he can do with the Packers’ offense close to full strength.
Andy Dalton | Carolina Panthers vs. MIN
Dalton’s 361 passing yards and two scores in Week 3 against the Seattle Seahawks just gave the Carolina Panthers’ organization plenty of reasons to be overly cautious with rookie quarterback Bryce Young while he recovers from an ankle injury.
MORE: PFN Consensus Rankings
Dalton threw the ball 58 times in his 2023 debut and could be in line for another potential shootout against the pass-happy Minnesota Vikings.
Sure, the Panthers’ offense isn’t exactly the most explosive unit in the league, but Dalton’s veteran command of this offensive scheme means it could still be productive against a suspect secondary.
Week 4 Fantasy Football Sleepers | Running Backs
Ezekiel Elliott | New England Patriots @ DAL
In a game script and rough windy conditions in Week 3, the New England Patriots leaned heavily on the running game in their 15-10 victory over the New York Jets. While Rhamondre Stevenson still led the team in carries, it was Elliott who led the team with 80 rushing yards on 16 carries.
This marks the second time this season that Elliott finished with more yards on fewer carries than Stevenson. Week 4 feels like a potential personal revenge for the former rushing champion, as the Pats will take on the Cowboys in Dallas.
If you had asked me a week ago if the fantasy outlook for a running back against the Cowboys’ defense would be favorable, I probably would’ve dismissed you immediately.
However, the Arizona Cardinals managed to rush for over 200 yards against this Cowboys unit.
If Dallas continues to struggle and this turns into a low-scoring affair, I can see another busy week for Elliott against his former team.
Zach Charbonnet | Seattle Seahawks @ NYG
Ladies and gentlemen… I present to you an angry run candidate of the week.
Sent 'em into the next zip code 😡@Seahawks | @InsideTheNFL pic.twitter.com/1ETwKhW6J3
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) September 25, 2023
Charbonnet could be a starting running back for more than a handful of teams in the NFL. Unfortunately, he is stuck in a tandem with the talented Kenneth Walker III for the foreseeable future.
And while that caps his fantasy ceiling, he is quietly seeing his role expand every week.
- Week 1: Three carries for 11 yards
- Week 2: Four carries for 16 yards & two receptions for 14 yards
- Week 3: Nine carries for 46 yards & one reception for -1 yard.
Charbonnet is a great running back in his own right and draws a matchup against the New York Giants who have allowed four rushing touchdowns to opposing running backs this season.
MORE: Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Week 4
If the Giants’ offense continues to struggle — who could be without Saquon Barkley again in Week 4 — Charbonnet could see more than enough work in a complementary role to have his first breakout fantasy performance.
Matt Breida | New York Giants vs. SEA
Speaking of the struggling New York offense, the only player to find the end zone wearing a Giants jersey against the San Francisco 49ers last week was Breida.
The Giants’ offense was mostly atrocious against the stout Niners unit, but Breida did manage a respectable 17 rushing on just four carries and managed to haul in three receptions in the passing game.
Of course, it’s hard to get excited about 18 total yards on just seven touches. But Breida is still the best bet to be a fantasy-relevant option from this backfield in Week 4 if Saquon misses another game due to an ankle injury.
Week 4 Fantasy Football Sleepers | Wide Receivers
Tank Dell | Houston Texans vs. PIT
Houston… we have a passing game.
One of the biggest surprises of the 2023 NFL season has been the production through the air from the Texans’ passing offense.
Rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud has thrown a minimum of 30 passes in all three games of the season. What is even more encouraging is the fact that the Texans’ signal-caller has yet to throw an interception this season.
All flowers for Stroud aside, Dell has seen his role continue to expand, catching 12 passes for 217 yards and two scores over the past two games. Dell gives Houston’s offense an explosive element — both vertically and after the catch — which continues to throw the ball more than 30 times a game.
He is an intriguing play against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 4.
Romeo Doubs | Green Bay Packers vs. DET
It is not often that I get to confidently stack a sleeper at the quarterback and wide receiver position in these articles, but I love what I’ve seen from the Love-Doubs connection so far in 2023.
After a quiet Week 2, Doubs hauled in five receptions for 73 yards and a score against a stingy New Orleans Saints passing defense to help the Packers improve to 2-1 on the season.
MORE: PFN’s NFL and Fantasy Player News Tracker
While the potential return of Watson could make it unlikely that he sees 12 targets again in Week 4, Doubs feels like he will be a consistent contributor to this Green Bay passing attack.
This bodes well for his fantasy outlook against the Detroit Lions, which could produce a higher-scoring game than many expected.
Joshua Palmer | Los Angeles Chargers vs. LV
When Los Angeles Chargers WR Mike Williams went down with an injury against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, it was Palmer — not Quentin Johnston — who saw an expanded role in the passing game.
Palmer has been the preferred option over Johnston the entire season to this point.
Palmer has seen more snaps and targets while producing more reception yards and touchdowns than his rookie competition.
This isn’t a fantasy death sentence for Johnston, who is a very talented receiver prospect. But it does signal that the short-term bump in fantasy value probably belongs to Palmer at the moment.
MORE: WR Fantasy Injury Report Week 4
If Austin Ekeler is available for their matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders this week, Palmer is probably the third option in the passing attack. If Ekeler misses another week, Palmer feels like a sneaky play in a plus matchup against the Raiders.
Week 4 Fantasy Football Sleepers | Tight Ends
Luke Musgrave | Green Bay Packers vs. DET
The rookie tight end may still be in search of his first career touchdown, but his involvement in the passing game through the first three weeks of the season certainly feels like his breakout fantasy performance is coming sooner rather than later.
Musgrave saw a career high in targets (eight) and receptions (six) in Week 3, and for the second time this season… left some more production on the field because of an overthrow by his quarterback.
Jordan Love lobs one up to an open Luke Musgrave but overthrows him#NOvsGB
— TheOnSeason (@TheOnSeason) September 24, 2023
Here are some of his stats in relation to the other Packers pass catchers through the first three weeks of the season.
- Targets: 3rd (15)
- Receptions: Tied for 1st (11)
- Receiving Yards: 3rd (124)
The target share and production have been encouraging through the first three games of his career.
Not to mention, Musgrave has multiple top-12 finishes at the tight end position through the first three weeks of the season. Once he starts finding the end zone, he can flirt with top-seven consideration every week.
Chig Okonkwo | Tennessee Titans vs. CIN
Chigoziem Okonkwo has failed to make a fantasy impact through the first three weeks of the NFL season. Is his performance to blame? No, this passing offense is off to a rough start this year, averaging an underwhelming 149 passing yards per game.
To be fair, the Titans have faced two of the toughest pass defenses in the league through the first three weeks of the season.
While Okonkwo has seen four targets in each of the last two games, the Titans just simply aren’t throwing the ball enough to make a third option in the passing game fantasy-relevant. For context, they are averaging just 27 passing attempts per game, which is 31st in the league.
The reason I’m optimistic about his outlook against the Cincinnati Bengals is the fact that Cincy allowed two touchdown receptions to opposing tight ends through the first two weeks.
If there is a week to take a chance on Okonkwo in your lineup, Week 4 feels like the right time.