September 27, 2016

Matt Terelle brings you his sleepers at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end and defense/special teams for Week 4.

What's up RotoBallers. Welcome to my deeper fantasy football sleepers column for Week 4 of the NFL season. In this weekly article we are going to take a look at some deeper waiver wire sleepers who could help out your team in this upcoming week.

For reference's sake, we are looking at standard scoring leagues and will be using ownership percentage data from Fleaflicker. In order to qualify as a deep sleeper, a player must be 20% owned or less. Let's get to the picks!

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Quarterback

Trevor Siemian (DEN) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
(Ownership: 16%)

Siemian had a huge breakout in Week 3, carving up the Bengals for 312 passing yards and four touchdowns. While he's unlikely to hit four passing scores again anytime soon, he does have a matchup which should be favorable for him in Week 4. The Buccaneers have a stout run defense but their pass defense has not been great, which effectively forces teams to target their weakness in the passing game in order to move the ball.

Look for Siemian to continue to see success, as he and Emmanuel Sanders finally started to click in Week 3, connecting for two scores and well over 100 yards. With both Sanders and Demaryius Thomas playing at a high level and no one in Tampa's secondary possessing the ability to slow them down, Siemian shapes up as a strong QB2 in two-quarterback leagues and can be considered as a streamer in deeper one-quarterback leagues as well.

Running Back

Mike Tolbert (CAR) @ Atlanta Falcons
(Ownership: 4%)

Tolbert is nothing more than a plug-and-pray option for Week 4 and should only be reserved for those who are extremely desperate. That being said, there isn't much to get excited about on the waiver wire this week at the running back position as far as options less than 20% owned go. On the plus side, Tolbert sometimes operates as Carolina's goal line back, at least when Cam Newton isn't doing it himself. As such, there's a non-zero chance he finds himself in the end zone against an Atlanta run defense that hasn't been very good for a few years now.

Also consider picking up Wendell Smallwood, who is on bye this week. Smallwood is just 11% owned and saw 17 carries in Week 3 with Ryan Mathews banged up. He is an excellent pickup if you have room to stash him for an extra week just in case Mathews isn't ready to return in Week 5.

Wide Receiver

Jamison Crowder (WAS) vs. Cleveland Browns
(Ownership: 16%)

Crowder has put together a strong season for Washington, racking up 16 catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns. He will take on a Cleveland defense that may be without two starting cornerbacks in Week 4 as Joe Haden did not play in Week 3 and Tramon Williams left early with an injury. Without those two on the field, Dolphins slot man Jarvis Landry had a field day against the Browns, racking up seven catches for 120 yards and a touchdown. Crowder has been busy near the goal line this season, having already seen seven red zone targets through the first three weeks. If that kind of usage continues he will have value in standard and PPR leagues going forward.

Tight End

Hunter Henry (SD) vs. New Orleans Saints
(Ownership: 14%)

Henry filled in admirably for the injured Antonio Gates in Week 3. The rookie hauled in five catches for 76 yards against the Colts. By all accounts, Gates was not close to playing last week and is unlikely to be able to suit up against the Saints in Week 4. If that is the case, look for Henry to see a lot of playing time again. He gets a great matchup against a Saints secondary that can't cover anyone. New Orleans was last in the league in DVOA last season and isn't much better in 2016.

Defense/Special Teams

Washington Redskins vs. Cleveland Browns
(Ownership: 15%)

The Redskins defense will welcome Cleveland to town in what is a favorable matchup for them in Week 4. While rookie Cody Kessler played better than expected against the Dolphins last week, Cleveland's offensive line is still a mess and should provide the Redskins with a multitude of opportunities to get pressure on the rookie. Terrelle Pryor's breakout in Week 3 was eye-opening, but look for Josh Norman to put the clamps on him this weekend.