Fantasy Football: 4 Deep Sleepers for NFL Week 4

If you're in a deep league or are playing some large-field NFL DFS tournaments on FanDuel this week, you'll probably need some deep sleepers on your squad.

Here are some players who are on the majority of waiver wires but need to be on your radar this week.

We'll reference our fantasy football projections. All NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook, and lines may change after this article is published.

Fantasy Football Deep Sleepers for Week 4

Sterling Shepard, WR, Buccaneers

FanDuel Salary: $5,300 | Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 3%

We've got a bunch of banged-up wide receivers in Week 4. CeeDee Lamb (ankle) and Mike Evans (hamstring) are each set to miss multiple weeks while Ricky Pearsall (knee), Jauan Jennings (ankle), and Terry McLaurin (quad) are other key names that have not practiced as of Thursday morning and are at risk of missing Sunday's action.

So, if you're in a deep league, you may need an under-the-radar wide receiver. We'll start with my favorite for this week: Sterling Shepard.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are expected to get Chris Godwin back this week, but they'll be missing Evans and Jalen McMillan. Godwin hasn't played in nearly one year after sustaining a nasty ankle injury. He might not be ready for a full role by Sunday. As a result, Shepard could be second in line for targets behind Emeka Egbuka.

The veteran caught four of his five targets for 80 yards and ran a team-high 75.8% of the routes in Week 3 despite Evans seeing the field for majority of that one. Shepard has run 73.9% of the routes on the season. Baker Mayfield's posted an impressive +0.24 EPA/db, and he'll likely need to chuck it on Sunday given the Bucs are 3.5-point underdogs against the Philadelphia Eagles. Rostered in just 3% of leagues, Shepard is an intriguing deep sleeper for Week 4.

Josh Palmer, WR, Bills

FanDuel Salary: $5,200 | Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 19%

The Buffalo Bills could name their number when they host the New Orleans Saints this weekend -- the Bills are a 15.5-point favorite with a ginormous 31.5 implied team total.

Will that open up the door for Josh Palmer to pop?

Palmer's been relatively quiet this season, catching 8 of his 13 targets for 113 yards through three games. His role, however, is notable. Palmer is enjoying a 24.8% air yards share (second-highest on team), 13.6% red zone target share, and has a healthy 12.3 aDOT. His 27.6% downfield target share could lend itself to a huge play and a score this weekend.

With Buffalo set to be in the driver's seat versus New Orleans, they could use this as an opportunity to integrate Palmer. He saw just one target last week after logging nine targets in Week 1.

Chris Rodriguez Jr., RB, Commanders

FanDuel Salary: $5,600 | Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 11%

The Washington Commanders' backfield was difficult to navigate heading into the season, and injuries have made it only messier.

In Week 2, Austin Ekeler suffered an Achilles injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the season. Jacory Croskey-Merritt missed Wednesday's practice with a knee injury, as well. While Croskey-Merritt appears likely to suit up Sunday, Chris Rodriguez Jr. is still a viable deep sleeper.

Rodriguez earned his first touches of the season in Week 3 following the Ekeler injury. In fact, he led the team in carries (11) and was tied with JCM in snap rate (38.9%) and red zone rush attempts (2). He turned his 11 carries into just 39 yards, but the role suggests he could be primed to put up bigger numbers. That could be especially true in Sunday's match against the Atlanta Falcons.

Atlanta enters with an 18th-ranked schedule-adjusted rush defense and is currently listed as slight home underdogs despite Jayden Daniels (knee) and McLaurin being uncertain to play.

Cole Kmet, TE, Bears

FanDuel Salary: $4,800 | Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 2%

Cole Kmet is seeing the field but not earning targets. That's not a great sign, but the veteran could finally have a breakthrough in Week 4.

Through three games, Kmet has played a whopping 90.8% of the snaps and run 66.1% of the routes. He's been in on 95.7% of the red zone snaps, too. He saw his highest shares of the season last Sunday, logging a 93.0% snap rate and 71.4% route participation rate. Despite that, he was targeted just once -- though he caught it for a 10-yard touchdown.

Heading into Week 4, there are two key things working in Kmet's favor: the matchup and an injury.

The Las Vegas Raiders rank 28th in schedule-adjusted pass defense and are giving up the second-most yards per catch to tight ends (13.4). Plus, rookie tight end Colston Loveland left Sunday's contest with a hip injury and has not been able to practice as of Thursday. Kmet's dealing with a groin injury but was a full participant in practice on Thursday.

If Loveland can't go and Caleb Williams manages to dismantle the Raiders' defense the same way he did against the Dallas Cowboys last week, Kmet could be good for notable yardage and a score.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.