Fantasy Football: 5 Deep Sleepers for Week 5

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: Week 5

Tank Bigsby, RB, Jaguars

FanDuel Salary: $5,800 | Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 19%

The Jacksonville Jaguars are desperately searching for answers on offense, and deploying Tank Bigsby may be a solution for the run game right now. Travis Etienne remains the starter for the Jaguars, but the former first-round pick dealt with an apparent shoulder injury during the Week 4 loss to the Houston Texans, which led to Bigsby getting more opportunities.

Just this past week, Bigsby rushed for 90 yards on 7 carries while recording a 57.1% rushing success rate and 8.95 rushing yards over expected per attempt on a 29.3% snap rate, via NextGenStats. Meanwhile, Etienne logged 50 rushing yards on 11 attempts with a 36.4% rushing success rate and 1.35 rushing yards over expected per attempt on a 51.7% snap rate.

Up to this point, Bigsby has flashed plenty of explosiveness in his sophomore campaign with a fantastic 3.86 rushing yards over expected per attempt and 52.4% rushing success rate despite playing on 23.3% of the snaps. With Jacksonville entering Week 5 with an 0-4 record, Bigsby could begin to get more work moving forward.

The matchup is a favorable one for Bigsby if that comes to fruition as the Indianapolis Colts have given up the fifth-most rushing yards (476) and second-most expected rushing yards (482.2) to RBs.

Tre Tucker, WR, Raiders

FanDuel Salary: $5,800| Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 12%

There are ongoing trade rumors involving Davante Adams, paving the way for other WRs on the Las Vegas Raiders to step up in his absence. While Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers are the primary options sans Adams, Tre Tucker has quietly been solid in the last two games.

Over the last two weeks, Tucker is logging an 82.5% snap rate, 87.3% route rate, 23.8% target share, 29.6% air yards share, and a team-best 2.21 yards per route run. It is clear that Tucker is going to be the wideout replacing Adams for the Raiders -- at least for the time being.

With an expanded role, Tucker has posted 12-plus FD points in back-to-back contests. The concern with Tucker this week is the Denver Broncos have been a formidable defense that is permitting the second-fewest yards per route run (1.13) to WRs.

That being said, the Raiders are expected to be playing from behind, and Tucker shouldn't see much Patrick Surtain II in coverage as he'll likely be on Meyers for most of the game.

Tutu Atwell, WR, Rams

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

Amid the absences of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, the Los Angeles Rams have needed a few WRs to take on a larger role in the passing attack. Of the wideouts getting snaps for the Rams, Tutu Atwell is one of the pass-catchers who has operated as a vertical threat for Matthew Stafford in recent weeks.

Besides registering a 14.4-yard average depth of target, Atwell is sporting a 19.0% target share, 34.2% air yards share, and a team-high 3.54 yards per route run since Week 2. Even though Demarcus Robinson is also receiving deep targets from Stafford, Atwell is recording 3.7 receptions and 74.3 receiving yards per game in the last three weeks (compared to Robinson notching only 1.7 receptions and 39.7 receiving yards per game in the same span).

At the very least, Atwell has tallied 10-plus FD points in back-to-back weeks with five-plus targets in each outing. Until Kupp and/or Nacua return, Atwell remains a boom-or-bust option in every fantasy format.

Entering Week 5, the Rams are home underdogs to the Green Bay Packers, so Atwell could be in store for another noteworthy performance if Stafford can connect on a couple of deep throws.

Jordan Whittington, WR, Rams

FanDuel Salary: $5,400 | Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 5%

Along with Atwell, rookie Jordan Whittington is emerging as a potential go-to option for Stafford in the Rams' aerial attack. Whittington has been someone who has been commonly included in my stash candidates article this season, and there's a chance he carves out a role even when Kupp and Nacua return.

Through the first three weeks of the season, Whittington was logging a 27.2% snap rate, 21.4% route rate, 5.1% target share, and 2.08 yards per route run. But in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears, Whittington led the Rams in snap rate (96.6%), route rate (100.0%), and target share (27.6%) with a solid 1.94 yards per route run en route to him hauling in 6 of his 8 targets for 62 yards.

Sean McVay is expressing more trust in Whittington after giving him the first few weeks to get acclimated as the first-year wideout is the one WR on LA's roster who can do some of what Kupp/Nacua do in the offense. Whittington isn't on the level of Kupp/Nacua, but Atwell, Robinson, or Tyler Johnson aren't going to be high-volume WRs given their skill sets.

Once again, the Rams are expected to be playing from behind versus the Packers on Sunday, and Whittington is becoming a trustworthy option for Stafford.

Erick All Jr., TE, Bengals

FanDuel Salary: $4,400 | Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 1%

If it weren't for a knee injury that ended his final collegiate season prematurely in 2023, Erick All Jr. may have already been starting at TE for the Cincinnati Bengals. For the first three weeks of the season, All has been playing behind Mike Gesicki and Drew Sample -- with Sample mostly being on the field to block.

Across the first three games, All earned a 39.1% snap rate, 24.8% route rate, and 1.86 yards per route run while averaging 2.7 receptions for 18 receiving yards per game. However, things shifted in Week 4 as All led the TEs on the team with a 61.3% snap rate while posting a 13.3% target share and 2.55 yards per route amid a 4-reception, 28-yard outing from the rookie pass-catcher.

Things are dire at the TE position this year, and the Bengals have shown a willingness to use their TEs so far despite having Tee Higgins back in the passing game. FanDuel Research's Aidan Cotter has mentioned All as a streaming option in Week 5 as his role continues to grow in Cincy's offense.

For those who take a chance on All, just note that Gesicki is also getting snaps at TE, and the Bengals still have Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase to get the ball to.

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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.