The search for breakout sleepers continues. In fact, not only will it continue, but we are changing the parameters. Previously, we were looking at players less than 50% rostered on Yahoo, but I’ve been politely informed by the internet that that’s not deep enough. So we are moving the bar lower to 40%. Literally every player in these articles so far has been under that mark anyway, but I just don’t want anyone out there to think they are being shortchanged.

a young boy is sitting in front of a shelf and says keep the change you filthy animal

And, despite the difficulty in the self-assigned task, we have managed to hit a couple. Last week, Kenyon Sadiq went for 105 yards and a TD on seven catches. And the previous week, our guy Tre Tucker went for 119 yards and a TD on five catches. Will we hit another this week? Probably not, because five of these guys are rostered in less than 20% of leagues on Yahoo and two are at 0%. But we are still going to try. 

 

Week 4 Quarterback Sleepers

Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns, Yahoo Ownership: 7%

We included Deshaun Watson in the article last week despite it being an unpopular pick (for more reasons than one). And, despite Deshaun Watson being the QB10 in fantasy football, he still remains unrostered in 93% of leagues on Yahoo. Which I completely understand if it's a league you are playing just for fun, but with real money on the line, Watson deserves a look here.

Not only is he doing a solid job through the air, but he’s running the ball well too. If you remove scrambles, QB sneaks, and kneel-downs, Watson is tied with Josh Allen with eight designed run calls through three weeks. The big difference is that Allen has six rushing TDs and Watson has zero despite taking multiple designed runs in the red zone. Sooner or later, that rushing is going to translate to a game with a rushing touchdown or two, which is the easiest way for QBs to get to a three- or four-TD game. That could happen as soon as this Thursday, so it’s worth throwing Watson on the bench, especially if it's a league with settings that allow you to drop someone from your bench after they play. 

 

 

 

Week 4 Running Back Sleepers

Keaton Mitchell, Los Angeles Chargers,  Yahoo Ownership: 34%

This isn’t the deepest sleeper - he was especially popular in best ball this offseason. A lot of that thought process was tied to new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel personally requesting that they sign Mitchell. It doesn’t hurt that he previously played for Jim Harbaugh’s brother and likely got an endorsement there. That said, he’s still available in 66% of leagues on Yahoo, so he fits our parameters here.

One reason we liked the potential for Omarion Hampton is that the Shanahan scheme uses a lot of motion, which has RBs lining up at WR often. Over the last couple of years, Christian McCaffrey and De’Von Achane have easily led the league in routes run from a WR spot among RBs. Unfortunately for Hampton, Mitchell is the one getting those snaps and has actually run 18 routes from a WR spot, second only to McCaffrey’s 19. So he’s getting the work that historically has translated well to PPR. 

CJ Donaldson, New Orleans Saints, Yahoo Ownership: 0%

If Keaton Mitchell is our shallow sleeper, CJ Donaldson is our deep cut. The Saints are expected to be without Travis Etienne this week, which leaves them with Alvin Kamara, Kendre Miller, and Donaldson. And, though Donaldson is third of that group on the depth chart, there is one path for him to play more than expected this week.

Travis Etienne has not only been the starter, but he’s been the most trusted back in pass pro with 27 snaps. At this stage in the game, they do not trust Kamara in that capacity - he has one pass-block snap on the season. Miller has gotten a chance, but he has been terrible, grading out as RB93 of 99 in pass blocking per PFF. The sack he allowed in Week 1 could be part of the reason he was a healthy scratch in Week 2 in favor of Donaldson. And this has led the 230-pound Donaldson to be second on the team in pass-blocking snaps, where he grades out well. If he can carve out a role there, maybe he can get a couple targets. Or maybe they reward the big dog with a short-yardage TD. He’s obviously more of a DFS dart than anything, but a narrative is there. And he is rostered in literally zero percent of leagues on Yahoo, so I won’t hear any complaining about him not being a “sleeper”.

 

Week 4 Wide Receiver Sleepers

Chris Bell, Miami Dolphins, Yahoo Ownership: 5%

Chris Bell was in our waiver article this week, yet he’s still available in 95% of leagues. The narrative we are betting on is the same one the Dolphins themselves are betting on. That Chris Bell is actually really good, but he was just hurt during the entire pre-draft process and most of camp. Despite tearing his ACL at the tail end of the 2025 NCAA season, the Dolphins still felt good enough about the upside to make him a third-round pick.

And his recovery has gone about as well as anyone could have expected. Despite missing virtually the entire offseason, Bell was able to go out and play 52 snaps this past week, which was second only to Malik Washington’s 63. This is a mystery box player on a team completely devoid of receiving talent who is just now getting up to speed. And he actually got seven targets this past week, but no one cares because it’s the Dolphins. In this article, we care. 

Brycen Tremayne, Carolina Panthers, Yahoo Ownership: 0%

This one depends entirely on Jalen Coker being out. If Coker is ruled out with the quad issue, Tremayne becomes a sneaky DFS play here at the very least. Tetairoa McMillan is the clear number one but even if Xavier Legette is active, he’s working his way through a knee issue that kept him out last week. And he’s really not that good.

The key for Brycen Tremayne is his relationship with OC Brad Idzik. When Idzik was working at Stanford, he recruited Tremayne by saying, “Come here, and you’ll get a fair shot”. Well, when he was hired by the Panthers, Idzik turned to Tremayne and basically said the same thing. He might not be the flashiest player, but he works hard and has an intimate understanding of the scheme, which is why he garnered six targets last week. That wasn’t a fluke and this week, they get the Lions, which have created shootout conditions. 

 

 

 

Week 4 Tight End Sleepers

Darren Waller, Carolina Panthers, Yahoo Ownership: 19%

Brycen Tremayne isn’t the only Panther we are looking at. With Darren Waller, we are interested regardless of the status of Coker or Legette. And there are three parts to that. The first two are related to the usage for Waller. He’s gotten ramped up from 40% to 55% to 58% of the snaps, where, hopefully, he crosses that threshold this week into a regular player. He’s also been one of their primary endzone targets with three endzone targets (all three were caught, but one was called back due to a penalty). But the third part is the most interesting - this matchup.

The Detroit Lions have had a rough start to the season against the pass. That’s largely because both of their starting safeties, Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, have been on IR. Since you need to miss a minimum of four games, they are both already out for this week. That has actually led the Lions to be the worst team so far this year against the tight end by a wide margin. And part of that is allowing SIX touchdowns to tight ends. That’s where Waller thrives, and he’s still available in 81% of leagues on Yahoo. 

 

 

Where Do We Rank The Fantasy Football Breakout Sleepers This Week?

The toughest question, week in and week out, is whether you should just start the “safe” guys you have or whether you can just throw a dart at this week’s possible breakout. Lucky for you, we rank every one of these guys for PPR, half PPR, and standard rankings every single week. So check out the Fantasy Alarm Weekly Rankings to see exactly where these guys fall compared to the other options out there. If it’s anywhere close, it’s always more fun to throw in that sleeper!