4 Fantasy Football Sleepers for NFL Week 3

The word "sleeper" gets thrown around a lot in the world of fantasy football, to the point where an actual definition may vary from person to person. In general, in my eyes, sleepers are players who may be flying relatively under the radar in a particular week.
In any case, we all need to find a sleeper from time to time. Whether you're a season-long fantasy football manager looking to roster a potential breakout player before your league-mates, someone playing NFL DFS on FanDuel who needs a spike week from a low-salaried player, or even just a manager in a pinch due to byes or injuries, we have you covered.
Here are some fantasy sleepers who could have a big week this week.
We'll reference our NFL projections. All NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.
Fantasy Football Sleepers for Week 3
Daniel Jones, QB, Colts
FanDuel Salary: $7,800
Is Daniel Jones another former early-round pick at the quarterback position who is going to experience a late-career resurgence, or is his two-week sample with the Indianapolis Colts an anomaly? There's a chance things come crashing down for Jones at some point, but he deserves credit for how he's performed so far, leading the Colts to a 2-0 record while being the current QB2 in fantasy behind Lamar Jackson.
Aside from Jones completing 71.4% of his passes for 588 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions, he's added another 3 touchdowns on the ground. Before taking on a solid Tennessee Titans defense in Week 3, Jones is coming off an impressive outing against a stout Denver Broncos defense, earning QB7 status in Week 2 with 316 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown, and 1 rushing touchdown.
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While we shouldn't expect Jones to find the end zone with his legs every week, his rushing yard outputs should improve moving forward, as he's averaging 6.5 rushing attempts and 3.5 designed runs per game, via Next Gen Stats. With the Colts being favored on the road against a Titans squad that has struggled to begin Cameron Ward's career in the NFL, there are multiple ways for Jones to provide value in fantasy due to his dual-threat ability in Shane Steichen's offense.
Michael Penix Jr., QB, Falcons
FanDuel Salary: $6,800
After scoring 24 fantasy points and finishing as the QB10 in fantasy in Week 1, Michael Penix Jr. posted only 5.3 fantasy points in Week 2, which placed him as QB32 for the week. Despite Penix's quiet outing in Week 2, a lot of quarterbacks tend to have trouble against the Minnesota Vikings' defense, and he'll be treated to a favorable matchup versus the winless Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Although it's a different season and they're different teams now, Penix logged 26 fantasy points in a Week 18 contest against the Panthers in 2024. Across the first two weeks of the 2025 campaign, Carolina's defense is 30th in pressure rate (24.2%) and 20th in defensive passing success rate (46.8%).
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In addition to expecting Bijan Robinson to have a field day against the Panthers' 30th-ranked schedule-adjusted run defense, they are also 24th in schedule-adjusted pass defense, paving the way for Penix to bounce back following an underwhelming performance in Week 2.
Darnell Mooney, WR, Falcons
FanDuel Salary: $5,800
Besides liking Penix in a game where the Atlanta Falcons are favored and facing a below-average defense, this might be a week where Darnell Mooney has a notable performance. Mooney was inactive in Week 1 for the Falcons, but he immediately became a full-time player in the offense upon his return in Week 2, earning an 85.7% snap rate and 100.0% route rate in the win over the Vikings.
Admittedly, Mooney is a bit of a boom-or-bust option in fantasy, but all it takes is one or two deep shots for him to return value in all fantasy football formats. After tallying a career-best 15.5 yards per reception in 2024 with Atlanta, Mooney appears to be locked into a deep threat role again in 2025, evidenced by him having a team-high 12.8-yard average depth of target and 3 downfield targets (targets of 10-plus yards) in Week 2.
With Mooney playing in two-receiver sets opposite Drake London, he can be a sneaky option in leagues where you need help at receiver or a contrarian option in large-field tournaments in DFS.
Wan'Dale Robinson, WR, Giants
FanDuel Salary: $5,900
Wan'Dale Robinson was a popular waiver-wire addition this week after he surprisingly produced in the air yards category, landing him in the WR5 spot in half-PPR formats in Week 2. Even though Robinson is someone I'd be looking to sell-high in fantasy football -- for the right return -- he's viable in half-PPR and full-point PPR leagues due to his consistent role out of the slot for the New York Giants.
Not only are the Giants deploying 11 personnel at the eighth-highest rate (72.4%) in the NFL through the first two weeks, but Robinson is registering a modest 73.2% snap rate, 73.3% route rate, 25.0% target share, and 28.6% end-zone target share to begin the year. Russell Wilson performed better in his second game in Brian Daboll's offense, and the hope is that he can be serviceable enough against an above-average Kansas City Chiefs defense on Sunday Night Football this week.
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While Robinson's production is partly reliant on Wilson, the Giants are fourth in pass rate over expected (6.3%), they are underdogs at home in Week 3, and the Chiefs are permitting the third-most fantasy points per game to slot receivers.
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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.