5 Fantasy Football Sleepers for NFL Week 5

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 5

Jaxson Dart, QB, Giants

FanDuel Salary: $6,900

Jaxson Dart made his first career start in Week 4 against a strong Los Angeles Chargers defense, and despite completing 13 of his 20 passes for only 111 yards and 1 touchdown, he managed to finish as the QB11 in fantasy. Dart was heavily involved in the New York Giants' rushing attack this past week with 10 carries for 54 yards and a score, and he'll likely be leaned on to use his legs again following the season-ending knee injury suffered by Malik Nabers.

While Dart seemingly picked up a hamstring injury in the win over the Chargers, it doesn't appear to be anything serious, as he won't miss any practice time because of the ailment. Even though we'll want to see more passing production moving forward, Dart earned seven designed runs and three red-zone carries for a 30.0% red-zone rushing share (via Next Gen Stats) in Week 4, so his dual-threat ability can make him viable in certain matchups.

After having to face the Bolts in his first start, Dart will take on a New Orleans Saints team in Week 5 that is 29th in fantasy points per drop back allowed (0.65) to QBs, 27th in defensive passing success rate (51.1%), and 32nd in pressure rate (22.1%).

Woody Marks, RB, Texans

FanDuel Salary: $5,400

Our Riley Thomas wrote up Woody Marks as one of his favorite waiver-wire adds entering Week 5 after the rookie back torched the Tennessee Titans defense for a RB4 finish in half-PPR formats in Week 4. Woods totaled 119 scrimmage yards and 2 touchdowns on 27 adjusted opportunities (carries plus 2x targets) against the Titans, which should lead to an increased role moving forward.

Plus, for the first time this season, Marks garnered a higher snap rate (58.5%) than veteran Nick Chubb (40.0%) in Week 4, and his explosiveness and versatility could be extremely valuable in a Houston Texans offense that is desperate to find playmakers aside from Nico Collins. Over the years, the Baltimore Ravens have typically fielded a stout defense, but they've been struggling to begin the year and are dealing with a variety of notable injuries, so Marks could have success again in Week 5.

Besides being ranked 31st in schedule-adjusted run defense, Baltimore's defense is currently 29th in target rate (24.1%), 21st in yards per route run (1.39), and 28th in rushing yards over expected per attempt permitted to RBs (0.96) this season.

Wan'Dale Robinson, WR, Giants

FanDuel Salary: $6,100

With Malik Nabers sidelined for the Giants, both Wan'Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton are expected to see their roles expand in the coming weeks. While Slayton figures to be a vertical threat for Jaxson Dart in New York's aerial attack, Robinson is likely going to see the bulk of the passing volume among the Giants' receivers -- unless the team makes a move at some point.

Nabers led New York's offense in route rate (77.8%), target share (28.7%), air yards share (54.9%), end-zone target share (60.0%), and yards per route run (2.20), but Robinson is second in all of those metrics with a 75.3% route rate, 22.1% target share, 23.9% air yards share, 30.0% end-zone target share, and 1.99 yards per route run. Robinson is also averaging 4.5 receptions and 59.3 receiving yards per game, though, his overall totals are currently being propped up by his Week 2 performance where he tallied 8 receptions for 142 yards and a score.

Luckily for Robinson, the Saints are showing tendencies of being a pass-funnel unit (ranking 29th in schedule-adjusted pass defense and 13th in schedule-adjusted run defense), and they are 29th in both fantasy points per target (1.81) and yards per route run allowed (1.87) to WRs.

Tre Tucker, WR, Raiders

FanDuel Salary: $5,700

Wan'Dale Robinson is often a player who will perform well in fantasy off of volume, and on the opposite end of the spectrum, Tre Tucker is someone you start if you're chasing upside. Tucker is admittedly a boom-or-bust option nearly every week, but there are reasons to consider him if you're dealing with byes or are looking for a contrarian option in large-field DFS tournaments in Week 5.

Along with Tucker scoring 36.9 fantasy points in Week 3, he's on the field often with the second-highest snap rate (92.9%) and second-highest route rate (90.3%) among the Las Vegas Raiders' skill players. Additionally, Tucker is tied for the highest end-zone target share (37.5%) on the Raiders, while his three downfield targets (targets of 10-plus yards) per game are second in Vegas' offense.

There's a chance Tucker can have a notable outing in Week 5 -- especially if the Raiders are playing from behind -- versus a Indianapolis Colts defense that is 22nd in fantasy points per target (1.54), 21st in target rate (20.0%), and 22nd in yards per route run allowed (1.59) to the WR position.

Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Browns

FanDuel Salary: $4,800

A matchup against the Minnesota Vikings in London on Sunday morning is far from an ideal situation for the Cleveland Browns and Harold Fannin Jr.. However, there are reasons to have some interest in Fannin in Week 5, beginning with the Browns making the move to bench Joe Flacco in favor of rookie Dillon Gabriel.

Along with Fannin potentially having a decent rapport with his fellow rookie signal-caller, he earned a season-high snap rate (84.6%) and route rate (71.1%) despite finishing with only 2 catches for 24 yards on 6 targets in Cleveland's lopsided loss in Week 4 to the Detroit Lions. Fannin can be effective with the ball in his hands, and Gabriel is a quarterback who is at his best when he's getting the ball out quick and playing within the structure of the offense, so the first-year tight end could be fed the ball a decent amount on Sunday.

Even with Minnesota's defense being an elite unit, they are 20th in receptions (21) and 23rd in target rate allowed (19.9%) to TEs, making Fannin a solid streamer or sleeper in half-PPR or full-point PPR leagues.

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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.