Quarterback
Jacoby Brissett, IND (at Kansas City) - Whether or not T.Y. Hilton plays, Brissett is a strong start at Kansas City. The Chiefs offense is getting back Damien Williams and possibly even Tyreek Hill, not that Patrick Mahomes II needed the help against a defense that will be missing centerfielder Malik Hooker, and maybe Darius Leonard if he doesn’t clear concussion protocol. Brissett didn’t play his best football last week vs. Oakland, but still posted a solid fantasy line in an attempt to make up the deficit, which is the position he’ll likely be in Sunday night.
Jimmy Garoppolo, SF (vs Cleveland) - Garoppolo is coming off of a bye and will be playing in front of a fired up home crowd under the Monday night lights. The team had a week to reflect and adjust the offense and should have a rested and full speed trio of wide receivers and of course George Kittle. The Browns secondary is still banged up and the 49ers should be able to take advantage with two weeks of preparation.
Mason Rudolph, PIT (vs Baltimore) - The Steelers took a lot off of Rudolph’s plate the last two weeks, but they’ll need to challenge him this week. The Ravens offense is dangerous and should force the Steelers out of their shell, which is convenient because Baltimore’s pass defense has been one of the worst in the league. This game could turn into a shootout and the Ravens pass rush hasn’t been getting home, so the Steelers stellar offensive line should allow Rudolph to get back into Big XII mode.
Andy Dalton, CIN (vs Arizona) - Dalton was mercilessly hassled by the Steelers defensive line last week, but the Cardinals don’t have quite the same depth and quality upfront, and they have been giving up easy days to quarterbacks every week so far this season. Even without John Ross and AJ Green, the Bengals can still use their tight ends against the worst defense in the league at defending the position, and they still have Tyler Boyd to gobble up catches in the middle of the field. New head coach Zac Taylor should be able to get back into the aggressive passing mode that fueled Dalton’s career high in pass yards in Seattle back in Week 1.
Running Back
Nyheim Hines, IND (at Kansas City) - Marlon Mack may not play on Sunday night, and even if he does, he could be limited or leave due to reinjury. While many will see Jordan Wilkins as the beneficiary, Hines is actually the back who will fit better in the game script of the Colts having to open up the passing game to keep up with Patrick Mahomes II. Whether Wilkins or Mack gets the start, Hines should be the back on the field for a lot of the second half, and the Chiefs will likely allow him to rack up catches in the comeback effort.
Chase Edmonds, ARI (at Cincinnati) - Wouldn’t it just make sense for the Cardinals to use David Johnson as a receiver now that they are down two of their top three wide receivers? Pharoh Cooper was just added to play the slot, but both Johnson and Edmonds have more experience in this offense and both are more than capable of playing the slot. If the Cardinals want their best offensive players on the field, Edmonds should be playing over the likes of Cooper, Andy Isabella, Trent Sherfield, or Keesean Johnson. He looked like a more aggressive and better runner between the tackles than David Johnson last week and could kick start the running game with more opportunity.
Tarik Cohen, CHI (vs Oakland - London) - Cohen flourished with Chase Daniel last year, going off for 12 catches and 156 yards in Daniel’s second start and seven catches for 45 yards and a score in his first start. This should be Cohen’s best game to date against the Raiders defense that allowed six catches for 59 yards to Nyheim Hines last week.
Jaylen Samuels, PIT (vs Baltimore) - By kickoff, Samuels may not be a sleeper at all with James Conner not practicing through the first two sessions of the week. That would elevate Samuels to a must start, as he was worth at least 15 PPR points in each of his three starts. Even if Conner can go, Samuels showed he is viable as a wildcat quarterback last week and we already knew that Samuels was an excellent receiving back. The Steelers should keep him heavily involved no matter what happens with Conner’s ankle.
Carlos Hyde, HOU (vs Atlanta) - Hyde didn’t get a huge workload last week, but averaged almost five yards per carry on 12 totes, in addition to padding his PPR numbers with four receptions. He should get a healthy workload against a weary Atlanta defense that just saw 27 Derrick Henry carries against them last week, and if Deshaun Watson predictably exploits the weaknesses in the Falcons secondary that allowed Marcus Mariota to throw for three scores against them last week, Hyde should get a lot of second half carries to seal a win.
Wide Receiver
Auden Tate, CIN (vs Arizona) - Tate will be a full-time receiver now with John Ross and AJ Green out and this week at least he faces a secondary that should be very beatable. The Cardinals have given up four scores to opposing wideouts so far this year and Seattle only failed to do more last week because the game was never really in question. The Bengals defense is suspect and this could turn into a track meet in short order, which gives Tate a high ceiling this week.
Diontae Johnson, PIT (vs Baltimore) - Johnson has gotten free for a long score in each of his first two starts, and he’s facing a Ravens pass defense that has allowed at least 197 yards to opposing wide receivers in every game except when they were facing Miami. The Ravens should give extra attention to Juju Smith-Schuster and leave Johnson open in one and one situations.
Zach Pascal, IND (at Kansas City) - If T.Y. Hilton is active, some will see that as a bad thing for Pascal, but Hilton’s presence would focus the defense on him and allow others to see better matchups. If Hilton is out, Pascal could be one of the most frequent targets for Jacoby Brissett in a game that should force him to air it out. Pascal has been worth 11+ PPR points each of the last two games, and his target and snap shares are both trending up.
Dante Pettis, SF (vs Cleveland) - Pettis was finally involved in the pass offense in Week 3, including a game-winning score, and the team has had a week off to refocus around his readily apparent route-running ability and speed. Pettis quietly led the team’s receiver corps in targets in that game, and he’s facing a Browns secondary that gave up two 100-yard games to receivers in Week 3 and two scores to receivers in Week 4.
Phillip Dorsett, NE (at Washington) - The entire Patriots pass offense came up small against the Bills last week, but Dorsett still lead the receivers in targets, showing his core involvement in the passing game. This week, he faces the Washington secondary that already gave up two long scores to Desean Jackson, one to Devin Smith, and one to Taylor Gabriel. Look for Dorsett to get free at least once and remember that he has as many touchdowns this year as the rest of the Patriots wide receivers combined.
Tight Ends
Tyler Eifert, CIN (vs Arizona) - This is the easiest call of the week among sleepers. Everyone tight end against the Cardinals has been a top two option in the entire league that week. Eifert doesn’t much left in the tank, but Greg Olsen scored twice against the Cardinals and he’s in the autumn of his career. Play tight ends against the Cardinals until they figure this out.
Dawson Knox, BUF (at Tennessee) - Knox had his second straight usable week in fantasy leagues, including a twisting wide receiver like catch on a big third down. He should be a big part of the passing game against a Titans defense that gave up nine catches for 130 to Austin Hooper last week and a touchdown to a tight end in each of the three previous games.
Jared Cook, NO (vs Tampa Bay) - Only OJ Howard has been a bigger disappointment than Cook among tight ends this year, but this week could be a surprise get right game for him. Teddy Bridgewater should concentrate on short passing against a Tampa defense that gave up six for 110 to Greg Olsen on a night that nothing else was working for the Panthers offense, two touchdowns to George Kittle that were called back by penalty, six for 113 and a touchdown to Evan Engram and a combined nine catches for 85 yards and a score to Rams tight ends last week.
Nick Vannett, PIT (vs Baltimore) - Vance McDonald is probably not going to play this week, so Vannett should start again for Pittsburgh, and he actually had a full week to prepare as a member of the team. He could be an important target for Mason Rudolph against a Ravens defense that allowed Ricky Seals-Jones to score and get free for a long gain against them last week and also gave up an 18-yard reception to Pharaoh Brown. They faced Ryan Izzo, Mike Gesicki, Charles Clay, and Maxx Williams in the first three games.
