The injury bug hit fantasy football rosters hard last week, with James Conner, Mike Evans, and others putting holes in our fantasy football rosters. With that in the immediate rearview, you might be looking at a one-week fill-in to help lead your team to glory. Below are three players at each position available in at least 50% of Yahoo! leagues, with one deep dive player available in at least 90% of leagues. This is the last week without byes until Thanksgiving, so
QUARTERBACK SLEEPERS
Geno Smith (43% rostered) vs. Chicago
Geno isn’t flashy, but you can’t deny the opportunity. He’s top-ten in dropbacks, deep-ball rate, and passing yards of 20+ air yards. That last statistic makes this a primo matchup for Geno. The Bears are undeniable. He’s top-10 in dropbacks, deep-ball rate, and is second in both passing yards and passing yards of 20+ air yards. The Chicago passing defense is especially susceptible to those deep balls, as it has yielded the fourth-most yards on 20+ air yard pass attempts so far this season. The Bears’ defense has given up nine total touchdowns to quarterbacks so far this season and has created two of the first three NFC Offensive Players of the Week. Geno is a nice floor play with decent upside.
Jaxson Dart (19% rostered) vs. Chargers
The Giants’ 25th-overall pick in the 2025 draft gets his first start in a tough home test against the Chargers, and the newest New York Football Giants franchise savior era begins. Now, rookie quarterbacks can be volatile, but Dart brings the exact kind of volatility fantasy managers want with his rushing upside. The Chargers have already allowed 110 rushing yards to quarterbacks so far this season (second-most in the NFL), and Dart’s rushing ability could see him immediately carve out a Daniel Jonesian role as his passing gets up to snuff. His dual-threat skillset against the Khalil Mack-less Chargers defense makes him a viable streaming option in his first career start.
Carson Wentz (7% rostered) at Pittsburgh (in Dublin)
Despite their reputation as a strong defense, the Pittsburgh defense stinks this season. They’re quietly a dream matchup for fantasy quarterbacks, allowing two of three to clear 295 total yards and three touchdowns (when combining rushing and receiving stats). Wentz’s overall totals last week were capped by the Vikings’ defense masterblasting Jake Browning (just 20 attempts in Week 3), but he was efficient with 173 yards and two scores. It’s not exciting, but Wentz should put in yeoman’s work in week four.
RUNNING BACK SLEEPERS
Kareem Hunt (37% rostered) vs. Baltimore
I feel incredibly nervous recommending a member of the Chiefs’ backfield, but you can’t deny the matchup. The Lions’ rushing attack gouged the Ravens last week for two top-five finishes thanks to four rushing touchdowns from David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. While Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt are mired in a nasty split (31 opportunities to Hunt in three games, and 28 to Pacheco), but Hunt came in for the only carry inside the five for the Chiefs so far this season. He’s a touchdown-or-bust Flex, but this matchup and his opportunities lead me to believe in him in this matchup.
Woody Marks (22% rostered) vs. Tennessee
The arrow is pointing up for Marks, as his snap share has climbed each week (11.1% in week one to 26.5% in week two, and 47.6% in week three), and while his touches are still modest, the Titans are the right defense for his breakout game.. Tennessee has surrendered five RB scores already and is in the bottom three in fantasy points allowed to the position. If the usage trend continues, Marks could turn opportunity into production this week. Nick Chubb is the only part of this equation that gives me pause, as he isn’t going away, and Marks consolidated power by shunting Dare Ogunbowale and Dameon Pierce to the phantom zone, not by eating into Chubb’s carries. Either way, his breakout is coming, and you should get him onto your roster on the cheap.
Justice Hill (4% rostered) at Kansas City
Hill quietly played over half the snaps last week and has been heavily involved in the passing game (seven targets over his last two games). He will go up against a Chiefs defense that just let Cam Skattebo carve them up as a receiving back. Because of his usage and the defense he’s going up against, Hill profiles as a sneaky PPR scam play. Don’t expect a ton of rushing volume, but five catches could easily push him into Flex territory.
WIDE RECEIVER SLEEPERS
Christian Kirk (34% rostered) vs. Tennessee
Last season, the Texans spammed Stefon Diggs in short-area, high-volume bursts. When he tore his ACL in week eight, he was on track for 99.9 receptions for 1054 yards, making him a must-start player in all PPR leagues. Now, fast forward to 2025, and Christian Kirk looks to be the new Stefon Diggs. He keeps the chains moving as the short area target, who doesn’t get a ton of plays downfield, but who churns out PPR fantasy points. He had eight targets last week, which already puts him third on the team in targets. The Texans need stability at their WR2 spot, as neither Jayden Higgins (4/5/65) nor Jaylin Noel (2/3/11) has hit yet this season, despite their high draft capital.
Elic Ayomanor (29% rostered) at Houston
The fourth-round rookie looks to be the first rookie wide receiver to break the day three curse since Amon-Ra St. Brown. Ayomanor leads the NFL in first-read target share versus man coverage, which means that he and fellow rookie Cam Ward are getting in sync in a hurry. He’s found the end zone in two of three games and now faces a Texans defense that is neutral overall, so this has more to do with Ayomanor than the Texans. He’s more volatile than Kirk, but his touchdown equity makes him an upside swing.
Jalen Tolbert (3% rostered) versus Green Bay
With CeeDee Lamb on the shelf, the Cowboys need to turn to a depth receiver on their roster to act as the WR2 to George Pickens, and while Tolbert isn’t anywhere near Lamb’s skill level, he is likely to get the role. KaVontae Turpin has more fantasy points on the season, but his role is much more volatile as he acts primarily as a low-volume deep threat. Tolbert had six targets in relief of Lamb on Sunday, and he will fit into that role again this Sunday night.
TIGHT END SLEEPERS
Harold Fannin (40% rostered) at Detroit
While Fannin hasn’t quite returned to expectations for those who opened the FAB cannons on him after week one, he definitely entered the tight end blob with his subsequent performances. While the TE blob is unappealing (hence the name), Fannin has been serviceable and draws a matchup where tight ends continue to produce. Mark Andrews dominated the Lions last week, and even Tucker Kraft managed a score back in Week 1. If you need someone who will get you at least 8 PPR points this week, then Fannin is your man. With Bye weeks coming up, he might be worth an add even if you don’t play him this week.
Brenton Strange (27% rostered) at San Francisco
Strange has twelve targets in his last two games combined, and he turned them into nine catches for 88 yards. The 49ers have given up at least 40 yards and a score to tight ends in two straight games. This is a matchup made in heaven for Strange to put up some points. Worst-case scenario is that passing game coordinator Shane Waldron screws it all up, and it’s not like he’ll screw up a third-straight passing game, will he? If you don’t get that one, Google him.
Oronde Gadsden II (1% rostered) at Giants
Representing the deepest of plays, this is a hope that Gadsden will build on his performance from last week. Gadsden flashed with a 5/46 line last week and now faces a Giants defense that ranks 11th-most generous to tight ends. Rookie tight ends often take time, but Gadsden has the athletic profile to accelerate that curve. In TE-premium formats, he’s a worthwhile speculative add.
