Sleepers Unleashing Their Power in Fantasy Football

These first four weeks of football have been particularly hectic, and we have seen a shocking number of preseason sleepers emerge and compile impressive stats already for their lucky fantasy owners.

Value is the name of the game in fantasy football, and there are plenty of high-profile players who have disappointed so far. But the opposite is true for the eight guys on this list.

If you even drafted any of the players here, it was likely very late in your draft. But these sleepers have unleashed their power through four weeks of the NFL season and provided tremendous value for their respective owners.

Delanie Walker

Mark Zaleski/Associated Press

Who would have thought that at 30 years old Walker would suddenly become one of the most reliable tight ends in football thus far?

Walker has been a waiver-wire blessing for anyone smart enough to pick him up (his ADP was 177.3). He may not replicate his Week 2 performance of 10 catches, 142 yards and a touchdown, but he's still going to be a legit TE1 for the time being.

He has a touchdown in three of his four games and is averaging 6.3 catches and 93.3 yards over his past three games. 

I would call him a good sell-high candidate, but unless you have one of the top tight ends also then he's probably a guy you want to hold onto.

Andrew Hawkins

USA TODAY Sports

Hawkins and the Cleveland Browns were off this week, but that should not take away from how impressive Hawkins has been through the first three games of the season.

People should have seen this coming, as Hawkins was taking over as the top receiver in a Josh Gordon-less offense with the talented Kyle Shanahan as the new offensive coordinator.

But Hawkins' ADP of 198.5 means he went undrafted in many leagues. Owners who invested in him or grabbed him off the waiver wire have been treated to an average of seven catches and 81 yards per game. 

That type of production might not be sustainable when Gordon returns, but he's going to settle in as a solid flex or WR3 option for the remainder of the season.

Ahmad Bradshaw

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Owners who were smart enough to draft Bradshaw at his near last-round position of 167.2 were surely counting on Trent Richardson to continue to be bad.

Those clever people have been rewarded greatly. Bradshaw has 182 rushing yards and 134 receiving yards through four games, to go along with 14 catches and four total touchdowns (all receiving).

Richardson still strangely gets a decent amount of touches, but Bradshaw has cemented himself as a real weapon in the passing game. He's a solid flex option moving forward.

Allen Hurns

USA TODAY Sports

Practically nobody knew who Hurns was until he exploded in Week 1, catching two touchdowns and making a real name for himself after going undrafted in May.

He was a nonfactor in Week 2 but then picked it back up in Weeks 3 and 4, proving that he isn't just a one-hit wonder.

The Miami product caught a 63-yard-touchdown in Week 3, then followed that up with five catches on six targets for 68 yards in Week 4. 

He had just three targets in Week 3 but has gotten at least six in his three other games. While it's hard to rely on him as a consistent starter right now, he's a fine high-upside flex option who could get better as the season wears on.

Larry Donnell

Alex Goodlett/Getty Images

Donnell has emerged as one of the two biggest surprise tight ends of the year (more on the other guy later). 

A complete unknown before the season who was probably not drafted in a single league anywhere, Donnell has absolutely shredded defenses in the first four weeks of the season, combining his big 6'5" frame with soft hands and a knack for the end zone.

He's caught at least five passes in all four games, with 236 total yards and four touchdowns. Victor Cruz is coming around, but Donnell seems to be Eli Manning's favorite target and is a great starting option now. 

Darren Sproles

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Chip Kelly, LeSean McCoy and Nick Foles were hogging most of the media attention throughout this past offseason, but Sproles has proven to be the most crucial part of Philadelphia's offense thus far.

He seems perfectly built for Kelly's fast and high-powered offense, utilizing his quickness and hands in creative ways to dominate in open space.

Sproles has started off with a bang in 2014, even when factoring in his lackluster Week 4 performance. The former Saints back has rushed for 121 yards and two touchdowns while adding 16 catches for 198 yards.

That puts him on pace for 1,276 total yards and eight touchdowns. It is a sustainable pace in Philly's potent offense, and Sproles is a high-end RB2 for owners who picked him up at his ADP of 101.2

Brian Quick

Scott Kane/Associated Press

Quick isn't even listed in the ADP rankings, but he's been a waiver-wire savior for those who scrambled to grab him in the past few weeks.

Someone has to catch passes in St. Louis, right? Who better than Quick, an overlooked former second-round pick from Appalachian State.

He and the Rams were off in Week 4, but Quick was one of fantasy football's most consistent performers in the first three weeks of the season. He caught seven balls for 99 and 74 yards in Week 1 and 2, respectively, and then pulled in two passes for 62 yards and a score in Week 3.

Quick may not have the upside to be a weekly starter, but he's a solid WR3/flex option now, which is a heck of a value for a guy who wasn't drafted by almost anyone.

Terrance West

USA TODAY Sports

West actually has a reasonably high ADP for this list, clocking in at 139.3. His dominance at Towson provided some hype, and Ben Tate is a known injury risk.

After Tate did indeed succumb to injury, West took over and hasn't looked back. The powerful runner has been an absolute workhorse in his first three games (the Browns were on bye in Week 4). 

In his debut in Week 1, West took over and rushed for 100 yards after Tate went down. In the two games following, he rushed for a combined 104 yards and two touchdowns, adding in four catches for 27 yards.

Don't be too scared by Tate's return. West has proven his mettle, and Tate could go down again.

Niles Paul

USA TODAY Sports

Paul is the other big-time tight end Cinderella story in the NFL thus far, although his scary injury in Week 4 could set him back a bit.

Paul wasn't listed for his ADP, probably because nobody outside of Washington even knew his name until September 7, when he debuted with four catches and 86 yards.

Since then, Paul has been one of the best receiving tight ends in the league and has 21 catches for 213 yards and a score so far this season.

With Jordan Reed still out with an injury, the path is clear for Paul to remain as a TE1 as long as he recovers from his head injury last Thursday night.