Fantasy Football Week 5: Matt Camp's Top Sleepers at Every Position

Joe Flacco outscored Patrick Mahomes in Week 4.

That was a good representation of the type of things that happened in the final games of September, which shows you that even the best players can let you down once in a while.

Yes, we dealt with way too many useless touchdowns (Foster Moreau? Really?) and an ugly prime-time battle between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, but at least we got some strong efforts from the sleepers.

Last week's article featured Jacoby Brissett (QB5), Darrel Williams (RB12), T.J. Yeldon (RB29) and Will Dissly (TE2). Playing the matchups (Brissett and Dissly) worked out well, and Yeldon was a busy receiver with the Buffalo Bills playing from behind in the second half.

This week's sleepers will include some names who will likely make you cringe or question why they are featured, like Tyler Eifert, but it's important to trust the matchups and opportunities that should be available for these players. It's not all about talent. 

Still can't figure out your fantasy football lineup for the week? Check out Your Fantasy Fire Drill with Matt Camp, and he'll solve your problems live. Submit your questions and tune in every Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET, only on the B/R app.

Teddy Bridgewater, QB, New Orleans Saints

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Why am I talking about Bridgewater while he sits at QB27 in his three starts for the New Orleans Saints? Sometimes you just have to play the matchups, especially when it comes to streaming quarterbacks. And if both defenses are bad, that's even better.

We'll start with Bridgewater's opponent in Week 5, the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Through four games, quarterbacks have posted a league-high 1,352 yards against the Buccaneers, so while this unit has given up just five passing touchdowns, the yardage is massive. Coming into this game, Tampa Bay is the 11th-easiest matchup for quarterbacks.

That's probably not enough reason to use Bridgewater this week, which is why we also need to consider the struggles of the Saints defense. Only the Miami Dolphins have allowed more fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this year. QBs are averaging 295 passing yards per game against the Saints.

Against beatable defenses, both offenses should trade points in a high-scoring affair. It's never bad to have a piece of a game that could yield a lot of points. Take a look at Bridgewater if you're stuck at quarterback.

Nyheim Hines, RB, Indianapolis Colts

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Injuries continue to plague Marlon Mack's career, and that could be opening the door for Hines.

Last week, the Indianapolis Colts surprisingly played from behind during most of their eventual loss to the Oakland Raiders. Mack came into the game with leg issues and ended up being limited to a season-low 35.1 percent of the snaps. Mack's previous low was 61.2 percent the week prior in a win over the Atlanta Falcons. So was Mack too hurt to play, or did the score minimize his role?

Mack has been on the injury report with a calf ailment, but he came out of Week 4 with an ankle problem. Head coach Frank Reich said Mack played less and Hines played more partially because the team went into "no-huddle mode" and also because Mack was banged up, according to Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star.

There's credence to both factors. Hines is one of the best pass-catching backs in the league and Mack has missed multiple days of practice this week because of the ankle injury. Even if Mack is active for Sunday night's game with the Kansas City Chiefs, it would make sense for Hines to stay in an active role.

The Chiefs are tied with the Baltimore Ravens as the highest-scoring team in the league and second in yards per game. If Mack is hindered by his injury and/or the Colts are playing from behind, Hines could be busy. He's second on the team with 14 receptions after posting season highs in receptions (six) and snap percentage (45.5) in Week 4.

Hines would obviously get a significant boost if Mack can't go, but either way, he's at least a good flex option for Week 5.

Phillip Dorsett II, WR, New England Patriots

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The New England Patriots don't make life easy for fantasy owners trying to figure out which of their secondary options are worthy of a spot in starting lineups.

For as much love as Josh Gordon gets, he's tied for fourth on the team in receptions (14) behind Julian Edelman (21), James White (16), and Dorsett (15). While that's not a big difference, it should be noted that Dorsett is WR28 for the season with Edelman at WR33 and Gordon bringing up the rear at WR46.

You'll rarely see weekly rankings reflect those standings, including from myself, but you can at least recognize Dorsett is good enough to be a WR3/flex as part of one of the better offenses in the league. He should get additional consideration this week with a plus matchup in Washington.

The Redskins have provided the second-easiest matchup for wide receivers this season, which includes allowing a league-high eight touchdowns to the position. The Patriots would be wise to go after this weakness, especially since the team's struggling rushing attack ranks 24th through four weeks.

You don't have to think Dorsett is the best wide receiver in New England, even if his fantasy stats back up that statement. However, you can recognize he's been a good contributor in fantasy and has a chance to have another useful effort in an ideal matchup.

Tyler Eifert, TE, Cincinnati Bengals

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Unless he's already a widely owned player, you can pretty much guarantee the tight end facing the Arizona Cardinals will be featured in the sleepers article every week. 

While Will Dissly had a little more than the great matchup going for him prior to facing the Cardinals, facing that atrocious defense was the key to his strong Sunday performance. The narrative is clear, and Eifert becomes the latest tight end to get a boost from Arizona.

Even though it's still early, Eifert has bucked the trend of being unable to stay on the field. He's been healthy and active for the first four games, which is a win in and of itself. However, he has just 11 receptions for 81 yards and one score on 16 targets.

Obviously, he hasn't made much of an impact in fantasy or reality. 

The matchup is the biggest factor in using Eifert, but also consider that A.J. Green remains out and John Ross just landed on the injured reserve. Ross was averaging eight targets per game through the first month, so that's a potential boost to the tight end's opportunities. 

The Cardinals still represent the easiest matchup for tight ends, and Eifert is clearly in the top-10 conversation for Week 5.

Andy Dalton, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

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I know, I know. We all saw #BadAndy on Monday night. We've seen him melt down before, and we'll see him melt down again in the future.

Can we at least acknowledge the bounce-back potential this weekend?

The Arizona Cardinals are giving up an average of 417.5 total yards per game (second-worst), 28.8 points per game (fourth-worst) and 271.0 passing yards per game (10th-worst). In the first four contests of the year, Arizona has been the third-easiest matchup for quarterbacks as it relates to fantasy points per game (24.28).

Streaming against the Cardinals has worked. But if you need a little extra push to use Dalton, consider he does have a pair of 300-yard efforts this season, including 418 yards and two scores in Seattle against the Seahawks in Week 1. The bad taste of Week 4 against the Pittsburgh Steelers is tough to ignore, but that hasn't been the norm for Dalton over the first four outings. 

He's a worthy streamer for Week 5 if you keep an open mind.

Jaylen Samuels, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

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The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't provided many reasons for excitement.

Attempting to find some kind of consistency in the offense without Ben Roethlisberger has been tough, and while James Conner is doing his best to lead the way in the backfield, he's already battled knee and ankle issues.

In an effort to manufacture some offense, Samuels saw his role increase in Week 4. He turned 10 carries into 26 yards and a rushing touchdown, caught all eight of his targets for 57 yards and recorded 33 passing yards on three attempts out of the Wildcat formation while playing a season-high 44.8 percent of the snaps.

Samuels didn't have a touch in Week 3 on 26.4 percent of the snaps. He had a combined seven touches for 37 yards in the first two games and didn't see 40 percent of the snaps in either of those contests.

The Steelers rank 29th in total yards per game (283.5) and are tied for 23rd with just 19 points per game. The combination of Conner's injury concerns and a lack of production under quarterback Mason Rudolph means the team needs to take production where it can get some.

Samuels can provide that since the offense doesn't have any top talent outside wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, and even he has been a disappointment.

Samuels faces the Baltimore Ravens this week, and while that defense might have a strong reputation, it's been the seventh-easiest matchup for running backs this season. The Steelers have been a mediocre defense at best, so you should expect the Ravens offense to be productive.

The matchup isn't bad and the Steelers need to stick with whatever is working, so Samuels should remain in the mix, especially with Conner playing through injuries. Samuels is a fine flex option and should be at least an RB3/flex going forward.

Benjamin Watson, TE, New England Patriots

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The New England Patriots have generated four receptions for 77 yards on five targets to tight ends Matt LaCosse and Ryan Izzo this season. The hope is that the return of Watson will provide a boost from a position that's been almost a complete non-factor. 

Watson is coming off a four-game suspension to open the season and a short-lived retirement after spending last season with the New Orleans Saints. The 38-year-old opens his 15th season where it all began back in 2004, so he already has familiarity with Tom Brady. 

Assuming the Patriots activate him for Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins, Watson would be facing a below-average defense that ranks fifth in total yards allowed and toward the middle of the pack in passing yards allowed.

It's a bit of a soft landing for Watson's first game back. Even if you don't use him, he might be worth grabbing to stash as he works his way into the offense.

All stats, unless otherwise indicated, courtesy of FantasyPros, NFL.com and Pro Football Reference.