Fantasy Football Week 5 Cheat Sheet: Deep Sleepers Who Could Emerge

NFL rosters are in a constant state of flux this season, which makes this the year of the fantasy sleeper.

Now that bye weeks are entering the discussion, the value of these hidden gems is going up.

Luckily, the waiver wire is far from picked clean, so we'll spotlight the top sleeper—rostered in fewer than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues, per FantasyPros—at each offensive position worth adding ahead of Week 5.

Week 5 Fantasy Football Sleepers

Quarterback: Teddy Bridgewater, Carolina Panthers (19 Percent Rostered)

In case this recommendation didn't give it away, this isn't a great week for waiver-wire signal-callers. Bridgewater gets top billing, but it's not without some reservation, seeing as he's delivered just four touchdown passes in four games.

Saying that, half of those scores did come this past weekend, when Bridgewater lit up the Arizona Cardinals for 276 yards and two scores. With the leaky Atlanta Falcons defense awaiting him, he could boost both categories.

All four teams to face the Falcons have passed for more than 300 yards. That includes the Chicago Bears, who switched from Mitchell Trubisky to Nick Foles during the game. All four games have also featured four touchdowns by the opposing quarterback, including when Dak Prescott rushed for three scores in Week 2 (and threw for 450 yards).

Atlanta has had the Midas touch on fantasy quarterbacks this season, and that has Bridgewater looking golden for Week 5.

Running Back: Damien Harris, New England Patriots (31 Percent Rostered)

Those in the running back market could go the injury-replacement route and try for a short-term flier on Justin Jackson, D'Ernest Johnson or Ke'Shawn Vaughn. Making a move for Harris, though, could have a long-term impact.

A standout in training camp, the sophomore had his season debut delayed by a hand injury. But he looked worth the wait when opportunity came knocking in Week 4, which was preceded by Sony Michel going on injured reserve.

"In his first game on the road at Kansas City he had 17 carries (the most for any Patriots running back this year) for 100 yards and showed his big-play ability with a 41-yard run," CBS Sports' Jamey Eisenberg wrote. "I'm hopeful this is just the start of something special, especially while Michel is out, and Harris is worth 20 percent of your remaining FA budget."

Expectations are key, because the Patriots have running back depth even without Michel, and Harris wasn't targeted at all against the Chiefs. But if he adds an explosive element to this rushing attack, his ground work might be enough to earn him regular starting consideration in fantasy.

Wide Receiver: Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals (33 Percent Rostered)

The hierarchy of Cincinnati's aerial attack is changing. And given rookie quarterback Joe Burrow's willingness to let if fly (second-most passing attempts), that's something every fantasy manager needs to note.

While name recognition still sides with A.J. Green (84 percent rostered), this offense gives the big edge to Higgins. Tyler Boyd is still the first mouth to feed, but Higgins is quickly establishing himself as second in the pecking order.

"A.J. Green is done, Higgins' time is now, and here to stay," Jake Ciely wrote for The Athletic. "For the second straight week, Higgins had the second-highest share of the passing game, and second-highest yards total, for Bengals wideouts. He's in the must-start conversation already, and boy, that came quick."

Higgins broke out for a career-best 77 receiving yards this week, while also turning his first career carry into a 17-yard gain. The week before, he scored his first two touchdowns. The Bengals draw the Baltimore Ravens up next, and if Cincy is playing from behind, Burrow could be taking shots early and often. Recent trends suggest a healthy chunk of those will be headed Higgins' direction.

Tight End: Robert Tonyan, Green Bay Packers (30 Percent Rostered)

Any time a pass-catcher forms a connection with Aaron Rodgers, you should probably take notice. Tonyan has found the end zone in three straight games, most recently breaking out with a three-score performance on Monday night.

Oh, and the fact he's corralled 13 of his 14 targets so far should keep him in Rodgers' good graces going forward.

Tonyan and the Packers don't even play in Week 5, but the season-long upside is so promising that he still stands atop his position peers on the waiver wire.

He "has entered QB Aaron Rodgers' circle of trust," Yahoo Sports' Steven Psihogios wrote. "Tonyan features an athletic profile and has proven to be a reliable option for the Packers near the red zone. Moving forward, Tonyan can be penciled in as a mid-range, to low-end TE1 after the Packers' Week 5 bye."