The NFL has a solid 10-game main slate lined up for Sunday afternoon of Week 5, with some fun matchups on the board and intriguing games to break down. The week began with a big win for the 49ers on Thursday Night Football and will continue with a game in London on Sunday morning before the main slate kicks off at 1 p.m. ET. With 20 teams in the player pool, several strong options should be poised to produce as strong fantasy football sleeper plays available at WR. In this post, we’ll dive into the wide receivers who can make a huge difference in your lineup, but still have a very affordable DraftKings salary.
The fantasy football sleeper plays at wide receiver in this post each week can be excellent values for DFS contests, and they can also be sneaky plays in your season-long league if you need help there, since they are in line to exceed expectations. Earlier this week, I highlighted my top-30 starters at wide receiver, and in this list, we’ll focus on players outside those 30 who still bring a high ceiling.
Week 4 Fantasy Football Sleeper WRs (analysis below)
- Darius Slayton, New York Giants ($4,300)
- Elic Ayomanor, Tennessee Titans ($4,100)
- Malik Washington, Miami Dolphins ($3,900)
- Luke McCaffrey, Washington Commanders ($3,700)
- Jalen Tolbert, Dallas Cowboys ($3,600)
Week 3 Results:
- Christian Kirk, Houston Texans ($4,400; 5.0 FPTS)
- Elic Ayomanor, Tennessee Titans ($3,900; 6.4 FPTS)
- Luke McCaffrey, Washington Commanders ($3,400; 10.1 FPTS)
- Adonai Mitchell, Indianapolis Colts ($3,100; 12.5 FPTS)
- Brycen Tremayne, Carolina Panthers ($3,000; 6.6 FPTS)
Whether you’re looking for value plays in your DFS contests like the NFL $2.75M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st] or looking for a last-minute addition from the waiver wire, here are my top five fantasy football sleeper wide receivers for Week 5 of the 2025 season:
Darius Slayton, New York Giants ($4,300)
I wrote up Slayton earlier this week as a strong option now that Malik Nabers (knee) is out for the season. He comes at a bargain price this week as a potential fantasy football sleeper against the Saints.
Let’s be clear, though, Slayton was already playing just about every snap before Nabers’ injury, so his playing time probably won’t increase–just the attention he receives while he’s on the field.
Last week, he matched his season-high with four targets and hauled in three catches for 44 yards and 7.4 fantasy points. It was his third straight week with at least 7.0 fantasy points after being held without a catch in Week 1.
While the Giants have a new-look offense with Jaxson Dart ($5,300) under center, Slayton stepped up last year when Nabers went down. He was targeted 11 times in each of the two games that Nabers missed, producing 122 receiving yards and a touchdown, followed by six catches for 57 yards the next week.
He had a 29.3% target share and 56.9% air-yard share in those two games along with a 36.5% first-read share.
Dart and his fellow rookie Cam Skattebo ($6,000) will be the focus of the offense, but they could mix in some downfield shots with Slayton as well. He brings a high ceiling against the Saints since he could function as the team’s WR1 now that Nabers is out.
Elic Ayomanor, Tennessee Titans ($4,100)
Another player serving as his team’s de factor WR1 is Titans rookie Elic Ayomanor. He’s in my fantasy football sleepers at wide receiver for the third straight week and I love that he brings both his high ceiling and a high floor since he’s getting so many targets in the Titans’ passing game.
Last week, he only had two catches for 44 scoreless yards, but he still led the team with seven targets, while no other player had more than four.
He could be even busier this week, since Calvin Ridley (knee/elbow) missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday and was limited on Friday. If Ridley is limited or out, Cam Ward ($4,600) could send even more passes Ayomanor’s way.
In Week 2, Ayomanor had 15.6 fantasy points against the Rams, catching his first NFL touchdown. He tailed that with four more catches and another touchdown in Week 3 against the Colts for 13.8 fantasy points.
The Texans shut out the Titans last week, but Ward will hope to get the offense in gear more on their trip to Arizona this week as he continues to look for his first NFL victory. If it’s going to come this week, Ayomanor is one player who could play a key role, making him a fantasy football sleeper with upside.
Malik Washington, Miami Dolphins ($3,900)
Malik Nabers wasn’t the only big-name receiver who was lost for the season in Week 4, since Tyreek Hill (knee) also suffered a season-ending injury. One potential fantasy football sleeper who could step up to help the Dolphins fill the gap is second-year receiver Malik Washington.
I broke down Washington’s upside earlier this week, so I’ll just summarize it here. He has big-play ability, and the coaching staff knows it. They’ll do all they can to create space for Washington, who has game-breaking ability and brings upside to the Dolphins’ offense that badly needs a dynamic element.
Even though Tua Tagovailoa ($5,500) hasn’t been taking deep shots, even his short passes could result in big plays to Washington, making him a fantasy football sleeper worth considering for under $4,000 on Sunday.
Luke McCaffrey, Washington Commanders ($3,700)
The Commanders expect to have Jayden Daniels ($7,000) back at quarterback in Week 5 against the Chargers, but they’ll still be without Terry McLaurin (quad) and Noah Brown (groin/knee).
McCaffrey has posted double-digit fantasy points in the last two weeks, finding the end zone against the Commanders and the Falcons.
He also almost broke a kick return for a touchdown, continuing to show his elusiveness and big-play ability. He had three catches for 56 yards with a touchdown in Week 3, and he caught two passes for 21 yards in Week 4.
Both his big games came with Marcus Mariota ($5,000) under center, but McCaffrey’s larger snap share of 36% and 37% in the last two weeks shows he’s likely to stay involved even with Daniels back under center.
The Chargers have been good against wide receivers this year, allowing only the fifth-fewest fantasy points to the position. However, with his growing role and a higher ceiling for the offense, I like his upside at this salary under $4,000.
Jalen Tolbert, Dallas Cowboys ($3,600)
The Cowboys will be without CeeDee Lamb (ankle) for a second straight week and will also be missing KaVontae Turpin (foot) this week against the Jets. George Pickens ($6,600), Tolbert and TE Jake Ferguson ($4,800) will have to carry the load this week.
Tolbert has gotten six targets in each of the last two weeks. He had three catches for 24 yards against the Bears in Week 3, and he was even better with four catches for 61 yards in Week 4 against the Packers, including this improbable catch:
Without Turpin and Lamb, Tolbert is lined up for more work on Sunday against the Jets, and he’s a great fantasy football sleeper option with a bargain salary.
Before his Week 4 breakout, coach Brian Schottenheimer said that the fourth-year receiver from South Alabama would “have to step up.” Tolbert did just that in Week 4, and he’ll look to do that once again in Week 5.
