Fantasy Football Week 2: Biggest Sleepers at Every Position
In Week 1, fantasy football managers lost J.K. Dobbins (torn Achilles) for the season, and Diontae Johnson will probably miss some time with a hamstring injury. On top of that, Aaron Jones (hamstring), Austin Ekeler (ankle) and Christian Watson (hamstring) are dealing with injuries that could sideline them for Week 2.
As fantasy managers scramble for lineup replacements, we have a fresh batch of sleepers who can fill in the gaps or remain on your roster for the long term.
On the Week 2 slate, managers should circle the Sunday Night Football game between the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. With Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle rostered in most leagues, turn your attention to the Patriots.
Before you get queasy about picking up a few Patriots players, look back at the list of preseason storylines that NBC Sports' Matthew Berry bought this summer.
"The Patriots offense will be much improved under Bill O'Brien and TE Hunter Henry will be a focal point of the passing offense," Berry wrote. "O'Brien uses tight ends a decent amount in his offense and camp reports about Henry have been raves."
Based on what we saw in Week 1, Berry looks like he was ahead of the curve, but we can all catch up.
Aside from a pair of Patriots players, we have six other sleeper options who are available in more than 50 percent of full point-per-reception Yahoo and ESPN leagues, based on FantasyPros' consensus roster percentages.
QB Brock Purdy at Los Angeles Rams (41 Percent Rostered)
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The Los Angeles Rams defense earned its respect after it held the Seattle Seahawks to 180 total yards in Week 1. Now, Seahawks wideout DK Metcalf should be able to name at least one player in the Rams secondary after a frustrating Sunday in Seattle.
Los Angeles has a young secondary, but it isn't a group of pushovers. With that said, fantasy managers can expect more out of Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers' passing attack than they did from the Seahawks.
San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan is one of the league's best offensive play-callers, and the 49ers beat the Rams by a combined score of 55-23 in two outings (with Matthew Stafford healthy) last season.
Purdy didn't play in either of the two games against the Rams in 2022, but he's thrown multiple touchdown passes in seven of his nine career starts, including the playoffs. Going into Week 2, he has the league's highest QBR (91.3).
Don't buy into the Rams' defensive performance against the Seahawks as a reason to stay away from this matchup. Purdy has a high floor and an elite play-caller who will exploit the Rams' inexperienced secondary with tight end George Kittle, ascending wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and all-purpose weapon Deebo Samuel.
QB Mac Jones vs. Miami Dolphins (8 Percent Rostered)
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In terms of fantasy production, Mac Jones had a standout performance in the New England Patriots' 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1. He completed 35 of 54 passes for 316 yards, three touchdowns and an interception and finished with the second-most fantasy points (25.1) among quarterbacks.
New offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien has made an immediate impact on the Patriots' passing attack. Jones threw for more than 252 yards only twice and recorded three touchdown passes in a single game just once last season.
Jones can continue to rack up yards and scores through the air against a Miami Dolphins defense that ranks 19th in passing yards allowed heading into Week 2.
Despite the Dolphins' decision to replace former defensive coordinator Josh Boyer with Vic Fangio, they may be inconsistent in pass coverage (as they were last year) until three-time All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey returns from meniscus surgery.
While we typically don't think of the Patriots as having a high-powered offensive attack, O'Brien can put Jones on the fantasy radar and keep him there this season. To keep pace with the Dolphins' explosive offense, Jones may have to push the ball downfield with another high-volume passing performance.
RB Gus Edwards at Cincinnati Bengals (22 Percent Rostered)
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Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins tore his Achilles in Week 1 and will now miss the remainder of the 2023 season. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh seems comfortable with his stable of running backs, which includes Gus Edwards, Justice Hill and Melvin Gordon III, the latter of whom the team may elevate to the 53-man roster.
The Ravens also have undrafted rookie running back Owen Wright on the practice squad, but Harbaugh specifically mentioned Gordon. That's a solid indication that the veteran ball-carrier will see some action in the near future.
Fantasy managers shouldn't touch Gordon on the waiver wire, though. The 30-year-old running back saw a sharp decline in his rushing production between 2021 and 2022, and he fumbled eight times over that span.
Edwards isn't the most appealing option for managers in PPR leagues, as he has only 18 receptions for 194 yards in 53 career games. However, he's likely to lead the team in carries for the rest of the season.
As a rookie in 2018, Edwards led the Ravens with 718 rushing yards. He racked up 711-plus yards on the ground in each of his first three seasons and has a career average of 5.1 yards per carry with only four fumbles.
Between his size (6'1" and 238 lbs) and reliable ball security, Edwards will likely handle goal-line touches over Hill (5'10", 197 lbs) and Gordon, who's had recent issues with fumbles in short-yardage situations. If so, Edwards should see a spike in touchdown production, which would make up for his lack of involvement in the passing game.
In Week 2, Edwards has a favorable matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, who gave up 206 rushing yards to the Cleveland Browns last week.
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RB Zack Moss at Houston Texans (10 Percent Rostered)
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On the mend from surgery on his forearm, Zack Moss logged limited practices all three days last week, but the Indianapolis Colts ruled him out for Sunday's contest with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Without Moss, Deon Jackson, Jake Funk and Evan Hull split backfield duties, but quarterback Anthony Richardson led the team in rushing yards (40) and ran for a touchdown.
In Week 1, Jackson had an inefficient performance with 13 carries for 14 yards along with five receptions for 14 yards.
If Moss plays against the Houston Texans, he'll likely handle the lion's share of the touches out of the backfield. Jackson squandered his opportunities, and the Colts placed Hull (knee) on injured reserve Tuesday.
Fantasy managers will need to keep an eye on Moss' status over the weekend, but he's worth the extra attention in a favorable matchup. The Texans gave up the fourth-most fantasy points to running backs in Week 1.
WR Rashid Shaheed at Carolina Panthers (11 Percent Rostered)
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While Derek Carr isn't a viable starter in fantasy leagues every week, managers should roster his top three wideouts.
In Week 1, Rashid Shaheed finished third behind Chris Olave and Michael Thomas in targets, but he racked up the second-most receiving yards (89), hauled in Carr's only touchdown pass and tacked on 11 rushing yards, although he also lost a fumble.
Most weeks, Carr will likely spread the ball around enough for at least two of his pass-catchers to rack up solid fantasy numbers. Shaheed's big-play ability can result in boom-level production without a high number of touches.
In 13 career games, Shaheed is averaging 17.5 yards per reception. Because of his speed, the New Orleans Saints may give him more opportunities to take handoffs as well. With Alvin Kamara suspended for two more games for violating the league's personal-conduct policy and rookie third-rounder Kendre Miller dealing with a hamstring injury, Shaheed's versatility may be on display in the short term.
The Carolina Panthers gave up the fewest fantasy points to wideouts in Week 1, but that's a deceiving statistic. They played a run-heavy Atlanta Falcons squad that only needed Desmond Ridder to throw 18 times in a 24-10 victory.
We'll likely see Carr attack the Panthers secondary. Per ESPN's David Newton, Carolina expects starting cornerback Jaycee Horn to miss multiple weeks with a hamstring injury.
WR Josh Reynolds vs. Seattle Seahawks (1 Percent Rostered)
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After the Seattle Seahawks gave up 119 receiving yards apiece to wide receivers Tutu Atwell and Puka Nacua, we must add a Detroit Lions wideout to the sleepers list. Josh Reynolds, who's rostered in only 1 percent of leagues after a solid performance in the NFL season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, fits the bill.
Though wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown will probably lead the Lions in targets for most weeks, Reynolds could be a close second until wideout Jameson Williams returns from a six-game suspension for violating the league's gambling policy.
Going back to their time with the Los Angeles Rams, Reynolds has a longstanding rapport with quarterback Jared Goff that continues to grow with the Lions offense.
In Week 1, Reynolds led Detroit in receiving yards and finished with the second-most targets (seven) behind St. Brown. He's a solid WR3 or flex option against a Seahawks defense that allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to wideouts in Week 1.
TE Luke Musgrave at Atlanta Falcons (14 Percent Rostered)
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Because of the uncertainty around quarterback Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers offense, Luke Musgrave's regular-season debut may have flown under your radar. The rookie second-round tight end caught three out of four targets for 50 yards against the Chicago Bears.
The Bears pass defense had an abysmal Week 1 performance, giving up three touchdowns and the eighth-most yards of any team. But fantasy managers should note Musgrave's involvement in the passing attack in the absence of lead wideout Christian Watson (hamstring), who hasn't practiced this week.
Musgrave tied running back Aaron Jones for third in targets among the team's pass-catchers, and Love connected with him on a 37-yard pass on a broken play that started with a fumble.
It's also worth noting that Musgrave played 75 percent of the offensive snaps, while fellow rookie tight end Tucker Kraft played just 22 percent of the snaps.
As a featured starter in the Packers' new-look passing attack, Musgrave should have more opportunities to prove he's a viable TE2 in a matchup with the Atlanta Falcons. Going into Week 2, the Falcons have allowed the second-most fantasy points to tight ends.
TE Hunter Henry vs. Miami Dolphins (12 Percent Rostered)
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With Mac Jones at quarterback, Hunter Henry completes our Week 2 sleeper stack. He should also be a priority pickup for fantasy managers who need a starting tight end.
In Week 1, Henry led all tight ends in scoring in both standard and PPR leagues. He has a defined role in the Patriots' aerial attack despite the addition of tight end Mike Gesicki, who had three receptions for 36 yards in the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Last week, Henry caught five passes for 56 yards and a touchdown. He could match or top those receiving numbers in a matchup with the Miami Dolphins, who allowed Los Angeles Chargers tight ends Donald Parham Jr. and Gerald Everett to record five receptions for 43 yards and a score combined.
In Week 1, the Dolphins gave up the third-most fantasy points to tight ends. Henry and Gesicki have a good shot at a productive Sunday night, although the former outpaced the latter in targets (six to three) last week.
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Fantasy points scored against statistics are provided by FantasyPros.
Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.
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