Fantasy Football Week 1 Cheat Sheet: Deep Sleepers Who Could Emerge
With the NFL regular season set to begin on Thursday, fantasy managers have officially transitioned from draft prep to roster decisions.
While the chance to land that perfect late-round steal has passed, there will be opportunities to add under-the-radar sleepers early in the season. The trick, of course, is to identify sleepers early, before they become popular targets on the waiver wire.
Here, you'll find a look at some deep sleepers who could potentially break out in Week 1 and who might be worth a preemptive stash. You'll also find updated flex rankings for Week 1 based on point-per-reception (PPR scoring).
Week 1 Flex Top 40
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1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
2. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
3. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
4. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
5. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
6. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
7. Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets
8. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
9. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
10. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
11. Saquon Barkley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
12. Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets
13. Travis Etienne Jr., RB, Miami Dolphins
14. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
15. Davante Adams, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
16. Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
17. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
18. Rachaad White, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
19. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams
20. Michael Pittman Jr., WR, Indianapolis Colts
21. Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams
22. Chris Olave, WR, New Orleans Saints
23. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Arizona Cardinals
24. De'Von Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins
25. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Miami Dolphins
26. Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons
27. Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions
28. Derrick Henry, RB, Baltimore Ravens
29. James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills
30. Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans
31. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints
32. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
33. Isiah Pacheco, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
34. Josh Jacobs, RB, Green Bay Packers
35. D.J. Moore, WR, Chicago Bears
36. Joe Mixon, RB, Houston Texans
37. Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers
38. DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
39. Amari Cooper, WR, Cleveland Browns
40. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Sleeper: JK Dobbins, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
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Injuries have consistently prevented running back JK Dobbins from breaking into fantasy stardom. He's coming off a torn Achilles this season and is likely to be the Los Angeles Chargers' No. 2 back behind Gus Edwards.
Dobbins' injury history makes Edwards the Chargers back to roster ahead of Week 1. However, Dobbins could see a fairly substantial role immediately.
Both Edwards and Dobbins previously played under offensive coordinator Greg Roman with the Baltimore Ravens. When healthy, Dobbins has had impressive production. The 25-year-old has averaged 63.5 scrimmage yards and 0.5 touchdowns in 24 career games.
Under head coach Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers are expected to field a run-heavy offense, which could mean plenty of work for Dobbins, even if he remains the second option. If he is and can stay at 100 percent, though, there's a chance that he could push Edwards for the starting role.
Stashing Dobbins now would be a speculative bet on his health, but it could pay off in a big way. While he's rostered in 77 percent of ESPN leagues, he's only rostered in 47 percent of Yahoo leagues.
Sleeper: Jaylen Wright, RB, Miami Dolphins
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The Miami Dolphins added another explosive running back when they took Tennessee's Jaylen Wright in the fourth round of April's draft. His skill set should mesh perfectly with Mike McDaniel's offense in Miami.
"Wright is an exciting dice roll on explosive talent," Derrik Klassen of the Bleacher Report Scouting Department wrote. "His burst and long speed are dangerous."
However, Wright wasn't a popular fantasy draft selection because he'll begin his career behind Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane on the depth chart. The rookie is only rostered in 22 percent of Yahoo leagues and 23 percent of ESPN leagues.
It may only take one or two explosive plays for Wright to generate serious fantasy interest, though, as was the case for Achane last year. Those plays may come as early as Week 1, against a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that ranked 22nd overall last season.
The benefit to adding Wright now is that he can serve as a handcuff for both of Miami's top RBs.
Should Mostert or Achane miss playing time due to injury—and both did in 2023—Wright will emerge as a viable flex option.
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Sleeper: Jerry Jeudy, WR, Cleveland Browns
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Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jerry Jeudy is rostered in 72 percent of ESPN leagues but only 44 percent of Yahoo leagues. The new complement to Amari Cooper in Cleveland could be a top wavier-wire target a week from now, though.
The Browns open at home against the Dallas Cowboys. This means that Cooper is likely to see a lot of Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs on Sunday. That could limit his production while forcing quarterback Deshaun Watson to favor Jeudy and the rest of Cleveland's receiving corps.
Dallas' other top cornerback, DaRon Bland, is on short-term injured reserve with a foot injury.
While Jeudy never lived up to his first-round draft status with the Denver Broncos, he showed glimpses of being a high-end No. 2 receiver. In 2022, for example, he caught 67 passes for 972 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games.
The 25-year-old should have similar production as Cleveland's No. 2 receiver, and while he probably won't be a weekly must-start, he's a fine flex option for future bye-week fills. If Jeudy leads the Browns in receiving this week, though, he probably won't be a viable waiver-wire option in Week 2.
*Fantasy roster information via FantasyPros.
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