Week 2 Fantasy Sleepers: Under-the-Radar Players No One Is Talking About

Before you go rushing to the waiver wire to pick up Leonard Hankerson and the other breakout stars in Week 1, take some time to look at a couple of sleepers in good situations to shine in Week 2.

Sure, Hankerson and the likes of Julius Thomas are prudent acquisitions, but there are some others still flying very low beneath the radar.

We’ll look at a couple of players below with a lot of upside who are receiving a healthy dose of action in the early goings of the 2013 season.

RB Daniel Thomas, Miami Dolphins

What am I doing listing a Miami Dolphins rusher as a viable fantasy option, you’re undoubtedly asking yourself. I saw the team’s miserable Week 1 performance on the ground, didn’t I?

While neither Daniel Thomas nor Lamar Miller were effective against Cleveland, one of the two backs did show some promise. It wasn’t the highly-touted second-year back, either. And both received a near-split in the workload, too, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald:

Thomas’ stat line might not have been impressive, but he does have the trust of the Dolphins staff, especially near the goal line. Thomas struggled in those situations early in the preseason, but converted in Week 1 of the regular season—when it counts.

There’s not a lot to get excited about with Miller at this point. So, if you’re going to own and deploy a Dolphins running back, you might want to consider scooping up Thomas. He’s on the field nearly as much as Miller and he appears to be the team’s go-to guy near the goal line.

WR Rod Streater, Oakland Raiders

Nobody knew what the Oakland Raiders offense was going to look like this season as the team decided on a quarterback solution between Matt Flynn and Terrelle Pryor. It wasn’t looking pretty for their receivers, no matter who took the reins.

As a result, it was hard to project just how good the physically gifted Rod Streater would perform this year after grabbing 39 passes for 584 yards a season ago. Those concerns were levied by Pryor’s performance and his continued reliance on the big-bodied receiver.

Streater grabbed five of the team-high eight passes thrown in his direction for 70 yards. Four of those completions came while Pryor was scrambling away from his collapsing pocket. With his ability to avoid pressure and Streater’s route-running acumen, the two could form a formidable pair for the Raiders this season.

Denarius Moore got a look in the red zone for a score, but also dropped two passes. The two could form a nice combination for the Raiders moving forward, especially in Week 2 against a poor Jacksonville Jaguars defense.

WR Kenny Stills, New Orleans Saints

Ah, yes, the third receiver in Drew Brees’ arsenal. We’ve seen this type of potential—and likely been burned by it—in the past. Robert Meachem, Devery Henderson, am I ringing any bells yet?

Brees’ propensity to spread the ball around doesn’t help fantasy owners much, either. No receiver was targeted more than six times in Week 1.

But there’s no denying the speed Stills brings to the table and the necessity for that in Sean Payton’s system. His ability to test—and beat—defenses over the top is as vital as having a sure-armed quarterback to deliver the passes.

In Week 1, Stills received five targets—third-most on the team—and caught two of them. One of them was a 67-yard bomb that he hauled in to the Atlanta Falcons 9-yard line. The two incompletions appeared to be underthrown by Brees as his receiver was a step or two ahead of the coverage. If one of those two had connected for a score, you'd be hearing nothing but Stills' name this week.

We’ve seen good things already from the deep-threat receiver, and he’s sure to continue to be big part of the Saints’ attack moving forward. This week, he’ll matchup against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that has talented corners. They’ll have their hands full game-planning for Marques Colston and Jimmy Graham, so expect the speedy rookie to make a splash on fantasy scoreboards.