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Fantasy Football Week 2: Matt Camp's Top Sleepers at Every Position

Matt CampSep 13, 2019

If you didn't think you needed sleepers in Week 1, you missed out on suggestions of Matthew Stafford (QB4), Chris Thompson (RB15), John Brown (WR9) and Darren Waller (TE7).

Something tells me the events of Week 1 and the last few days of news may have teams scrambling for starting lineup help. In that case, you've come to the right place.

While Sammy Watkins is the obvious choice to replace Tyreek Hill at the top of the depth chart for the Kansas City Chiefs, rookie Mecole Hardman is the wide receiver with the skill set closest to Hill's. Even after Watkins' huge game in Week 1, Hardman should be on your radar.

The New York Giants had no answers for Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys offense in the opener, which is why Josh Allen is a viable streamer when the Buffalo Bills head to New Jersey to take on the Giants.

You'll get two players at each skill position for Week 2 who can be considered for the last spot in your starting lineup or cheap DFS options.

Still can't figure out your fantasy football lineup for the week? Check out Your Fantasy Fire Drill with Matt Camp, and he'll solve your problems live. Submit your questions and tune in every Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET, only on the B/R app.

Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

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Allen had a solid but not spectacular Week 1 with 18 fantasy points and a QB16 finish in a win over the New York Jets. He completed 24 of 37 passes for 254 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in addition to 38 yards and a rushing touchdown on 10 carries.

As we saw with Allen down the stretch last season, his passing numbers won't always be pretty. But if you believe in the philosophy of "look for legs," he's one of the biggest threats at the position to gain fantasy points without relying on his arm. 

That will always be part of Allen's fantasy value regardless of the matchup, but having an improved receiving corps helps. Brown's inclusion in last week's article paid off in a big way, as he had seven receptions for 123 yards and a 38-yard touchdown on 10 targets. This connection could strike again Sunday.

Last week, the Giants couldn't figure out Prescott, as he played one of the best games of his career with 405 yards and four touchdowns on 25-of-32 passing with an additional 12 yards on four carries to finish as QB2. You don't have to put expectations quite so high for Allen, especially through the air, but he's in a good spot for a top-10 week against a vulnerable Giants defense.

Raheem Mostert, RB, San Francisco 49ers

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My Tevin Coleman bandwagon started to pick up more passengers toward the end of the preseason, but it crashed before the end of Week 1. Head coach Kyle Shanahan announced Coleman suffered a high-ankle sprain in the opener but didn't think the IR was a possibility, per Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News.

We know Matt Breida will lead the way for the San Francisco 49ers in the wake of Coleman's injury, but unless you're in an eight-team league or one with shallow benches, Breida was likely drafted. If you are looking for the new No. 2 in this backfield, Raheem Mostert might be the answer.

In Week 1, Breida led the way with 44 percent of the snaps and 15 carries, although that resulted in just 37 yards. He was unable to secure his only target. Mostert led the team in rushing with 40 yards on nine carries and caught his only target for no gain. His offensive snap percentage came in at 29.

While Breida is likely the better play, Mostert might be worth a look with the 49ers traveling to Cincinnati to battle the Bengals. Chris Carson came out of his Week 1 matchup with the Bengals as RB8. This is not a defense to worry about, and outside of George Kittle, the 49ers don't have much establish talent in the passing game. The backfield tandem could be busy in this positive matchup.

DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

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DK Metcalf nearly made the Week 1 edition of this article but was left out because I believed the team wouldn't push him too much coming off a knee procedure. Clearly he was healthy, as Metcalf played 77 percent of the snaps in his debut while leading the team in targets (six) and yards (89) on four receptions in the victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Even though Metcalf is a polarizing prospect, the Seattle Seahawks are almost desperate for help in the receiving corps. Tyler Lockett was elevated to the top of the depth chart following Doug Baldwin's retirement, and Carson is already being pushed into a bigger role as a receiver out of necessity.

A WR40 finish with 12.9 fantasy points isn't anything special, yet Metcalf's status seemed up in the air less than a month ago, so the debut has to be considered a successful one. He finds himself in a spotlight matchup this weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

In the opener, the New England Patriots embarrassed the Steelers, who allowed the second-most fantasy points to wide receivers for the week. Even if Pittsburgh shows improvement at home in Week 2, Metcalf's opportunities should remain strong, which gives him enough fantasy value to fill the last spot in your lineup.

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Vernon Davis, TE, Washington Redskins

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If you got lazy on the waiver wire, you likely missed out on Waller, T.J. Hockenson and Mark Andrews. So if you're scrambling for tight end help this week, the pickings are slim. 

However, the sell shouldn't be too hard for Vernon Davis. With Jordan Reed (concussion) unable to play against the Philadelphia Eagles, Davis came through with four receptions for 59 yards and a touchdown on seven targets to wind up as TE6.

As covered in last week's article, the Washington Redskins don't have a deep group of established receivers, although Terry McLaurin deserves credit for his five receptions, 125 yards and touchdown in the opener. Even after McLaurin's impressive outing, Davis' role as a reliable option for Case Keenum gives him good fantasy value. 

Washington hosts the Dallas Cowboys this week, and while the Cowboys had a comfortable victory over the Giants in Week 1, they surrendered 28.6 fantasy points to Evan Engram, which earned him the top spot among tight ends.

The biggest key to Davis' value for Week 2 is the availability of Reed. It should be noted that John Keim of ESPN indicated there's "more optimism" around Reed this week. Reed has gone through two limited practices and is yet to be cleared from his concussion.

Derek Carr, QB, Oakland Raiders

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I'll admit to not having had much faith in Derek Carr for his Week 1 matchup with the Denver Broncos, especially following the release of Antonio Brown. In a good example of the difference between fantasy and reality, Carr logged a QB21 finish, yet he played well en route to 24-16 victory.

Carr missed just four of his 26 attempts on his way to 259 yards and an eight-yard touchdown to Tyrell Williams, who finished with six receptions for 105 yards and the score. Carr also kept Waller's momentum from a strong preseason going, as he had seven receptions for 70 yards. It wasn't a huge fantasy game, but it was a confidence-builder for Carr and this passing offense. 

That's why there should be some faith in Carr as a streamer for Week 2. The Raiders host the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend with both teams looking to stay undefeated. The Chiefs beat the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, but it wasn't because of their defense.

Nick Foles went for 75 yards and a touchdown on 5-of-8 passing before exiting with a broken clavicle. Rookie Gardner Minshew, a sixth-round pick, stepped right in to connect on 22 of 25 passes for 275 yards with two scores and an interception. It's a credit to Minshew for not backing down, but it also showed the Chiefs defense is still one to target.

When the Raiders last hosted the Chiefs in Week 13 of the 2018 season, Carr had one of his best games of the year with 285 yards and three touchdowns on 29-of-38 passing. I'm not asking you to knock if you're with me, but at least think about using Carr in some format this weekend.

Ty Montgomery, RB, New York Jets

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The buzz around Ty Montgomery stems from his preseason production, which doesn't mean much when you're reminded that Le'Veon Bell didn't take a snap in August. It's nice for Montgomery to have some positivity coming into the regular season, but the belief that he'd take on a significant role always seemed far-fetched.

That was until the news of Bell's shoulder injury that surfaced this week. The New York Jets sent Bell for an MRI on Thursday, which revealed "no major damage or tears," according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. While Fowler added that the MRI was considered precautionary, it was enough for the Jets to hold Bell out of practice.

Even though Bell tweeted Thursday that he'll play, it's a cause for concern. The team won't have Sam Darnold (mono) for the Monday night game with the Cleveland Browns, and that could be a multiweek absence.

Quincy Enunwa (neck) landed on the IR following the trade for Demaryius Thomas from the New England Patriots. According to Brian Costello of the New York Post, head coach Adam Gase said Thomas' hamstring injury will keep him off the practice field until at least Saturday. 

When you throw in the four-game suspension of Chris Herndon to open the season, the Jets are not in ideal shape with a potentially high-powered Browns offense on deck for Week 2. If Bell is limited in any way, Montgomery could be a viable flex option. Even if Bell is healthy enough for a normal workload, the Jets could rely on Montgomery for his receiving skills.

Mecole Hardman, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

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When it looked like Tyreek Hill was facing a suspension for some or all of the 2019 season, the Kansas City Chiefs moved up in the 2019 NFL draft to select Mecole Hardman 56th overall. With similar traits to Hill, Hardman gave the team some insurance for both 2019 and the future.

Because the majority of Hardman's fantasy value was tied to Hill's availability, it looked like the rookie wouldn't mean much in 2019 when Hill wasn't suspended. At least some of that value returned when Hill injured his clavicle in Week 1. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Hill is out four to six weeks.

Watkins posted a WR1 finish in the opener and is a top-10 option for as long as Hill is off the field. With Hardman likely seeing an increase in his role as part of one of the best offenses in the league, fantasy players need to put him on the radar as early as this week. 

The Raiders had an average performance against the Denver Broncos wide receivers in Week 1 and lost rookie safety Johnathan Abram to a season-ending shoulder injury. Between going up against a beatable secondary and being on a great offense, Hardman can be a potential week-winner with a big play or two.

Noah Fant, TE, Denver Broncos

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If Jordan Reed is out again, it's not a stretch to call Vernon Davis a top-10 tight end for Week 2. Selling you on Noah Fant might be a little tougher, but that's why this is a sleeper article. Sometimes you have to go deep, especially at tight end. 

Fant's NFL debut was pretty quiet. He turned four targets into two receptions for 29 yards. No other Broncos tight end registered a target. Fant also had 81 percent of the snaps, with Jeff Heuerman coming the closest of the other Denver tight ends at 33 percent. Basically, even though he didn't have a big game, Fant was clearly the top tight end for the Broncos, and it wasn't close.

The Broncos host the Chicago Bears this weekend, and while Chicago's defense is strong, it struggled against the Green Bay Packers tight end group in Week 1. The Bears gave up the sixth-most fantasy points to tight ends in the opening slate of games.

Admittedly, this is the biggest reach of the eight players discussed in this article, so you might only use Fant if you're desperate. If anything, he could be worth grabbing now with the belief he can turn into something more down the road.

Snap counts via FantasyPros. Fantasy stats via FantasyPros and NFL.com unless otherwise noted. 

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