Fantasy Football Week 1 Cheat Sheet: Deep Sleepers Who Could Emerge

Week 1 is the first true proving ground for fantasy sleepers, particularly in a season without any preseason intelligence to work with. Some big performances in the first week denote a true sleeper with longstanding value, some are simply flukes. Here, we'll examine three deep sleepers who have that long-term potential. 

Last season, undervalued receivers like DJ Chark Jr. and Terry McLaurin were top-10 standard-league wide receivers in Week 1 and turned that into consistent success, both finishing within the top 24 at the position. Conversely, Sammy Watkins was the WR1 in the first week, with 37.8 points but averaged just 3.7 points per game for the rest of his season—finishing as WR52.

These three sleepers have the potential to lean toward the Chark and McLaurin side of Week 1 emergence. All three are owned in under 33 percent of Yahoo fantasy leagues (at the time of writing).

Darrel Williams, RB, Kansas City Chiefs (26 percent owned)

Clyde Edwards-Helaire was the Kansas City Chiefs' first pick in the 2020 draft for a reason. He is a magnificent, well-rounded talent and likely the team's long-term back. But Darrel Williams deserves to be rostered in more than 26 percent of fantasy leagues.

Williams is the Chiefs' most proven running back, and he took advantage of his limited opportunities in 2019, averaging 16.3 PPR points in the three games where he received 10-plus touches. He's a balanced back and displayed some legitimate talent, with speed, shiftiness, vision and power, across the season. 

That proves he can be valuable should opportunity come his way and deserves the respect some of the league's other top handcuffs are receiving. Alexander Mattison is owned in 52 percent of leagues, Tony Pollard in 41 percent.

Considering DeAndre Washington's release and Darwin Thompson's pass-catching niche, Williams is the obvious handcuff on a team with immense value at the position. Should Kansas City ease their rookie in, Williams could have a strong Week 1 against a leaky Houston Texans defense. Past that, he could either compete for touches or simply become one of the league's better handcuffs.

Bryan Edwards, WR, Las Vegas Raiders (19 percent owned)

Bryan Edwards was already building fantasy hype with a stellar camp for the Las Vegas Raiders, and then Tyrell Williams went on IR, missing the entire season. Now, Edwards is the team's starting wide receiver across from Henry Ruggs III (a longtime sleeper of ours). 

While Ruggs projects to have a fantastic season, Edwards could very easily provide massive value as well. A 19 percent ownership is honestly baffling. Edwards is 6'3", 212 pounds and was a third-round selection by a Las Vegas team that already spent draft capital on Ruggs and couldn't have been positive Williams would miss the season.

Edwards has fantastic hands, tremendous physical upside and could receive legitimate volume in a passing attack that has given the starting spots to each of its young rookies. It should not be a surprise if he puts up numbers in Week 1 against a Carolina Panthers secondary and then continues to for the rest of the season. 

James Robinson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars (23 percent owned)

Unlike Kansas City, the Jacksonville Jaguars are not a premium spot for value at running back. But volume means something in fantasy football and that's why Leonard Fournette was the RB13 in 2019, despite averaging 4.3 yards per carry and only scoring three touchdowns.

With Ryquell Armstead sidelined for the near future and Chris Thompson likely relegated to pass-catching duties, Jacksonville's rushing opportunities are waiting to be grabbed. Undrafted rookie James Robinson appears first in line to take the job and thus deserves better than a 23 percent ownership. 

As veteran Chris Thompson told media, Robinson "probably has the best vision out of all of us." He's a sturdy, unproven back who has had a strong camp and has a chance to take the job. But if you want to take a gamble on a competitor who also had a strong camp, Devine Ozigbo is owned in just 11 percent of leagues.