Sleeper Starts of the Week (Week 2)

If you’ve ever played fantasy football, you know things change in a hurry. It would be nice if the NFL season played out exactly as we had planned when drafting our fantasy team, but that’s never the case. Sometimes things go sideways, leaving owners forced to scramble on a weekly basis. The intent of this article is to help you find some players to plug and play while dealing with injuries, bye weeks, ineffectiveness, or just plain bad luck.  Here are some guidelines I will follow when identifying weekly sleepers:

1. I will use weekly positional rankings to identify players
2. I will try to identify players who may be available on the waiver wire
3. QBs will generally be ranked outside the top 12
4. RBs will generally be ranked outside the top 20
5. WRs will generally be ranked outside the top 30
6. TEs will generally be ranked outside the top 10

These are players who you should feel comfortable starting, and who I believe will provide solid production for the week. Let’s jump right in.

Quarterbacks

Jimmy Garoppolo (vs. Lions)

Forget about last week. The Vikings D is legit. Garoppolo is still a good QB, and did you see what Sam Darnold did to the Lions the other night? I’m all in on Garoppolo this week. I expect a fairly high scoring game, and the 49ers will move the ball through the air. I like Jimmy G to throw for 300+ yards a two scores. He’s a legit QB1 this week, and he’s a great option in daily fantasy as well.

Tyrod Taylor (@ Saints)

Tyrod isn’t a great QB, and he didn’t play well last week. However, the Browns have some real talent on offense. The loss of Josh Gordon hurts a bit, but he wasn’t very involved in Week 1 to begin with. In addition, the Saints just allowed like 167 points to the Ryan Fitzpatrick-led Buccaneers. Tyrod is a lock for rushing production this week, and he’s got a good chance for a score or two through the air. The Browns are much improved, and though they won’t win this game, they will put up some points. Start Tyrod with confidence.

Running Backs

Chris Thompson (vs. Colts)

Prior to the season, Thompson said he wouldn’t be 100% healthy for a while. Well, you couldn’t tell during that Week 1 performance. This guy is electric, and when healthy he’s one of the best pass catching backs in the league. When the Skins need a few yards, they love to look his way. He’s a safe bet for 4+ catches and 100 total yards. If he finds the end zone, he could have a monster game.

James White (@ Jaguars)

The Jags D is suffocating. They held Saquan in check last week, outside of his long TD run. There’s a good chance they shut down the run game of the Pats. Because of that, Brady will look to dink and dunk his way down the field. He will try to methodically move the ball to wear out that great defense. James White is the pass catching back on the Pats, and he will be heavily involved in the game plan this week. I think he turns into Brady’s go-to guy, and racks up the catches in the process. On the flip side, I’d feel GREAT about playing T.J. Yeldon this week if Fournette were to be inactive.

Wide Receivers

Quincy Enunwa (vs. Dolphins)

Last week, Enunwa caught six passes for 63 yards. Meh. But, he received 10 targets while Darnold only threw 21 passes. That’s an absurd 48% target share. The next closest player had three targets. He’s clearly Darnold’s top receiving option. This game won’t be a boat race like last week, which means Darnold will throw the ball more. Enunwa has the chance to turn into a PPR machine, especially if he can start finding the end zone. His target share makes him a solid flex option in PPR formats.

Mike Williams (@ Bills)

If you read this article last week, you know how I feel about the Bills. They are a dream match up at this point. Last week, Williams turned six targets into 81 yards. His playing time is increasing, he’s gaining the confidence of Rivers, and he’s talented as hell. Look for Williams to get close to 100 yards and a TD this week.

Tight Ends

Tyler Eifert (vs. Ravens)

Eifert looked pretty good last week, and even though the Ravens have a solid defense, they can give up some plays to the TE. In Week 17 last year, Tyler Kroft had six catches and two TDs against the Ravens. Eifert is a better TE, and Dalton will look his way. I expect a low scoring game, but I believe Eifert is a top 10 option this week.

Jonnu Smith (vs. Texans)

Smith was a popular waiver wire pickup this week, as Delanie Walker was put on IR. When you get this deep into TE rankings, you are just looking for TD upside. Walkers targets will have to go somewhere, and while I think Corey Davis is the biggest beneficiary, Smith will be involved as well. He’s got some talent, the question is will Mariota look his way? I think he does. I’d expect a modest yardage total, with hopes of a TD.

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