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Man, that was a brutal week of injuries across the NFL. Unfortunately, many notifications popped up Monday morning about many players slated to miss the entire season due to setbacks. It seems that fantasy managers will now have to scramble to replace valuable guys like Saquon Barkley and Courtland Sutton, along with Christian McCaffrey (for the next few weeks).
Luckily, plenty of sleepers could emerge for fantasy owners as unknown players will look to break out on thinner depth charts. We are still only heading into Week 3, so stability and consistency are still yet to be determined. Just look at James Conner in Week 2 compared to Week 1. This means the sleepers can still snag a bigger role for themselves for the remainder of the season.
Let’s look at some players who could be worth a look in very deep leagues heading into this third week. As a reminder, players listed in this column will always be rostered at or below 15% in Yahoo leagues.
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Free Agent Quarterbacks
Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears - 7%
Another week, another win for a Chicago Bears squad that is still befuddling in terms of how potent they could be. Nevertheless, Mitchell Trubisky could become a mainstay on this list considering he (might) be the starter for the rest of the season.
Trubisky hopes to stay starting for Chicago and despite his lackluster playing, he should still be in consideration to pick up in deep leagues given the mostly weak defenses the Bears will play for the rest of the season. This includes the Falcons, Panthers, Jaguars, Vikings, and Lions.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Miami Dolphins - 4%
Forget his age, but Ryan Fitzpatrick is out there having fun with the Dolphins while he gets the chance to play. Though the QB of the future, Tua Tagovailoa, could technically play sometime soon, Fitzpatrick proved his worth by putting up 300 passing yards against a mean Bills Defense in Week 2. Though he may not have this role for much longer, he’s worth picking up in deep leagues as a backup.
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers - 3%
Though we don't know when he could actually start again, rookie Justin Herbert had an impressive NFL debut in Week 2 although it was unexpected. He had over 300 passing yards and recorded a passing and rushing touchdown. Though Tyrod Taylor is expected to the starting QB once he is healthy, Herbert would certainly hold fantasy value in deep leagues based on his first performance. He's worth a stash right now as he could see more playing time down the road if Taylor experiences any more setbacks or if coach Anthony Lynn decides to give him a chance.
Free Agent Running Backs
Frank Gore, New York Jets - 14%
Ageless running back Frank Gore paced the Jets RBs with 21 carries in Week 2. The next closest RB had only three carries. Gore will be a workhorse back as long as Le’Veon Bell is out and is even worth a flex role if his role stays steady. In a Jets offense ravaged by WR injuries, Gore could see more carries come his way.
Jamaal Williams, Green Bay Packers - 8%
It was another casual week for Jamaal Williams in Week 2 as he got eight carries for 63 yards. Even with Aaron Jones being an absolute stud, Williams’ role should not be undervalued. He is an important backup RB on this team who always chips in each week.
Though he’s not a starting-caliber RB for your team, he should at least be on your bench and can be inserted as a flex in the appropriate matchups.
Dion Lewis (5%) and Wayne Gallman Jr. (1%) - New York Giants
With Saquon Barkley now out for the season, the G-Men will go forward with the tandem of Dion Lewis and Wayne Gallman Jr. as their running backs. Lewis just joined the Giants this season after two campaigns with the Titans. He is a dual-threat back but has not proved to be a workhorse back in the NFL during his eight-year career aside from a breakout year in 2017 with New England. Nevertheless, he should see a decent role in the rushing and passing game now while also likely splitting carries with Gallman.
Meanwhile, Gallman has primarily played a backup role with the Giants since being drafted in 2017 and now can prove himself as a workhorse back. He also brings value in the passing game too.
Both are worth a stash right now, but it’s important to monitor how they do going forward to see who is valuable. Either or both could hold long-term value considering they are the top backs on New York unless someone else is brought in.
Mike Davis, Carolina Panthers - 1%
With Christian McCaffrey sidelined for the next four to six weeks, Mike Davis will get the workhorse role and could be a decent flex piece during that time. Davis has been floating around teams for much of his career and only had one decent season with Seattle in 2017. Nevertheless, he gets a chance to show his abilities now.
Free Agent Wide Receivers
Kendrick Bourne, San Francisco 49ers - 7%
The 49ers have been hit hard by injuries to the point where Jordan Reed looked like his dominant Washington version this past Sunday simply because there weren’t enough options in the receiving game.
With George Kittle and Deebo Samuel ailing, Kendrick Bourne remains a top receiving option in this passing game too. Though temporary QB Nick Mullens may lower his value, Bourne is worth stashing in deep leagues simply because he may see more targets due to a lack of receiving options. He has seen five targets per game in the past two weeks.
Cole Beasley, Buffalo Bills - 7%
Reliable. That’s the word that describes Cole Beasley even though he is the WR3 on the Bills. The WR has seen at least six targets the past two weeks and has recorded 58 and 70 receiving yards. He is one of the best grabs for deeper leagues given his consistent role and proven track record.
Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers - 5%
Week 2 was the Chase Claypool breakout game. The large Notre Dame product broke through with a long touchdown that was 80+ yards and had 88 total yards on the day. Look, Claypool is just a rookie, but if Big Ben begins to trust him more and they develop solid chemistry, the 6’4” receiver can be a sleeper this season. He’s worth a stash right now and you should monitor his targets going forward.
Keelan Cole, Jacksonville Jaguars - 3%
I’m beginning to lean towards the fact that Keelan Cole could have a bigger role in this Jags offense than what was initially predicted by many. In Week 2, he had another touchdown, led the team in receptions, and was tied for the highest number of targets.
The Jaguars are playing hard and despite the number of receiving options they have, Cole is slowly starting to stand out. He’s a solid pickup at this point. Though he shouldn’t merit weekly starter status yet, more games like the first two going forward signal he is an important part of the offense and thus a flex piece.
Quintez Cephus, Detroit Lions - 2%
Coming into the season, many managers probably had never heard of Cephus; however, with WR1 Kenny Golladay out the first two weeks, Cephus has emerged as a reliable option for Matthew Stafford. He saw a whopping 10 targets in Week 1 and has recorded over 40 yards in both games thus far. Even when Golladay comes back, Cephus could remain a capable WR3 on the team behind him and Marvin Jones Jr., meaning flex value would still be there.
Adam Humphries, Tennessee Titans - 2%
The Titans without A.J. Brown means they are lacking receiving firepower. Even with Brown playing, Adam Humphries is the team’s WR3, but it took the absence of Brown for many (and myself) to realize the talent of Humphries. In two games, the receiver has seen at least six targets and recorded close to 50 yards in both. He has the chance to remain in the flex tier for the season if he sees decent targets on this ascending unit.
Damiere Byrd, New England Patriots - 0%
It would get really easy for defenses when facing the Patriots as they would only have to cover Julian Edelman. Nevertheless, Damiere Byrd made a case to get taken out of obscurity in Week 2 as he saw nine targets and got six receptions for 72 yards. The Pats are thin on receiving options for Cam Newton, and Byrd certainly has a chance to emerge as a reliable flex piece as the season progresses. The chemistry seems to be there and his target share was certainly encouraging.
Free Agent Tight Ends
Tyler Eifert, Jacksonville Jaguars - 10%
Tyler Eifert finally emerged in Week 2, grabbing a touchdown and seeing six targets. Though it’s not quite a good idea to start him every week going forward because of the presence of James O’Shaughnessy, he is certainly worth a stash for now and maybe a good starting TE2 (if his role stabilizes).
Jordan Reed, San Francisco 49ers - 7%
Look, George Kittle may even return this week, but Reed’s Week 2 performance showed he can still be valuable on the field. With the 49ers out of truly reliable pass-catching options, Reed could still see valuable targets alongside Kittle, so that makes him worth a stash.
Dalton Schultz- Dallas Cowboys - 2%
With Blake Jarwin out for the season, the new Cowboys TE1, Dalton Schultz, stepped up big in Week 2. He posted an incredible stat line, getting nine receptions for 88 yards and a score on 10 targets. With no competition for his TE1 role, Schultz could see valuable snaps for the rest of the season on this high-octane Dallas offense. He is most definitely worth a pickup and has the potential to be a solid second starting tight end (I won’t say TE1 just yet).
Mo Alie-Cox- Indianapolis Colts - 1%
Even if Jack Doyle returns soon, third-year player Mo Alie-Cox proved he deserves a bigger role on this Indy offense as he got 111 yards in Week 2 on five receptions and six targets. In a position thin with talent, and with the presence of many injuries this season, this TE is a decent pickup as he could see a good target share going forward even though he won’t get 100 yards each week.
Drew Sample, Cincinnati Bengals - 1%
With C.J. Uzomah now out for the season, 2019 second-round pick Drew Sample will be the starting tight end for the Bengals in 2020. Though he doesn’t have much of a sample in terms of stats (you knew I had to include that), he did see nine targets in Week 2 as Joe Burrow likes to throw to tight ends. Sample is another strong pickup like Dalton Schultz, as he could have a decent role for the rest of the season.
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