Week 2 Fantasy Football Sneaky Starts & Sleepers

All but the luckiest fantasy owners at some point need to find the proverbial diamond in the rough—a waiver wire or bench player capable of putting up some points in a pinch. This weekly feature is dedicated to that part of fantasy football. It’s not pretty, but it’s part of the game.

Quarterbacks

Jordan Love, Packers (@ NYJ, 28)

Jordan Love threw for 387 yards and two touchdowns (and a pick) against the Vikings, and he needed 42 attempts to do it. With Josh Jacobs on the commissioner exempt list and the running game struggling behind a banged-up line, the Packers may have no choice but to let him cook. The Jets gave up 36 passing touchdowns last year, but held Cam Ward in check in Week 1 (127 yards, 1 TD).

Bo Nix, Broncos (vs. JAX, 11)

Monday night was ugly. Bo Nix completed 17 of 28 passes for 131 yards with a touchdown and an interception, took four sacks, and lost a fumble. The Jaguars defense that just blew out Cleveland isn’t an easy get-right spot, but Jacksonville was a pass-funnel last year, allowing the fewest rush yards while yielding 31 passing touchdowns. Nix finished QB9 and QB8 in his first two seasons, and he’s back at home.

C.J. Stroud, Texans (vs. CIN, 27)

C.J. Stroud held his own in a shootout with Josh Allen, completing 26 of 38 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns with no picks. Cincinnati allowed 27 points to Tampa Bay in Week 1 even though the Bucs lost four fumbles, so this has the makings of another high-scoring game.

Bryce Young, Panthers (@ ATL, 25)

Bryce Young threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns against the Bears and rushed for another. The offense looked noticeably more aggressive with Brad Idzik calling plays, and the Carolina defense struggled. If that combination continues, Young could find himself in plenty of shootouts.

Tyler Shough, Saints (@ BAL, 14)

Tyler Shough was a Sneaky Start last week and delivered 410 yards and three touchdowns against Detroit, though he was also picked off twice. That builds on a rookie season in which he averaged 17.1 points per game over his nine starts (QB12 per game) with 21.9 rushing yards per game. Baltimore isn’t a great matchup, but they did give up the third-most passing yards last season.

Running Backs

Chuba Hubbard, Panthers (@ ATL, 17)

Three weeks ago, this backfield looked like it was tilting toward Jonathon Brooks. Instead, Chuba Hubbard played 71% of the snaps and ran 27 routes against Chicago, turning 15 touches into 87 yards and two touchdowns, while Brooks played just 19% of the snaps. Right now, Hubbard is the lead back, and he should be treated as an RB2 in Atlanta.

Jadarian Price, Seahawks (@ ARI, 31)

Jadarian Price edged George Holani in snaps (48% to 46%) and ran more routes (12 to seven) in his NFL debut, turning 12 touches into 58 yards. It’s an RBBC for now, but the first-round rookie is more talented, and Seattle may lean on the run with Drew Lock at quarterback. The Cardinals gave up the eighth-most rushing yards last season.

MarShawn Lloyd, Packers (@ NYJ, 32)

MarShawn Lloyd wasn’t efficient in Week 1 (13 carries for 37 yards, zero catches on one target), but he out-carried Chris Brooks 13 to 7 with Josh Jacobs out. The Jets yielded the fourth-most rushing yards and the sixth-most rushing touchdowns last season, and the Titans averaged 4.9 YPC against them last week. Double-digit carries in a soft spot puts him in the flex conversation, though the Green Bay offensive line is a serious question mark.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Commanders (@ DAL, 26)

Jacory Croskey-Merritt handled 17 touches for 56 yards and a touchdown against Philadelphia, well ahead of Rachaad White (9) and Kaytron Allen (4). He also fumbled, which is worth watching in a crowded backfield. Dallas just allowed 81 rushing yards and a score to Cam Skattebo, and gave up a league-high 24 rushing touchdowns last season.

Bhayshul Tuten, Jaguars (@ DEN, 12)

Bhayshul Tuten led all Jacksonville backs in snaps (49%), turning 16 touches into 88 yards, including a 22-yard screen. Chris Rodriguez (40% snaps, six carries for 23 yards) was mostly used in short yardage and saw the team’s lone carry inside the Browns’ 10-yard line. Liam Coen said afterward that Tuten "ran his tail off" and ran through a lot of arm tackles, which is the kind of coach-speak that might result in even more usage. Denver wasn’t easy to run on last year, but Kenneth Walker had his way with the Broncos on Monday night.

Wide Receivers

Jalen Coker, Panthers (@ ATL, 30)

Last week’s Sneaky Start broke out with 8-132-2 on a team-high nine targets. Jalen Coker’s underlying metrics have been good for two years, and now the volume/role is catching up. Bryce Young looks capable of supporting two fantasy receivers, and Atlanta was bad against receivers last season.

Stefon Diggs, Commanders (@ DAL, 32)

Stefon Diggs saw nine targets in his Commanders debut, more than twice as many as Terry McLaurin and Antonio Williams, who each saw four. Diggs turned those targets into 4-55-1. Dallas gave up 229/3 to Jaxson Dart last week, so this one could turn into a shootout.

Deebo Samuel, 49ers (vs. MIA, 27)

The Kyle Shanahan reunion is off to a good start. Deebo Samuel caught six passes and generated 60 total yards and a touchdown on seven targets. Miami just gave up 27 points to the Raiders, so the 49ers should go for 30+.

Matthew Golden, Packers (@ NYJ, 19)

Matthew Golden led the Packers with 12 targets and posted 6-95. Golden’s volume is the more encouraging sign for the second-year receiver, and he’s a viable flex if the Packers have to go pass-heavy with Josh Jacobs out of the picture.

Jakobi Meyers, Jaguars (@ DEN, 15)

Meyers only saw two targets in Jacksonville’s 34-10 rout of Cleveland, but he made both of them count (2-40-1). After the trade last season, he averaged 7.3 targets and 10.1 points per game from Week 11 on, and a more competitive game in Denver should boost his usage.

Mack Hollins, Patriots (vs. PIT, 21)

Mack Hollins led New England receivers with a 70% snap rate in Week 1, and he caught four of five targets for 51 yards. A.J. Brown’s high-ankle sprain is going to cost him some time, and Romeo Doubs was held without a catch on three targets. Hollins should be on the field a lot and has a built-in rapport with Drake Maye. He’s a deep-league flex, but the snaps will be there.

Devaughn Vele, Saints (@ BAL, 25)

Devaughn Vele was another Sneaky Start who came through, posting 7-69-1 on nine targets as Tyler Shough was chucking it for 410 yards. If the Saints keep throwing like that, Vele’s role gives him WR3/flex appeal in a decent matchup.

Caleb Douglas, Dolphins (@ SF, 26)

Caleb Douglas led Miami’s receivers with 5-94 on seven targets while running 35 routes. Malik Washington saw more targets (eight) and ran more routes (40), but Douglas was more productive with his usage. We were wondering all summer how the Miami WR room was going to shake out, and as of Week 2, Douglas looks like the best bet for fantasy points.

Tight Ends

Dallas Goedert, Eagles (@ TEN, 20)

Dallas Goedert delivered as a Week 1 Sneaky Start with 4-77-2 on five targets against Washington. A.J. Brown’s departure leaves more targets to go around in Philadelphia, and Goedert tied for the TE lead with 11 touchdowns last season.

Mark Andrews, Ravens (vs. NO, 17)

Mark Andrews (4-49) ran a route on 26 of Lamar Jackson’s 33 dropbacks in a blowout win over the Colts, and his 72% snap rate was well above last year’s 62% average. His six targets were tied for the most on the team with Zay Flowers, who is dealing with a hamstring injury. With Isaiah Likely gone, that’s the role we were hoping for. In four games without Likely over the previous two seasons, Andrews averaged 3.5 catches for 42 yards and 0.75 touchdowns.

Dalton Schultz, Texans (vs. CIN, 31)

Dalton Schultz was second on the Texans with eight targets in Week 1, trailing only Nico Collins (10). He quietly finished TE12 last season on 106 targets, and with Jayden Higgins out for the year, he should remain involved. Cincinnati tends to be generous to the tight end position, so this is a good spot to stream Schultz.

Hunter Henry, Patriots (vs. PIT, 29)

Hunter Henry was quiet in the opener (3-26 on 3 targets), and Eli Raridon caught Drake Maye’s only touchdown pass. With A.J. Brown sidelined, there should be more targets available, and Henry has finished TE9 and TE12 the last two seasons. He’s a good bet to bounce back at home in a soft matchup against the Steelers, who often forget to cover enemy tight ends.

Jake Ferguson, Cowboys (vs. WAS, 32)

Ferguson was a Week 1 dud, and he was tackled just short of the goal line on one of those catches. Ferguson caught 82 of 100 targets last year, and Dak Prescott’s trust isn’t going away after one game. Washington just allowed 4-77-2 to Dallas Goedert.

Michael Mayer, Raiders (@ LAC, 5)

With Brock Bowers sidelined after a meniscus trim, Michael Mayer led the Raiders with seven targets and caught six of them for 32 yards in the win over Miami. It wasn’t flashy, but Kirk Cousins leaned on him, and that kind of volume pays in full-PPR formats. The Chargers were a tough matchup for tight ends last season, but Trey McBride burned them for 9-95-1 on 13 targets in Week 1. If Bowers sits again, Mayer is a volume-based TE2 streamer. If Bowers plays, Mayer goes back to the bench.