Week 2 Deeper Sleepers: Players Who May Still Be Available

Now that Week 1 of the NFL season is history, your fellow fantasy football owners have been looking to the waiver wire to improve their teams, and will continue to do so throughout the season. There are some more obvious players and breakout performers from Week 1 who many people targeted and grabbed off the waiver wire, as most league waivers run on Tuesday nights. But there are still plenty of players out there who can help your teams, even after waivers run.

In this piece, I've attempted to identify some deeper sleepers who may have either fallen off the radar, or are not getting enough love from fantasy football owners and are still underowned. We’re not talking about Allen Hurns, James Starks, Robert Woods, or Rod Streater here - guys who were most likely grabbed off waivers this week, or are already rostered. We’re here to look a little deeper!

Some of these players may still be available in your leagues, depending on the league size and format, so feel free to take a chance on them or pick them up and stash them if they're still sitting out there. You never know, any of these players can emerge in Week 2 or beyond and become different makers for fantasy football owners - especially in deeper leagues.

Digging Deeper - Potential Waiver Wire Sleepers

Isaiah Crowell - RB, Cleveland Browns

6% Owned in Fleaflicker Leagues

Ben Tate went out early with a knee injury after a pretty strong start. Tate has never been fully healthy in his career, and Browns head coach Mike Pettine also refused to comment on the severity of the injury at his press conference.  For now, it’s fair to assume that he won’t start the next game, and could be out an extended period of time. Terrance West received a majority of the touches, and looked good in Tate’s absence against Pittsburgh, but Isaiah Crowell also got key looks in the red zone and scored two touchdowns.

Terrance West will be the immediate add, but Crowell could be just as effective.  He was one of the most talented running backs to enter the draft, but a weapons charge led to him being undrafted.  Cleveland's offense was surprisingly effective at times, and a run first approach should mean plenty of opportunities for West and Crowell.  Look for Crowell to average between 8-15 touches if, and most likely while, Tate is out.  The Browns face the Saints next, who just let the Falcons running backs torch them in every facet of the game.

Roy Helu - RB, Washington Redskins

31% Owned in Fleaflicker Leagues

New head coach Jay Gruden utilizes his running backs somewhat heavily in the passing game, and Helu is the primary benefactor due to Alfred Morris’ stone hands.  He rushed for 46 yards on 4 carries and added 2 catches for 15 yards.  He was consistently picking up large chunks of yards in each of his opportunities.  Helu has always been a promising explosive back, and almost had a starting job until Alfred Morris became a star his rookie year.  Ever since, Helu has settled into a change  of pace and passing down role, and performed exceptionally well during the past 2 seasons.

I don’t anticipate a ton of touches for Helu, as Morris is a heavy workload lead back in a pass first offense, but Helu is going to get some opportunities in high scoring games, up-tempo drives (such as 2 minute drills), and plenty of looks if the Redskins trail in the 4th quarter.  If you are desperate for a running back, Helu is a safe add that will see between 5 and 12 touches a game.  He has a middling matchup next week against Jacksonville, but LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles just combined for 10 catches against the Jaguars, so Helu will still probably see some targets.

Brian Quick - WR, St. Louis Rams

5% Owned in Fleaflicker Leagues

Brian Quick should be owned in almost every fantasy league right now.  Currently, he’s owned in just 3%.  I was sure to draft him in every deep league I could find because he finally seemed ready to put it together.  With the injury to Sam Bradford, it seemed like a lost season, but Quick finally had a huge game, becoming a target hog for both Shaun Hill and Austin Davis, reeling in 7 balls for 99 yards.  He was the clear top option in the Rams passing attack, above Kenny Britt, Jared Cook, and Tavon Austin.

The Rams should be a run-heavy team this year, but considering how poorly they just performed, they’re going to have to pass more than they would hope to.  Quick’s a huge receiver at 6’4’’ and finally seems to have his head on straight.  He’s had trouble using his body to gain separation from defenders, but was finally able to be physical today and make some contested catches.  I wouldn’t go crazy and expect immediate production from Quick, but if he can carry over this performance to next week’s game against cornerback Alterraun Verner and the rest of the Bucs defense, then we’ll really have to consider calling him a starting-caliber fantasy receiver.  I’d grab him today in a 12 team league.

Justin Forsett - RB, Baltimore Ravens

6% Owned in Fleaflicker Leagues

I’m not sure I would constitute Justin Forsett as a deep sleeper, but I’ll list him here anyway.  After Bernard Pierce fumbled, Forsett became the lead dog for Baltimore, and played pretty well, going for 11-70-1, adding 4 catches for 15 yards. Forsett has bounced around the league for a while, but the production has remained steady, as he’s averaged roughly 5 yards per carry in his career. The big question here is if Bernard Pierce will get the start next game, or if Forsett will.  Pierce has been pretty abysmal since his strong rookie year, and the fumble doesn’t help (even though it was the first in his career), so Forsett may see enough opportunities to make him a flyer flex play.

Pierce should still start, given that he has much more natural talent than Forsett, and a bigger body to survive the season, but Forsett should still receive plenty of looks.  Lorenzo Taliaferro didn’t see a touch in the Ravens-Bengals game, and I’d probably stay away from him until we see him start to get involved in the Brown's offensive scheme.  As for Forsett, he earned himself a minimum of 8-9 touches a game, and that number could be higher if Pierce continues to struggle.  Forsett has a (surprisingly) decent matchup against the Steelers next game.  The Ravens will probably pick up a back like Andre Brown, though.

More Week 2 Sleepers Who May Still Be Available

Sleeper Running Backs (RB)

Jacquizz Rodgers, Atlanta Falcons (15% owned) - I wasn’t expecting Rodgers to perform as well as he did this week, and he deserves to stay ahead of Devonta Freeman on the depth chart for now.  He’s the main backup for Steven Jackson, and should receive most of his breathers and see at least 12 touches if Jackson ever misses time.

Denard Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars (4% owned) - Robinson looked quick when he got playing time against the Eagles.  If Gerhart misses time with that ankle injury, or continues to be ineffective, we’re going to see a good amount of Robinson is every aspect of the game.

Sleeper Wide Receivers (WR)

Cole Beasley, Dallas Cowboys (2% owned) - It seems like the average line for Beasley every game is 4 or 5 catches with 40 yards.  In PPR, that’s a solid 8 points.  He’s available in most leagues and makes for some easy quick points if you need them. Don’t expect much more, though.

Chris Owusu, Tampa Bay Bucs (0% owned) - Owusu is the third receiver for the Bucs, so he’s not going to see a lot of looks.  However, he’s fast and should see some light coverage in every game.  Wouldn’t be the worst deep flyer if you were absolutely decimated later in the season.

Sleeper Tight Ends (TE)

Larry Donnell, New York Giants (1% owned) - Looks like Donnell wins the TE depth chart battle in New York, and he looked pretty good in Detroit, and saw two red zone looks.  Eli seems to trust him, so he should have some TE2 relevance while he starts.  He’s huge, but not quick at all, so he should get shut down a lot.

Joe Fauria, Detroit Lions (3% owned) - Fauria is being utilized more than last year, and will be ahead of Eric Ebron on the depth chart most, if not all year.  The Lions use some two tight end sets now offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi is calling the shots, so Fauria should see the field, and possibly see more targets than Brandon Pettigrew in some games.  He’s pretty athletic and obviously has an eye for the end zone.

Sleeper Quarterbacks (QB)

Geno Smith, NY Jets (22% owned) - Finally seeing some bright spots for Smith. He is using his legs more often and has definitely been more accurate lately.  He still has an issue with mental mistakes, however.

Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans (27% owned) - As long as Locker is healthy, he’s going to be a decent filler as a QB.  The Titans went heavy on three WR sets.  Combine that with his running ability, and we have a very solid sleeper for a top 12 fantasy QB season.