Emilee Chinn/Associated Press

Fantasy Football Week 2: Biggest Sleepers at Every Position

Maurice Moton

If your fantasy football league's top pickups went to other teams this week, that's OK. Those who missed out on the hottest adds can still find sleepers at the bottom of the free-agent pool.

Managers may hesitate to grab top Week 1 performers because of their history of mediocre fantasy production. In a new season, take a chance on them if you have room at the end of your bench. Don't miss out on a breakout player or late bloomer in a crucial contract season. (Spoiler alert: We're looking at Tennessee Titans wide receiver Corey Davis here.) 

Keep an eye on the injury report and practice participation as well. The Los Angeles Chargers have a rookie running back who could handle a decent load to fill in for a teammate on the mend.

Check out the three sleeper suggestions for each offensive position below. All players are rostered in fewer than 60 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Quarterbacks

Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill Associated Press

Ryan Tannehill vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (45 percent rostered)

DraftKings DFS Price: $5,900

Don't let the Jacksonville Jaguars' Week 1 performance fool you. They played against a turnover-prone quarterback in Philip Rivers, who threw 20 interceptions last season and suited up for the first time with the Indianapolis Colts. In short, this defense isn't a unit to stay away from in fantasy. 

Ryan Tannehill had a decent outing against a tough Vic Fangio-led Denver Broncos defense that can still generate pressure without Von Miller, who's sidelined because of a dislocated peroneal tendon. He threw for 249 yards and two touchdowns. 

Tannehill connected with Corey Davis on seven out of eight targets for a team-high 101 yards. Adam Humphries caught six passes for 47 yards. Tight ends Jonnu Smith and MyCole Pruitt each hauled in touchdown catches.

Against Denver, Tannehill showed the ability to spread the ball around. He could test a restructured Jaguars defense more than Rivers. Start him with confidence. 

        

Tyrod Taylor vs. Kansas City Chiefs (7 percent rostered)

DraftKings DFS Price: $5,300

Even though Tyrod Taylor didn't look impressive against the Cincinnati Bengals, give him one more shot in Week 2. The Los Angeles Chargers will need to rack up points in bunches to keep pace with the Kansas City Chiefs' high-powered offense that scored 34 points in Week 1.

Kansas City won't have cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who's serving a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. Fellow cornerback Charvarius Ward fractured his hand in the team's season opener and is questionable to play Sunday.

If the Chiefs are without both of their starting cornerbacks, fantasy managers should consider inserting Taylor into their lineups. He ran the ball only six times for seven yards against Cincinnati, but the dual-threat signal-caller could score on the ground as Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson did against Kansas City's defense in Week 1.

                    

Mitchell Trubisky vs. New York Giants (6 percent rostered)

DraftKings DFS Price: $5,500

Against the Detroit Lions in the season opener, Mitchell Trubisky did most of his damage in the fourth quarter, throwing for 89 yards and three touchdowns within the final 15 minutes.

On Sunday, he'll face a New York Giants defense that allowed a 117.8 passer rating to Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Trubisky could test the Giants' new primary starters in the secondary with Julian Love at safety, Corey Ballentine on the boundary and rookie fourth-rounder Darnay Holmes in the slot. 

Don't forget, Trubisky can tuck the ball and run if necessary. He recorded a 20-yard gain on the ground last week.

Running Backs

Los Angeles Chargers running back Joshua Kelley Aaron Doster/Associated Press

Adrian Peterson vs. Green Bay Packers (58 percent rostered)

DraftKings DFS Price: $4,700

Before you fade the Detroit Lions' three-man backfield, take a look at what Adrian Peterson did in his first game with the team.

A week after Peterson signed with the Lions, he became their lead ball-carrier, rushing 14 times for 93 yards. He tacked on three catches for 21 yards as well. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell clearly trusts him, which makes sense considering he worked with the three-time rushing champion for four seasons (2007-10) in Minnesota. 

Bevell isn't going to turn back the clock to Peterson's heyday with the Vikings, though the history between the two suggests the 35-year-old could have a steady role on early downs for the Lions. Expect him to log 12-15 carries against a Green Bay Packers defense that allowed 134 rushing yards to Minnesota in Week 1.

        

Tevin Coleman vs. New York Jets (58 percent rostered)

DraftKings DFS Price: $4,000

Last week, Tevin Coleman barely made a blip on the fantasy football radar. He recorded four carries for 18 yards along with one reception for six yards. Raheem Mostert (37) and Jerick McKinnon (19) had more offensive snaps than him (six).

Coleman's availability was in question going into the San Francisco 49ers' season opener because of his sickle cell trait in combination with the poor air quality in the Bay Area after wildfires.

In Week 2, the 49ers will travel to MetLife Stadium to face the Jets, so Coleman could take on a bigger workload. With the Niners' wide receiver corps depleted by injuries, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo targeted his backfield (Mostert, McKinnon, Coleman and fullback Kyle Juszczyk) a combined 15 times last week.

In Week 1, the Jets allowed a receiving touchdown to Buffalo Bills rookie running back Zack Moss. If Coleman takes more snaps, he could find the end zone on the ground or as a pass-catcher.

        

Joshua Kelley vs. Kansas City Chiefs (36 percent rostered)

DraftKings DFS Price: $4,700

In the Los Angeles Chargers' first game, running back Justin Jackson exited with a quadricep injury, which allowed Joshua Kelley to take on a significant role. The rookie fourth-rounder logged 12 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown. 

Kelley ripped off a 26-yard gain on the ground in the third quarter and took multiple carries inside the 10-yard line. He's a good plug-and-play option until Jackson returns.

Head coach Anthony Lynn hasn't ruled Jackson out for Week 2, but the Chargers called up running back Darius Bradwell from the practice squad. That suggests the ailing tailback could miss some time. 

Jackson didn't practice Wednesday, so pick up Kelley and hold on to him, as the Chargers may try to keep Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on the sideline with a run-heavy attack.

Wide Receivers

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson Chris Szagola/Associated Press

DeSean Jackson vs. Los Angeles Rams (49 percent rostered)

DraftKings DFS Price: $5,100

The Philadelphia Eagles kept a dirty secret from fantasy managers: They planned to limit DeSean Jackson's workload in their season opener. He played only 54 percent of the offensive snaps in their 27-17 loss.

Head coach Doug Pederson wants to keep Jackson fresh for the duration of the campaign, though he anticipates the 33-year-old wideout will see an increased snap count each week.

Wideout Alshon Jeffery remains sidelined after undergoing Lisfranc surgery this offseason. Meanwhile, quarterback Carson Wentz targeted rookie first-rounder Jalen Reagor only four times in his first game. 

Despite Jackson's limitations, he still had the second-most deep targets (four) of any player in Week 1, per Pro Football Focus. With more opportunities coming up, start him in the flex spot this week.

Jackson has tremendous boom potential if Wentz connects with him on a few big plays.

    

Mike Williams vs. Kansas City Chiefs (46 percent rostered)

DraftKings DFS Price: $4,200

The Los Angeles Chargers will likely battle the Kansas City Chiefs' dynamic offense in a high-scoring game or play catchup from behind. Either way, you should start quarterback Tyrod Taylor's top playmakers.

Williams went into the season opener with questions about his AC joint injury, but he played 86 percent of the offensive snaps and recorded four catches for 69 yards on a team-leading nine targets. Even more encouraging, he practiced in full Wednesday, so we can put the injury concerns to rest for now.

After an active first outing, Williams has WR3 and flex appeal because of his big-play ability. He averaged a league-leading 20.4 yards per reception with Philip Rivers under center in 2019 and hauled in a 37-yard catch from Taylor in Week 1.

       

Corey Davis vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (16 percent rostered)

DraftKings DFS Price: $4,000 

Did we see a new and improved Corey Davis on Monday Night Football? While it's too early for us to turn the page on his three mediocre seasons in the Titans' run-first offense, he's worth a look in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

As discussed with Tannehill above, the Jaguars defense shouldn't scare you yet. Rivers has been gift-wrapping interceptions for the opposition since last year. 

Tannehill will have a better showing against Jacksonville. Davis tied fellow wideout A.J. Brown for the most targets (eight) on the team with 101 receiving yards in Week 1, which suggests he could have a strong encore performance Sunday.

Tight Ends

Washington Football Team tight end Logan Thomas Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Chris Herndon vs. San Francisco 49ers (46 percent rostered)

DraftKings DFS Price: $3,400

The New York Jets offense didn't have a pulse until the second half. However, Chris Herndon finished second on the team in targets (seven).

Quarterback Sam Darnold has a depleted wideout corps with slot receiver Jamison Crowder as the featured playmaker within that group. In Week 1, Breshad Perriman and Chris Hogan combined for four catches and 17 yards. The latter recorded one reception for no gain.

With rookie second-round wide receiver Denzel Mims and running back Le'Veon Bell on injured reserve with hamstring injuries, Darnold has no choice but to continue building his rapport with Crowder and Herndon.

Herndon remains available in more than half of Yahoo leagues, so grab him while he's available. 

        

Logan Thomas vs. Arizona Cardinals (15 percent rostered)

DraftKings DFS Price: $3,600

The Washington Football Team desperately need a playmaker to emerge in the passing game behind wide receiver Terry McLaurin. Against the Philadelphia Eagles, quarterback Dwayne Haskins may have found help at the tight end position. 

On Sunday, Logan Thomas saw the most targets (eight) on the team and hauled in four catches for 37 yards and a touchdown. His connection with Haskins seems like a work in progress, though fantasy managers should pick him up for this matchup. 

The Arizona Cardinals allowed 16 touchdowns to tight ends last season. They got a bit of a break against George Kittle, who suffered a knee sprain in Week 1 and finished with only four catches for 44 yards. But Haskins and Thomas could challenge the Cardinals' intermediate pass coverage this Sunday.

        

Jimmy Graham vs. New York Giants (7 percent rostered)

DraftKings DFS Price: $3,800 

Jimmy Graham may be ready to turn back the hands of time become a fantasy-relevant asset again.

His chemistry with Mitchell Trubisky remains a work in progress, but he hauled in three of his seven targets for 25 yards and a touchdown against the Detroit Lions. Meanwhile, second-round rookie tight end Cole Kmet played only 20 offensive snaps and recorded zero receptions on one target.

While Kmet gets up to speed in the pros, Graham seems like the play for now, especially against a New York Giants defense that doesn't scare anyone.

        

All daily fantasy prices provided by DraftKings.

   

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