Austin Ekeler (ankle) and Aaron Jones (hamstring) missed practice Friday, which should allow for some sleeper running backs to help Fantasy managers in Week 2. Ekeler isn't expected to travel with the Chargers to Tennessee, and Jones was listed as questionable, although he missed practice all week.
In Green Bay, the replacement for Jones is obvious with A.J. Dillon. He struggled in Week 1 at Chicago with 13 carries for 19 yards, along with two catches for 17 yards on three targets. But I'm expecting a better performance at Atlanta.
- More from Jamey: DFS Play of the Week | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em
Last season, Dillon had five games with at least 15 total touches, and he averaged 12.8 PPR points over that span. The Falcons just allowed Miles Sanders to score 11.8 PPR points in Week 1, and Dillon should perform slightly better than that in Week 2. He's worth starting as a No. 2 running back in all leagues.
Joshua Kelley is more of a flex option in all leagues, and he has a brutal matchup in Week 2 at Tennessee. Last year, the Titans were No. 2 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and they were great in Week 1 against the Saints. Jamaal Williams only had 18 carries for 45 yards and two catches for 7 yards on two targets.
I expect Kelley to do better than that, and he was fantastic in Week 1 against Miami with 16 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown, but he had no catches on one target. His role in the passing game will likely determine how well Kelley does, and I hope he's used in a similar fashion to Ekeler, who had four catches for 47 yards on five targets against the Dolphins.
Along with the running back injuries, we also have DeAndre Hopkins (ankle) expected to be out in Week 2 against the Chargers. That should allow Treylon Burks and Chigoziem Okonkwo to become sleepers, and we'll address their outlooks below.
Now, let's look at other sleepers to target in Week 2. Hopefully, they deliver in a big way to give your lineup a significant boost. And if you're looking for my Week 2 DFS plays, you can find my million-dollar contest tournament lineups for both DraftKings and FanDuel over at SportsLine.
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Week 2 Sleepers
Week 2 Preview
Sleepers
Sleeper QBs
Purdy was once again fantastic in Week 1 at Pittsburgh, and I'm glad he's all the way back from the elbow injury he suffered in last year's NFC Championship Game. I was skeptical, and he proved me wrong, completing 19-of-29 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns, along with 20 rushing yards against the Steelers. He scored 20.8 Fantasy points against Pittsburgh, and he should be in a similar range in Week 2 against the Rams. I consider him a low-end starter in one-quarterback leagues in this matchup.
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I thought Carr did well in Week 1 against the Titans with 305 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception, and he should have the chance for another quality outing in Week 2 at Carolina. While the Panthers are No. 4 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks after one week, that's because the Falcons ran all over Carolina's defense. The Saints will test this secondary, which just lost cornerback Jaycee Horn (hamstring), and Carr should be considered a low-end starter in one-quarterback leagues for Week 2.
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Mayfield is only worth starting in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues, but he did well in Week 1 at Minnesota, scoring 20.0 Fantasy points with 173 passing yards and two touchdowns, along with 11 rushing yards. He completed 21-of-34 passes, and Mayfield should have moments like this when the matchup is right, including in Week 2 against Chicago. The Bears just allowed Jordan Love to score 29 Fantasy points in Week 1, and I like Mayfield's chances to have another good game since he'll lean on Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
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Wilson had a solid debut in Sean Payton's offense in Week 1 against Las Vegas. He scored 19.2 Fantasy points with 27-of-34 passing for 177 yards and two touchdowns. It wasn't outstanding, but it was a good start. And Wilson definitely looked better than he did for most of last year. This week, Wilson gets Jerry Jeudy back after he missed Week 1 with a hamstring injury, and that's a huge boost against the Commanders. Wilson is a solid starter in Superflex and two-quarterback leagues for Week 2.
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Sleeper RBs
You have to love that Pacheco ran more routes than Jerick McKinnon in Week 1 against Detroit, and if Pacheco's role in the passing game expands then he'll be a quality Fantasy running back moving forward. Against the Lions, Pacheco had eight carries for 23 yards and four catches for 31 yards on four targets, and he led the Chiefs backfield in playing time with 48 percent of the snaps. The last time Pacheco faced the Jaguars in the playoffs last season he had 12 carries for 95 yards and one catch for 6 yards on one target, and the rematch should be a shootout with an expected point total of 51.5. I like Pacheco as a low-end starter in all leagues.
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Mostert's Fantasy managers got good news in Week 1 when De'Von Achane was made inactive as a healthy scratch at Los Angeles, and Mostert only had to share touches with Salvon Ahmed, allowing him to play 73 percent of the snaps. We'll see what happens in Week 2 at New England, but Mostert should once again lead the Dolphins backfield in playing time. Now, against the Chargers, Mostert only saw 12 total touches (two catches on two targets), and we got lucky that he scored a touchdown. I expect more work against the Patriots, and Mostert liked playing in Foxboro Stadium last year when he had nine carries for 29 yards and eight catches for 62 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. I like Mostert as a high-end flex in all leagues for Week 2.
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I like Javonte Williams as a flex option this week against the Commanders, but I also like Perine in the same range. The Broncos seem to feel the same since both running backs played the same amount of snaps (45 percent) in Week 1 against the Raiders. Perine had the better game with 11.8 PPR points compared to 9.7 for Williams, and something similar could happen in Week 2 against Washington. If you have both running backs on your Fantasy roster then lean toward Williams, but don't be surprised if Perine once again has a better performance given his usage.
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One of the more surprising stat lines from Week 1 was Allgeier against the Panthers. Even with Bijan Robinson now on the roster, Allgeier still led the Falcons with 15 carries, which he turned into 75 yards and two touchdowns. And he added three catches for 19 yards on three targets. It wasn't like Robinson was bad (10 carries for 56 yards and six catches for 27 yards and a touchdown on six targets), but it's clear the Falcons are going to lean on both running backs. Robinson played 63 percent of the snaps, and Allgeier was at 56 percent. Against the Packers this week, Allgeier should be considered a flex in all formats if he's going to continue to get that much work in tandem with Robinson, who remains a must-start option in all leagues.
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The Ravens and Fantasy managers got awful news in Week 1 when J.K. Dobbins was lost for the season with a ruptured Achilles. He was headed for a breakout year, and it ended way too soon against the Texans. Now, we have to see how Baltimore will replace Dobbins, and Edwards and Justice Hill should split touches. I like Edwards better than Hill, but both should be involved, starting this week against the Bengals. Cincinnati couldn't stop Nick Chubb last week when he had 18 carries for 106 yards, along with four catches for 21 yards on four targets, and I expect the Ravens to use Edwards as a physical presence to lead the ground game. He's a flex in all leagues, with his value higher in non-PPR.
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Moss will play in Week 2 at Houston after being out in Week 1 with a forearm injury. He should take over as the lead running back for the Colts, and Fantasy managers should consider him a flex option in all leagues. Last year in Week 18, Moss had 18 carries for 114 yards and a touchdown, along with three catches for 7 yards. I wouldn't expect that level of production, but we know the Texans had a bad run defense last year and just allowed the Ravens to score three rushing touchdowns in Week 1. There's definite letdown potential here for Moss, but he should get a hefty amount of work in a plus matchup, which makes him somewhat appealing as a flex.
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Sleeper WRs
It was great to see Collins step up in Week 1 at Baltimore in his first game with C.J. Stroud. Collins had 11 targets and finished with six catches for 80 yards, and he should continue to be the No. 1 receiver for Houston this year, as we said all offseason. This week, Collins gets to face a Colts secondary that just allowed Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones to catch 13 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns on 18 targets on the perimeter, and Collins should be considered a starter in all three-receiver leagues for Week 2. In deeper PPR leagues, you can use Robert Woods as a flex since he had six catches for 57 yards on 10 targets in Week 1.
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Doubs had a quality season-opener at Chicago in Week 1 with four catches for 26 yards and two touchdowns on five targets, and he did that at less than 100 percent because of an injured hamstring. He should be close to normal in Week 2 at Atlanta, and I'm hopeful that leads to more catches and yards, along with finding the end zone again. We'll see what happens with Christian Watson (hamstring) for this matchup, but if he's out again then that only enhances the value for Doubs as a go-to option for Jordan Love. Doubs is a solid starter in three-receiver leagues against the Falcons.
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Thomas did two things of note in Week 1 against Tennessee. For starters, he stayed healthy, which is great to see, and we hope he can make it through the entire season. But he showed a solid rapport with new quarterback Derek Carr with five catches for 61 yards on eight targets, including an impressive 25-yard grab down the left sideline. He'll continue to be a short-area target for Carr while Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed operate on the perimeter, but Thomas still has plenty of appeal as a starter in three-receiver leagues in Week 2 against the Panthers, who are down cornerback Jaycee Horn (hamstring), leaving a big hole in their secondary.
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If Reynolds gets just six targets then he should perform well in Week 2 against Seattle. Reynolds had a good game in Week 1 at Kansas City with four catches for 80 yards on seven targets, and he should be the No. 2 receiver in Detroit until Jameson Williams returns in Week 7 from his suspension. Going back to last season, Reynolds now has six games with at least six targets, and he scored at least 12 PPR points in five of them. One of those games was Week 4 against the Seahawks in 2022 when he caught seven passes for 81 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. I like Reynolds as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues in Week 3.
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I was too harsh on Toney after his struggles in Week 1 against Detroit when he had one catch for 1 yard on five targets, and one of his drops led to a 50-yard pick-six by Detroit's Brian Branch. He played in that game following a month-long absence from a knee injury, but he still tied for the team lead in targets. And Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are still backing Toney, which is a positive sign. Hopefully, he's close to 100 percent for this matchup with the Jaguars, and this game should be a shootout with a projected total of 51.5. Based on Week 1, any of the Chiefs receivers could surprise us in this game, especially if Travis Kelce (knee) remains out. But I'll give a slight nod to Toney since he could have a squeaky-wheel outing if Mahomes leans on him against Jacksonville.
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DeAndre Hopkins (ankle) isn't expected to play Sunday against the Chargers, which makes Burks a potential starter in three-receiver leagues. He was quiet in Week 1 at New Orleans with two catches for 18 yards on three targets, and he was actually outplayed by Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, who had four catches for 58 yards on seven targets. I'm hopeful that Hopkins' absence leads to more chances for Burks, and this is a great matchup against the Chargers. In Week 1 against Miami, the Chargers allowed 466 passing yards and three receivers (Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and River Cracraft) to score at least 11 PPR points.
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Sleeper TEs
It's clear that Ferguson will be someone that Dak Prescott leans on this season, and he led the Cowboys in targets with seven in Week 1 at the Giants. That's important since Prescott attempted just 24 passes against New York. Ferguson only had two catches for 11 yards against the Giants, which clearly needs to improve, but I like him as a low-end starter in all leagues in Week 2 against the Jets.
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Kincaid had a quiet first game in the NFL in Week 1 at the Jets with four catches for 26 yards, but he caught all four of his targets. He played 80 percent of the snaps, and the Bills need to get him more involved to help Josh Allen get over his recent struggles. The Raiders just allowed Adam Trautman and Greg Dulcich to catch seven passes for 56 yards on seven targets, and Kincaid could be great if he got seven targets in this matchup.
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Musgrave should continue to be a go-to target for Jordan Love, even when Christian Watson (hamstring) is healthy. In his first NFL action in Week 1 at Chicago, Musgrave had three catches for 50 yards on four targets, and he should have caught a touchdown. Those will come, and Musgrave has plenty of appeal for Week 2 at Atlanta. The Falcons just struggled with Hayden Hurst in Week 1 for five catches, 41 yards and a touchdown on seven targets, and Musgrave should be considered a low-end starter in all leagues.
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I originally had Okonkwo as a sit in Start 'Em & Sit 'Em when DeAndre Hopkins was expected to play in Week 2, but now it appears like Hopkins is out with an ankle injury. That should make Okonkwo more of a focal point in the passing game, and he can be used as a starter in deep Fantasy leagues. In Week 1 at the Saints, Okonkwo was a non-factor with no catches on two targets. But he should get more attention from Ryan Tannehill in Week 2, and the Chargers just allowed Durham Smythe to catch three passes for 44 yards on seven targets in Week 1. Okonkwo could have a stellar game with seven targets, which hopefully will happen now with Hopkins hurt.
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Week 2 Preview
DST
- Giants (at ARI)
- Lions (vs. SEA)
- Buccaneers (vs. CHI)
Sleeper Kickers
Sleeper Kickers
