RADIO
Rishi Patel identifies players at QB, RB, WR, and TE to target or add from the waiver wire in deep fantasy football leagues for Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season.
Week 1 of the NFL did not disappoint. There were players shining with new teams, close matchups, lots of scoring, and the Browns being the Browns. As we continue with this series, I will continue to pick out a handful of deep sleepers who could provide some value for your fantasy team.
Week 1 of the season was also unfortunately filled with some notable injuries, including to Marlon Mack, Le’Veon Bell, Michael Thomas, and that of Mike Evans too, among others. If any players on your fantasy team are forced to miss time, I assure you there are capable fill-ins you could pick up off the waiver wire. In addition, I’ll list off players who are worth stashing as they could see a larger role as the season progresses and become more consistent for fantasy.
For Week 2, let’s look at some players who could be worth a look in very deep leagues. As a reminder, players listed in this column will always be rostered at or below 15% in Yahoo leagues.
Editor's Note: Discover RotoBaller’s top Fantasy Football Sleepers to gain an edge in your drafts. Our free who to draft tool and expert picks spotlight undervalued players, breakout candidates, and late-round gems for all league formats.
Free Agent Quarterbacks
Tyrod Taylor, Los Angeles Chargers - 8% rostered
I know what you are thinking, the Chargers had to basically get lucky to beat the Bengals, who started a rookie QB in his first game. On top of that, Taylor wasn’t that impressive either. But wouldn’t you rather have Taylor over someone like Sam Darnold who spent much of Sunday stinking it up?
Rookie Justin Herbert is waiting for his chance and Tyrod Taylor will likely have that added spark of motivation each week so he doesn’t lose his job as he did early in the 2018 season (to Baker Mayfield). He’s worth a look and could slowly become more comfortable in an offense that features talented players like Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Hunter Henry.
Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago Bears - 3% rostered
As many could have predicted, Mitchell Trubisky once again lit up the Lions, but not until later in the game this time. Trubisky is a maddening fantasy option, but there’s no denying the fact that can he can play well if he starts feeling it. With the Nick Foles chatter at a minimal right now, Trubisky realizes he must play lights out to keep his job and therefore will bring out his A-game each week (whatever that ends up being). With matchups against weaker defenses such as the Giants, Falcons, and Panthers in the first half of the season, Trubisky doesn’t sound like such a bad option to grab.
Free Agent Running Backs
Joshua Kelley, Los Angeles Chargers - 12% rostered
It’s officially time to grab Joshua Kelley. As in this week. The rookie beat out Justin Jackson in Week 1 and was the RB2 of the team while accumulating 60 rush yards on 12 carries for a touchdown. If he keeps this role right behind Austin Ekeler going forward, Kelley could bring more fantasy value than initially anticipated.
Jerick McKinnon, San Francisco 49ers - 11% rostered
After not being able to hit the field due to injuries the past two seasons, former Vikings back Jerick McKinnon finally made his 49ers debut in Week 1, and it wasn’t half bad. He offered modest value in the passing and receiving game and even caught a receiving touchdown.
He’s more of a dual-threat back and can provide great all-around value. With Matt Brieda now gone and the WR corp ailing, McKinnon could take on a bigger role in both the rushing and passing game and push for flex value most weeks.
Jamaal Williams, Green Bay Packers - 6% rostered
As we have seen in years past, Jamaal Williams has been the pass-catching back on Green Bay and proved to be relevant in the passing AND rushing game in Week 1 against the Vikings. Though he may not put up elite numbers each week, his role is engrained on this offense, and that should mean something. He remains a solid flex candidate in deep leagues considering his proven history on this team.
Frank Gore, New York Jets - 4% rostered
With Le’Veon Bell slated to miss some time due to a hamstring injury sustained in Week 1, Frank Gore becomes an absolute must-add in deep leagues. The 37-year-old should see a workhorse role for the foreseeable future and will be more involved in this rather unexciting Jets offense. Still, he’s a proven player, and despite his age, his volume should help him maintain fantasy value.
Peyton Barber, Washington Football Team - 3% rostered
There’s no other way to put it, but the Washington backfield was an absolute mess that was impossible to decipher heading into the season. Week 1 provided a little clearance, as it was former Bucs running back Peyton Barber who shouldered the load with 17 carries for 29 yards and two touchdowns.
That volume was encouraging considering the expected starter, Antonio Gibson, only saw nine carries, half of what Barber had. If he maintains this type of large role, Barber could emerge as a solid fantasy flex or even be in the RB3 conversation as the season progresses.
Corey Clement, Philadelphia Eagles - 2% rostered
It seems the injuries keep piling up for the Eagles. With lead RB Miles Sanders already out, backup Boston Scott shouldered the load in Week 1 only to sustain an injury of his own. It remains to be seen if Scott will miss any games, but this means third-stringer Corey Clement’s role could become larger, as in the lead back if the other two miss any games. He’s a good insurance pickup for this week and beyond. He’s also proven he’s talented considering he caught a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl Philly won just a couple of years ago.
Free Agent Wide Receivers
Kendrick Bourne, San Francisco 49ers - 13% rostered
With their WRs corp banged up, the 49ers took another blow when TE George Kittle also sustained an injury, to his leg specifically. While it’s unclear how much that will affect the tight end going forward, it leads to the brutal reality that this team is thin on receiving options.
RB Raheem Mostert paced the team in receiving yards in Week 1!! The most logical WR to see an uptick in volume is Kendrick Bourne. He is certainly worth a pickup this week considering Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and now George Kittle are dealing with some sort of setback. Bourne could prove to be huge for this passing game going forward and must be considered just because of the high volume he may see.
Laviska Shenault Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars - 12% rostered
Week 1 saw Gardner Minshew back up his words about the Jags not trying to tank. Well, this is good news for the Jags offense, considering they could have fantasy-relevant players for 2020. That brings us to rookie Laviska Shenault Jr., who had a great NFL debut with three receptions on four targets for 37 yards and a touchdown.
He played a huge role and could emerge as a solid option for Minshew. He’s worth stashing right now. On that same note, Keelan Cole is also worth picking up and stashing considering he led the Jags in receptions, targets, and yards in Week 1. For both these receivers, their value could rise a bit going forward, but it depends on how the target share between the Jags’ receivers is split.
Cole Beasley, Buffalo Bills - 8% rostered
Dating back to his Cowboys days, Cole Beasley was never the go-to option, but he was always a reliable one. Even as the WR3 on the Bills, Beasley still has a decent role on this offense and it showed in Week 1 where he grabbed four receptions on seven targets for 58 yards. He remains a worthy pickup and a decent flex piece too for most weeks going forward.
Steven Sims Jr., Washington Football Team - 7% rostered
QB Dwayne Haskins needs more players to throw to, and that was a common point of analysis for the Washington Football Team heading into this season. Well, it seems Steven Sims could be a solid second option to Terry McLaurin.
In Week 1, Sims finished second in receiving on the team and his role could only get bigger going forward, which makes him a good pickup piece this week. There is the chance for him to possibly become a flex piece week in and week out as the season progresses.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers - 7% rostered
We have all heard about Aaron Rodgers needing more weapons, but the time to add valuable ones has come and gone. This means somebody on the team RIGHT NOW needs to emerge as a weapon outside of Davante Adams, and who better than Scantling?
The large receiver is a big-play guy and came up with a deep touchdown catch in the demolishing of the Vikings in Week 1. He didn’t prove he could be an elite option for Rodgers last year, but he can be a serviceable flex most weeks going forward considering he could see plenty of targets behind Adams.
Scotty Miller, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 5% rostered
WR Mike Evans was a non-factor in Week 1 as he continued to ease back into things due to a hamstring injury. Any more setbacks could mean an increased role for the young Scotty Miller, who showed out in Week 1 and has become a favorite of Tom Brady in Tampa.
The receiver had five receptions on six targets for 73 yards in Week 1 despite other talented players being on the offense. If Evans must miss time, Miller will see a bigger role most certainly. This means he’s absolutely worth a stash this week and a good piece to have going forward. Nevertheless, if you have any doubts about stashing Miller, it’s important to know he could see a bigger role simply due to his already solid rapport with Tom Brady and this is considering a scenario where all the Bucs offensive players are healthy.
Danny Amendola, Detroit Lions - 2% rostered
Though he may be “old” in NFL years, Danny Amendola is reliable. The wideout filled in admirably while WR1 Kenny Golladay was out with a hamstring injury in Week 1. Amendola paced the Lions with five receptions on seven targets for 81 yards. He’s a good insurance pickup while Golladay continues to try and return to full health.
Russell Gage, Atlanta Falcons – 1% rostered
Week 1 proved the Falcons Defense seems to be the Achilles Heel of this team and that means QB Matt Ryan and the offense must put up incredible numbers each week to win. One player who benefited that you may not have expected was receiver Russell Gage, who logged nine receptions on 12 targets for 114 yards in Week 1. That’s likely not going to happen each week considering he’s the WR3 on the team, but it’s worth picking him up off the waiver wire. In a pass-happy offense, Gage could bring more value down the road and emerge as a flex piece.
Free Agent Tight Ends
Jimmy Graham, Chicago Bears - 5% rostered
Despite his age, good old Jimmy Graham came through for the Bears in Week 1 and delivered three receptions on seven targets for 25 yards and an important touchdown. Graham is not the most elite fantasy option nowadays, but he could maintain a good role in this Bears offense as a reliable veteran presence. You could do worse than Graham at this position for fantasy, and he’s worth picking up as a backup TE for your fantasy team.
Logan Thomas, Washington Football Team - 1% rostered
If I asked you who the Washington tight end was heading into this season, would you have drawn a blank? Don’t worry, I would have too. With the Washington offense being relatively unknown, Week 1 confirmed that Logan Thomas could be the lead TE for this club.
He showed up in a huge way, grabbing four receptions on eight targets for 37 yards and a score. The targets could remain decent and steady going forward for Thomas considering this passing offense doesn’t have too many weapons, which means this TE could be a great sleeper as the season progresses and even become a fantasy TE2 at best.
Jordan Akins, Houston Texans - 1% rostered
It was Jordan Akins who performed better than Darren Fells in Week 1 for the Texans despite many seeing Fells as the TE1 on the team. The 28-year-old had two receptions on two targets for 39 yards and a touchdown, which was an encouraging start to the season. Consistency is a problem for a lot of tight ends, but Akins provides promise in a Texans passing offense that lost its WR1 and could spread around targets more than before.
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