🦃 BLACK FRIDAY - SAVE 50% WITH CODE THANKS
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Deeper PPR Lineup Sleepers for Week 2: Karlos Williams, Cole Beasley, Jared Cook

Week 1 of this brand new NFL season is already in the books, and injuries and other issues may be keeping your drafted starters out for this week's games. Teams may be using their star players differently then you expected before the season. In these cases, it may be time to hit the waiver wire and dig deep for a spot start for your Week 2 line up.

Before we look at potential spot starters for this week, let’s take a quick look at how my picks for last week did. Benny Cunningham (RB, STL) – 122 total yards for 14.2 points – Correct; Allen Hurns (WR, JAC) – 60 receiving yards for 6.5 points – Could have been worse; Benjamin Watson (TE, NO) – 19 receiving yards for 3.4 points – I probably should have picked someone else here.

So, for the first week of the season, it was solid results considering the types of players we're looking at. I do not think I did that bad. Let’s see who is available in week 2 in case you need a spot start in a deeper league.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

1) Karlos Williams - RB, BUF vs. NE

Owned in 15% of Fleaflicker leagues

This one will be the most risky of my picks for the week. Williams is on a team that features LeSean McCoy and Anthony Dixon, but McCoy is questionable to play this week because of injury. Regardless of who else is on the team, Williams was able to rush for 55 yards and a touchdown against the Colts. Indianapolis may not have a very strong rush defense, but Buffalo is set on running the ball this season.

New England is said to have one of the stronger front sevens in the league, but 32-year-old DeAngelo Williams gashed them for 127 yards in the Patriots’ opening-week win against the Steelers. The combination of McCoy, Dixon and Williams should be able to produce more than the old legs of DeAngelo Williams.

The Bills ran the ball 36 times against the Colts, and only attempted 19 passes. Not to say that the team does not trust QB Tyrod Taylor (they did name him the starter for a reason), but the Bills are going to run the ball. That is what head coach Rex Ryan does, and unless he plans on running McCoy 36 times Williams is going to get his fair share of carries against New England.

Prediction: 8 carries, 45 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown

 

2) Cole Beasley - WR, DAL @ PHI

Owned in 13% of Fleaflicker leagues

We have all heard enough about the injury to Dez Bryant, but no one knows exactly how long he will be out of action for. What we do know is that he will miss at least this week and probably a lot more. Beasley was already the team’s main slot receiver before the injury to Bryant, and with the injury Beasley should expect to see a lot more targets coming his way.

The fourth-year man saw six targets in the team’s season opener against the Giants, a game in which QB Tony Romo threw the ball 45 times. This week, the team goes to Philly to play an Eagles team that threw the ball 52 times against the Falcons on Monday night. This means we are probably going to see a shootout between these two teams this week.

With Dez out, the team will turn to Terrance Williams and Jason Witten primarily in the passing game. But, if Romo needs to air it out as much as he did against New York, he is going to need some additional people to target, Beasley the primary among them. This should be one of Beasley’s biggest game of the season, and all of his big games should come while Dez is still on the injury report.

Prediction: 7 receptions, 80 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown

 

3) Jared Cook - TE, STL @ WAS

Owned in 18% of Fleaflicker leagues

Cook is always a name that is extremely inconsistent in terms of fantasy play. In real life, he has been a reliable tight end for both the Tennessee Titans and the St. Louis Rams. Last week, against the Seattle Seahawks, fellow tight end Lance Kendricks was the recipient of the game-tying touchdown, a target that should have been aimed for Cook. Regardless, Cook finished with five catches for 85 yards.

This weeks, the teams heads to Washington to play the questionable defense of the Redskins. While the ‘Skins played tough against the Miami Dolphins, they still surrendered 77 yards receiving to the Dolphins’ tight end, Jordan Cameron. This means that there should be plenty of room for Cook to operate this weekend.

The only question mark is the targets in the redzone and the scoring opportunities that Cook may or may not receive this week. Since joining the Rams in 2013, Cooks has only been able to find the endzone eight times in 33 games while bringing in almost double the amount of receptions that Kendricks has. Unfortunately, Kendricks has been able to find the endzone nine times in that span while playing in one fewer game. We know the targets and the yardage should be there for Cook, but it will be his inability to score touchdowns that make him a risky play each week.

Prediction: 5 receptions, 75 receiving yards

 

NFL & Fantasy Football Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-0" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Brandon Aiyuk

49ers, Brandon Aiyuk Headed for a Divorce Soon?
D'Angelo Russell

Ruled Out Against Pelicans
Trey Hendrickson

Ruled Out for Week 12
Tre Jones

Cleared to Play Friday with Planned Minutes Limit
Jaden McDaniels

Cleared to Face Phoenix
Coby White

Ruled Out for Friday's Game Against Miami
Jarrett Allen

Ruled Out on Friday
Jaren Jackson Jr.

Doubtful as Grizzlies Face Mavericks
Adolis García

Rangers Non-Tender Adolis Garcia on Friday
Jaylon Tyson

Returning Versus Indiana
Darius Garland

Cleared to Play on Friday, Expected to See Limited Action
Marvin Bagley III

to Miss Friday's Game Against Raptors
Auston Matthews

Doubtful for Saturday
Rashod Bateman

Ruled Out for Week 12
Alexandre Sarr

Ruled Out for a Second Straight Game
Roman Josi

Could Return Saturday
Samuel Honzek

Out for Six Months After Surgery
Chris Godwin

Officially Questionable for Week 12
Sion James

Expected to Play Through Groin Issue Saturday
Jalen Chatfield

Available for Friday's Matchup
Andrew Wiggins

Labeled as "Day-to-Day"
Nico Sturm

Activated From Injured Reserve
Jason Zucker

Available Friday
Brandon Miller

Returning To Charlotte's Lineup On Saturday
Connor Hellebuyck

to Miss 4-6 Weeks
Jaylen Warren

Cleared From Injury Report Ahead of Week 12
Jalen Brunson

Probable For Saturday's Matchup With The Magic
Brian Thomas Jr.

Ruled Out for Week 12
Kenneth Walker III

Listed as Questionable for Week 12
Kyle Filipowski

Good To Go Friday Night
Trey Benson

Ruled Out For Week 12
Shaedon Sharpe

Won't Suit Up Friday
Jrue Holiday

to Miss Fourth Straight Game Friday Night
Josh Jacobs

Officially Questionable to Play in Week 12
Darius Slayton

Cleared to Return From Hamstring Injury in Week 12
Daniel Jones

"Good to Go" for Week 12
Alvin Kamara

Officially Questionable to Play in Week 12
Xavier Worthy

"Trending in the Right Direction," Officially Questionable
Isiah Pacheco

Out Against Colts
Drake London

Officially Ruled Out for Week 12
CFB

Beau Pribula Expected to Start Against Oklahoma
Aaron Rodgers

Questionable to Play Against Bears
Grayson Allen

Sidelined Again on Friday
Jaden McDaniels

Could Miss Another Game on Friday
Cooper Flagg

Listed as Available on Friday
Rhamondre Stevenson

Expected to Return in Week 12
D'Angelo Russell

Questionable on Friday Vs. Pelicans
Jayden Reed

Packers Open Jayden Reed's Practice Window on Friday
Chris Godwin

Trending Toward Playing on Sunday
Joe Burrow

Officially Questionable for Week 12
Bucky Irving

Out for Week 12, Bucs Targeting a Week 13 Return
Dan Hooker

An Underdog At UFC Qatar
Arman Tsarukyan

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Ian Machado Garry

A Favorite At UFC Qatar
Belal Muhammad

Looks To Bounce Back
Alonzo Menifield

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Volkan Oezdemir

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Myktybek Orolbai

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Jack Hermansson

Makes His Welterweight Debut
Kyoji Horiguchi

Returns To The UFC
Tagir Ulanbekov

Set To Open Up UFC Qatar Main Card
Sergei Bobrovsky

Frustrates Devils With Shutout
Adam Fantilli

Leads Blue Jackets to Victory in Toronto
Ilya Sorokin

Posts Second Shutout of the Season
Alex Ovechkin

Nets 33rd Career Hat Trick
Andre Burakovsky

Ruled Out for Friday
Gavin Brindley

Hurt Versus Rangers
Jake Evans

Exits With Injury Thursday
Elly De La Cruz

Played Through Partially Torn Quad to End 2025
Tarik Skubal

Tigers "Doubtful" to Trade Tarik Skubal
Simon Holmstrom

Ready for Action Thursday
Lars Eller

Available Thursday
Ridly Greig

Out Against Ducks
Jake Neighbours

Back for Blues Thursday
TB

Nicholas Paul Available Thursday
Victor Hedman

Out for "Couple of Weeks"
Tyler Bertuzzi

Set to Return Thursday
Raisel Iglesias

Returning to the Braves on One-Year Deal
Sahith Theegala

Looking to Continue Fall Run at RSM Classic
Stephan Jaeger

Looking to Bounce Back at RSM Classic
Tom Hoge

Looking to Regain Form at RSM Classic
Joe Highsmith

Searching for Turnaround at RSM Classic
Adam Hadwin

Looking to Build on T11 Finish in Bermuda
Austin Eckroat

Searching for Momentum at RSM Classic
Joel Dahmen

Trying to Find Form at the RSM Classic
CFB

Garrett Nussmeier Doubtful to Play Against Western Kentucky
Michael Thorbjornsen

Hopes to End 2025 Campaign With Another Solid Finish
Andrew Novak

Looks to End 2025 Season on High Note at RSM Classic
Harry Higgs

Teetering for PGA Tour Card in 2026
PGA

Nico Echavarria has the Potential to Contend at the RSM Classic
Sam Stevens

Finishing Out Year in Georgia
Seamus Power

Playing Better at the Right Time
Beau Hossler

Roller Coaster Comes to Saint Simons Island
Quade Cummins

The Time is Now for Quade Cummins in Georgia
Austin Cook

Needs a Win at the RSM Classic
Cameron Champ

on the PGA Tour Card Bubble
Grayson Rodriguez

Shipped to Angels
Taylor Ward

Orioles Acquire Taylor Ward From Angels
Shota Imanaga

Accepts Cubs Qualifying Offer
Brandon Woodruff

Returning to Milwaukee in 2026
Denny McCarthy

Looking For Another Solid Finish at RSM Classic
Si Woo Kim

Looking To Use Current Momentum to Flip Script at RSM Classic
Mackenzie Hughes

a Good Bounce-Back Candidate at RSM Classic
Harris English

Making 14th Start at This Week's RSM Classic
Konnor Griffin

Could Compete for Starting Shortstop Job in 2026
Gleyber Torres

Accepts Tigers Qualifying Offer
CFB

Sam Leavitt Set to Enter Transfer Portal?
Jose Altuve

Undergoes Foot Surgery
Alex Bregman

Red Sox Going for Either Alex Bregman or Pete Alonso?
CFB

James Franklin to be Virginia Tech's Next Head Coach
CFB

Fernando Mendoza the Clear Heisman Trophy Favorite?
CFB

Beau Pribula Has Chance to Face Oklahoma on Saturday
Jack Della Maddalena

Gets Dominated
Islam Makhachev

Claims UFC Welterweight Belt
Zhang Weili

Gets Outclassed
Valentina Shevchenko

Wins Unanimous Decision At UFC 322
Sean Brady

Suffers First-Round TKO Loss
Michael Morales

Remains Unbeaten
Leon Edwards

Suffers Second-Round Knockout Loss
Leon Edwards

Carlos Prates Becomes The First Man To Knock Out Leon Edwards
Beneil Dariush

Suffers Brutal First-Round Knockout Loss
Beneil Dariush

Benoit Saint Denis Knocks Out Beneil Dariush In 16 Seconds
Josh Naylor

Mariners Finalizing Five-Year Contract
CFB

Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate Not Dealing With Long-Term Injuries
CFB

Virginia Tech Close To Naming James Franklin As Head Coach

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP