Deeper Sleepers Heading Into Week 3

September 18, 2018

Frankie Soler takes an look at some deep PPR sleepers heading into Week 3 of the fantasy football season with players owned in 15% or fewer of fantasy leagues that should be available on the waiver wire.

Ryan Fitzpatrick is the leading MVP candidate. There have been two ties in two weeks. Josh Gordon is a Patriot. James Conner has more fantasy points than both Odell Beckham and Aaron Rodgers. And, although not really fantasy related, the Bills are so bad that Vontae Davis retired from football at halftime. No, this isn't a bizarro NFL universe or someone's Madden simulation after a fantasy draft, this is the real September 2018 we live in.

It's ok to be confused already, we all are. Anyone who tells you they called some of these crazy happenings is lying to you. But what you can actually count on is that no matter how rough your fantasy team looks, there is still plenty of time to get it together.

Here you'll find your weekly dose of deep PPR sleepers as we head into week three. One slight tweak to the format going forward is that these players must be owned in under 15% of Yahoo leagues. We're trying to dig even deeper than usual so we have lowered the 20% threshold accordingly. Nevertheless, these players are sleepers all the same.

Deeper PPR Sleepers For Week 3

Chris Ivory - RB, BUF - 5% owned

We're starting off with someone who is more a result of an injury rather than performance. Bills starter LeSean McCoy injured his ribs on Sunday with the extent of the injury remaining unclear. Should McCoy miss any time, longtime veteran Chris Ivory would be the next man up. Ivory did score a touchdown while filling in against the Chargers in Week Two so he does still have something left in the tank. That said, this is the blissfully bad Buffalo Bills we're talking about here. I don't think you can automatically start anyone besides LeSean McCoy, so Ivory wouldn't be more than a desperation play.

Corey Grant - RB, JAX - 2% owned

Speaking of injured running backs, Leonard Fournette did not play in Jacksonville's upset win over the Patriots, paving the way for T.J. Yeldon to see increased touches. It was Corey Grant, however, who made the most of Fournette's absence from a fantasy perspective. Grant didn't do anything on the ground but he did have six receptions for 56 yards, cushioning his 12.9 fantasy total in PPR. In the event that Fournette misses extended time, this backfield could be closer to a split than initially envisioned. Should that be the case, Yeldon would be the preferred standard play while Grant appears to be headed for more serviceable usage in PPR formats.

Tavon Austin - WR, DAL - 2% owned

What year is it? This is a name that makes me question that whole bizarro NFL thing. Tavon Austin is the ultimate hype train that never really panned out. Marred by injuries and sporadic usage, Austin was always disappointing sleeper. Yet here we are talking about him coming off a 17.4 fantasy point performance for the Cowboys. If Austin had done this for almost any other team in the NFL, I would have ignored it entirely. But since the Cowboys are so pressed for receiver help, this does demand our attention. Austin isn't going to soak up targets the way a Jarvis Landry would. Austin does his damage on big plays and by tricking the defense. If Dallas values playmaking ability, Tavon Austin could very well be worth a waiver wire add. I can't imagine a scenario where you would actually consider starting him without seeing him string together a couple decent games, but it shouldn't take much in terms of volume. You're hoping for one big play that nets you a double digit fantasy performance. Austin has that potential, but his floor is essentially zero.

James Washington - WR, PIT - 3% owned

Ben Roethlisberger threw the ball 60 times in Sunday's shootout with the Chiefs. SIXTY passes. Whenever your starting quarterback is slinging the ball around like that, you better be getting some looks. James Washington did get five targets, one of which was hauled in for a touchdown. It wasn't the best stat line but there is room within the Steelers offense for an uptick in production. With Washington only in his rookie year, it may take him a few more weeks before he starts looking like a legit threat. He's worth a stash in deeper leagues, especially for owners hoping to add some upside.

Terrelle Pryor - WR, NYJ - 4% 0wned

The Jets hype might have been a tad premature but Terrelle Pryor has actually made the most of his early season opportunities. After catching all three of his targets for 49 yards in week one, Pryor followed that up with four receptions for 84 yards. Perhaps more importantly is the fact that his target share increased with eight on the day. The Jets offense is underrated right now, but almost to a fault. The problem here is that they may very well have too many mouths to feed from a fantasy perspective. Running backs Isaiah Crowell and Bilal Powell may be in a timeshare while receivers Robby Anderson and Quincy Enunwa will continue to battle for the No. 1 gig. Still, Pryor could take a step back into fantasy prominence with his new team. The good thing about someone like Pryor or the aforementioned Tavon Austin is that once you realize "ok, this isn't happening this year" you can easily cut him after two or three weeks. It's a lot easier to cut bait with a veteran than it is a rookie. So don't feel like you're investing a whole lot just because Pryor is a well known name.

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