Week Two: Sneaky Picks



Welcome to week two of the NFL season! Week-one certainly had some surprises. No one could have predicted that Alex Smith would top the charts as the best fantasy QB in the league or that Andy Dalton would almost complete more passes to the opposing team than to his own wide receivers. Kareem Hunt came out and showed everyone why he belongs in the NFL. Le'Veon Bell owners were severely disappointed by a poor fantasy output.

To quote Aaron Rodgers R-E-L-A-X...relax.

It's only week one.

So as we enter week-two (at the time of writing, Thursday night's stinker of a game is already over) let's take a look as some sneaky players heading into week-two's games.

1. Antonio Gates 
LA Chargers - tight end

Yes, he's old for an NFL player that has sustained the kind of punishment that constantly going over the middle brings. Mr. Gates is still a fantasy relevant tight end. This week the Chargers take on the Miami Dolphins at home. This is a special game for the Chargers as it's their first home game in a temporary, new stadium. Miami was forced into a week-one bye and hasn't played a legitimate game for the season yet.

Last season, Gates put up 63 yards on four receptions and one touchdown against the Dolphins. What's makes this a little more juicy is that he's one touchdown away from holding the all-time record for touchdowns by a tight end.

My projection: Five receptions, 68 yards and one touchdown.

2. Jacquizz Rodgers
TB Buccaneers - running back

Rodgers has the nod for the starting back for the next three games as Doug Martin is serving his suspension. While the Bears looked pretty good against the run last week, they did allow a touchdown. Rodgers figures to have a 18-20 touches and should be pushed into fantasy relevance by volume alone.

My projection: 18 carries,  71 yards, one rushing touchdown.

3. Chris Hogan
NE Patriots - wide receiver

There was a lot of buzz surrounding Hogan after the season-ending injury to Julian Edelman. I however, did not subscribe to that hype-train based on what kind of player Hogan is. I projected Amendola and Gronk to soak up the bulk of the targets that would have Edelman's and James White to get some of the scraps as well. Amendola's had plenty of targets in week one. Now that he's dealing with a concussion and a knee injury there's target share questions again. Brandin Cooks is a must start this week against the New Orleans Saints, but the sneaky sleeper here is Hogan and possibly Burkhead. Hogan is a safer fantasy play than Burkhead.

Hogan would also make a cheap flier for DFS this week.

4. Marqise Lee
Jaguars - wide receiver

The Jaguars new offensive mindset is avoid passing as much as possible. With Blake Bortles under center, well, we get it. However, I think Bortles and company will throw more in this game against the Tennessee Titans than in week one against the Texans. With Allen Robinson out for the season, Allen Hurns is going to draw most of the top coverage and Lee will be able to stretch the field.

This one is a more a deep-sleeper option and possibly a good bench stash for bye-weeks. If your roster construction is mostly safe, try starting Lee for a boom-or-bust, high-ceiling option.

5. Javorius Allen 
Ravens - running back

Danny Woodhead has been placed on IR and will be out six-weeks. Enter "Buck" Allen from stage left. Allen will slide into a safe production area as third down back and receiving back. While he's not as sexy of a play as Tarik Cohen, Allen's floor remains very safe for the next several weeks. Allen is perfectly suited for ppr leagues.

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