“Shore Thing Sleepers” isn’t your ordinary fantasy football Week 2 start/sit article. Instead, our analyst duo of Seth Woolcock and Eric Romoff highlight lower-valued players that can provide starting-caliber production for a specific week. These are usually players near the end of your bench or even on the waiver wire/free agency. You can catch an additional sleeper pick live at the end of our weekly in-season Friday podcast episode.
Rostership percentages are based on ESPN Points Per Reception (PPR) redraft fantasy football leagues.
Week 2 Start/Sit Consideration: Shore Thing Sleepers
Josh Reynolds (WR, Detroit Lions) | 3.9% Rostered
Josh Reynolds, now in his second year with the Lions, has quickly become the WR2 in Detroit. Last Thursday, he played a significant role by being on the field for 70% of the snaps. His role is reinforced by an impressive 20% target share in the Lions’ passing game. Notably, his competition, Marvin Jones, had some issues with multiple drops, potentially opening the door wider for Reynolds.
Quarterback Jared Goff tends to perform better at home, averaging 1.8 more touchdowns and nearly 30 more passing yards per game in familiar surroundings. Recall the thrilling 48-45 shootout between the Lions and Seahawks last year. In that high-scoring contest, Reynolds put up a whopping 21.1 fantasy points, finishing the week as the PPR WR9 overall. This go-around, the Lions face the Seahawks, a defense that surrendered the fourth-most points to wide receivers in Week 1 despite the absence of Cooper Kupp. With Reynolds stepping into a more prominent role, he could be poised for another significant fantasy performance. I’d think twice about not considering him in your Week 2 start/sit decisions. – Woolcock
Rashid Shaheed (WR, New Orleans Saints) | 22.1% Rostered
Rashid Shaheed has emerged as the most potent vertical passing threat in the Saints’ offense. As the clear WR3 for quarterback Derek Carr, he’s a player to watch. Shaheed boasted an 18.2% target share in the Saints’ passing attack in Week 1, indicating that he’s a trusted target for Carr.
Among Saints’ receivers, Shaheed leads the team in Yards Per Reception (YPR) with 17.8. This highlights his big-play potential. The Panthers’ secondary remains a mystery, largely due to facing an Atlanta Falcons team led by Desmond Ridder in Week 1 that threw the ball only 18 times. However, the Saints posted 351 offensive yards in Week 1, the eighth-most in the league, against a formidable Titans defense led by Mike Vrabel. This suggests that the Saints’ offense could continue to perform well. – Romoff
Thanks for reading our “Shore Thing Sleepers” to consider in your Week 2 start/sit decisions. Check out more of our fantasy football and other written content here at In-Between Media, or head over to our YouTube channel to get your fix via video.