Nate’s Week 1 surprises and Week 2 Sleepers

Week 1 Surprises:

Per usual, the first official week of pro football was filled with a lot of surprises, by not only the players but the teams as well. The Cleveland Browns look to have taken a massive step forward overall, much to my displeasure. As a Steelers fan, seeing the Browns finally play a competitive football game was quite shocking. I know I was waiting the entire OT for the Browns to make a Browns Type of play and lose the game, but that never happened. In all seriousness the Browns defense looks legit, being anchored by Myles Garrett. And the new weapons on offense, Jarvis Landy, Nick Chubb, and Carlos Hyde, combined with David Njoku and a decent o-line has the browns looking like a real, competitive NFL team.

That being said the star of that game was James Conner, our first surprise of week 1. James Conner burst onto the scene in his first career start for 135 rushing yards and 2 rushing score. Add to that 5 catches for 57 yards, and Conner finished the day with 34.2 fantasy points. As a James Conner owner, his ceiling wasn’t all that high, given how inexperienced he was. But, Conner shined as Leveon Bell’s replacement and looks to keep up the pace as long a Bell is out. Another surprise running back from in week 1 was the ageless Adrian Peterson. Peterson signed with the Redskins one week into the preseason and wasn’t expected to contribute much at his age. But, Peterson ran wild over Arizona for 96 rushing yards and a TD for a total of 22.6 fantasy points. Eagles receiver Nelson Agholor was the biggest surprise from the receiving corps. Agholor pulled in 8 catches for 33, witch seems low but in ppr leagues was good for 13.5 fantasy points. Agholor stepped up in the absence of Alshon Jeffery and showed some of the talent that made him a first round pick in 2015. My final surprise comes from a position that doesn’t get much love in fantasy. The New York Jets defense and special teams pounced all over the Lions with 5 INT’s and 2 defensive TD’s scored and put up 25 fantasy points. A young Jets defense that has no lived up to expectations in the past has finally put it all together, and looks to be a scary unit for years to come.

Week 2 Sleepers:

The list of sleepers for week 2 starts with 2 tight ends. George Kittle of San Francisco and Jared Cook of Oakland both had above average games in week 1 with 14 and 27 points respectively. While Cook will likely come back down to earth, both tight ends served as security blankets for there QB’s and are poised for breakout years. Kittle should have a field day against a weak Lions defense this week and should be a starting caliber TE as long as Garoppolo is throwing to him. A strong secondary in Denver means Cook will likely be Derek Carr’s main weapon this week, and likely for weeks to come will the Raiders try to figure out whats wrong with Amari Cooper. Your best bet for a steal at WR is Quincy Enunwa of the New York Jets. Sam Darnold looked like a future star Monday night in Detroit, and Enunwa seems to be the biggest beneficiary of his addition to the Jets. Enunwa snagged 6 catches for 63 yards and a TD, and looks to be a favorite target for Darnold. Expect Enunwa to be the main target this week against a weak Dolphins defense and in the future on a Jets team with very few weapons at there disposal. Our final sleeper has an asterisks next to him. Leonard Fournette went down in week 1 and TJ Yeldon stepped in with a 16 point performance. Yeldon is a solid RB2 or flex option for while he starts in Fournette’s place. But, with Fournette’s relatively minor injury, Yeldon is at best a 2-3 weeks starter.

For readers looking for players to stash on there rosters to make an impact later, I have two players who could pay big dividends. Aaron Jones of the Green Bay Packer is suspend for 1 more week. But, once reinstated Jones look likely to receive the bulk of the carries in a crowded but weak Green Bay backfield. Baker Mayfield is also and intriguing option to stash. Tyrod Taylor looked wildly inconsistent in week 1 and looks to eventually lose the starting job to the rookie Mayfield should his play stay the same.