Last week’s sleepers list included the QB1 overall in fantasy football with Baker Mayfield absolutely shredding the Washington Commanders to start the 2024 NFL season.
Here is a closer look at some other fantasy football sleepers you should be starting in your fantasy football lineups for Week 2.
Target these Fantasy Football Sleepers for Week 2
Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last week was a work of art. Sure, it was the Commanders, but Mayfield showcased a wide array of skills and was easily the top-graded QB in our internal metric.
Can he sustain it?
My answer is no, not long-term. He lit Washington up for a perfect passer rating on deep passes, and while that is impressive, it does need to be contextualized: the Commanders were the worst deep-ball defense last season with seven more long TD passes than anyone and the highest passer rating on such passes. Not every matchup is going to be that friendly.
That said, don’t mistake my “regression is inevitable” take with “regression is happening now.” Tampa Bay’s next four games all come against secondaries that were worse than the league average against the deep pass a year ago (Detroit, specifically, was the 11th worst in terms of yards per attempt and the 10th worst in passer rating).
Even if you’re skeptical, Mayfield proved capable of producing when counted out last season. He averaged 17.3 fantasy points per game in 2023 when listed as an underdog, a significant bump from the 13.4 PPG he averaged as a favorite.
Mayfield slides just inside my top 15 at the position, but he’s not my favorite QB in this contest.
Jaleel McLaughlin, RB, Denver Broncos
This suggestion for a second straight week could be a bit more problematic for some, but I still see Jaleel McLaughlin’s Week 1 usage as a major positive regarding his rest of season (ROS) fantasy outlook.
The snap counts may have favored Javonte Williams — who was on the field for 52.2% of the offensive snaps over McLaughlin’s 34.8% — but the touches favored McLaughlin by a nice margin of 15 to nine.
McLaughlin was touted as the more explosive option out of this backfield based on what we saw from both of these players last year. he still managed to produce a rush of 10+ yards while Williams did not in the opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Broncos’ matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2 should see both teams trying to run the ball early and often. In fact, this game script could play favorably into the hands of McLaughlin if the Steelers can’t find the end zone for a second straight game.
Last week, Bijan Robinson caught five passes for 43 yards out of the backfield against this Steelers defense. The Broncos targeted their running backs in the passing game at the sixth-highest rate in the league in Week 1.
Expect for McLaughlin to be fairly busy again in a low-scoring matchup against the Steelers in Week 2.
Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle Seahawks
This feels more like a speculative suggestion with the realization that Kenneth Walker III is dealing with an oblique injury he picked up in the second half of the team’s win against the Broncos.
Walker was by far the more efficient and preferred option out of this backfield in Week 1. This was evident by the dominant snap share (66.7% for Walker over Charbonnet’s 33.3%), touches (22 for Walker over Charbonnet’s 10), and total yards (109 for Walker over Charbonnet’s 41).
Yet, both players managed to find the end zone in this contest and Charbonnet was the only other Seattle running back to see meaningful work behind Walker against Denver.
New England ran the ball all over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2. I’m not sure if I see that being the case against a Seahawks defense that held the duo of McLaughlin and Williams to 50 rushing yards on 18 carries in Week 1.
Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars’ offense had an up-and-down performance in the season-opening loss against the Miami Dolphins, but one of the bright spots was rookie WR Brian Thomas Jr. with 14.7 fantasy points generated by his four receptions for 47 yards and a score in his NFL debut.
The encouraging signs were Thomas’ on-field target share (21.1%), yards per route run (2.47), snap share (76%), and fantasy points per target (3.67).
The negative signs were the lack of overall volume in this Jaguars offense with his total routes run (80th a the WR position), target volume (53rd at the WR position), and air yards (56th at the WR position).
Some would argue that Thomas is a player you may want to avoid in a tough upcoming matchup against the Cleveland Browns, but I’m still willing to bet on the talent and what we saw from Trevor Lawrence in the season opener.
Lawrence’s Week 1 Stats (Positional Rank)
- Air Yards per Attempt: 9.8 (third)
- Air Yards per Completion: 10.2 (second)
- Total Air Yards: 124 (T-12th)
- EPA per Dropback: 0.205 (13th)
This tells me Lawrence wants to test teams down the football field this year, which caters perfectly to a player of Thomas’ skill set.
Thomas could’ve had a monster day if not for a defensive pass interference penalty he generated against Jalen Ramsey in the first half — which could’ve added a 41-yard touchdown to his résumé had he held on through the contact.
#RookieWatch Brian Thomas Jr on Ramsey 👀 pic.twitter.com/f0qd9jjE7Q
— Jad (Toji) Fushiguro (@plswinohiostate) September 8, 2024
Lastly, Thomas did appear in the slot on 21.1% of his snaps in Week 1 — which tells me he will be lining up all over the field this year. This is a great development for his fantasy outlook.
The matchup may not be ideal, but the Browns’ defense ran either Cover 1 (man) or Cover 3 (single-high safety zone coverage) on 78.3% of their defensive snaps in Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys.
If the Browns decide to leave corners on an island in man coverage against Thomas regularly in this contest, then Thomas could have the chance to generate multiple big plays down the field in Week 2.
Jalen McMillan, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
One reception for a 32-yard touchdown may not be a stat line that is going to get many fantasy managers super excited, but I’m here to tell you this performance could’ve been a much bigger NFL debut than the stats suggest.
The first thing we have to discuss is simply how much Jalen McMillan was on the field in his first professional game.
Buccaneers WR Snap Percentage in Week 1:
- McMillan: 82%
- Chris Godwin: 77%
- Mike Evans: 68.9%
Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Routes Run in Week 1:
- McMillan: 30
- Godwin: 28
- Evans: 28
McMillan’s role in the season opener against Washington should be something that gets your attention because he had a walk-in touchdown in the first quarter just out of his reach (credited as a drop) and drew a pass interference call against Emmanuel Forbes Jr. that could’ve resulted in another 30+ yard score.
McMillan gives this offense an explosive third option at WR for a unit that ran 11 personnel (three WRs, one TE, and one RB) at the fourth-highest rate in the league in Week 1 at 82%.
That same personnel grouping absolutely torched the Lions in Week 1, where the Los Angeles Rams threw for 304 yards against the Detroit secondary by running 11 personnel on every single snap of the game.
In what could be a high-scoring affair and a favorable matchup in Detroit, expect McMillan to be a bit busier in Week 2.
Zach Ertz, TE, Washington Commanders
Let’s start here … it wasn’t a pretty day for the Commanders’ passing attack in Week 1 against a banged-up Buccaneers secondary.
On the flip side, the entire TE landscape was rough to start the year, which made his 5.8 fantasy points good for the TE15 overall through the 15 games of the Week 1 slate.
Zach Ertz’s usage did confirm he is the TE1 to start the year for Washington with 27 routes run and 71% snap share in Week 1 while rookie Ben Sinnott didn’t see a target to start his rookie campaign.
The Week 2 matchup against the New York Giants feels middle of the road for a TE, but if the likes of Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence II, and Kayvon Thibodeaux can heat up the rookie quarterback — it would be wise for Jayden Daniels to find his veteran tight end regularly in this contest.