The Must Stash: Week 2

Eli Grabanski looks at some deep sleepers to stash before Week 2's games.

Eli Grabanski
Going Deep 3 Years Ago

Every week I will list some players who I think if things go their way, will wind up in those waiver articles the following Tuesday. You don’t have to stash all of them – it depends on who you have on your roster, the depth of your benches, the scoring system of your league, etc. But these are guys that should at least be on your radar. 

Stashing players is only something that can occur in deeper leagues with large benches, so to make this information worthwhile, I will only be recommending guys that are rostered in under 20% of leagues on both Yahoo and ESPN, and in many cases, you’ll see percentages in the single digits. If you’re in a league where guys like Marquez Callaway (69.5%), Trey Lance (32.5% on ESPN), and Elijah Mitchell (72.7% on ESPN) are on the waiver wire, you’re either in a league too shallow for stashing, or you should go pick those guys up right away.

In addition, for those of you in really deep leagues (16+ teams), we will also include some deep cut players that are rostered in less than 3% of leagues on both Yahoo and ESPN in a section at the end to try and give you the best chance of winning your fantasy league. Without further ado, let’s dive in!

Week 1 Review

 

  • Carolina Panthers wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. caught three passes on six targets for 26 receiving yards. His six targets were third on the team only behind Christian McCaffrey (9) and D.J. Moore (8). He’s now rostered in over 20% of leagues and has graduated from ‘The Must Stash’.
  • Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rondale Moore caught four passes on five targets for 68 receiving yards in week 1 against the Tennessee Titans. Moore is now rostered in over 20% of leagues and has graduated from ‘The Must Stash’.
  • It took him a while to get going, but Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Bryan Edwards caught four passes on five targets for 81 receiving yards against the Baltimore Ravens. He’s no longer eligible for the ‘Must Stash’ now that he’s rostered in 20% of fantasy leagues on Yahoo. I would keep an eye on him, but if you need to drop someone he’s probably the best candidate outside of Ty Johnson from last week’s ‘Must Stash’.
  • New York Jets running back Ty Johnson saw just four carries for 15 rushing yards on the ground and caught just one pass on three targets for 11 receiving yards through the air. Feel free to drop him if you need space.
  • Philadelphia Eagles running back Kenneth Gainwell carried the ball nine times for 37 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on the ground and caught two passes on three targets for six receiving yards. Now that he’s rostered in over 20% of leagues he has graduated from being eligible for the ‘Must Stash’.
  • Week 1 ‘Deep Cuts’ players who had good games: Tyrod Taylor (QB, HOU) – 331 total yards & two passing touchdowns, Juwan Johnson (TE, NO) – three receptions, 21 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns
  • Week 1 ‘Deep Cuts’ players who had mediocre games: K.J. Hamler (WR, DEN) – three receptions & 41 receiving yards, Semaje Perine (RB – CIN) – five carries & 29 yards from scrimmage, Los Angeles Chargers D/ST – gave up 16 points
  • Week 1 ‘Deep Cuts’ players who had subpar games: DeSean Jackson (WR, LAR) – two receptions & 21 receiving yards, Mo Alie-Cox (TE, IND) – zero catches & zero receiving yards, Royce Freeman (RB, CAR) – no stats, Kylen Granson (TE, IND) – no stats, Josh Oliver (TE, BAL) – zero catches on one target, Boston Scott (RB, PHI) – no stats, Wayne Gallman (RB, ATL) – inactive.

 

The Must Stash

 

Carlos Hyde, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars (18% on Yahoo, 15.3% on ESPN)

 

After 1st round pick Travis Etienne went down with an injury, many fantasy players launched James Robinson up their draft boards in anticipation of him being the team’s bell-cow in 2021. But in last Sunday’s game where the Jacksonville Jaguars got destroyed by the Houston Texans 37-21, that was not the case at all. In this game, actually Carlos Hyde ended up getting more carries (9 to 5) and rushing yards (44 to 25) than James Robinson. Now I’m not saying that Carlos Hyde is the primary back to roster in this offense – that would still be James Robinson because of his superior pass-catching ability. What I am saying is that there is a good chance that Hyde ends up getting more work than expected this year and is worth consideration for one of your last bench spots.

 

Damien Williams, RB, Chicago Bears (6% on Yahoo, 9.8% on ESPN)

 

This choice to include Damien Williams on the ‘Must Stash’ this week is not a knock on David Montgomery – Montgomery is still the clear lead back and one of their most important pieces on the Bears offense. Having said this, if you’re a person that’s into rostering ‘handcuffs’, Damien Williams might be one of the most valuable ‘handcuff’ options in the league because his head coach and offensive play-caller (Matt Nagy) has historically loved to take the bell-cow approach on the ground.

 

 

David Montgomery has a pretty physical style of play where he embraces and sheds off contact like nobody’s business. But the issue with this play style is that it puts the player in more situations where they can potentially get injured and miss time. There has already been a minor injury scare with Montgomery from the Sunday Night Football game between the Bears and the Rams where the team had to take Montgomery back to the locker room and look at his hand, so if you have an open bench spot it’s not a bad idea to use it on a guy like Damien Williams.

 

Cordarrelle Patterson, RB/WR, Atlanta Falcons (9% on Yahoo, 5% on ESPN)

 

There were rumors during the offseason that Cordarrelle Patterson would operate as the Atlanta Falcons’ backup running back, but they were largely dismissed with the idea that the Falcons would bring in another running back to take that role. While the team did sign Wayne Gallman, they ended up making him inactive and rolling with Patterson as the backup running back to Mike Davis in week 1 against the Eagles. Patterson was very efficient in this role, taking seven carries for 54 rushing yards on the ground and catching two passes for 13 receiving yards through the air. Given his strong play as well as his dual eligibility on some sites (most notably Yahoo), he may be worth a look as an end-of-the-bench option.

 

Van Jefferson, WR, Los Angeles Rams (5% on Yahoo, 4.5% on ESPN)

 

Van Jefferson was the 57th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but seems to have slipped under the radar going into year two. On Sunday Night Football against the Chicago Bears this past week, he played 69% of the team’s snaps (3rd most among the team’s wideouts behind Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods) and had a nice 67 yard catch for a touchdown. Looking ahead, the Rams have a pretty good matchup this week against the Indianapolis Colts defense that has been very good against the run, but subpar against the pass under defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’ direction.

 

 

Given this information as well as Jefferson’s hot start to the season, there’s a good chance that the former 2nd round pick can replicate his production from week 1 and become one of the hot waiver wire pickups next week in this high-powered offense.

 

Tyrod Taylor, QB, Houston Texans (7% on Yahoo, 6.3% on ESPN)

 

Getting a promotion from the ‘Deep Cuts’ list last week to ‘The Must Stash’ this week is Tyrod Taylor. Against the Jacksonville Jaguars in week 1, he completed 21 passes for 291 passing yards and two passing touchdowns through the air and had 40 rushing yards on the ground. Over the course of his career, he’s done a great job of protecting the football throwing only 20 interceptions in the 73 games. With Tyrod’s rushing upside and ability to protect the football, I anticipate that he’ll be a popular streaming candidate against the Carolina Panthers in week 3.

Deep Cuts

(Rostered In Less Than 3% Of Leagues)

Both Websites (ESPN and Yahoo)

 

Anthony Schwartz, WR, Cleveland Browns (3% on Yahoo, 0.9% on ESPN): Anthony Schwartz caught three passes on five targets for 69 receiving yards and had a 17 yard carry against the Kansas City Chiefs. With Odell Beckham Jr. still out with injury, he may be a pretty good value for future weeks.

 

Kylin Hill, RB, Green Bay Packers (0% on Yahoo, 0.3% on ESPN): The Packers do a good job of utilizing their running backs and if either of A.J. Dillon or Aaron Jones were to miss time, Kylin Hill would be the guy working as the number two back.

 

Will Dissly, TE, Seattle Seahawks (0% on Yahoo, 0.4% on ESPN): Will Dissly had three receptions on three targets for 37 receiving yards against the Indianapolis Colts this past week. With another decent matchup against the Tennessee Titans this week, he could find himself being more fantasy relevant than many expect.

 

Danny Amendola, WR, Houston Texans (1% on Yahoo, 0.4% on ESPN): Danny Amendola had five receptions on five targets for 34 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars in week 1. He tied for the second most targets (with Pharaoh Brown) on the team behind Brandin Cooks and is worth monitoring in Tim Kelly’s WR friendly system.

 

Jack Doyle, TE, Indianapolis Colts (1% on Yahoo, 0.7% on ESPN): Given Frank Reich’s historical usage of the tight end position, you should be monitoring the Colts tight end situation all season. In week 1 Jack Doyle led the group in receiving production and has the most immediate value of the group.

 

Mo Alie-Cox, TE, Indianapolis Colts (1% on Yahoo, 0.3% on ESPN): While Kylen Granson is the most likely player to fill the ‘Trey Burton’ TE pass-catching role in the Colts’ offense long-term, Mo Alie-Cox is also worth monitoring as he has a little more experience under his belt.

 

Kylen Granson, TE, Indianapolis Colts (0% on Yahoo, 0.1% on ESPN): Kylen Granson is projected to be the Colts’ primary pass-catching tight end down the line. Granson is largely ignored right now is that he’s a rookie tight end, but given Frank Reich is one of the best coaches in the league for tight ends, if he can find his way on the field he could be a sneaky value.

 

DeSean Jackson, WR, Los Angeles Rams (2% on Yahoo, 2.5% on ESPN): While he’s currently the number four wide receiver on the roster behind Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, and Van Jefferson, Sean McVay has a pretty wide receiver-friendly system and the team also has an above-average starting quarterback in Matthew Stafford.

 

Taylor Heinicke, QB, Washington Football Team (3% on Yahoo, 1.2% on ESPN): Taylor Heinicke will be the Washington Football Team’s starting quarterback for the foreseeable future with Ryan Fitzpatrick out.

 

Samaje Perine, RB, Cincinnati Bengals (1% on Yahoo, 1.6% on ESPN): The Cincinnati Bengals have leaned towards a bell-cow approach on the ground even when Joe Mixon has missed time, and now Samaje Perine is the team’s primary backup running back. If Mixon misses time in 2021, Perine will be fantasy-relevant.

 

Marquise Goodwin, WR, Chicago Bears (0% on Yahoo, 0.2% on ESPN): Marquise Goodwin had four receptions on four targets for 45 receiving yards against the Los Angeles Rams last week. He led the team in receiving yards in the matchup.

 

Josh Oliver, TE, Baltimore Ravens (0% on Yahoo, 0.0% on ESPN): If Mark Andrews misses time, Josh Oliver would step in as the Ravens’ primary pass-catching tight end.

 

Andy Dalton, QB, Chicago Bears (2% on Yahoo, 0.9% on ESPN): Andy Dalton will eventually lose the starting job to Justin Fields, but if he can hold the job for a little while his upcoming schedule is pretty passer friendly with the Bears next five matchups against the Bengals, Browns, Lions, Raiders, and Packers.

 

ESPN/Yahoo Only

 

K.J. Hamler, WR, Denver Broncos (5% on Yahoo, 2.6% on ESPN): Hamler’s had a lot of competition in front of him with Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and Noah Fant ahead of him in the target pecking order at the start of the year, but now that Jerry Jeudy will miss significant time the talented second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft will have an opportunity to shine. You could make an argument for him to be on the ‘Must Stash’ this week and I wouldn’t bat an eye. But since he’s eligible for the ‘ESPN/Yahoo Only’ section, we’ll stick Hamler down here to open up an extra spot for another player worth mentioning for the ‘Must Stash’ this week.

 

Larry Rountree III, RB, Los Angeles Chargers (5% on Yahoo, 2.4% on ESPN): Larry Rountree III had eight carries in Week 1 for 27 rushing yards. While he wasn’t the most efficient with his work, it is encouraging to see the rookie get touches.

 

Deonte Harris, WR, New Orleans Saints (8% on Yahoo, 2.2% on ESPN): Deonte Harris caught two passes for 72 receiving yards and a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers this past week. With star wideout Michael Thomas out, it’s important to pay attention to which of the Saints wideouts are performing and thus far Harris is.

 

JaMycal Hasty, RB, San Francisco 49ers (4% on Yahoo, 1.8% on ESPN): With Raheem Mostert being declared out for the season, the San Francisco 49ers backfield becomes a lot more muddled. While Eli Mitchell and Trey Sermon are expected to get the majority of the opportunities now, JaMycal Hasty could also see an uptick in workload.

 

Jeff Wilson Jr., RB, San Francisco 49ers (9% on Yahoo, 1.3% on ESPN): Jeff Wilson Jr. is currently on injured reserve, but has a shot at fantasy relevance when he returns with Raheem Mostert being declared out for the year. He took 126 carries for 600 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns on the ground and caught 13 passes for 133 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns through the air last year and could end up as the lead guy when he returns if Eli Mitchell and Trey Sermon aren’t performing up to expectations.

 

Wayne Gallman, RB, Atlanta Falcons (2% on Yahoo, 4.6% on ESPN): Mike Davis is not the most established starting running back in the league, and the Falcons recently picked up Wayne Gallman who performed well last year. While Cordarrelle Patterson is currently ahead of him on the depth chart as well, there is an outside chance that Gallman ends up with the starting job this year, so keep an eye on him on the waiver wire.

 

 

That’s it for Week 2. Feel free to weigh in and mention any players you believe should be on this list.

 

Featured Image by Justin Paradis (@freshmeatcomm on Twitter)

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