The Must Stash: Week 3

Eli Grabanski looks at some deep sleepers to stash before Week 3'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 Rondale Moore (56.1% on ESPN), Trey Lance (25.3% on ESPN), and Elijah Mitchell (85.6% 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 2 Review

 

  • Carlos Hyde: Took two carries for seven rushing yards on the ground and had two targets in the passing game. If you are playing RB handcuff roulette he’s not a bad player to roster, but if you want to take a shot on someone else he’s a decent drop candidate.
  • Damien Williams: Took two carries for six rushing yards on the ground and had two receptions on three targets for -2 receiving yards. He’s still one of the better handcuffs to roster, but if you need a player that can contribute more immediately, look elsewhere.
  • Cordarrelle Patterson: Was the big success from this list last week after he took seven carries for 11 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on the ground and caught five of six targets for 58 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown through the air. He’s currently the RB23 in full PPR leagues, and now that he’s rostered in over 20% of fantasy leagues he’s no longer eligible for the ‘Must Stash’.
  • Van Jefferson: Had a disappointing game where he had just one reception on three targets for 14 receiving yards. He’s safe to drop if you have someone else you’re interested in on the waiver wire.
  • Tyrod Taylor: Was playing very well before he got injured against the Cleveland Browns. In roughly a half of play he completed 10 of 11 passes for 125 passing yards and a passing touchdown and took one carry for a 15-yard rushing touchdown. Given he’s injured it’s okay to drop him, but keep an eye on him when he comes back.

 

The Must Stash

 

Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens (14% on Yahoo, 7.2% on ESPN)

 

The Baltimore Ravens spent their first-round pick on wide receiver Rashod Bateman in the 2021 NFL Draft, but we haven’t gotten to see him play yet this year since he’s been on injured reserve the first three weeks of the season. Given he’ll be eligible to return to the field in week 4, now is a great time to take a shot on the talented rookie without potentially having to use a high waiver or a large percentage of your FAAB budget. In addition, if you have an injured reserve spot you can put Bateman on there until he returns and still have another spot for another lottery ticket.

 

Quintez Cephus, WR, Detroit Lions (14% on Yahoo, 4.2% on ESPN)

 

As we touched on the week 1 edition of the ‘Must Stash’, someone on this team is going to catch passes outside of T.J. Hockenson, Jamaal Williams, and D’Andre Swift. Since Tyrell Williams is dealing with a concussion and is expected to miss the game against the Ravens this weekend, it seems like a perfect opportunity for Quintez Cephus to take over the #1 wide receiver role.

Cephus has already been off to a pretty good start this season catching seven passes on 13 targets for 75 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. If he can seize this opportunity and have another above-average game, there’s a good chance he’s on a majority of waiver articles next week.

 

Jeff Wilson Jr., RB, San Francisco 49ers (18% on Yahoo, 5.1% on ESPN)

 

The San Francisco 49ers running back room has been a roller coaster this season after the injury to Raheem Mostert. While a lot of the discussion centers around Trey Sermon and Eli Mitchell, it’s important to also not forget about running back Jeff Wilson Jr. Wilson is currently on injured reserve, but has a shot to take over the lead role when he returns given the state of the 49ers running back room and the fact 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. If you can afford to stash him on the end of your bench (or in an injured reserve spot if you have one), it could pay off down the stretch this season.

 

Jack Doyle, TE, Indianapolis Colts (3% on Yahoo, 5.1% on ESPN)

 

Jack Doyle gets a promotion from the ‘Deep Cuts’ list to the ‘Must Stash’ this week after he followed up his Week 1 performance where he led the Colts’ TE room in receiving production with a strong performance in Week 2 where he had five receptions on eight targets for 64 receiving yards.

 

 

Given Frank Reich’s historical usage of the tight end position, the Colts’ primary pass-catching tight end is always a player worth monitoring. And since Jack Doyle is clearly in this role over Kylen Granson and Mo Alie-Cox right now, he’s going to be the player to target on the waiver wire in the coming weeks.

 

Hunter Renfrow, WR, Las Vegas Raiders (9% on Yahoo, 9.5% on ESPN)

 

Hunter Renfrow may not be the most appealing option on the waiver wire at first look, but he has been pretty involved in the offense in the first two weeks of the season. In week 1, he caught six passes on nine targets for 70 receiving yards. In week 2, he followed it up with another solid performance with five receptions on seven targets for 57 receiving yards. If Renfrow has another game where he sees 6+ targets and has 50+ receiving yards this week against the Miami Dolphins, you can expect him to be one of the top waiver pickups next week for fantasy teams struggling at wide receiver.

Deep Cuts

 

(Rostered In Less Than 3% Of Leagues)

Both Websites (ESPN and Yahoo)

 

Quez Watkins, WR, Philadelphia Eagles (2% on Yahoo, 1.9% on ESPN): Quez Watkins has caught all five targets his way this season and caught two passes for 117 receiving yards in Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers. He was also a training camp standout this offseason, so there could be something here with Watkins.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Jaret Patterson, RB, Washington Football Team (1% on Yahoo, 1.1% on ESPN): Antonio Gibson appears to be good to go for this Sunday’s game after dealing with a shoulder injury this week, but in deeper leagues, it may be worth stashing Patterson in case Gibson re-injures his shoulder.

 

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.

 

Mo Alie-Cox, TE, Indianapolis Colts (1% on Yahoo, 0.3% on ESPN): While Jack Doyle has emerged as the Colts primary pass-catching tight end early this season and 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 in Frank Reich’s offense.

 

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, but has taken a backseat to Jack Doyle early on this season. Having said this, 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.

 

Kerryon Johnson, RB, San Francisco 49ers (0% on Yahoo, 0.6% on ESPN): Kerryon Johnson could be activated from the San Francisco 49ers practice squad this weekend and get some opportunities in a depleted 49er running back room.

 

Rashard Higgins, WR, Cleveland Browns (1% on Yahoo, 0.5% on ESPN): Jarvis Landry suffered an MCL injury in Week 2, which means that some of the other Browns wideouts will need to step up. Higgins has shown chemistry with quarterback Baker Mayfield in the past, so it seems likely he gets more touches in the coming weeks.

 

ESPN/Yahoo Only

 

Peyton Barber, RB, Las Vegas Raiders (6% on Yahoo, 2% on ESPN): With Josh Jacobs out, Peyton Barber carried the ball 13 times for 32 rushing yards last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers. If Jacobs misses another week of action, Barber will likely get another decent workload and could be a spot FLEX starter for a desperate fantasy team.

Jacques Patrick, RB, San Francisco 49ers (7% on Yahoo, 1.8% on ESPN): The San Francisco 49ers signed Jacques Patrick from the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad this week. Given the state of the 49ers running back room, Patrick could see some opportunities in the near future.

K.J. Hamler, WR, Denver Broncos (5% on Yahoo, 2.9% on ESPN): Going into the year, K.J. Hamler 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, but then Jerry Jeudy went down with a significant injury opening up more opportunities for Hamler (his snaps increased from 36% of the snaps in Week 1 to 71% in Week 2).

JaMycal Hasty, RB, San Francisco 49ers (4% on Yahoo, 2.8% on ESPN): JaMycal Hasty has been ruled out indefinitely with a high-ankle sprain, but has a chance to be fantasy-relevant once he returns since starting RB Raheem Mostert is out for the season.

Marlon Mack, RB, Indianapolis Colts (5% on Yahoo, 2.6% on ESPN): Marlon Mack carried the ball five times for 16 rushing yards in Week 2. He appears to be Jonathan Taylor’s primary handcuff on the ground, so there could be some value here if Taylor misses time at any point this season.

 

 

That’s it for Week 3. 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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