Keepers, Sleepers, and Jeepers: Week 2

By Adam Filadelfo (@FntsyArchitect)

It's that time of year again. Time to put in those week one waiver claims for your fantasy football league. Regardless of how great owners think they drafted, or even if owners came away with a week one victory, most owners will put in a claim or bid for at least one player on their waiver wire immediately following the week one games. Here is a list of hot hands that will be claimed before week two kicks off on Thursday in Baltimore.

Keepers

Allen Hurns- Wide Receiver-Jacksonville Jaguars- Allen Hurns is an undrafted free agent and had himself an outstanding preseason that he carried over into week one of the regular season. With no Cecil Shorts for the Jaguars, Allen Hurns stepped up in a big way to the tune of four catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Another positive takeaway from Hurns' performance in week one was Chad Henne trusted him enough to target him nine times. Hurns was quiet in the second half of that game but the damage was already done and Hurns earned himself a starting spot on a lot of fantasy rosters heading into week two. Putting up 23 fantasy points will tend to do that for a player. With Cecil Shorts banged up quite a bit for the Jaguars, expect Hurns to produce for an unknown Jaguars receiving squad going forward. Just don't expect 23 fantasy points per game from him on a weekly basis but he should do enough to warrant a roster spot moving forward.

Justin Forsett- Running back- Baltimore Ravens- With the news of Ray Rice being suspended indefinitely and cut from the team, the Ravens will look to Justin Forsett to take on some of the work in their backfield. While Forsett may not be the man for the job long term, he does have familiarity with offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak's system from their days in Houston. Forsett made his presence known in week one versus the Bengals when he scored over 14 fantasy points and averaged over six yards per attempt. Forsett also had six balls thrown his way and caught five of then for 14 yards. For the time being, Justin Forsett is worth the pickup seeing how he will get his share of touches for the Ravens for the foreseeable future.

John Brown- Wide Receiver- Arizona Cardinals- Another receiver that had himself a good preseason is John Brown. While he didn't exactly light up the Chargers in week one, he was targeted five times by Carson Palmer and did find the end zone for his first career touchdown in the NFL. With Larry Fitzgerald not having a catch until late in the game and Michael Floyd commanding more attention from defenses, John Brown could be a breakout receiver in a pass heavy offense. He's definitely worth a stash in PPR leagues and should continue to see targets tossed his way as he did see significant playing time on Monday night.

Terrance West- Running Back- Cleveland Browns- While the severity of the injury to Ben Tate is unclear at this time, it pays for Tate owners to put in a claim for who appears to be the backup to Tate, Terrance West. West managed to hit the century mark in his first NFL game and scored double digit fantasy points in the process. While West may end up in a committee with Isaiah Crowell if Tate misses time, West did out carry Crowell 16-5 in week one which would make fantasy owners think West would handle a majority of the carries.

Bernard Pierce- Running Back- Baltimore Ravens- While Pierce was slated to be the primary ball carrier in the absence of Ray Rice, Pierce was pulled early for a fumble and gave way to Justin Forsett from there on. Pierce didn't do much of anything prior to his benching and in the little action he had last year and this year hasn't really impressed coaches or fantasy owners but seeing how he is a starting running back, he should be owned for the time being. The Ravens backfield is still unclear at this time heading into week two but sooner or later should show itself. For the time being, Pierce has to be considered a player to hang onto until proven otherwise.

Josh Gordon-Wide Receiver- Cleveland Browns- This has become a huge headache (at least for me) with the reports of he's suspended for the season, he has a chance to appeal the suspension, he's going to sell cars, oh wait, a new agreement can be reached which could overturn the suspensions of Josh Gordon and Wes Welker. Bottom line is if there is a chance that Josh Gordon will play this season, he has to be worth the waiver claim. Surely there is a player that you drafted in the later rounds that you aren't that convinced will do as much as Josh Gordon can and that is worth taking a chance right there. Adding Josh Gordon to your fantasy team can win you your league. With his eye popping numbers from 2013 where he missed the first two games and still managed 87 receptions for over 1,600 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging over 16 fantasy points per game, if Josh Gordon is still sitting on your waiver wire, stop reading this and add him. If he doesn't play in 2014, there's always another player to come along and fill that spot. He's worth the headache.


Sleepers

Bobby Rainey-Running Back- Tampa Bay Buccaneers-With the injury to Doug Martin, Bobby Rainey is worth an add since fantasy owners are familiar with his production based on 2013. He filled in admirably for Doug Martin last season and may be called upon to do so again. At this time, the extent of the injury to Martin isn't clear but what is clear is that Bobby Rainey is capable of carrying the load. Week one saw Rainey rush for 12 yards but he did get two targets which bodes well for owners playing in PPR leagues.

Khiry Robinson-  Running Back- New Orleans Saints- Khiry Robinson didn't have much of a fantasy impact in week one but he did score a touchdown which makes him somewhat relevant to owners. With the three headed monster that is the New Orleans backfield, Khiry Robinson could be a decent option in PPR leagues but Ingram seems to be the lead back as of right now. Khiry Robinson did score almost nine fantasy points so he could be worth looking at if you're looking for running back depth but barring injuries to Mark Ingram and Pierre Thomas, Robinson probably won't provide much value on a weekly basis.

Mark Ingram- Running Back- New Orleans Saints- Since coming into the league, Mark Ingram hasn't lived up to his hype but 2014 could be a turning point for the former Alabama tailback. Ingram looked to be the lead back in his week one matchup versus the Falcons scoring twice. He only rushed for 60 yards but since the scores were there, fantasy owners will take notice. He gave fantasy owners over 18 fantasy points and could be a week two gem versus the Browns who gave up 127 yards on the ground to the Steelers in week one.

Isaiah Crowell- Running Back- Cleveland Browns- Once Ben Tate went down with his injury, the Browns used Crowell and West and even though West had a majority of the touches (16-5 in favor of West), Crowell did score twice and scored over 15 fantasy points in the process. Week two could be a committee once again but Crowell could end up being the goal line back and that alone is worth owning him. Of course if Tate is back for week two, that could decrease the value of Crowell but for now, a bid isn't out of the question.


Jeepers

Brian Quick- Wide Receiver-St.Louis Rams- The Rams offense looked abysmal as a whole but Brian Quick was one of the few bright spots. The third year receiver had been on radars some time ago but when he didn't produce, fantasy owners quickly forgot about him. Fast forward to week one of the 2014 season and Brian Quick caught seven passes on nine targets for 99 yards. While Quick had a good week one, fantasy owners can be hard pressed to expect consistent production from him seeing how the quarterback situation in St. Louis remains murky. Quick has shown flashes in the past but he may have to show fantasy owners a little more before being considered worth an add.

Rod Streater- Wide Receiver- Oakland Raiders- There wasn't much to talk about in week one when it came to the Oakland Raiders. Rod Streater did show a little something with rookie signal caller Derek Carr by hauling in five of his seven targets for 46 yards and a touchdown. He did post double digit fantasy points but it's very difficult to expect consistency from him but then again, Streater could end up emerging as the Raiders number one option so that alone makes him worth an add. Just don't expect too much from Streater at this time.

Devin Hester- Wide Receiver- Atlanta Falcons- While Hester had a productive week one and start to his time in Atlanta, fantasy owners should be familiar with what Hester brings to the table at this point. He did have five catches for 99 yards but expecting Hester to provide fantasy relevance on a consistent basis is asking for too much. His week one performance was more a product of Matt Ryan getting all of his receivers involved against a Saints defense that wasn't looking to stop anybody.

Marcedes Lewis- Tight End-Jacksonville Jaguars- Lewis made this list simply because some fantasy owners may be looking for a tight end to add to their roster and Lewis did have nine targets. Other than the targets, Marcedes Lewis doesn't provide much fantasy value other than possibly a bye week fill in.