While it isn’t always chess, sometimes it pays to think a few moves ahead in fantasy football. Sometimes swoop-and-stash plays off the waiver wire don’t hit. But, when they do, you’ve got a great asset that everyone else slept on too long. One sneaky option that has the potential to pop in the coming weeks is Jalen Coker of the Carolina Panthers. Who’s that you ask? Keep reading to find out why he makes sense as a deep-league stash now.
Ahead of the Panthers’ Week 7 matchup with the Commanders, Coker is still sitting at the very bottom of the salary structure in DFS. His tag is the minimum salary of any WR at $3,000. Not only is he worth considering as a punt play to stretch your DFS salary this week in the NFL $2.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st], but he’s also worth considering stashing on your bench. He could trend into a very useful player.
The Backstory
Coker was an undrafted free agent out of Holy Cross. He was, in fact, was one of just two FCS receivers who participated in the NFL Combine. He was called the best route runner in the draft class by Steve Smith after he produced 59 catches for 1,035 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in his senir season. Of the 1,950 yards he totaled over his final two seasons, 1,012 of those yards came by way of the deep ball. We’ve seen so far that he has been able to carry that success over to the NFL when given opportunities.
While he wasn’t drafted, we get to the real sleeper! I actually think Coker is a very interesting option at the minimum salary of only $3,000.
Coker flashed a little bit with a touchdown and 55 yards against the Bills in the final game of the Preseason but still landed on the team’s practice squad to start the year. He was promoted in Week 4 after a hamstring injury landed Adam Thielen on IR. He only played 10 snaps in hs NFL debut but stepped up and led the team in receiving yards two weeks ago against the Bears, catching 4-of-4 targets for 68 yards and 10.8 fantasy points.
Most of that production came in garbage time, but it earned him more work last week against the Falcons. He hauled in 3-of-3 targets for 30 yards in that contest. He played a season-high 65% of snaps in that game and out-snapped Jonathan Mingo ($3,600), who he seems to have passed on the depth chart.
Looking Forward
This week, Diontae Johnson ($6,800; ankle) is questionable and is battling ankle, rib and hamstring issues. Johnson has also been one of the best remaining WR names on the market and could be moved in a trade before the deadline.
If Johnson is out short-term or moved long-term, Coker would have an open path to playing time. Xavier Legette ($5,100) has been ok while Thielen has been out, but Coker has shown more sizzle than any other option the Panthers’ have.
He’s definitely not a “lock” or must-add just yet, but he’s one big game, trade or injury from getting a shot to be a true impact receiver. The Panthers’ defense has been so bad this year that they always seem to be playing from behind which often leads to pass-heavy gamescripts. Whether they ever make the move back to Bryce Young ($4,700) or stick with Andy Dalton ($5,200) there should be enough volume available to make Coker relevant if he keeps climbing the depth chart.
Grabbing him now while he’s pretty much universally unowned in season-long leagues could prove to be a shrewd move and set you up well for the future.
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