After an exciting Week 1, the NFL is ready to roll with another great slate of games this Sunday. For the second straight week, there are 12 games on the DraftKings main slate, which means there are plenty of fantasy football sleeper plays available at WR. While we still have very limited info with just a one-week sample size, we do have an idea of what offenses will look like and what defenses could be vulnerable. In this post, we’ll dive into the wide receivers who have the potential to be a fantasy football sleeper that makes a huge difference in your lineup in Week 2.
The fantasy football sleeper plays at wide receiver in this post each week can be excellent value plays for DFS contests, and they can also be sneaky plays in your season-long league since they should be poised to exceed expectations. Earlier this week, I highlighted my top 30 starters at wide receiver, and in this list, we’ll focus on players well outside those 30 players who still bring a high ceiling.
Week 2 Fantasy Football Sleeper WRs (analysis below)
- Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns ($4,300)
- Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos ($3,700)
- Tyquan Thornton, Kansas City Chiefs ($3,600)
- Isaac TeSlaa, Detroit Lions ($3,300)
- Tyler Johnson, New York Jets ($3,200)
Week 1 Results:
- Cedric Tillman ($4,400; 16.2 FPTS)
- Demario Douglas ($4,200; 8.2 FPTS)
- Jaylin Noel ($3,800; 1.7 FPTS)
- Dont’e Thornton ($3,600; 6.5 FPTS)
- Tory Horton ($3,000; 0.0 FPTS)
Whether you’re looking for value plays in your DFS contests like the NFL $3.5M Fantasy Football Millionaire [$1M to 1st] or looking for a last-minute addition from the waiver wire, here are my top five fantasy football sleeper wide receivers for Week 2 of the 2025 season:
Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns ($4,300)
I promise I’m only running back one of last week’s picks, and that’s Tillman, whose salary actually went down $100 after his big week with five catches for 52 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals.
Tillman had eight targets, just one off the team lead, and he caught the only touchdown pass of the day from Joe Flacco. He should remain the Browns’ second receiver behind Jerry Jeudy ($5,300) while tight ends David Njoku ($4,400) and Harold Fannin Jr. ($3,100) are also very involved as pass catchers.
The Browns will take on the Ravens in Baltimore this week, after the Ravens’ defense fell apart against the Bills last week. Baltimore allowed the second-most fantasy points to receivers last week, and Flacco should be fired up to take on his former team in Baltimore.
If Flacco is looking to take shots down the field, Tillman is his primary deep threat and could have a huge game. He popped for a few games last year with 18.1, 28.9 and 19.5 fantasy points with Jameis Winston at the helm, just before a concussion knocked him out for the last third of the season.
Tillman is a great value with a high ceiling, and getting him at just over $4,000 makes him one of the best fantasy football sleeper options at the position.
Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos ($3,700)
In Week 1’s win over the Titans, the Broncos never really got the passing game going at full speed. It was worth noting, though, that Franklin played ahead of Marvin Mims Jr. ($4,100). The second-year receiver from Oregon played 45 snaps (59%), compared to Mims’ 40 snaps (53%). With DeVaughn Vele ($3,200) traded to the Saints, Franklin could have a clear path to a larger share of the workload behind Courtland Sutton ($6,300).
In Week 1, Franklin caught four of his six targets for 44 yards, ranking second on the team in catches, targets and receiving yards. Mims can be boom-or-bust with big-play potential, but it looks like Franklin has the chance to be a steady contributor across from Sutton.
Franklin and the Broncos are taking on the Colts in Week 2, and Indy ruled out both Jaylon Jones and Charvarius Ward Sr. The Colts’ defense looked strong against the Dolphins in Week 1, but they’ll face a tougher test against the Broncos in Week 2.
Franklin has a great relationship with QB Bo Nix ($6,100) from their time at Oregon, and the duo could be set for a big leap in their second year in the league. This week, he is a boom-or-bust fantasy football sleeper who brings a high ceiling as a deep threat against Indy.
Tyquan Thornton, Kansas City Chiefs ($3,600)
The Chiefs won’t have Xavier Worthy (shoulder) for their Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles in Week 2, and they’ll still be without Rashee Rice (suspension) for the next five games as well. While Hollywood Brown ($5,200) is almost a must-start at his salary, there’s also some potential value from Chiefs receivers Tyquan Thornton ($3,600) and JuJu Smith-Schuster ($4,000).
Thornton played 72% of the team’s snaps in Week 1 while Smith-Schuster played 80%. JuJu snagged all five of his targets for 55 yards, while Thornton pulled in two of his four targets for 41 yards. The only receiving touchdown of the day went to Travis Kelce ($5,000), who is also in line for a big role against the Eagles. Philly will likely roll its coverage toward Brown and zero in on Kelce as well, which could leave some big plays for Thornton.
Thornton has shown big-play potential throughout training camp and preseason even before the injuries.
Thornton will be a boom-or-bust fantasy football sleeper who makes a lot of sense for GPP lineups if you’re swinging for the fences in your Week 2 entries.
Isaac TeSlaa, Detroit Lions ($3,300)
TeSlaa impressed throughout training camp and preseason as a rookie in the Lions’ high-scoring offense. He was mostly left out of their Week 1 game plan, though, until making a circus catch for a touchdown toward the end of the team’s 27-13 loss in Green Bay.
TeSlaa only played three snaps in Week 1, but coach Dan Campbell said Monday that the team plans for the rookie receiver to get more opportunities going forward.
How many snaps and targets that means is still uncertain, so TeSlaa is a high-risk play against the Bears in Week 2. However, with Jared Goff ($6,000) spreading the ball around in a good matchup against the Bears, TeSlaa has a high ceiling at a salary just over the minimum.
Tyler Johnson, New York Jets ($3,200)
Johnson spent two years with the Bucs and two years with the Rams before coming to the Jets for this season. He made the initial roster but was then released and signed to the practice squad. The Jets elevated Johnson from the practice squad for Week 1, and he played 52% of the team’s snaps in Week 1 against the Steelers.
Johnson hauled in both of his targets for 31 yards, finishing third on the team in receiving yards behind Garrett Wilson ($6,500) (95) and Breece Hall ($6,200) (38). Only Wilson and Josh Reynolds played more snaps than him, with Allen Lazard ($3,400) a healthy inactive.
Reynolds played 97% of the snaps in Week 1 but has been ruled out for the Jets’ Week 2 matchup against the Bills. Lazard could be active, but Johnson will likely still play ahead of him, especially after the team signed him to a standard contract to get him on the roster the rest of the season.
Johnson could be very involved for the Jets and Justin Fields ($5,700) in what should be a good matchup against the Bills, who gave up the third-most fantasy points to wide receivers in Week 1, allowing the Ravens to pile up receiving yards.
He’s high-risk at this salary, but he could be one of the top targets for the team as the Jets look to pull off the upset at home.
