Bear witness to the devastation before you: Nico Collins’ hamstring; DJ Moore’s shoulder; DeZhaun Stribling’s ankle; Jordan Mason’s…thumb. Fallen soldiers strewn about. Josh Allen, basically, stands alone there against the horizon, a monolithic silhouette of a great fantasy-scoring colossus. We are at war, friends, and the next-man-up mentality is becoming as ironclad a platitude for fantasy managers as it is for coachspeak and player-parroting to the media. Here already in Week 2, most of us are desperate for value and edge.
Happy Fantasy Friday once more, friends. I’m back with the Five Lists of Five: Week 2 edition. Helmets on. Back to marching.
For the newly-ordained: Soundbite-length blurbs with advanced analysis on my favorite plays of the week. We begin now with my Top five players to stash ahead of fantasy football Week 2. Here are my other offerings in this edition:
- Top five must-start wide receivers for fantasy football Week 2
- Top five must-start RBs for fantasy football Week 2
- Top five FLEX plays for fantasy football Week 2
- Top five fantasy defenses to start for NFL Week 2
Here’s how I’ll play the slate. I’ll be pumping out these lists for fantasy football all season, with plenty of coverage here on DraftKings Network. Follow my handle @dansby_edits for more fantasy football and NFL betting plays.
Fantasy football Week 2: Top five players to stash
Emmett Johnson, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Kenneth Walker forced 16 missed tackles as he redefined the Chiefs offense entire against Denver on MNF, but rookie Emmett Johnson still collected 10 touches behind him. Six came during Kansas City’s final seven non-kneeldown plays, so I’m not miscounting Andy Reid’s victory formation rotation into the touch count.
Johnson carried eight times and caught both targets for 44 yards; he was the only other RB to play. Late work inflated his shares (36% snaps; 21% routes), but Reid trusted him with more than garbage-time, run-out-the-clock handoffs. I like finding receiving ability behind an established lead runner. We may have done just that with Johnson, who looks like he could start on most teams.
Keaton Mitchell, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Keep holding! Mitchell’s four carries for nine yards against Arizona hardly demanded a waiver claim, or justified his place on this last last week. But I’m so much more interested in where the Chargers used him: 11 routes to Omarion Hampton’s 10, with the backs splitting carries inside the 10- and inside the 20-yard lines evenly.
Hampton played only 54.5% of the red-zone snaps, while neither back commanded a target. Los Angeles barely sustained any offense whatsoever. We shoudn’t be over here writing off Mitchell’s chops prospects until we see those routes in a functioning offense. I’m not!
With five to eight touches in my Las Vegas forecast, Mitchell stays on the bench. I’m adding him for the possibility that Los Angeles preserves his routes and starts manufacturing RB targets. Hampton can keep the early-down job while Mitchell catches his way into deeper FLEX consideration.
Pat Bryant, WR, Denver Broncos
Pat Bryant caught three passes in Denver’s first quarter against Kansas City before any of his slash line could be chalked up to garbage time. He finished with four catches for 42 yards on six targets. Amid that offensive misery concocted by Bo/Davis on MNF, I’ll take a young receiver commanding attention early as a nice squirrel-away piece on my bench.
Bryant posted a 32% TPRR on a 58% route share. Sutton and Waddle will still continue to command looks while Bryant’s tree and role grow. He’s not like to steal any work from them. Which means they’re not likely to steal any work from him.
Against Jacksonville, I’m estimating four to six targets and roughly three catches for 30-45 yards. That keeps Bryant on my bench, but I’m holding him while I watch for a route share closer to 70%. More consistent first-half work would encourage me considerably.
Antonio Williams, WR, Washington Commanders
Jayden Daniels kept returning to Antonio Williams while Washington fruitlessly chased Philadelphia. Williams caught three balls for 48 yards, and snagged a touchdown in the fourth quarter. He finished with four catches for 64 yards total. The repeated attention caught my eye; didn’t it yours?
Williams outproduced Stefon Diggs on fewer than half as many routes, largely alongside him in three-WR sets. Diggs and Terry McLaurin will command substantial work, but Williams can get his. His 26% route share remains the interim obstacle. But that’s why he’s a stash.
I’m expecting only two to four targets against Dallas, so he stays on my bench. As Washington gives him more first-half routes, I’ll reconsider a FLEX start. For now, I’m stashing him for that possible role expansion.
Caleb Douglas, WR, Miami Dolphins
If you’ve got him, I assume you paid for him this week, so you best make the stash throne comfy for Caleb. Malik Willis completed only 15 passes against Las Vegas, and Caleb Douglas caught five of them for 94 yards. I struggle to trust this passing game at all, but Douglas keeps giving us reasons to be a little excited. We should, at least, pay some attention (roughly 84% route share; 22.2% target share; 35.3% first-read target share). Those are studly numbers.
Miami made him an early answer in the progression, while Willis attacked downfield with an 11.4-yard aDOT. Unfortunately, Willis also took five sacks and threw an interception. Those longer routes need protection to develop, and Miami hasn’t supplied enough.
That leaves Douglas on my bench outside an emergency. I’ll stash him for a friendlier matchup. Keep an eye on the full route share and first-read involvement this week to see if it piques our interest, still, even if Sunday gets ugly for the fish.
