Fantasy Football 2017: 10 Deep sleepers for Week 2

Are you a fantasy football owner who’s a little desperate for Week 2? Check out these 10 deep sleepers who could still be available in your league.

If you thought it was going to be a smooth ride to your fantasy football championship, you were wrong. You either drafted a player or two who is already out with an injury or you got a glimpse of how shoddy your team actually is in Week 1. Either way, all hope is not lost.

Last week’s No.1 quarterback (Alex Smith), No. 2 running back (Tariek Cohen) and No.1 tight end (Jesse James) were all available in a majority of leagues. So who are the players this week people aren’t paying attention to who could help owners win their Week 2 matchup?

To be eligible as a “deep sleeper” players have to be less than 50 percent owned in ESPN leagues.

10. Sterling Shepard, WR, New York Giants (40.1 percent owned)

Last week Shepard led all Giants wide receivers in targets (8) and receptions (7). With Odell Beckham Jr. out with an injury, Eli Manning leaned on Shepard a lot more than the Brandon Marshall who only had one reception on four targets.

Even though Shepard’s numbers don’t pop out, they are pretty good considering the offense only ran 56 plays against the Cowboys. To give you an idea how poor that is, Sporting Charts ranked the Miami Dolphins dead-last in the NFL last year in average plays-per game with 57. Chances are the Giants are going to run more than 56 plays in Week 2 which increases Shepard’s odds of seeing more targets.

Obviously Shepard loses his allure if OBJ is active but after he stated he’s dealing with a 6-8 week injury, there’s a chance he misses this game. Shepard is an ideal add for OBJ owners who can stash him on benches while they wait and see if OBJ will be active on Monday Night Football.