Fantasy Football: 5 Major sleepers with tasty Week 1 matchups
NFL Week 1 fantasy football sleeper at WR: Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
Garrett Wilson Week 1 matchup: vs. Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens have worked to improve a unit that was dead last in the NFL in the 2021 season in overall pass defense and right there among the worst in the league when it comes to touchdowns allowed through the air as well. The New York Jets haven’t been a team you look to for fantasy football sleepers in recent years but oddly enough, I think the inclusion of Joe Flacco in the starting lineup, at least to open the season, brings a little more fantasy relevance to this team.
Elijah Moore and Garrett Wilson will see plenty of targets against a Ravens defensive backfield that was torched a lot of last season. Again, injuries played a role in that and the unit is improved, but no matter which way you slice it, I think Wilson could be in line for a big Week 1 in his rookie debut. If the Jets surprise people and win this game, I think Wilson will be a big reason why. If they are playing from behind and playing catch-up, Wilson should have a big game.
As long as the Jets have 8-10 targets for Wilson in their plans, I think his fantasy relevance will far exceed his current ranking, which is outside of the top 50 in Week 1 for most outlets.
NFL Week 1 fantasy football sleeper at TE: Albert Okwuegbunam, Denver Broncos
Albert Okwuegbunam Week 1 matchup: @ Seattle Seahawks
Another Denver Broncos player cracks the list with Albert Okwuegbunam as my sleeper fantasy football tight end for Week 1. As far as the fantasy community is concerned, Okwuegbunam has been anything but slept on all offseason after the Broncos traded Noah Fant to the Seahawks in the Russell Wilson deal. Albert O. has shown his tremendous potential in his first two NFL seasons, and now he’s in line for a good number of targets on a weekly basis with Tim Patrick on season-ending IR and rookie Greg Dulcich on short-term IR.
Don’t be surprised if Okwuegbunam gets a lot of looks when the Broncos get into the red zone and if that’s the case, he could be a candidate for double-digit touchdowns this season. Okwuegbunam is ESPN’s TE19 this week, so even if you play in deeper leagues, they’re saying he’s not starter-worthy. I’m giving you the opposite advice.