We are two full weeks into the 2022 fantasy football season, and as usual, nothing is what we thought it would be. Raise your hand if you thought the top three quarterbacks for yardage would be Tua Tagovailoa, Carson Wentz, and Joe Flacco. Now put your hand down because you’re lying.
Point is, down is up, up is down, and Carson Wentz is good right now. Crazy times. Not to disparage Wentz necessarily, but you’d expect high-capital fantasy guys like Kyler Murray, Aaron Rodgers, and Joe Burrow to be near the top statistically, and none are even within shouting distance.
Certainly, injuries have played a part in some of what we are seeing. Joe Burrow’s slow start might be partially attributed to his appendectomy and subsequent weight loss during camp. Hard to say, but Burrow doesn’t look right through two games. Injuries as usual have been plentiful, with top fantasy guys like James Connor, Alvin Kamara, Gabe Davis, Dalton Schultz, Jerry Jeudy, Michael Pittman Jr, and Keenan Allen all out, or on the injury report.
So, what do you do if you are rostering a bunch of stiffs, underperformers, and injured guys? Well, I suppose you could run some low-ceiling veterans out there to plug holes, but what fun is that? Fantasy football is supposed to be fun. How about finding some deep sleepers? Guys that are an injury or opportunity away from making a name for themselves. I like that idea better. Let’s check out four guys that have sneaky upside for NFL Week 3.
4 Deep Fantasy Football Sleepers to consider for NFL Week 3
4. Hayden Hurst, TE, Bengals
Hayden Hurst has done so little thus far that I could barely find an image of him in a Cincinnati Bengals uniform. No matter. Have you seen the state of the tight end position? Gross. Unless you have one of the big names like Waller, Kelce, or Andrews you are likely sucking wind and posting goose eggs at the position.
Kyle Pitts isn’t being used, Pat Freiermuth is touchdown or bust, Tyler Higbee is getting targets but doing nothing with them, and George Kittle can’t get on the field…you get what I am saying. Why not take a chance on Hurst? Hurst ranks sixth amongst tight ends in targets but is still available in most leagues. Why?
Why roster a stiff like Cole Kmet when you can have Hurst? The Bengals have struggled, but Burrow is getting comfortable with Hurst, and Week 3 opponents the Jets, are 31st against the pass. Plus, teams have been playing two high safeties to take away the deep stuff. It’s just a matter of time before the Bengals and Burrow get clicking, and Hurst, who is a much better athlete than CJ Uzomah, should have an equal or greater role than Uzomah did. Don’t be shocked if Hurst finds the end zone against the Jets.
Fantasy Football deep sleepers for Week 3: Quez Watkins, WR, Eagles
Quez Watkins is a pretty deep pick, but as long as Philadelphia, and in particular, Jalen Hurts are on fire, why not attach yourself to any part of the offense that you can? Watkins has speed to burn, as evidenced by his 53-yard strike in week two, and can score any time he touches the ball.
That is the issue, touches. Watkins only has two catches on the year but in subsequent weeks, the Eagles have featured AJ Brown, and week two was Devonta Smith. That doesn’t mean Quez Watkins is going to get his turn in week 3, but with defenses forced to choose which receiver to stop, Brown or Smith, and the attention Dallas Goedert commands, there should be a shot play or two weekly to Watkins. No bad for a guy still available in most leagues.
Much will depend on Jalen Hurts for the long term, however. Hurts must maintain the growth he has displayed as a passer for this offense to support four targets with any regularity. It should be noted as well that two of the three other pass-catching options the Eagles feature also have lengthy injury histories. AJ Brown only played in 13 games with the Titans in 2022, and Dallas Goedert seems to be on the injury report on a weekly basis. Watkins has the size and physical tools to step in a contribute in a meaningful way if any of the big three pass catchers miss time. He is worth an add with occasional flex appeal the worst-case scenario, and WR 3 the best.
Fantasy Football deep sleepers for Week 3: Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons
After being a healthy scratch in week 1, the BYU rookie finally saw meaningful snaps in week 2. Do meaningful snaps mean you should run out and pick up a running back that wasn’t even dressed a week before? In this case, yes it does. Veteran plodder Damien Williams went on IR last week, and the only other back ahead of Allgeier isn’t even a running back.
Cordarrelle Patterson has been a great story, and for fantasy purposes, he is a running back, but the Falcons are very thin at pass catcher, and they would love nothing more than to move Patterson around the formation. The problem? No other running backs. Until now. Coach Arthur Smith has noted that Allgeier is getting much better in protection, and his Week 2 snap share bares that out.
The BYU product was on the field for nearly a third of the Falcons snaps and actually had as many carries as Patterson with 10. That’s decent usage, and with Patterson being an older player, Allgeier is an injury away from all the snaps. Until then, snag Tyler Allgeier and wait.
Fantasy football deep sleepers for NFL Week 3: Noah Brown, WR, Cowboys
This shocks me too. Noah Brown balled out against the Bengals last week, catching five passes for 91 yards and a touchdown. Brown is 26, and has been around the league for a while, but has never been relevant, fantasy or otherwise, so what do we attribute this to? My thought is Cooper Rush.
Rush and Brown seemed to have a chemistry that was missing between the quarterback and top target CeeDee Lamb. This is likely because the two were never supposed to play together except for the scout team, thus they know each other on the field pretty well, and it shows. This isn’t a long-term pickup, with Michael Gallup coming back soon and Dak Prescott healing from a thumb injury, but if you need a fill-in for a couple of weeks that is going to see a healthy target share, Noah Brown might be your guy.
Times are tough out there in fantasy football land. As always, start your studs, watch the waiver wire, keep an eye on injuries, and have fun!