Fantasy football week two is here, and you probably have some disappointments on your roster already. If you’re looking for some extra punch in your lineup, look no further than these running back sleepers for week two! To qualify for this article, a player must be on the waiver wire in at least 50% of Yahoo! leagues. For you deep-league managers, we have a player available in at least 90% of Yahoo! fantasy football leagues. You’re going to have to be exceptionally desperate to get in on a couple of these guys.
Running Back Sleepers Option #1: Joshua Kelley versus Kansas City (35% rostered)
The question for me was never talent with Joshua Kelley, it was always utilization. I saw the Chargers using him as a super backup for both Justin Jackson and Austin Ekeler. Instead, he’s pushing to be the 1b to Ekeler’s 1a. Kelley touched the ball 12 times for 60 yards and a score in his NFL debut last week against the Bengals. This week, he gets a stiffer opponent… Maybe. The Chiefs are a better team than the Bengals, but David Johnson turned back the clock against them on the season-opening Thursday night game. If the Chargers decide to deploy Kelley as their 1b, his roster percentage will hit a rocket ship to the moon next week.
Running Back Sleepers Option #2: Jerick McKinnon at N.Y. Jets (17% rostered)
Call me a homer but I can’t skip out on Jerick McKinnon this week. He scored one of two 49ers touchdowns last week and was clearly better than Tevin Coleman. Coleman sat for most plays because of his sickle cell anemia trait, but McKinnon flat looked better, totaling 44 yards on six touches, and kicking in a touchdown. The Jets did a great job bottling up the two Buffalo backs on the ground, so I don’t expect Coleman to get much going on the ground again, and the Niners will turn to McKinnon through the air. The Bills backs last week combined for 39 yards and a score on eight catches.
Running Back Sleepers Deep Dive Option: Myles Gaskin versus Buffalo (5% rostered)
I mean, why not? We need a running back deep dive and everyone who did well in week one ended up on a roster somewhere. That leaves Gaskin, who had the lion’s share of the Dolphins offensive snaps to play the sleeper role. Last week, he touched the ball 13 times and turned it into 66 yards. Toss in a touchdown and you have a perfectly cromulent sleeper pick. The Bills crushed the Jets’ run game last week, but I think that has more to do with Lev Bell and Adam Gase than anything else.
Running Back Sleepers Honorable Mentions:
Boston Scott versus L.A. Rams (43%), Frank Gore versus San Francisco (10% rostered), La’Mical Perine versus San Francisco (2% rostered)
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