Deep Sleepers from Preseason Week 1
Week 1 of the 2021 preseason is in the books and as expected it was mostly about the guys fighting for a spot on the roster. But there are a few of those lesser known players that really popped. Guys that could force their way toward the top of their depth charts and offer late round sleeper value for you in your fantasy football drafts. Below are the guys that stood out to me, and the names with the * next to them are the players those guys are competing against.
QB David Blough (Detroit) - 5/6, 76 yards, 0 TDs, 0 Ints
I open the article up stating these are guys you may be able to draft and then I lead with Blough, a player who you should not draft. I like Blough, he offered up some excitement when he filled in for an injured Stafford back in 2019. If Goff struggles early like he really did down the stretch for the Rams last year, I’d expect the Lions to consider making a change. Blough kicked off the preseason by outplaying both Goff and Tim Boyle, so as it stands, I believe he’d be the one they’d move to. Just something to store in the back of your mind.
*Jared Goff: 7/9, 56 yards, 0 TDs, 0 Ints
*Tim Boyle: 8/15, 38 yards, 0 TDs, 0 Ints
QB Sam Ehlinger (Indianapolis) - 10/15, 183 yards, 0 TDs, 1 Int, 8 carries, 30 yards
He wasn’t perfect, but he did a solid job and looked more comfortable as the game wore on. It isn’t outside the realm of possibility that a 6th round QB would take over a starting job due to injury and play well (temper expectations by thinking Minshew in this case, not Brady). With Indy’s line being beat up and Wentz being made of glass, Ehlinger is the right guy to slide in when needed. His passing is so-so, but it’s his mobility and sheer will to win that will help the Colts out most.
*Jacob Eason: 15/21, 183 yards, 0 TDs, 0 Ints
RB Rhamondre Stevenson (New England) - 10 carries, 127 yards, 2 TDs
To be fair, he didn’t see his first carry until about halfway through the third quarter and at that point you’re playing against mostly third string, but his 12.7 YPC was still very impressive. It should at least earn him a chance to carry the ball earlier in game 2, allowing us to see if he can do it again, against tougher competition. He kind of reminds me of LeGarrette Blount, who excelled in New England’s offense.
*Damien Harris: 4 carries, 17 yards, 0 TDs
*Sony Michel: 6 carries, 26 yards, 0 TDs
*James White: 2 catches, 22 yards, 0 TDs
*J.J. Taylor: 2 carries, 10 yards, 5 catches, 31 yards, 0 TDs
RB Eno Benjamin (Arizona) - 5 carries, 50 yards, 1 TD
I had a higher grade on him in the 2020 draft, then the 7th round pick that was used on him, so I’m not surprised with what he did this past weekend. Currently he’s battling it out for the third spot behind Chase Edmonds and James Conner, and after his showing against Dallas, he’s definitely helped himself. Edmonds was hit and miss last year, and Conner has struggled to stay healthy, so if Benjamin wins the RB3 spot, there’s a legit path to playing time.
*Chase Edmonds: 3 carries, 10 yards, 1 catch, 10 yards, 0 TDs
*Ito Smith: 2 carries, 6 yards, 0 TDs
*Jonathan Ward: 6 carries, 21 yards, 3 catches, 13 yards, 0 TDs
*Tavien Feaster: 3 carries, 10 yards, 1 catch, 16 yards, 0 TDs
RB DeeJay Dallas (Seattle) - 5 carries, 24 yards, 2 catches, 45 yards, 1 TD
Seattle’s a backfield where you want to keep an eye on who takes the RB2 spot on the depth chart. Carson’s injury history is one reason, with the other being Seattle’s affinity for running the ball. Collins got the start against the Raiders, but Dallas was the one who stood out. He did a solid job on the ground, but it was his hands that really helped him. His long touchdown was on a swing route where he showed burst and an ability to be nimble.
*Alex Collins: 2 carries, 1 yard, 1 catch, 4 yards, 0 TDs
*Josh Johnson: 3 carries, 11 yards, 0 TDs
WR Lynn Bowden (Miami) - 4 catches, 47 yards, 0 TDs
Bowden’s a watch list stash unless something drastic happens before your draft. The swiss-army knife was acquired via trade last season and didn’t see a lot of playing time, but that’s not surprising since he was learning the playbook from two different positions (RB and WR). Based on his use in this game I’d say they’re having him focus on playing Receiver, which is fantastic news. He had 4 catches on 5 targets (most on the team), although it didn’t start until after Tagovailoa went to the bench. The key piece of info that works in Bowden’s favor is the fact that the top three Receivers on the roster (Parker, Fuller and Waddle) all have a history of injuries. He could go from WR5 to WR2 in a blink of the eye.
*Mack Hollins: 2 catches, 20 yards, 0 TDs
*Isaiah Ford: 2 catches, 13 yards, 0 TDs
*Malcolm Perry: 1 catch, 12 yards, 0 TDs
WR K.J. Hamler (Denver) - 2 catches, 105 yards, 1 TD
This is a little more difficult to really pick apart because he was on the field at the beginning of the game with his own team’s starters (or most of them at least) and was going up against all backups. Still, Denver needs a burner like Hamler to help open up their offense and his 80 yard touchdown displayed exactly what he brings to the table. He’s a threat, now let’s see if he continues to show that off.
*Jerry Jeudy: 1 catch, 33 yards, 0 TDs
*(Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick are the other two primary competitors for starting targets)*
WR Denzel Mims (NY Jets) - 3 catches, 51 yards, 0 TDs
The hype on Mims died hard when training camp kicked off, but it should slowly start to pick back up after the 6’3”, athletic freak posted 17 YPR. He’s buried behind Corey Davis, Keelan Cole, Jamison Crowder and presumably Elijah Moore, right now, but this performance should help him get back into that starter conversation, and could open up the Crowder trade talks again. It also helps that the Jets have no high-end Tight End options.
*Corey Davis: 2 catches, 18 yards, 0 TDs
*Keelan Cole: 1 catch, 16 yards, 0 TDs
*Jamison Crowder: 1 catch, 4 yards, 0 TDs
Others I considered mentioning: QB Drew Lock (Denver), RB Kenny Gainwell (Philadelphia), RB Larry Rountree (LA Chargers), WR Donovan Peoples-Jones (Cleveland), and WR Quez Watkins (Philadelphia)
