Sleepers and streamers have done us fairly well at the start of the 2023 NFL season. In week two, we went 50% as Darnell Mooney and Zay Jones ended up posting the legendary donut. Zay Flowers performed average, but still had ten points. Josh Reynolds was my favorite sleeper and is slowly becoming a streamer with a WR1 finish in Week 2.
Now, with Week 3, certain players are separating themselves, but have not yet earned a weekly roster spot. These guys had great games in Week 2 and have made it on sleepers and streamers for a specific reason. That is volume and/or touchdowns. Let’s break it down.
Week 2 Wide Receiver Sleepers and Streamers
Wide Receiver sleepers
Jayden Reed vs. New Orleans Saints
First things first, Christian Watson has been out in consecutive weeks to start the season, but it should not worry fantasy managers when he returns.
Jayden Reed, the second-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL draft just finished as a top 20 wide-out in Week 2 (WR18). The most impressive thing is the target share has increased in the past two weeks. Week 1 saw Reed get 19% of the targets and in Week 2, that shot up to 32%.
Reed also grabbed himself two touchdowns in the Week 2 loss against the Atlanta Falcons. If Watson were to come back in Week 3, I think this just opens the door up more for Reed to produce as teams will focus on Watson.
A Week 3 matchup vs the New Orleans Saints awaits Reed and the Packers. Be cautious, but always take risks in Fantasy Football. Plug and play Jayden Reed into lineups if you want major upside.
Tutu Atwell @ Cincinnati Bengals
With Cooper Kupp hitting the IR to start the season, consensus thought the Rams’ offense would have little to no pulse. That was determined to be false. Tutu Atwell and Puka Nacua have been the best sleepers and streamers to start the season. They have been so lethal that Puka Nacua has become a lineup lock.
Tutu Atwell has become a sleeper with high upside in deeper leagues. In back-to-back weeks, Atwell has seen eight or more targets and has been a top 30 wide-out in both weeks (WR15 & WR28). Cooper Kupp is slated to miss two more weeks at minimum and with that being said, Atwell is a phenomenal sleeper in a Monday night match-up against a lost Cincinnati Bengals team.
The Bengals allowed 237 yards (192 to wide-outs) in Week 2 and with a high chance Joe Burrow misses Week 3, it will be a long and tiring night for the Bengals’ defense.
Wide Receiver streamers
Jordan Addison vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Other than Puka Nacua, Minnesota Vikings’ rookie receiver Jordan Addison has had an amazing start to his rookie season. Addison has had 60-plus yards in each game AND has had a touchdown to go along with it. He currently sits as the WR21 on a ppg basis.
It gets even better as the Vikings get to face the Los Angeles Chargers. This pass defense allowed Treylon Burks to go for 76 yards and in Week 1, allowed Tyreek Hill to go over 200 yards and Jaylen Waddle to accumulate 78 yards.
The Vikings have only gone up in pass attempts since drafting Justin Jefferson and now Addison, being the “new” Adam Thielen is set to thrive against opposing defense too worried about TJ Hockenson and Justin Jefferson. Lock Addison into your lineup and expect a ton of points and yards in this match-up. It is only a matter of time before Addison goes from sleepers and streamers to being started weekly.
Nico Collins @ Jacksonville Jaguars
This is not a drill! Nico Collins finally has a quarterback and all my dynasty shares can finally have that sigh of relief. Nico Collins is a very talented receiver who has been the product of poor quarterback play. Now, he has a Quarterback who is just a rookie but is showing flashes of being a franchise guy.
C.J. Stroud finished as the QB13 in Week 2 and had 384 passing yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. This is a sight to see as Collins and Stroud have clicked on all cylinders in the first two weeks.
The top three weapons for the Houston Texans have benefited a tremendous amount from the play of C.J. Stroud, but more importantly, it looks as if Nico Collins is finally having his breakout.
A very young team on the rise, Collins deserves to be streamed in Week 3 as he was probably drafted as a WR3 and managers most likely have better choices.
After Week 3, when Nico Collins delivers another great performance, he will become a lineup lock with WR2 upside. Collins is my favorite wide-out in this week’s sleepers and streamers.