NFL Week 2 Sleeper Player Prediction Picks (2023)

Welcome to Sleeper Picks. Sleeper’s newest offering promised plenty of entertainment and action, and they delivered. We will break down our top three picks for this week’s NFL action. Sleeper is quickly becoming one of the most popular season-long fantasy platforms, and they are expanding into other areas based on demand. Each week in this space, we’ll talk about some strategy for the new platform while providing our favorite NFL more/less picks.

Sleeper Picks NFL Week 2

Season record: 2-2

Calvin Ridley (WR – JAC): 67.5 receiving yards

Calvin Ridley looks like he hasn’t missed a beat. We all knew that Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars were going to make a concentrated effort to get the ball in their new playmaker’s hands, and the results could not have been much better. Ridley hauled in eight of his team-leading 11 targets for 101 receiving yards in his return to the football field. Just 65 of those yards came before the catch, meaning Ridley generated 36 yards after the catch, something that is key for these types of predictions. He had an insane 34.4 percent Target share, almost quadrupled Christian Kirk‘s snaps, and led the team in air yards. It is clear that Ridley is the clear-cut number one receiver in Jacksonville, and the line makers are going to concede to that point eventually, so take advantage of these early season lines while you can. We haven’t mentioned his opponent this weekend yet? Oh yeah, it’s the Kansas City Chiefs. Gamescript should not be an issue this week. Tap the over on Ridley for Week 2.

Pick: More

Amari Cooper (WR – CLE): 48.5 receiving yards

We knew Cooper was going to have a tough matchup against Chidobe Awuzie, but a stranger-than-fiction gamescript coupled with an injury complicated matters. We will go back to the Cooper well this week, well, because this line is simply too low to fade. Cooper is going to average upwards of 78 receiving yards per game this season, so we are going to ride with Amari until the wheels fall off (or, more accurately, until he is placed in the high 60s, at which point he will be a matchup play). There could be some gamescript issues again this week, which is part of the reason I believe this line is so low, but squeaks or no squeaks, if Amari is healthy, we can be sure Deshaun will be making an effort to feed his top receiver. Pay attention to the final injury report on Saturday before locking this in, but all signs point towards Cooper being active for Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pick: More

Sam LaPorta (TE – DET): 34.5 receiving yards

LaPorta had an exciting NFL debut, recording five receptions for 39 receiving yards. The yardage total keeps the line low, but his involvement as a receiver, even when he wasn’t getting the ball, as well as his prowess as a blocker, is going to keep him on the field.

Sam LaPorta's 1st NFL action

74.2% Route per dropback rate
14.2% Target share
1.5 YPRR

Not too bad Ballgame. TE1 type of usage.

And he's just getting started. LFG.

— Derek Brown (aka Ugly John Daigle) (@DBro_FFB) September 8, 2023

LaPorta shined with a solid 14.2 percent Target share in his debut and played 83 percent of the snaps. He has an exploitable matchup this week as far as the line is concerned, as the Seattle Seahawks gave up 49 receiving yards to number four in targets, Tyler Higbee, in Week 1. Seattle was repeatedly beaten in the middle of the field by Higbee, Puka Nacua, and Tutu Atwell. As long as the gamescript doesn’t get out of hand, LaPorta should improve on his Week 1 yardage numbers.

Pick: More

Writers note: The Ridley and Cooper numbers climbed by three yards and two yards, respectively, before publish. This suggests that some early week lines may be some of the top values of any given week. This is similar to what we see in other arenas. Choice is limited as only some lines are available on Wednesday and early Thursday, but the value is there for those who are willing to dig deep.