9 Fantasy Football Stash Candidates Ahead of Week 2

Welcome to stash candidates, a column that highlights players who may be potential league-winners at some point in the future, whether that’s next week or a handful of weeks down the road.

We’re looking at all kinds of stash-worthy guys in the event the player above them on the depth chart is on shaky ground or might be nursing an injury, or possibly a matchup-based situation in the weeks ahead. Clear out those benches (check out my Dead Weight Report on who to drop), and make room for these up-and-comers.

Editor's Note: Check out the Week 2 Waiver Wire Watch

Tyrion Davis-Price & Jordan Mason, RBs - 49ers

With Elijah Mitchell sidelined with a knee injury, it’s now Jeff Wilson’s backfield, but we all know the 49ers are not a one-man RB-type of team. Rookie Tyrion Davis-Price and UDFA Jordan Mason could both be in play moving forward, so a speculative add for either one is advisable if you have the bench room.

Next week the 49ers get Seattle, a defensive unit ranked 30th in the league last season in schedule-adjusted fantasy points allowed or aFPA to the RB position, and a team that surrendered 21.2 half-PPR points to Denver RBs in Week 1.

Jaylen Warren, RB - Steelers

Najee Harris left the game against the Bengals with a foot injury that is reportedly not “not serious.” The full details are still unknown, and he’s allegedly trending towards being fine, but acquiring the backup RB for the Steelers will probably behoove fantasy owners who need some help in the RB department. Jaylen Warren rushed three times for seven yards and also saw one target, and was the only other RB to see any touches in Week 1.

You may have to fight off the Harris manager to get Warren, or he could possibly go unnoticed in some less savvy leagues.

Sterling Shepard, WR - Giants

It feels odd listing Sterling Shepard as a stash candidate, but here we are after just one week of play. The New York WR is coming off a torn Achilles that limited him to just seven games in 2021 and could find himself as the Giants WR1 sooner rather than later.

Kenny Golladay continued to be nonexistent in this offense after an uneventful preseason, Kadarius Toney, who ran just seven routes, is clearly not in the favor of the coaching staff, and rookie Wan’Dale Robinson left Week 1’s tilt with a knee injury. That leaves Richie James and Shepard to fight for whatever is leftover after rejuvenated Saquon Barkley is done. Shepard is a stash and not an immediate waiver wire desirable because more needs to be seen from this Giants’ offense before comfortably thinking about starting the 29-year-old.

Evan Engram, TE - Jaguars

If you punted the TE position or drafted George Kittle, it’s pretty ugly out there. Some of the later-round guys crushed our hearts along with fantasy rosters, as we got goose eggs from both Cole Kmet and Irv Smith, and sub-five-point performances from Kyle Pitts, Dawson Knox, Mike Gesicki, and David Njoku. While Evan Engram didn’t exactly light up the scoreboard, he did catch all four of his targets for 28 yards.

If you’re looking for a TE with some matchup-based upside, the Jaguars have a really nice five-game stretch on the horizon when it comes to defending the position. From Weeks 2-6, all of Jacksonville’s enemy units were ranked 27th or worse in TE aFPA last year, including two contests on tap in that span against the 29th ranked Colts, who just allowed an overall TE2 performance from O.J. Howard with 16.8 half-PPR points.

Parris Campbell, WR - Colts

Week 1 was nothing special as far as output for Parris Campbell, but he did run a meaty 71 routes and saw four targets which he turned into three catches for 37 yards. Better times should be ahead for the entire Colts offense, and it starts with a trio of favorable matchups for Campbell and his fellow wideouts.

In Weeks 2-5, Indy faces the Jaguars, Chiefs, and Titans, who sat 25th, 24th, and 31st respectively last season in WR aFPA, and the Jags alone yielded 44.5 half-PPR points to Washington wideouts in Week 1. Actually, the Colts don’t face an opponent who’s tough on WRs until their ninth contest. It may not feel super sexy, but Cambell could wind up being a decent replacement in the coming weeks for an injury or byes when they begin in Week 6.

Brian Robinson, RB - Commanders

Some of you may already have Brian Robinson parked in an IR spot, but he could be worth a stash ahead of his possible Week 5 return. Antonio Gibson was productive in Week 1, but Washington may want to dial back his workload when they can, to preserve him for the length of the season.

Robinson is eligible to play in four weeks, so grabbing him now if he’s on your league’s waiver wire could put you ahead of the game. It's an even better move if you can place him in an IR spot and grab another player, too.

Samaje Perine, RB - Bengals

The 26-year-old only had one carry for four yards but was thrown the rock five times in Week 1. Joe Mixon is healthy, but Samaje Perine is clearly the RB2 in this offense, not Chris Evans as we were made to believe this offseason. Stashing Perine is nothing more than insurance for now, but he could become much more valuable if Mixon were to get nicked up, as often happens with bell-cow RBs.

If you can spare the bench space, this exploratory add could be a difference maker down the road. Plus, in PPR formats, if Perine continues to see close to or more than five targets per game, starting him out of desperation once bye weeks hit may not be the worst option you have.

Cade York, K - Browns

The rookie was perfect in his NFL debut for the Browns, nailing four field goals and both extra points in the 26-24 win over the Panthers. Cade York’s upcoming schedule is indeed a favorable one, as Cleveland gets two home contests in a row against the Jets, who sat dead last in kicker aFPA in 2021, and then the Steelers (29th), followed by a road contest in Atlanta in Week 4, a team that just yielded a K8 performance to Wil Lutz.

The Browns may not score a lot of points this season as a whole, so York could just be a nice spot starter to get the season rolling, but if you need a kicker for a few weeks, he could be your guy.