From Fantasy Sports On SI · · 3m
Four deep sleepers worth a Week 1 flier
Najee Harris, Ryan Flournoy, Malachi Fields and Greg Dulcich are the low-cost swings when injuries have wrecked your lineup.
In brief
Najee Harris, Ryan Flournoy, Malachi Fields and Greg Dulcich are the low-cost swings when injuries have wrecked your lineup. Deep sleepers pay off on one thing, not three: a goal-line carry, a soft matchup, or a target share that opens up when the starter above them is hurting. Originally reported by Fantasy Sports On…
When the roster falls apart
Injuries and shifting depth charts force a riskier lineup. A sleeper only needs one thing to go right: a big play, a surprise workload, or a trip to the end zone.
“Your fantasy football team is on the ropes.”
Najee Harris gets the Giants job
New York signed Harris weeks ago because Harbaugh wanted a real pass protector. Cam Skattebo and Tyrone Tracy Jr. were both bad at it.
Co-RB2 is a lie
Harris is listed alongside Tracy Jr. and Devin Singletary, but he should take the biggest share of that trio's work right away.
“I am fully confident that Harris will have the biggest chunk of work among that trio.”
The projection is modest
Harris grades out as RB51 for Week 1: 4.8 carries, 20.6 rushing yards, 0.2 touchdowns. The value is not in the yardage.
He is a goal-line body
From 2021 to 2024, Harris converted 42.4% of his carries inside the 5 into touchdowns. Two chances in that range make him worth the roster spot.
“Give us 2 carries in that range, and the scoring chances are optimistic.”
Dallas paid Ryan Flournoy
The Cowboys handed Flournoy a one-year, $6 million extension this past week. That is a team betting on him as its next WR2 over George Pickens.
Cut, then 15th in the NFL
Dallas released Flournoy before the 2025 season. He played his way back onto the active roster and finished the year as PFF's 15th-ranked wide receiver.
The matchup helps
The Giants are leaning on their pass rush over their coverage. Dallas rates as the fourth-best pass-game matchup of the week, with Dak Prescott projected for 253.5 yards, third among quarterbacks.
Malachi Fields is third in line
The Giants throw to Malik Nabers, then Isaiah Likely, then the rookie. What matters is that the name at the top is shaky.
Nabers is a game-time call
Nabers is questionable for Sunday Night Football against Dallas after reconstruction on his right ACL and meniscus, and the reporting suggests his knee confidence is not back.
“Comments suggest he is not mentally confident in his knee yet, a common and often overlooked barrier to return to sport.”
Fields inherits the targets
Even if Nabers suits up, his 28.5% season-long yard share should dip in game one. Fields' projected 15.5% share could climb toward 20%.
Greg Dulcich draws soft coverage
Dulcich projects as only TE23, but the defenders assigned to him graded poorly in 2025: Quay Walker at 40.9 in coverage, Nakobe Dean at 62.6, Taron Johnson at 63.7.
Miami should be throwing
Dulcich is the senior man in the room with the top yard-share projection at 17.5%, in a game Miami is likely to spend close or trailing. Malik Willis completed 85.7% of his passes in 2025.
What to remember
Deep sleepers pay off on one thing, not three: a goal-line carry, a soft matchup, or a target share that opens up when the starter above them is hurting.
