Fantasy Football Shockers: Why Jake Browning and Kareem Hunt Could Explode Off the Waiver Wire in Week 2

Hunting down those under-the-radar players who can flip your fantasy football fortunes? Now that’s the real art—and if you ask me, the kind of edge every manager dreams of. Week 2 threw some curveballs, mixing big-time flashes like Juwan Johnson with Trey Benson’s steady buzz. But the real fun begins as we dive into Week 3, sifting through the noise for those hidden diamonds that could redefine your roster. These sleepers aren’t just hopefuls—they’re players poised to punch above their roster percentages and grab your attention. Stick with me, and I’ll point out who’s worth the gamble, who’s screaming potential, and who might light up your fantasy scoreboard when you least expect it. Ready to shake things up?

LEARN MORE

We’re all looking for that hidden gem to give our fantasy football team an edge, so we can kick back and relax on Sundays while gleefully watching our squad march to victory. Let Scott Pianowski help you rest easy this season with his top sleepers.

Week 2 was a mixed bag for the sleeper page, though Juwan Johnson continued to pop and Trey Benson has flashed all season. Let’s see what we can uncover in Week 3.

Advertisement

[Upgrade to Fantasy Plus and gain your edge in player projections and much more]

All players promoted below will be rostered in under 50% of Yahoo leagues.

Elic Ayomanor, WR, Titans vs. Colts (18% rostered)

His touchdown catch made all the highlight reels last week, but I thought Cam Ward and Ayomanor showed tangible chemistry all through the game against the Rams. With veteran WR Calvin Ridley off to a slow start, there’s a plausible case for Ayomanor to finish this year as Tennessee’s most productive receiver. College injuries pushed Ayomanor back to the fourth round of April’s draft, but his true talent level is much higher than that.

Advertisement

Troy Franklin, WR, Broncos at Chargers (37%)

Franklin did little as a rookie but he’s stepping up nicely this year, coming off a snappy 8-89-1 performance at Indianapolis. Franklin led the Broncos in routes for that game, so he’s turning into a featured player. Don’t overlook Franklin’s two best years at Oregon were tied to current teammate Bo Nix, so there’s plenty of familiarity there. The Chargers defense is a difficult matchup, but Franklin shouldn’t be floating free on the waiver wire.

Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons at Carolina (37%)

I’m as big a Bijan Robinson fan as they come, but we can’t ignore that Allgeier has a big role here, too. Allgeier has double-digit touches in both games so far, and he rolled to a 16-76-1 rushing line last week in a front-running victory at Minnesota. That game script could potentially repeat this week against a Carolina run defense that’s been messy so far.

Advertisement

Jake Browning, QB, Bengals at Vikings (20%)

We’ve seen the Browning movie before in Cincinnati, and the returns were surprisingly favorable. Browning made seven starts back in 2023, and these were his fantasy finishes: QB18, QB4, QB4, QB8, QB21, QB8, QB9. The one downside to the story is the upcoming schedule, with Cincinnati set to face Minnesota, Denver, Detroit and Green Bay the next four weeks, a gauntlet of opponents. But perhaps Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins can help drag Browning to fantasy prominence.

Kareem Hunt, RB, Chiefs at Giants (27%)

None of the Kansas City running backs are covering themselves in glory right now, but take note that Hunt has better per-touch averages and better success metrics than Isiah Pacheco thus far. The Chiefs are 0-2, in desperation mode — they can’t mess around. The backfield is probably a hot-hand situation at the moment, and the first back to break through with a couple of big runs is likely to surge ahead. Don’t overlook the veteran Hunt, even in his age-30 season.

Advertisement

Hunter Renfrow, WR, Panthers vs. Falcons (4%)

Renfrow hasn’t held fantasy relevance in four years, but the Panthers are a pass-heavy team and there’s an opening at their WR2 spot. He posted a useful 7-48-2 line in the loss at Arizona, and while it was unusual for the Panthers to throw 59 times, this is a team that will commonly be playing from behind, inflating the pass volume. Xavier Legette has been a major disappointment for Carolina, which opens a door for Renfrow. In the same passing game, keep an eye on emerging TE Ja’Tavion Sanders (seven catches last week).

Isaac TeSlaa, WR, Lions at Baltimore (8%)

Different rules up front for TeSlaa — this is a stash play, not someone to use this week. He’s blocked in Detroit, and not seeing a lot of of snaps. But all he did all summer was make highlight-film catches, and he’s continued to do that in the real games, despite his limited opportunity. If the Lions lost a starting receiver later this year, TeSlaa would probably become a waiver-wire darling. If you have an open slot to play with, this is the type of contingent-upside player you should be considering.