Sneaky stashes are back… again! After returning this season to provide you with savvy pickups to stash on your bench, the Sneaky Stashes series left with me on vacation last week. Following a little rest and recreation, I’m ready to get back to work and identify the players you didn’t yet know you needed.
For those unfamiliar, the goal of Sneaky Stashes is to get ahead of the waiver wire. By identifying valuable players before they break out, we can avoid dipping into that precious FAAB budget or getting beat out by someone with higher priority on waivers. However your league handles it, we get a leg up by stashing fantasy assets on our bench before they become hot commodities.
In my last Sneaky Stashes article, I suggesting adding players such as Mecole Hardman, Chris Thompson and the Cowboys’ DST, who all proved to be worth a start in Week 3. I also recommended stashing John Brown, Malcolm Brown and Alexander Mattison, who I believe will provide value down the line.
The players featured below are prospects who either have juicy matchups awaiting them in the weeks ahead, have immense talent that is primed to breakout sooner or later, or possibly a combination of both.
Nonetheless, the guys you’ll see on sneaky stashes are players we recommend considering if you have dead weight at the end of your bench.
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Week 5 Byes: Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins
Criteria for sneaky stashes requires players be available in 40% or more of ESPN leagues.
Jacoby Brissett — Available in 68.8% of leagues
QB — Indianapolis Colts
Week 5 Matchup: @ Kansas City Chiefs
In case you were still wondering, Brissett is a baller. His seven touchdown passes ranked fourth in the NFL prior to Thursday’s game, and he is one of only seven quarterbacks to have started the first three weeks and throw one or fewer interceptions. After attempting under 30 passes in his first two games, Brissett was let loose in week 3 and put up 310 yards and two touchdowns on 28/37 passing. I expect Brissett to set a season-high in attempts in week 5 as the Colts try to keep up with the touchdown-happy Chiefs. The only caveat I should add is that stud receiver T.Y. Hilton — who has caught four of Brissett’s TDs thus far — is a game-time decision for the Colts’ week 4 matchup with the Raiders, and his absence would undoubtedly hinder Brissett’s upside. Nonetheless, Brissett is a quality streamer over the next couple of weeks.
Golden Tate — Available in 49.5% of leagues
WR– New York Giants
Week 5 Matchup: vs Minnesota Vikings
Have you taken a look at the Giants’ receiving corps lately? After Sterling Shephard, there isn’t much to write home about. Tate’s four-game suspension is up after this week, and lucky for him, the Giants have already moved on from Eli Manning in favor of rookie quarterback Daniel Jones. Danny Dimes breathed life into this Giants offense last week when he tossed for 336 yards and two scores. With Saquon Barkley expected to miss the next four to eight weeks, Tate is likely to see a lot of his checkdowns. While New York’s matchups over the upcoming weeks against the Vikings and Patriots are intimidating, the schedule opens up after that with games versus the Cardinals, Lions, Cowboys and Jets. On a team that figures to be playing from behind more times than not, Tate comes with a WR3 floor and a higher ceiling in PRR leagues.
Alexander Mattison — Available in 84.1% of leagues
RB — Minnesota Vikings
Week 5 Matchup: @ New York Giants
I told you in the last article that Mattison would likely appear on this list every week, and here he is. Gary Kubiak’s run scheme has been unstoppable this season, as the Vikings have averaged nearly 200 rushing yards per game. While the scheme has certainly benefited third-year ‘back Dalvin Cook — who leads the league in rushing — Mattison has been impressive as well. The third-round rookie has posted 132 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries and is clearly the handcuff to Cook, who missed 17 games over his first two seasons. Whether Cook is injury prone or just had a spat of bad luck remains to be seen, but Mattison becomes a no-brainer RB1 the instant Cook goes down. Unless your league has limited bench spots, it’s always nice to have a lottery ticket or two stashed away. Mattison is a potential league-winner.
Malcolm Brown — Available in 65.1% of leagues
RB — Los Angeles Rams
Week 5 Matchup: @ Seattle Seahawks
Brown’s stand-alone value seems to have evaporated since week 1, as the vet has seen his carries cut nearly in half each of the past two weeks. However, his status as an RB1 in waiting remains intact. You probably aren’t starting Brown so long as Todd Gurley is healthy, but after last season’s knee troubles, how many weeks that lasts remains in question. Though I prefer Mattison’s situation should the starter go down, Brown is another high end lottery ticket that could pay off big.
