Fantasy football 2017: Performance of sleeper, bust wide receiver candidates from preseason Week 2

The NFL preseason is halfway done with two weeks of games in the books. Many teams have their depth charts close to settled, and we’ll see their starting lineups rolled out later this week in the third preseason game, the unofficial “dress rehearsal” of the NFL calendar.

But before we get to that point, let’s go over a few performances from the second week of preseason and gauge the fantasy value of a select few players. It’s still early to be making stone-cold predictions, but here are some sleeper and bust candidates at the wide receiver position based on two preseason games.

DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins — Parker still feels a little underrated even though he’s going in the eighth round of most fantasy drafts. There were some questions about how well he’d fit in with Jay Cutler, but Cutler looked his way early and often in the second preseason game, targeting him four times. The Dolphins’ coaches have praised Parker all offseason and he’ll have the volume opportunity. A third-year breakout is easily in the cards for him.

Zay Jones, Buffalo Bills — The Bills need a new No. 1 receiver after trading away Sammy Watkins, and while Jordan Matthews recovers from a sternum injury, Jones looks like he’ll soak up some targets as the main slot man. The rookie had three catches for 42 yards last wee, getting six targets in the process. He’ll be counted on to move the chains as the Bills try to find some semblance of a passing game to keep LeSean McCoy freed up.

Taywan Taylor, Tennessee Titans — Taylor continues making big plays in Corey Davis’ absence and stating his case for a regular role in the offense. He had another productive outing in the second preseason game, putting up three catches on four targets for 41 yards against the Carolina Panthers. At best, the third-round rookie is fourth on the depth chart behind Davis, Eric Decker, and Rishard Matthews, but he’s worth a stash in dynasty leagues right now.

Allen Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars — Blake Bortles’ implosion certainly hasn’t helped Robinson’s — there were a few passes in last week’s game where Robinson was wide open, only for Bortles to badly miss him. Chad Henne has a real shot at winning the starting job now, but his checkdown style will put a significant dent in Robinson’s fantasy ceiling. He’s no longer worth drafting in the fourth round, which is where he’s still going.

Robby Anderson, New York Jets — The Jets’ passing game is a tire fire right now, and almost nobody in that offense is touchable in fantasy. Anderson is only the No. 1 receiver by default after Quincy Enunwa was lost for the year. He’s a late-round flier at best, and should otherwise be ignored in most leagues.

Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans — Davis still has immense talent and could yet find a decent role in his rookie season. However, he’s been slow to recover from a hamstring injury and is missing important preseason reps, while Taywan Taylor has stolen the spotlight in his absence. I like Davis’ chances of being a fantasy factor this year, but at this rate it’s unlikely he’ll play a big part early in the season.