5 Players To Stash Ahead of Week 2 (Ep. 1706)

Summary

FantasyPros - Fantasy Football Podcast

Episode: 5 Players To Stash Ahead of Week 2 (Ep. 1706)
Host: Lucas Wentzel
Date: September 13, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the top five under-the-radar fantasy football players to stash before Week 2 of the NFL season. Host Lucas Wentzel gives actionable advice tailored to proactive managers looking to stay ahead of their competition on the waiver wire. The episode especially targets players rostered in under 30% of leagues, with an emphasis on rookies and late-bloomers who offer value and upside before their potential breakout games.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Ellic IO Manor (Tennessee Titans, WR)

Timestamp: 02:20

• Rookie Profile:
  IO Manor, a promising fourth-round pick out of Stanford, played 45 of 54 snaps in Week 1. He ran almost as many routes as Calvin Ridley and was targeted 7 times.
• Usage & Potential:
  “If you're just surfing the box score, nothing about his Week one performance is going to stand out. But from a utilization perspective, there's definitely reason to be optimistic...” (Lucas, 02:28)
• Quarterback Rapport:
  IO Manor has already become a clear favorite of rookie QB Cam Ward. Only Ridley and IO Manor saw more than one target among Titans receivers.
• Recommendation:
  Results may be inconsistent early, but when he breaks out, competition for him on waivers will be fierce. Stash now, especially anticipating a possible breakout around Week 3 vs. the Colts.

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2. Isaac Tesla (Detroit Lions, WR)

Timestamp: 04:00

• Preseason Standout:
  Tesla wowed during preseason (10 catches, 146 yards, 3 TDs) but saw little Week 1 action due to an illness, playing just 3 snaps.
• Highlight Reel:
  His only Week 1 catch was “an absolutely incredible one-handed catch in the end zone for six.” (Lucas, 04:20)
• Coach Insight:
  Dan Campbell praised Tesla and expects to involve him more moving forward.
• Role in Offense:
  Good chance to leap ahead of Khalif Raymond as WR3 alongside Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams.
• Recommendation:
  Despite Week 1 struggles for the Lions' offense, Tesla’s upside and coach’s confidence make him a viable stash.

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3. DJ Giddens (Indianapolis Colts, RB)

Timestamp: 05:20

• Opportunity:
  Giddens is the clear backup to workhorse Jonathan Taylor, proven when Taylor briefly left Week 1 with a neck injury.
• Staff Comments:
  “...it didn't take us long to get confirmation that Giddens is the next man up behind Jonathan Taylor.” (Lucas, 05:33)
• Workload Realism:
  Giddens won’t get double-digit carries unless game script breaks his way or Taylor misses time. Still, Colts won't likely run Taylor into the ground.
• Depth Chart Clarity:
  With Tyler Goodson banged up, Giddens’ ascension to immediate backup accelerated.
• Recommendation:
  Ideal bench stash, especially for Taylor managers as injury insurance and a possible flex if Taylor’s workload is scaled back.

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4. Kyle Monungai (Chicago Bears, RB)

Timestamp: 06:30

• Limited Week 1 Role:
  Only 1 touch (11-yard reception), as Ben Johnson abandoned his committee approach and gave all RB rush attempts to DeAndre Swift.
• Offensive Issues:
  Bears’ RB run success rate was a league-low 17.6%, signifying change is needed.
• Coach’s Intent:
  “I need to call more runs. I need to call more so we can get him in the game a little bit more.” — Ben Johnson (relayed by Lucas, 07:01)
• Committee History:
  Johnson was known for deploying committees during his Detroit tenure. Expect Menungai’s role to grow.
• Recommendation:
  Stash for potential committee involvement, especially if Roschon Johnson can’t return to full health.

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5. Troy Franklin (Denver Broncos, WR)

Timestamp: 08:05

• Role & Opportunity:
  Franklin, in his second year, played the second-most snaps and had the second-most targets among Broncos WRs (4 catches, 44 yards) behind alpha Cortland Sutton.
• Competition:
  Marvin Mims remains on the periphery, as his usage was limited and Franklin out-snapped him.
• Passing Game Outlook:
  QB Bo Nix struggled in Week 1, but as Sean Payton gains more trust in him, offensive improvement is expected.
• Recommendation:
  Franklin isn’t flashy, but his role has him positioned for increased involvement and weekly flex appeal as the offense develops.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “When he does have his first big game, your leaguemates will jump all over him. … Let's get I.O. manor stashed at the end of your bench right now.”
  — Lucas, 03:15

• “Dan Campbell offered some relief to that concern... Campbell also confirmed that Tesla will be more involved moving forward.”
  — Lucas, 04:30

• “If the Colts want to keep JT fresh and limit his injury risk, they have to take him off the field at some point. Otherwise, we may be looking at DJ Giddens as a week-to-week flex option.”
  — Lucas, 05:58

• “Ben Johnson has preferred to play a committee of running backs… I certainly don't think DeAndre Swift gets 100% of the running back touches for two straight weeks.”
  — Lucas, 07:19

• “While Franklin isn't an exciting stash, he could end up playing a meaningful role in Denver's passing attack as the season goes on.”
  — Lucas, 08:40

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:06] – Episode intro and overall theme: staying ahead with key stashes
• [02:20] – Ellic IO Manor (Titans WR)
• [04:00] – Isaac Tesla (Lions WR)
• [05:20] – DJ Giddens (Colts RB)
• [06:30] – Kyle Monungai (Bears RB)
• [08:05] – Troy Franklin (Broncos WR)
• [09:05] – Sign-off and reminder to act fast on the waiver wire

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Episode Takeaways

• All five targets are low-rostered (under 30%) and carry significant upside, most as rookies or young players with unclear depth chart competition.
• The episode emphasizes the value of proactive stashing—grabbing players before the rest of your league is even thinking of them, especially in the early season chaos.
• If you want the extra edge, stash these names now, rather than fighting for them after their breakout weeks.

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FantasyPros delivers sharp, actionable advice with expert insight—this episode is a must-listen (or must-read) for managers striving to outmaneuver their competition in the waiver market early in the season.

Transcript

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The smartest fantasy football players are always trying to stay two to three moves ahead of their league mates, and today we're going to help you accomplish exactly that. I'm Lucas Wentzel here with Fantasy Pros bringing you the top five waiver wire stashes ahead of week two and next week's waiver run as well. Before we dive on into that list of players though, we've got a special deal for you all. Unlock a month of Betting Pros Premium for free. Download the Betting Pros app today and use promo code FP1MONTH. Get access to tools like the same game parlay tool, the Prop Bet Analyzer and the Prize Picks Prop Bet Cheat Sheet. Don't miss it out. Try it free for one month now. It's available on both iOS and Android. Starting off our list this week is Tennessee Titans rookie wide receiver Ellic IO Manor, who's rostered in 26% of leagues. If you're just surfing the box score, nothing about his Week one performance is going to stand out. But from a utilization perspective, there's definitely reason to be optimistic about the fourth round rookie out of Stanford, I.O. manor played 45 of 54 snaps, ran only four less routes than Calvin Ridley, and commanded seven targets on the day. Ridley and I.O. manor were the only two Titans wide receivers to draw more than one target against Denver. Clearly he's already taken to Cam Ward's liking and that should only improve as they get more game reps playing together. IO Manor's week to week results are going to be pretty inconsistent to start the year as this offense finds its footing with Cam Ward at the helm. But that's also what makes I.O. manor such an intriguing stash candidate, because when he does have his first big game, your leaguemates will jump all over him. I'm not promising you that game comes this week against the Rams, but it might come as soon as Week 3 against the Colts. So instead of waiting until then to duke it out on the waiver wire with your leaguemates, let's get I.O. manor stash at the end of your bench Right now, the second player on our list is another rookie wide receiver in Isaac Tesla of the Detroit Lions, whose roster named 25% of leagues. Again, another box score you're not going to be blown away by until you check the highlight reel though, and see that his lone reception was an absolutely incredible one handed catch in the end zone for six. Isaac Tesla generated a ton of buzz during the preseason and after catching 10 of his 13 targets for 146 yards and three scores. So it was peculiar as to why he only played three offensive snaps in Week one. Dan Campbell offered some relief to that concern on Sunday, saying an illness Tesla had picked up earlier in the week limited his practice activity going into their matchup with Green Bay. Campbell also confirmed that Tesla will be more involved moving forward, and you have to imagine it's not going to take long for him to overtake Khalif Raymond as the wide receiver three in this offense alongside Amon Ross, St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Now, I do still have my questions as to how this Lions offense is going to function under John Morton. I certainly don't think it will be as big of a struggle as it was in Week one, but I'm also not going to pretend that Week one wasn't eyebrow raising. That being said, I'm still more than happy to stash high upside guys with lots of juice just like Isaac Tesla. Coming in next is Indianapolis Colts Rookie running back D.J. giddens, who's rostered in 14% of leagues. To maybe get the bad news out of the way first, I don't see Giddens getting 12 carries week in and week out, primarily because the Colts won't be playing with a 23 point lead most weeks and they won't be playing the Miami Dolphins again this season. The reason you stash DJ Giddens though is because of the scare you got on Sunday with Jonathan Taylor exiting the game with a neck injury. Now he is off the injury report for Week two and Shane Steichen did say that JT probably could have re entered the game against Miami, but it didn't take us long to get confirmation that Giddens is the next man up behind Jonathan Taylor. I do also realize Tyler Goodson was questionable with an elbow injury heading into Sunday, but at the very worst, this only accelerated Giddens timeline to jump him on the depth chart. I also don't think it's realistic for the Colts to expect Jonathan Taylor to play 100% of the snaps each and every week. Per Nathan Yonke of PFF, Taylor played 43 of 43 offensive snaps in the first half against Miami. If the Colts want to keep JT fresh and limit his injury risk, they have to take him off the field at some point. Otherwise we may be looking at DJ Giddens as a week to week flex option if Jonathan Taylor picks up any kind of injury and misses extended time this video is littered with rookies this week because our fourth player is Chicago Bears rookie running back Kyle Menungai, who's rostered in 12% of leagues. Ben Johnson bucked his usual backfield tendencies in week one by giving DeAndre Swift all of the running back rush attempts. Kyle Menungai's only opportunity was an 11 yard reception. The kicker in all of this though is that per Robert Mays of the Athletic, the Bears only had a 17.6 success rate on running back runs against the vikings. So translation, DeAndre Swift only had a 17.6 success rate on his runs. That's not great. That was 5% lower than any other team in the league in Week 1. Something has to change going into Week 2, and Ben Johnson might have already hinted at what that might be. When asked specifically about Kyle Monongai's usage after their loss on Monday Night Football, Ben Johnson said, I need to call more runs. I need to call more so we can get him in the game a little bit more. Now how much more that is remains to be seen, especially with Roshan Johnson logging limited practices this week. But what we know for sure is is that Ben Johnson has preferred to play a committee of running backs during his time in Detroit. And I certainly don't think DeAndre Swift gets 100% of the running back touches for two straight weeks. So if the offseason coach speak holds true, Kyle Menunguy could certainly find himself a part of that effective Ben Johnson committee within the next few weeks. The last player this week is Denver Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin, who's rostered in 7% of leagues. It was a relatively good week one showing for the second year wide receiver out of Oregon. Obviously, Cortland Sutton is still the clear alpha here, but Franklin was second in snaps, routes, run and targets this week behind Sutton, totaling 44 yards on four catches. I'm not 100% writing off Marvin Mims after one week, but I do think it's somewhat notable that after the late preseason buzz he was starting to get, he still couldn't get on the field more than Troy Franklin. Mims utilization was still primarily in the screen game and only played 3 of 31 non 3 wide receiver sets, so essentially not much has appeared to change for his role as the speculated wide receiver two for this offense throughout the off season. Now, whether TROY Franklin is 100% locked in as a team's wide receiver too also remains to be seen, but there's room for this passing attack to improve after a Week one performance from Bo Nix where he honestly looked almost unsettled, completing only 25 of 40 passes for 176 yards and two picks. As the season progresses, I'm going to assume Sean Payton begins to trust Bo Nix more as he improves targeting the middle of the field, and I do think this Denver offense is going to have better days ahead. They'll definitely be an offense I want pieces of. So while Franklin isn't an exciting stash, he could end up playing a meaningful role in Denver's passing attack as the season goes on. And there you have it, the top five waiver wire stashes ahead of Week two. Go sprint to your waiver wire like right now and make sure you have these players on your roster before your league mates do. They're all available in 30% or less of leagues, so there's a good chance they're probably still available in yours. But before I sign off here, remember we've got a great deal going on for you all. Unlock a month of Betting Pros Premium for free. Download the Betting Pros app today and use promo code FP1MONTH. 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