Be honest, your draft wasn’t perfect. Maybe your league held it early, and backups you loved have been cut, knocked down the depth chart, or wound up on IR. It happens. Here are five players being ignored by fantasy owners that you should grab now, before they’re on everybody’s radar.

Ownership percentages are courtesy of Yahoo.

Chris Johnson, RB, Cardinals (8% Owned)

Johnson is not a sexy name, but before last season he had never been held below 1,000 yards, and there isn’t exactly a workhorse standing in his way. The Cardinals have made it clear that Andre Ellington is their starter, but offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin indicated a hot-hand approach will be used at times. Ellington has durability issues, and Chris Johnson is a more similar back to Ellington than rookie David Johnson is. The CJ2K of old is gone, but spending nothing on a guy with a good track record, and a visible path to playing time is always smart.

Cowboys "Leaning" Toward Joseph Randle Starting Week 1

Christine Michael, RB, Cowboys, (12% Owned)


It seems fantasy owners aren’t too excited about this signing. Michael has been one of those guys we hear about all offseason, and then Week 1 hits, and he’s gone. Playing behind Marshawn Lynch has that effect.

In Dallas, Michael is behind an unproven starter (probably?) in Joseph Randle, and a veteran who is most known for his propensity to miss games due to injury in Darren McFadden. Neither has been able to stand out as an obvious starter, which means the super-talented Michael might get a chance to prove himself relatively quickly. Running behind the premier offensive line in the NFL, bet on him to do just that.

Brand New Cheating Accusations Lobbed At Pats After Week 1 Win

Terrance West, RB, Titans (5% Owned)

West couldn’t unseat Isaiah Crowell in Cleveland, but he shouldn’t feel too bad. Crowell is underrated! Now West finds himself in Tennessee, where he’s competing with Bishop Sankey. There’s nothing exceptional about Sankey. There’s nothing exceptional about West either, but he led the Browns in rushing last season, and a big play here or there when he gets a chance might be all it takes to knock Sankey from atop the depth chart.

Danny Amendola, WR, Patriots (12% Owned)

Amendola made it through Thursday night’s game unscathed, and his weak line may be a blessing in disguise. He had a big play go awry in the first half when Tom Brady overthrew him, and because of that his stats look like crap. Obviously, Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman did all the damage, but that was against a hapless secondary without the talent to guard anyone.

Against good teams, Gronkowski and Edelman won’t be roaming so free; that’s when Brady will eyeball Amendola, and his big games will come out of nowhere. Amendola will turn into a weekly FLEX consideration.

Eric Ebron, TE, Lions (8% Owned)


If Ebron has a big game in Week 1 – and he might against San Diego’s coverage-challenged LBs – he will be one of the hottest adds. Tight end is going to be a fickle spot for most teams, and his pedigree will get owners excited. Grab him now, so that you can capitalize if that happens, or have a nice trade sweetener if you’re already set.

It helps that Joseph Fauria is gone, leaving Ebron to compete with only Brandon Pettigrew, who has been Detroit’s primary tight end for the last few seasons but has never emerged as a top player at his position.

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