7 Deep Fantasy Football Sleepers for Week 1

Mike Gillislee, RB, New Orleans Saints

Yahoo! Ownership: 3%

Cut by the New England Patriots over the weekend, Mike Gillislee could not have found himself in a better spot than he did in signing with the New Orleans Saints. With Mark Ingram out the first four games, the Saints were looking for a bruising complement to Alvin Kamara in their backfield, and have found it in Gillislee.

After breaking out for four touchdowns in his first two games with the Pats last year, the former Buffalo Bill fell out of favor as he averaged just 3.8 yards per carry. Gillislee wasn't as bad as the numbers suggest though as his 47.1% success rate -- the percentage of total plays that increased his team’s chances of scoring -- left him third out of the 47 backs with at least 100 carries. Only new teammate Kamara and fellow former Patriot Dion Lewis finished higher.

On Sunday, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Saints own the largest implied point total of the week (29.5) while being favored by nearly double-digits (9.5). That could mean a heavy dose of the run against a Bucs team that gave up the sixth-most fantasy points to running backs last season.

Also, with Kamara and Gillislee the only backs currently on the Saints 53-man roster, Gillislee should see plenty of touches and even some goal-line work in Week 1. That leaves him as a nice dart throw for those in deep leagues.