Fantasy Football Week 3 Waiver Wire Pickups
Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be owned in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the ownership percentage coming from Yahoo.com.
Quarterbacks
Trevor Siemian, Broncos (13% Owned): I will admit I remain skeptical of Siemian, as he was in a death battle with Paxton Lynch (who sucks) this offseason for the starting gig. That said, he has thrown six touchdowns against one pick this year, and tore up an okay Dallas defense last week. His upcoming two matchups are at Buffalo and home for the Raiders, a.k.a. favorable. Don’t treat him like a stud, but if you’re putzing around with Andy Dalton, or you are getting sick of Russell Wilson, Siemian can definitely hold you over for now.
Deshaun Watson, Texans (13% Owned): Watson is a bit of a future play, but he provides immediate value because of his obvious rushing ability. He is reminiscent of Tyrod Taylor last year, and he is wise enough to force-feed DeAndre Hopkins targets. In his last game vs. the Bengals, Watson salvaged a 125-yard passing effort with 67 rushing yards and a rushing TD. He’s a decent backup QB capable of explosiveness.
Joe Flacco, Ravens (24% Owned): Flacco is forever unsexy, but he is good to go just about any week with WR Jeremy Maclin serving as a legitimate WR1 for him. Last week he returned to his high-volume ways of a year ago, tossing 34 passes and notching two touchdowns vs. the Browns. Flacco has been hurt by two easy matchups; in both weeks Baltimore has been dominating so much they’ve taken their foot off the gas. Going forward Flacco will be tossing it 40+ times a game. Right now, he looks like the perfect emergency backup/right matchup streaming play.
Running Backs
Chris Carson, Seahawks (40% Owned): My bad. Leaving Carson off this list last week wasn’t an accident; I figured he’d be an afterthought with Thomas Rawls healed up. Instead, Carson got 20 carries, averaged 4.6 yards per rush, and assumed the RB1 role with authority. He looked, frankly, like Rawls in 2015. The Seahawks offensive line is flaming hot garbage, but with the workload Carson should get, he’ll remain a productive player as long as the line doesn’t get him killed.
Darren Sproles, Eagles (44% Owned): For the second straight season the Eagles are taking a look in the mirror, and recognizing their best RB is Darren Sproles. The scatback saw 10 carries and four targets in the passing game, with LeGarrette Blount playing just six snaps all game. Wendell Smallwood will get some work as well, but he’s just nothing special. Sproles will see an expanded role, and be a must-start in full-PPR formats.
Chris Thompson, Redskins (30% Owned): Thompson is Sproles, except more explosive and with a more volatile role. He’s made improvements upon last season, going from a reliable passing downs back with a defined role to an explosive RB demanding more work. His early output is reminiscent of Tevin Coleman in Atlanta last year, forcing the coaches’ hand in terms of playing him more. He has already posted 162 yards from scrimmage and scored three total touches; he’s done that with six carries and 12 targets, just 18 touches. Get him now.
Samaje Perine, Redskins (23% Owned): Perine is a conditional add; you have to monitor Rob Kelley’s injury status. When Kelley left with a rib injury, the ‘Skins had no problem trusting him with 21 carries. He gained 67 yards (3.2 yards per attempt), but the Rams aren’t an easy team to run on. If Kelley is out, Perine is a high-volume workhorse worth starting against all but the toughest run defenses.
Chris Johnson, Cardinals (12% Owned): It’s been a long time since Johnson was CJ2K, but after 11 rushing attempts last week he appears to be the back to own in Arizona during David Johnson’s long absence. He wont be a stud, but he vastly outperformed Kerwynn Williams, and Andre Ellington is nothing more than a third-down option. I wouldn’t be excited about Johnson, but he should see pretty consistent work.
Wide Receivers
Sterling Shepard, Giants (43% Owned):
J.J. Nelson, Cardinals (21% Owned): It’s time to go get Nelson, especially in deep leagues. Don’t be fooled by his small size; he makes plays, and he’s able to score touchdowns. He’s scored in each of Arizona’s first two games-- in dismal overall offensive performances – and he’s coming off a six-score 2016 campaign as a third option at best. With John Brown missing time, and David Johnson on the shelf, Nelson is in line to be the second most targeted Cardinal behind Larry Fitzgerald.
Tyler Lockett, Seahawks (40% Owned): Lockett didn’t do anything in Week 1, but no one did for the Seahawks. Last week wasn’t much better thanks to their brutal O-line, but Lockett was targeted nine times, and reeled in six of them for 64 yards. Lockett, if he stays healthy, is going to be Wilson’s preferred deep threat and he’ll benefit from teams focusing on Doug Baldwin. Lockett is a very explosive player and he won’t stay this under-owned for long.
Allen Hurns, Jaguars (26% Owned): Las week, I told you Marqise Lee was the add in the wake of Allen Robinson’s season-long injury. Sorry! I guess it’s Hurns, judging from the seven targets he saw. He caught six passes for 82 yards and a touchdown, and figures to be a target-hound the rest of the year. We’ve seen Hurns be elite before, turning in a 1,031-yard, 10-TD campaign in 2015. I don’t know that he’ll do that well this year, but he’s going to be startable most weeks.
Jermaine Kearse, Jets (7% Owned): Kearse looks very much like the only NFL-caliber receiver on this team, so in very deep, PPR or half-PPR leagues, Kearse carries some value as a last-resort. He won’t be good, but any passing stats the Jets put up will probably be Kearse. Even on this trash offense he scored twice vs. Oakland.
Tight Ends
Charles Clay, Bills (25% Owned): Clay did absolutely nothing last week, so he’ll likely be available for free. Even though the Bills are up against Denver this week, Clay has value as arguably the best pass-catcher on the team. He’ll still flop some weeks, but I’ll be damned if Tyrod Taylor isn’t looking his way on most pass plays.