Waiver Wire Week 3
Kirk Cousins (ESPN 25% Yahoo 66%)
You like that? This shit is so played out but I’ll forever use it as long as Cousins is putting in work. 3 TDs on 224 passing yards on a gut wrenching loss to the Cards that they should of had. He finished the week as a Top 5 Fantasy QB and now sports 5 Tds with some of the best passing targets in the league. The next 3 matchups he faces very poor secondaries. Keep this in mine with bye weeks just a few weeks away and with several QBs banged up.
There are so many QBs crushing it on the open market. Cousins is my favorite by far but these next 4 guys could be perfect fits for you considering matchups and possibly your starting QB in a tough matchup.
Teddy Bridgewater
Daniel Jones
Sam Darnold
Derek Carr
All but Darnold have finished in the top 11 through the first 2 weeks of the season, with Darnold at 14. If you look at the schedules they face the next 3 weeks, they are pretty favorable. Pick your poison as potential streaming options these upcoming weeks.
James White (ESPN 55% Yahoo 41%)
Lots of RBs to chat about but let’s get things started with James White. The Patriots exploited the Jets (nothing out of the ordinary) and continued to beat them in the short passing game. White took full advantage of this catching all 6 of his targets. He even stunned the world with a goal line rushing TD. To me he is a must own in all PPR leagues and even worth a look in standard formats.
JD Mckissic (ESPN 42% Yahoo 29%)
We were lied to and I don’t like liars. We were told Gibson would be used as CMC but last time I checked I never seen CMCs backup snatch 5 of 6 passes for 83 yards in the same game. The man who had 110 targets last year also had a red zone rushing TD. Let’s go ahead and put that waiver wire claim in now.
Michael Carter (ESPN 55% Yahoo 50%)
Not many bright spots in Week 2 for the Jets offense but the running game looked excellent against the Pats. 11 carries on 59 yards rushing, which placed him 2nd in carries for the Jets. I watched every single one of his carries and he looked nothing like a rookie. He was patient, elusive, made excellent cuts and was strong. Truly loved what I saw from this kid and I think in time he sees a larger workload.
Cordarelle Patterson (ESPN 8% Yahoo 14%)
Patterson’s play this season is making me worried as I was a huge believer in Mike Davis this season. Granted Davis still is leading the backfield in carries and the whole Falcons offense looks off to put it nicely, Patterson is gathering everyone’s attention. 12 touches with 69 yards but most importantly 2 scores on the day against the Bucs. Patterson who was drafted as a WR is in a hybrid role with the Falcons which helps him in Fantady purposes considering he can be easily used as a back or WR. I think at this point it would be smart to give Big P a look if you miss out on some of the other bigger names on your waivers.
Tony Pollard (ESPN 39% Yahoo 53%)
We figured we would see a heavier dose of the run for the Cowboys in this one, it just played out a little different then expected. Zeke had a solid day on the ground (16/71/1) but backup Tony Pollard stole the show. 109 yards on the ground on just 13 carries with a score. As a Zeke owner this is scary. As a potential Pollard owner, get this guy on my bench. We saw Week 1 his usage in the passing game on 4 targets and that continued again Week 2. One injury to Zeke, Pollard will be sporting a Top 20 Ranking almost every week.
Alexander Mattison (ESPN 29% Yahoo 32%)
Don’t rush to the wire for this one but keep Mattison in mind. Cook had a monster game against the Cards but was hurt on 2 separate occasions to his ankle. Zimmer was quoted saying “a little ankle sprain” but it is worth monitoring. Deep league formats and if you are a Cook owner and had a couple of heart attacks during his game I would check out Mattison.
Kenneth Gainwell (ESPN 28% Yahoo 36%)
His week 2 performance wasn’t sexy but he continues to be part of the Philly offense. He had 8 total touches and saw the field in a limited role. I would add him in deeper formats as he is known as a great pass catching target and shined in week 1.
Sony Michel (ESPN 67% Yahoo 60%)
Henderson went down and Michel came in to take full advantage of the workload. 10 carries on 46 yards with potential to see more work next week if Henderson misses time due to injury. Keep a close eye on Michel and Henderson’s health moving forward.
49ers RBs
What an insane day for the 49ers rushing attack. Mitchell suffered an injury to his shoulder. Sermons first NFL carry resulted in a concussion. JaMycal Hasty left with an ankle injury. Trenton Cannon who was signed by the team for a special teams role was forced to be used in the 49ers offense. It’s really sloppy right now and originally I wanted to plug Hasty into this waiver wire article because how efficient he was on the day. We all know who the 49ers plug into the lineup will have a chance at success because that’s what SF does. We just need to be smart and mindful when selecting which back we want to put a claim in with whether it’s Hasty or Cannon considering the other 2 are most likely rostered.
KJ Osborn (ESPN 1% Yahoo 2%)
Last minute before kickoff I snagged Osborn off waivers. I liked what I saw last week but was hesitant with all the weapons ahead of him on the depth chart. Boy am I glad I did what I did because he kicked the game off with a bang! 64 yard TD and and finished the game 5/94. This is 2 straight productive weeks for the rookie and clearly has a role in this offense.
Michael Pittman (ESPN 64% Yahoo 61%)
After a disappointing Week 1 Pittman showed up week 2 against a tough Rams defense. 12 TARGETS. That’s the volume we have been looking for and what I expected. The only issue is Wentz suffered and injury so we will see how that effects him. He is still the WR1 to me and he should be one of your top WR claims.
Rondale Moore (ESPN 19% Yahoo 33%)
Moore was a hot topic before the season as a potential rookie sleeper and he looked the part. He had a decent Week 1 with some Targets and catches but if we can step up and be the 2nd wideout on a GREAT offense he’s going to be great himself. 8/114/1 against the Vikings and Week 3 brings in the Jaguars. He definitely has some competition between AJ Green and Christian Kirk for Targets but Rondale Moore could rise to the top of these 3.
Sterling Shepard (ESPN 55% Yahoo 57%)
My guy Sterling is eating straight lobster and filet mignon. 2nd straight game with 9+ targets as Kenny Golladay is in the corner throwing temper tantrums. The most impressive thing about Shepard’s start to the season is the defenses he is crushing it against. Engram should be back eventually which could cut into his targets but not enough to shy me away from grabbing him off waivers.
Jack Doyle (ESPN 1% Yahoo 1%)
Doyle was a no show week 1 but stepped up in a huge way this week. He showed some spark with Wentz who has fell in love with throwing to tight ends in the past. Was targeted 8 times and could be a safety net for Jacob Eason if he gets the starting nod.
Jared Cook (ESPN 50% Yahoo 43%)
After an impressive opener against the WFT, Cook put up a huge dud week 2 against the Boys. 4th in Targets on the squad which may be this way moving forward. The plus side is he is in a heavy passing offense and some weeks he will be targeted more then this. He might be more of a streaming option but a solid one at that.
Max Williams (ESPN 0% Yahoo 0%)
Who? Yea Max fucking Williams of the Arizona Cardinals. It is clear as day that the Cardinals offense is going to be insane as long as Kyler Murray is leading the way. Williams caught all 7 of his targets for 94 yards and finished 3rd in PPR formats. He’s a name you won’t hear much about but as long as he’s in this offense there is potential for him.