Waiver Wire Targets: Week 3
The difference in your week one game may have been changed based on one injury or one player putting up a dud. In order to prevent that from happening next week and each week following, here are a couple guys at each position who are owned in 50% of leagues or less according to NFL.com:
Quarterback:
Blake Bortles, Jaguars – Owned in 11.1% of leagues
No Leonard Fournette is apparently no problem for Blake Bortles. He has been off to a good start to the season and his ability to lead his team to victory over Tom Brady and the Patriots enforces what all the reports were saying about his improvement over the offseason.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buccaneers – Owned in 19.2% of leagues
When you have to write about a guy in waiver articles two weeks in a row, you now they are doing something right. Fitzpatrick has not only led the Buccaneers to back to back victories, but he is the highest scoring fantasy player over the first two weeks. He is a must pick up for anyone in need of a QB.
Andy Dalton, Bengals – Owned in 3.5% of leagues
Some people may forget how well Dalton played this week since he did it on Thursday, but he lit up the very competent Ravens defense for four TDs. With A.J. Green at his disposal, Dalton is always going to put up those great games throughout the year. He may be relied on to throw more now that Mixon is injured.
Running Back:
Aaron Jones, Packers – Owned in 38.1% of leagues
For anyone who did not listen when I suggested picking him up last week, you may still have a chance to grab Aaron Jones. Jamaal Williams has posted a rough 3.4 YPC through the first two games and Jones will have a prime chance to come in and steal the starting job.
Matt Breida, 49ers – Owned in 24.2% of leagues
After week one, this backfield looked like a headache waiting to happen between Breida and Morris. Well, Breida’s career game this week surely cleared things up. He should be the 49ers lead back from here on out and he is still available in over 75% of leagues.
Latavius Murray, Vikings – Owned in 0.5% of leagues
Murray did not do anything too impressive to make this list this week. He is a proven veteran RB however and Dalvin Cook left the game in week two with an injury. Reports say it is not considered serious, but if he were to miss time, Murray would become a must-start RB.
Javorius Allen, Ravens – Owned in 16.3% of leagues
Allen was very involved in Thursday’s game as the Ravens were in comeback mode early into the game. While he may not be any threat to Collins for the lead RB role, Allen has quietly carved out a nice little role as the pass-catching back in Baltimore.
Ito Smith, Falcons – Owned in 0.1% of leagues
With Devonta Freeman expected to miss at least the next 2-4 weeks because of an injury, there should be more opportunities for 4th round draft choice Ito Smith. He will still be working behind Tevin Coleman, but the Falcons offense is designed to feature two RBs.
Wide Receiver:
Keelan Cole, Jaguars – Owned in 8.8% of leagues
With the elevated play of Blake Bortles comes increased production for his favorite receiver. Cole was unstoppable this week against the Patriots and he is very likely to continue this level of production if Bortles can become consistently good.
Chris Godwin, Buccaneers – Owned in 4.5% of leagues
It’s not often that a team has three WRs in the top 25 in fantasy. That is exactly what the Bucs have done through these first two weeks. Godwin has become a nice target for Fitzpatrick, especially in the endzone.
Antonio Callaway, Browns – Owned in 0.6% of leagues
Antonio Callaway has been one of the main beneficiaries from the trade of Josh Gordon. With Gordon gone, Callaway has stepped into the WR2 role and Taylor has already shown confidence after hitting him on a deep ball late in the game.
Kenny Golladay, Lions – Owned in 28.6% of leagues
Kenny Golladay’s breakout this season should not be very surprising for people. He has outscored both Golden Tate and Marvin Jones in standard format leagues. While he may not consistently put up these numbers, he will be productive enough that he should be a high waiver priority this week if he is still available.
Quincy Enunwa, Jets – Owned in 24.4% of leagues
Quincy Enunwa has been the dominant Jets WR that most of us thought Robby Anderson would be this season. As Darnold’s go-to target, Enunwa has a great chance of continuing to exceed expectations as the year goes on.
Tight End:
Jesse James, Steelers – Owned in 7.1% of leagues
Despite the return of Vance McDonald this week to the Steelers’ lineup, James still dominated the receiving game. He has finally become the receiving threat at tight end that the Steelers have been missing since Heath Miller retired.
Will Dissly, Seahawks – Owned in 26.4% of leagues
Will Dissly has now put up his second double digit point week in a row and he is still available in 73.6% of leagues. He is the number one TE in fantasy through the first two weeks. While he may not continue this level of production, he is a gem in a year where TEs have been dropping like flies.
David Njoku, Browns – Owned in 21.9% of leagues
Njoku has not had the greatest start to the season from a fantasy perspective. While the production hasn’t been there, he is still getting a lot of targets from Taylor. He has seven targets in each of the first two weeks. The departure of Gordon should also open up more opportunities for Njoku in the redzone.