By now, owners can see the importance of the fantasy football waiver wire.
Those who splurged on, say, Kareem Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs were rewarded in Week 2 with another 22.90 points. Javorius Allen of the Baltimore Ravens was an even longer shot, yet we projected him as a necessary add and he went on to post 16.10 points in a bigger role.
Of course, not every waiver add will hit. Those who threw weight behind Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford were left scrambling for help after he outright missed Week 2, though thankfully the issue arose at the easiest position to stream.
Below, let’s take a look at the next batch of waiver claims owners should keep in mind.
Week 3 Waiver-Wire Targets
Trevor Siemian, QB, DEN
Deshaun Watson, QB, HOU
Jay Cutler, QB, MIA
Javorius Allen, RB, BAL
Rex Burkhead, RB, NE
Chris Carson, RB, SEA
J.J. Nelson, WR, ARI
Alex Erickson, WR, CIN
Nelson Agholor, WR, PHI
Benjamin Watson, TE, BAL
Deshaun Watson, QB, HOU
Why not?
Now isn’t the time to be afraid of a rookie quarterback. Before Monday’s game, hardly five signal-callers have surpassed the 20-point mark as the NFL‘s serious problem in the offensive trenches begins to make itself known in a big way.
Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans? Rookie or not, he’s got the versatility to compensate—hence a 49-yard touchdown run against a strong Cincinnati Bengals defense, good for the only TD of that encounter.
The run:
Watson hit 17.70 points after the big day and still sits in an offense allowing him to lean on names such as DeAndre Hopkins. He isn’t perfect and won’t be most of the season, but having a guy with versatility on the bench could come up key in the right matchups later in the season.
Chris Carson, RB, SEA
As owners will find out quickly if they haven’t already, running back is the hardest spot to nail down quality waiver claims at and often produces the most whiffs.
This week the best target looks like Seattle Seahawks’ seventh-round rookie, Chris Carson. The Oklahoma State product had flashed over the course of the preseason, though it was easy to think guys such as Thomas Rawls and Eddie Lacy would make it hard for him to get on the field.
Whoops.
Lacy wound up a healthy scratch during Week 2, and while Rawls got the start against the San Francisco 49ers, he finished with only five totes. Carson? Twenty carries for 93 yards and a smooth 10.00 points.
Here’s ESPN’s Field Yates with the finishing touch:
This wasn’t too hard to see coming, though sometimes predicting what a coaching staff will actually do is tough—it’s like waiting on the Bengals to use Joe Mixon.
The Seahawks aren’t waiting around anymore and owners who can nab Carson will get a big win.
J.J. Nelson, WR, ARI
It seems owners took a pass on Arizona Cardinals wideout J.J. Nelson.
Double whoops.
Nelson looked good in Week 1, posting 10.30 points on five catches for 43 yards and a score on six targets. Not bad, though a lack of major inflation in ownership percentage suggested many wanted to wait it out and see if he’d keep the same role.
He certainly did in Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts, catching five passes for 120 yards and a score, slotting him with 18.00 points. Keep in mind the production came via seven targets and one of those was another near-touchdown if he would’ve been able to keep both feet in bounds.
It’s hard to know how long John Brown will remain shelved with an injury, but it is quite apparent Carson Palmer has a strong rapport with Nelson.
Arizona’s offense will need to keep airing it out without David Johnson in the backfield for an extended amount of time, so Nelson is a quality add if owners need depth at the spot.
Benjamin Watson, TE, BAL
Tight end is a bit of a mess this week, though Benjamin Watson of the Baltimore Ravens looks like one of the better outright adds.
Watson came out of nowhere this week to lead the Ravens in receiving with eight catches on as many targets for 91 yards.
In the season opener, Joe Flacco only attempted 17 overall passes, so when the Ravens opened up the offense with 34 attempts in Week 2, the reliable Watson morphed into a top target.
Why not? Flacco had problems staying healthy before the season and won’t always have the time necessary to air it out to Mike Wallace or Jeremy Maclin down the field. Watson presents a nice safety valve, and at a position so reliant on touchdowns, he’s sure to see a healthy dosage of these targets in the red zone.
For owners hurting at tight end, Watson is one of the better breakout adds they could see all season.
All scoring info, points-against info and ownership stats courtesy of Yahoo standard leagues.
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