2020 Week 3 Waiver Wire Wonders

Week 2 of the NFL Football season is in the books and boy was it a doozy. Welcome back to your favorite sports website LAFB Network fam, hopefully, you won your fantasy matchups and if you didn’t there’s always this week!

There were a ton of injuries this week: Saquon Barkley is out for the season, Davante Adams didn’t return after suffering a hamstring injury, Christian McCaffrey had an ankle injury, Cam Akers injured his ribs, and Courtland Sutton is done for the year with a knee injury.

Let’s get some band-aids on those wounds and see who you might be able to scoop up this week on the waiver wire!

Week 3 Waiver Wire Wonders

Quarterback

(TEN) Ryan Tannehill @ Minnesota Vikings

owned in about 46% of fantasy leagues

Mr. Ryan Tannehill has now completed his second game where he has finished with at least 20 fantasy points, multiple TDs, and no picks. This past week against the Jags, Tannehill had four TDs, 18 completions in 24 attempts, and 239 yards. Ultimately he finished with 29.2 fantasy points and on fire for his next week. Hopefully, Tannehill is available on your waivers if you’re streaming QBs.

(CHI) Mitchell Trubisky @ Atlanta Falcons

owned in about 7% of fantasy leagues

Trubisky is on our Waiver Wire article for his second week in a row. Week 1 against the Lions he finished with 26.7 fantasy points and this past week against the Giants he had 19.1. Definitely some good points for a man that is barely played across fantasy leagues.

Do I question why nobody has him on their roster? No, of course not. We all know the Trubisky of yesteryear and how he had a roller coaster of a year. But so far, this 2020 season has a different flair to it…so far. He has some WR drama with Allen Robinson wanting to be traded after the season but if he can keep the team on his shoulders, I think he could be a weekly starter.

(LAC) Justin Herbert vs Carolina Panthers

owned in about 3% of fantasy leagues

This may be premature but Herbert could end up leading his team against the Panthers this week after his game against the Chiefs. For his debut, Herbert’s numbers were phenomenal: 22 of 33 for 311 passing yards, one TD and a pick, as well as 18 rushing yards and a score.

That’s a fantasy total of 27.4 for those of you keeping score at home. Week 1 against the Bengals, Tyrod Taylor amounted to only 11.1 fantasy points. That was 32^nd amongst all QBs. And it wasn’t like Taylor was trying to be a game manager, he just wasn’t hitting with that same kind of kaboom that Herbert came out with.

Herbert may be one of those QBs you add and let sit on your bench. Let the boy simmer until he’s too hot not to play!

Running Back

(LAR) Darrell Henderson @ Buffalo Bills

owned in about 32% of fantasy leagues

Just as last week we had Malcolm Brown for the Rams offense, this week we have Henderson in the headlines. Sean McVay wants to ride the hot-hand so we might as well make both the hands present. Cam Akers left this past week’s game with a rib injury and it may be too early to tell his status for this upcoming week.

In case he isn’t suiting up, having either Brown or Henderson might be beneficial. And between the two, I honestly couldn’t give you a heads or tails. Henderson had one more rushing attempt than Brown (11) but he was also the only RB to catch a ball out of the backfield. Let’s mark this one up as a “maybe” to see if we can’t find something else to appease your fantasy needs.

(LAC) Joshua Kelley vs Carolina Panthers

owned in about 39% of fantasy leagues

There is no denying that Austin Ekeler is the number one man in LA, but there might be a young RB chomping at the bit to get his top spot. Kelley has a lot of showing off to do to take the spot from Ekeler but what should be noted is the trust that he seems to have already been given by the Chargers.

In Week 1, Kelley rushed 12 times for 60 yards and a score, this week was almost double that (23 rushes) for 64 yards. As noted before, Tyrod Taylor switched up their game plan last minute, but still. The man has been hauling in work for the Chargers and at this rate, he’s seeing 17.5 rushing attempts a game.

(SF) Jerick McKinnon @ New York Giants

owned in about 23% of fantasy leagues

Alright, the silly injury bug might have bit Raheem Mostert this week, like the many others, but the other players don’t come from the same kind of backfield that Mostert does. Already, the 49ers run an unconventional backfield but throw in Mostert’s injury and it is even more in peril.

Literally five RBs were in the backfield at some point during the game and each of them had a share of the ball, besides Kyle Juszczyk. Juszczyk had his couple catches but the rest of the RBs were overshadowed by a pair of RBs, McKinnon, and Coleman.

McKinnon had the better day with 77 rushing yards and a score but only had three attempts. Tevin Coleman saw the field more with 14 attempts but countered that with 12 yards. With the 49ers being more of an unpredictable team, Coleman seems like the right pick if he too weren’t hurt but McKinnon had the hotter hand.

(MIA) Myles Gaskin @ Jacksonville Jaguars

owned in about 15% of fantasy leagues

What, a Miami RB that isn’t Jordan Howard or Matt Breida? Yup. And that’s simply because Miami is at least making it semi-easy for us to identify which players are doing what. Breida rushed seven times, Gaskin rushed seven times and Howard rushed five times. When each player was on the field, it was clear to see that Gaskin was outdoing both of the RBs ahead of him.

With his seven attempts he rushed for 46 yards, which lead the team, but more importantly, he had a huge involvement in the passing game. Gaskin had seven targets while all the other RBs had one. The Dolphins might find their way behind a lot this season, so why not plug in the player that looks to be on the field the most? For the time being, Gaskin might be the only startable Miami RB.

(ATL / NYG) Devonta Freeman

owned in about 13% of fantasy leagues

Alright, so you probably noticed that our buddy Devonta Freeman here doesn’t have an opponent next to his name. Very observant you are fantasy goer! That’s because there are talks that Freeman may be meeting with the New York Giants to talk a deal. What about Wayne Gallman you might ask?

Well, what about him? When Saquon went down it wasn’t Gallaman who ran the ball, Dion Lewis snatched all those carries. Why isn’t Lewis the one I suggest to pick up? Because Lewis has never had that title of being a ball carrier back.

Lewis is better known as the change of pace back who catches the ball and goes from there. Dion Lewis will undoubtedly have some time in the New York backfield but I believe if Freeman and the Giants solidify a deal, he’s going to be the man to get.

(CAR) Mike Davis @ Los Angeles Chargers

owned in about 6% of fantasy leagues

As mentioned before, Christian McCaffrey is down for a few weeks so you need to go get his back up stat! Mike Davis might not be the name you are familiar with but that needs to change. After McCaffrey’s exit, Davis picked it up for the backfield. He didn’t move the ball too much on his one rushing attempt but he was highly involved in the passing game with eight targets and receptions.

Wide Receiver

(CAR) Robby Anderson @ Los Angeles Chargers

owned in about 62% of fantasy leagues

If Week 1 wasn’t enough, Week 2 should help put Robby Anderson on your roster. It might be a stretch because he is claimed in over 60% of leagues but worth a shot. Anderson has totaled 18 targets in two games, with over 15 receptions and 224 receiving yards. D.J. Moore is the number one man in Carolina but will Robby Anderson take over?

(PHI) DeSean Jackson vs Cincinnati Bengals

owned in about 48% of fantasy leagues

I know I know, DeSean Jackson what’s that old goat doing on the list. Well, like Anderson, Jackson has been getting his fill of looks on the field. In both weeks, Jackson led Philadelphia WRs in targets but has yet to produce the big numbers. In week 1 he finished with only two receptions but this past week he had six receptions for 64 yards. Stash DeSean to see if his play improves in the future.

(NE) N’Keal Harry vs Las Vegas Raiders

owned in about 27% of fantasy leagues

Who led the Patriots in targets this past week? Julian Edelman? Negative. Young N’Keal Harry had the attention of Cam Newton this week. Sure Edelman had the top-scoring week but Harry has fought tooth and nail to find his way into fantasy relevancy. In week 1, Harry had six targets, and this week it shoots to double that! Newton has been covering the rushing game enough for the Patriots so Edelman and Harry can spread out the field.

(ATL) Russell Gage vs Chicago Bears

owned in about 22% of fantasy leagues

Gage makes his way on the waiver wire this week after his second hot start with Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons. If Week 1’s crazy Falcon game wasn’t enough, this week against the Cowboys he lit the field on fire again. Calvin Ridley was the catch of the week for the Falcons but Gage managed to beat out Julio Jones this week. It didn’t help that Jones dropped a walk-in TD, so the next opportunity fell into Gage’s lap, but I’ll take it. Gage is a must roster in deeper leagues but may need a roster spot soon in all normal redrafts.

Tight End

(SF) Jordan Reed @ New York Giants

owned in about 7% of fantasy leagues

With George Kittle’s status still undetermined, Jordan Reed should be a must-add off your waiver wires. He’s clearly involved within the Frisco offense with eight targets and seven receptions, but those two TDs look real nice. Now let’s try to get those waiver points on your bench because the Giants have a shady defense that can be taken advantage of. Plus with an unreal amount of the starters being injured for the 49ers, Reed might be the best player available to catch a ball.

(DAL) Dalton Schultz @ Seattle Seahawks

owned in about 2% of fantasy leagues

Right behind Jordan Reed is Dalton Schultz, as a player taking advantage of increased playing time. Reed finished 8^th, Schultz finished 12^th. Schultz, however, looked a little more prevalent in his team’s offense. By the end of the game, Schultz succumbed to 10 targets, nine receptions, and 88 yards with a score. And that’s on his first day starting after Blake Jarwin’s demise. The Cowboys lean on their TE to move the ball so if you’re in need of a TE, pick up Schultz off the wire.