Week 3 didn’t have the abundance on injuries that we saw in the first two weeks. The Bears have lost Tarik Cohen for the season, Chris Carson may miss a game or two with a sprained knee, and Dallas Goedert is going to miss a few weeks as well. But we don’t have as many BIG injuries coming out of Week 3. And with that, we don’t have any must-add guys coming off Waivers. That doesn’t mean I’m mailing this one in, but there’s no need to go crazy with FAAB this week as there are no players with the talent of Darrell Henderson nor the opportunity of Mike Davis .
Quarterback
Nick Foles (CHI) Nick Foles came in and took over for Mitchell Trubisky in the second half of Sunday’s game against Atlanta and he didn’t disappoint. He completed 16-of-29 pass attempts for 188 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. He instantly worked on developing chemistry with Chicago’s more reliable targets like Allen Robinson , Anthony Miller , and Jimmy Graham . It’s not official, but you have to assume that Foles is now the starting quarterback in Chicago. Trubisky led the team to a 2-0 start, but he looked atrocious before Foles took over and it was Foles who ultimately turned the momentum in Chicago’s favor and Chicago is off to a 3-0 start. Foles is a must-add in Two-Quarterback/Superflex leagues, and is a good add in deeper leagues as well. FAAB Bid: 10-15%
Ryan Fitzpatrick (MIA) Fitzpatrick’s production will oscillate like nothing we’ve seen before. And it’s possible he’s a bit of a ticking time bomb before the Dolphins want to see what they have in Tua. But over the last two weeks he has five touchdowns, zero interceptions, and he’s completed 73% of his pass attempts. Next week Miami will host Seattle and if we’ve taken anything away from Seattle’s games it’s that their defense allows points. Whether it’s garbage time or a competitive game, Fitzpatrick should have another solid week. FAAB Bid: 5-6%
Nick Mullens (SF) With the waiver wire relatively thin, and not necessarily a position of great importance unless you play in a two-quarterback/Superflex league, you may be able to just gloss over this portion of the article. But Mullens can play. In limited opportunities as a starter, he’s flashed potential at times. He didn’t even have a ton of passing volume that we’ve seen from the likes of Matt Ryan or Dak Prescott so far this year. On 36 pass attempts on Sunday he still managed to put up 343 yards. It’s still a little unclear when Jimmy Garoppolo will return, but Mullens has three straight home games on tap against defenses that can be beaten. Mullens will likely make the most of this situation as he’s set to be a restricted free agent in the offseason and it wouldn’t be surprising if the 49ers slapped him with a second-round label to try and retain him. Regardless, keep the bid to a minimum. He’s likely only being looked at as a streaming option in deeper leagues. FAAB Bid: 2-3%
Jalen Hurts (PHI) Maybe I’m trying to get cute and get a little ahead of the curve here. But Carson Wentz has been awful through three games and the Eagles sit at 0-2-1. They didn’t even try to win in overtime. They just resigned themselves to a tie once they were out of field goal range. Wentz has thrown two interceptions in each of the team’s three contests. His fantasy value has only been salvaged a little bit because of the two rushing touchdowns he’s had the last two weeks. He has a rough schedule coming up against San Francisco, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore. If the struggles continue at what point do the Eagles make a change and see what they may have with Hurts? FAAB Bid: 0-1% but would very much prefer to stash him for free after waivers process.
Running Back
Myles Gaskin (MIA) While Darrell Henderson and Mike Davis provided the bigger returns from the Waiver Wire last week, Myles Gaskin may have been the best value in terms of FAAB bids. You may have gotten him for half of what other people paid for the former players. But Gaskin easily looks like the lead running back in Miami. He had 26 total touches through the first two games and had 27 total touches Thursday night against the Jaguars. He only averaged 3.0 yards per carry, but he now has 15 catches through three games. The schedule gets slightly more difficult, but not enough to where we couldn’t use him in the Flex. FAAB Bid: 20-25%
Adrian Peterson (DET) I was doing my absolute best to not waste space (or FAAB) on a 35-year-old running back behind a suspect offensive line. But then Peterson went out on Sunday and had 14 carries just in the first half. He has actually looked pretty good running the ball and he’s getting a lion’s share of the workload. And that’s incredibly frustrating if you’re a Kerryon Johnson or D’Andre Swift owner. He’s a better grab in standard formats because he just hasn’t seen many looks in the passing game. But running back depth is valuable and while the variety from last week is gone, Peterson if still worth rostering as a stash. FAAB Bid: 12%
Carlos Hyde (SEA) The knee injury to Chris Carson doesn’t sound too serious, however, it is a sprain so we have to take it week-to-week. It’s too early to tell if he’ll play in Week 4, but Hyde deserves some attention if he’s on waivers. Keep in mind he ran behind a bad offensive line last year in Houston and still churned out 1,070 yards and six touchdowns with Houston. We haven’t seen too much of him so far in 2020 with Seattle. But based off the potential workload in the short-term he could be worth adding if you missed Darrell Henderson or Mike Davis last week. FAAB Bid: 12%
Jeff Wilson Jr. (SF) Jeff Wilson Jr. is your prototypical touchdown vulture. He snipes goal line carries even when Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman are healthy, and he found the end zone twice on Sunday with Jerick McKinnon getting most of the carries. And their workload was a little more “even” than most projected, including myself. Wilson also brought in all three of his targets for 54 yards and a touchdown through the air. With Coleman on IR, and Mostert’s status still up-in-the-air for next week, Wilson’s workload should hold true for a home game against the Eagles next week. If anything, it may increase since McKinnon did leave Sunday’s game in the fourth quarter with an injury (anybody surprised?) I’m recommending a modest FAAB bid, but of course you can spend more if you really need the help at running back. FAAB Bid: 10%
Cordarrelle Patterson (CHI) I expect Patterson to get a bump with Tarik Cohen getting hurt. It’s also expected that David Montgomery will see more work than he’s already getting as well. Patterson has at least four carries in each of the team’s first three games. The downside is that he hasn’t done much with them. He has the rare distinction of RB/WR eligibility on ESPN and possibly a few other leagues as well. The workload may get a bump, but it’s not as much of a guarantee. FAAB Bid: 5%
The Patriots Backfield – It really depends on where you fall on the spectrum. If you’re looking at just the box score from Sunday you probably rush to pick up Sony Michel based on the efficiency. Or you look at Rex Burkhead ’s three touchdowns and seven receptions and prioritize him. But J.J. Taylor led the team in carries, and don’t forget Damien Harris is eligible to come off IR this week. James White has been a healthy inactive while he is away from the team for a personal tragedy. So, while it was nice to see some guys have a big day, this is still a puzzle inside an enigma. I’m a Patriots fan and won’t ever forget what Sony Michel did in the 2018 playoff run. But he’s become so unreliable that we have to ask how much stock should we put in Sunday’s performance? An argument could be made for Burkhead in PPR formats, but his value takes a hit once White returns. Taylor had some nice looking runs today, but what happens when Harris starts getting work? It’s just too crowded in New England’s backfield. Take everything from Sunday with a grain of salt. Keep in mind Cam Newton didn’t have a great game and there will be more opportunities down the road where he’s taking carries away from the backfield. FAAB Bid on any New England RB: 12% Max if you’re seeking depth, you should prioritize Burkhead for now, but you will be frustrated and second-guessing yourself constantly with any of these guys.
Wide Receiver
Allen Lazard (GB) It was the Lazard Show Sunday night with Davante Adams ruled out and he didn’t disappoint. (Update this stat Monday night) Through three quarters he caught six-of-eight targets for 146 yards and a touchdown. The trends will shift back & forth between Lazard and MVS as far as who is the number-two receiver in this offense. This is kind of why ROS rankings are useless in fantasy football. With injuries and the lack of consistency on a week-to-week basis, they’re both going to have good weeks going forward. But if Adams is forced to miss more time, then Lazard (like MVS) is in play as a Flex option, maybe even a WR3 if your rosters are constructed in such a way. FAAB Bid: 12-14%
Justin Jefferson (MIN) Jefferson has the makings of the hot young commodity on waivers that you’ll pay up for only to disappoint you next week. But at least Minnesota has Houston, Seattle, and Atlanta on tap and those could be shootouts. Coming into Week 3 he had just six total targets but caught seven-of-nine targets on Sunday for 175 yards and a touchdown. Next to Tyler Lockett and Allen Robinson , he had arguably the biggest day from a wide receiver. He’s a great guy to grab now and maybe flip for a RB2. The immediate schedule looks nice for him to build up his stock, but he has a tough playoff schedule against Tampa Bay, Chicago, and New Orleans with two of those games on the road. And let’s not forget he still has to put up with Kirk Cousins distributing the ball. FAAB Bid: 12%
Brandon Aiyuk (SF) The 49ers are in need of playmakers and they got a glimpse of what Brandon Aiyuk can do. On Sunday he caught five-of-eight targets for 70 yards. Granted this was a game with no George Kittle , no Raheem Mostert , no Deebo Samuel, and no Jimmy Garoppolo . But at least Nick Mullins looked his way plenty of times. Aiyuk also had three carries and a rushing touchdown. Obviously we can’t expect that every week and it is worth noting that Deebo Samuel is aiming to make his debut in Week 4. But really there are still plenty of opportunities out there for Aiyuk to contribute. FAAB Bid: 8-10%
Greg Ward (PHI) I’m not incredibly excited about Ward. We saw what he could do when given the opportunity last year, and he came through big for Philadelphia on Sunday. With so many pass-catching options for Philadelphia dealing with an array of injuries, Ward saw 11 targets, and he caught eight of them for a touchdown. Carson Wentz doesn’t have too many people he can throw it to at the moment aside from Zach Ertz . Dallas Goedert , DeSean Jackson , and Jalen Reagor are all dealing with injuries that could sideline them.. But you have to consider that the quarterback play for Philadelphia has been disappointing as well, and the pass protection is in terrible shape, again due to injuries. Don’t trust consistent volume each week, but he should get more snaps on offense. FAAB Bid: 7-8%
Tee Higgins (CIN) There’s clearly a trend here with rookie wide receivers breaking out this week. It definitely feels like these guys disappear next week though, we’ve seen that all too many times. Higgins was actually second on the team in targets Sunday afternoon, ahead of A.J. Green , and Drew Sample (who I honestly expected much more than one target for). Higgins caught five-of-nine targets but two of them were for touchdowns. He was the first pick of the second round in April’s draft ahead of Michael Pittman, Laviska Shenault (who I’ve written up ad nausea), and K.J. Hamler. So there’s a solid pedigree with this guy, but he may fall back to third or fourth in targets next week. Be disciplined with the bid for this guy. FAAB Bid: 5-7%
Tight End
Jimmy Graham (CHI) Graham only saw eight targets through the first two games with Mitchell Trubisky , but on Sunday he saw ten and caught touchdown passes from both Trubisky and Nick Foles . He was surprisingly second in targets behind just Allen Robinson who had a phenomenal day. Graham now has three touchdowns through three games. It feels like a bit of a blast from the past. Only spend a little extra on him if you really need help at the position, but he just might be a candidate for a nice amount of red zone work going forward. FAAB Bid: 8%
Logan Thomas (WSH) The production hasn’t been amazing, but it deserve some perspective. The quarterback play for the Football Team has been awful. Terry McLaurin is getting by, but he’s an elite talent. Thomas could very well be a great talent, and keep in mind, he’s seen 24 targets through three games. And he’s established himself with an okay floor of four catches in each game. The yardage and touchdowns have been difficult to come by, but they are trying to get him going. Next week’s matchup is difficult, sure. Baltimore will eat Dwayne Haskins alive, especially after a pretty embarrassing loss to the Chiefs. But in two weeks they have a home game against the Rams, who just had to travel to the East coast to play Buffalo and they allowed three touchdowns to Tyler Kroft (2) and Lee Smith (1). Be a little patient, there is potential here. FAAB Bid: 7-8%
Mo Alie-Cox (IND) The targets haven’t been abundant but he’s been efficient and made the most of them. As a streamer, he’s been very serviceable the last couple weeks. With just 11 total targets on the year he’s caught ten of them for 181 yards and a touchdown. He’s hit double-digit fantasy points in PPR formats the last couple weeks as well. Jack Doyle has returned, but Alie-Cox has still churned butter as a reliable target for Philip Rivers . FAAB Bid: 5-6%
Rob Gronkowski (TB) The ownership is high, right around 65-70% and I’m not treating him as my favorite tight end to grab on waivers this week. He did see seven targets, of which he caught six of them for 48 yards. But that feels like the ceiling with where he’s at in his career. He almost caught a touchdown pass, but Tom Brady overthrew him just a bit. This game was coming off an interview where he sarcastically stated he was just out there to block, so the squeaky wheel got the oil here. So while it’s his best game as a Buccaneer, he’s still pretty touchdown dependent. FAAB Bid: 5-6%
Defense/Special Teams
Defenses are really difficult to target this week. I’m not a huge fan of the defenses that are available in most leagues. I’m more curious to see if some owners drop the Saints, Bears, Bills or Chargers. If you missed on picking up the Buccaneers last week, I’d be stunned if those owners dropped them. Here are a couple teams to monitor, but definitely observe the free agent/waiver pool on Wednesday and see if any teams were dropped. Any D/ST mentioned in this paragraph is a preferred target over the next two teams.
Arizona Cardinals – It’s a road game on the East Coast, but this is still a D/ST worth streaming. The Panthers offensive line still isn’t great, and Christian McCaffrey is still out. Teddy Bridgewater isn’t connecting with D.J. Moore so this is a matchup we can target and maybe hope for six or seven points. I like the potential for the Cardinals to get a few sacks as well. We could see some points get put up in this one. Maybe we get a few turnovers from Bridgewater as well. This is a deep-league D/ST to stream with some DFS potential as well.
Houston Texans – I don’t love that it’s come to this, but there are some things I like about this matchup. For starters, the Vikings defense is awful. So the Texans offense should be on the field more to dominate time of possession. That’s a category Minnesota has been murdered in through three weeks. They ran just 96 total offensive plays through two games. They did explode last week, but Minnesota has turned the ball over eight times so far this season. Earl Thomas is expected to sign with Houston as well so maybe they can get him up to speed and on the field for Sunday’s game. He has to go through the COVID protocols so that isn’t a guarantee necessarily.