Saturday, May 18, 2024

Fantasy Football

Fantasy Football Waivers Must Add Players for Week Three

Don’t look now, but the NFL is already steaming toward week three. Where does the time go? Hopefully, everyone is having a joyous fantasy season so far. I am aware that is wishful thinking and there are plenty of managers’ rosters that have significant holes in them already. This could be because of injury, non performance of highly drafted players or both. However, have no fear as this fantasy football waivers arrives in the nick of time to help plug those holes! Best of all, you don’t need ESPN Plus to view it!

Running Backs

J.D. McKissic, Washington Football Team, 40% Owned

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If available, McKissic is the top running back on the wire and a must add

After only two weeks, viable running backs are virtually nonexistent on the waiver wire. Managers having issues at the position need to see if J.D. McKissic is available and react quickly if he is. That is especially true in PPR leagues, as McKissic is one of the more active backs in the league in the passing game. Against the Giants on Thursday, McKissic caught five of six targets for 83 yards, including a 56 yard catch in the third quarter.

In addition, McKissic scored a two yard TD run just before half time. Add it all together and McKissic scored 20 fantasy points against New York. Buffalo’s tough defense is up next, but after that is paper thin Atlanta. If nothing else, McKissic is worth a stash against the Bills as there is no chance he will be available at all after this week’s waiver period is over.

Cordarrelle Patterson, Atlanta Falcons, 8% Owned

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Patterson got the ball into the end zone twice against Tampa, taking him to the top of the must add list

Without question, the Atlanta Falcons are a mess and probably will be the entire season. Even so, fantasy managers need to pay attention to at least one player on their roster this week. Any player that can score two touchdowns against the defending champion Buccaneers deserves no less. In this case, the player in question is Cordarrelle Patterson.

No doubt, a running back with only 11 yards rushing is on the surface nothing to get excited about. However, Patterson gained 10 of the yards for a touchdown for Atlanta’s first points of the day. The stat that should excite fantasy managers is the six targets Patterson received, which he turned into five catches for 58 yards. Best of all, one the catches went for a seven yard TD. The Giants and their disaster of a defense is next up for Atlanta. McKissic above may not be available in many leagues. That shouldn’t be a problem for Patterson. That puts him at the top of the fantasy football waivers week three list.

Other Running Backs to Consider

Michael Carter, New York Jets, is right around the 50% owned mark. The Jets, as usual, were a train wreck Sunday, but Carter put together a nice game with 11 carries for 59 yards. That comes out to a 5.4 YPC average. He certainly appears to be the top running back on the Jets roster going forward.

James White, New England Patriots, Carter’s rushing opponent Sunday, is also right around the 50% owned mark. If available, White also deserves attention, especially in PPR leagues. White caught all six of his targets for 45 yards and also ran in a score.

Wide Receivers

K J Osborn, Minnesota Vikings, 1.1% Owned

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Osborn is making big plays for the Vikings and is massively available in fantasy leagues

One the the biggest surprises of the fantasy season has to be the play of K.J. Osborn. It only took until the second play of the game Sunday against Arizona for Osborn to announce himself. Osborn caught a pass from Kirk Cousins at the 34 yard line and outraced the Cardinals into the end zone. The play resulted in a 75 yard touchdown just 44 seconds into the contest.

On the day, Osborn caught five of his six targets for 91 yards. He has now been targeted 15 times in the Vikings’ first two games. It certainly seems like Minnesota’s offense is going to have to win games this season and Osborn will be a big part going forward. The other wide outs on the team are much more well known, of course, but Osborn has the look of a big play NFL receiver and needs to be rostered in all formats.

Rondale Moore, Arizona Cardinals, 24.9% Owned

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The high powered Cardinal offense can and will support three fantasy relevant receivers

In case anyone hasn’t noticed, the Arizona offense is flying high through the first two games of he season. Even though the team has two high caliber receivers, it can and will make a third fantasy relevant, even a rookie. That receiver is Rondale Moore. Through two games, Moore has 13 targets. If that statistic holds throughout the season, Moore will finish with 110 targets. That is an eye catching stat for a rookie.

He has turned those targets into 11 receptions. Even more impressive, Moore has averaged 17 and 16.3 yards per catch in his first two professional games. The good news doesn’t end there. Moore’s 11 receptions have resulted in 182 yards and a touchdown. The TD wasn’t a garden variety one either, as the play resulted in a 77 yard score. The dumpster fire Jacksonville defense is next on the schedule. Add it all up and Moore needs to owned from sea to shining sea.

Zach Pascal, Indianapolis Colts, 14% Owned

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Pascal has three TDs through two games, taking him to the top of the must add waiver list

In the week two edition of my pickup article, Zach Pascal received prominent attention. That is the case again this week at Pascal found the end zone Sunday against the Rams. Pascal has three TDs in the first two games, meaning that he definitely deserves to be on this fantasy football waivers week three edition.

Of the 11 targets Pascal has received, he has caught nine of them. He is the very definition of a possession receiver, as those catches have only resulted in 81 yards. However, the touchdowns and targets are the key stats here. The Colts hit the road this week to Tennessee and a reliable receiver might be the order of the day for Indianapolis. Because of the targets and TDs, Pascal is one the top receiving options on the wire.

Other Wide Receivers to Consider

Tim Patrick, Denver Broncos, 12.8% Owned, was only targeted four times Sunday, but did score a TD. He may find more opportunities with the sad sack Jet defense coming into Denver this week.

Hunter Renfrow, Las Vegas Raiders, 6.5% Owned, has 16 targets through two games for the high flying Las Vegas attack. He certainly is worth notice on the wire.

Tight Ends

Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts, 0.7% Owned

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Doyle is a tight end to pay attention to after receiving eight targets Sunday

As always, the tight end position is pretty bare when it comes to the waiver wire. However, a player that received eight targets is very widely available. That player is another Colt, Jack Doyle. The stat line fell sharply for Doyle from week one to week two. However, that was expected with the excellent 49er defense coming to town.

However, the week before against Seattle demonstrates clearly what Doyle can do for a fantasy manager. Doyle turned a staggering 12 targets into eight receptions for 85 yards. His yards per catch in that game was an excellent for a tight end 10.6. Even though his catches were cut to three against San Francisco, Doyle still averaged 10 yards a shot. Tennessee’s defense was pushed around in their first two games. It isn’t hard to imagine Doyle getting huge targets and catches on the day.

Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers, 4.5% Owned

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As the season goes along, Freiermuth figures to find himself much more involved in the Steeler offense

Rookie tight ends are always tricky to deal with in fantasy football. However, there is one that has seen his involvement in the offense increase from his first to his second game. That player is Pat Freiermuth. After seeing just one target against Buffalo in week one, Freiermuth caught all four passes targeted to him against Las Vegas.

Freiermuth finished the game with 36 yards. Those are modest totals, to be sure. However, Freiermuth drew the start over Eric Ebron and was targeted twice as much. That bodes well for both Freiermuth and his fantasy owners going forward. He is certainly a tight end to consider on this fantasy football waivers week three edition.

Quarterbacks

Teddy Bridgewater, Denver Broncos, 19.5% Owned

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Among the biggest early surprises, Bridgewater is clicking at the controls of Denver’s offense

This is the third straight week that Teddy Bridgewater has been highlighted as an excellent fantasy quarterback to add to a roster. That trend will continue until Bridgewater finds himself with a fantasy home. What’s not to like? After scoring 37 fantasy points in week one, Bridgewater increased his total to 41 against Jacksonville.

His final numbers against the Jaguars were 26 of 34 passes for 328 yards. For the second straight week, Bridgewater threw two touchdown passes. He has completed 77.8 and 76.5 percent of his passes through two games. Bridgewater is clearly in charge of the Denver offense. For all that he has done, he is still less than 20 percent owned in fantasy leagues. That needs to change and quickly. Mangers need to act now before he is gone for good.

Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings, 30.6% Owned

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Minnesota looks to throw a lot this season, making Cousins an excellent fantasy choice at QB

If, for some reason, Bridgewater doesn’t measure up, Kirk Cousins certainly should. The Vikings have been in shootouts in both of their games so far and that doesn’t look to change, especially with the less than fearsome Seattle defense up next. All Cousins has done in two games is throw for 595 yards with five touchdowns and zero turnovers. Read that last line again.

Without question, Cousins is a solid fantasy quarterback. There were many questions that surrounded him entering the season, but Cousins has answered every challenge thus far. He is completing 71 percent of his passes and has scored 47 and 44 fantasy points in the two games, both of which were on the road. Further, Cousins is available in most leagues. That may not last for long and if a manager has a QB need, grab Cousins today.

Other Quarterback to Consider

Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders, 22.1% Owned, is questionable going into this weekend’s game against Miami. If healthy, Carr goes to the head of the quarterback wish list. Through two games Carr is third in the entire NFL in passing yards.

The Last Word

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy football waivers watch list edition! Everyone have a fun and enjoyable fantasy season! As always, I welcome input and suggestions from all of my readers. Have other players to include? Disagree with the selections? Let’s discuss! Follow me on twitter @kevin62wilsea, and be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy Sports & Picks for all the latest NFL and sports news!

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