Waiver Wire Week #3 Information

[bcbadgalz]

Add 'Em
Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver
Owned: 18 percent of leagues
Week 2: Had eight catches for 97 yards and a touchdown against Seattle.
Analysis: This is the add the Broncos section since we would also recommend picking up Eddie Royal (74 percent) where still available and Kyle Orton (58 percent). The Broncos don't seem to miss Brandon Marshall at all, as Jabar Gaffney will also be a factor in the passing game. But Thomas is a must-add following his outing against the Seahawks, and he had nine targets. He was the first wide receiver taken in the NFL Draft this year, and he has the potential to be a star. He might even be worth starting in Week 3 against the Colts. The key for him will be staying healthy with his foot problems.

Nate Washington, WR, Tennessee
Owned: 50 percent of leagues
Week 2: Had four catches for 34 yards and a touchdown against Pittsburgh.
Analysis: Washington has two touchdowns in two games and is clearly the No. 1 wide receiver for the Titans. You're not going to start Washington in the majority of leagues based on Tennessee's inconsistent passing game, but he is a good reserve and potential bye-week replacement. Some other receivers to consider adding are Devin Hester (51 percent), Mario Manningham (42 percent), Kevin Walter (34 percent) and Louis Murphy (29 percent). Walter and Murphy both had double digits in targets in Week 2, and Hester could see an increase in production with Devin Aromashodu in the doghouse in Chicago. Manningham has eight catches for 160 yards and a touchdown in two games.

Aaron Hernandez, TE, New England
Owned: 13 percent of leagues
Week 2: Had six catches for 101 yards at the Jets.
Analysis: Hernandez was my favorite rookie tight end in the NFL Draft, ahead of Jermaine Gresham, and he has the potential to be a star with the Patriots. He is essentially the No. 3 wide receiver in New England behind Randy Moss and Wes Welker, and he's worth adding in all leagues. Rob Gronkowski will steal playing time, but Hernandez will line up in the slot and outside. It's clear Tom Brady will use him a lot, and he's a great option in Week 3 against Buffalo, which just allowed Green Bay's Jermichael Finley to catch for four passes for 103 yards last week.

Avoid 'Em
Greg Olsen, TE, Chicago
Owned: 56 percent of leagues
Week 2: Had one catch for 39 yards and a touchdown at Dallas.
Analysis: Don't get overexcited by the touchdown catch against the Cowboys. It was his lone target of the game, and he was wide open. He had four catches for 37 yards in Week 1 against Detroit, but he also fumbled. We're not buying that Mike Martz is all of the sudden going to start using the tight end for anything more than a few passes a game. Instead of Olsen, you should look to add Hernandez, Dustin Keller, Todd Heap or Marcedes Lewis since each of these tight ends are more involved in their respective offenses, and all of them are owned in less than 60 percent of leagues.

Jimmy Clausen, QB, Carolina
Owned: 5 percent of leagues
Week 2: Completed 7 of 13 passes for 59 yards and a fumble against Tampa Bay.
Analysis: Clausen is only worth owning in deep dynasty leagues since he's not expected to play well for most of this year. He was handed the starting job for Week 3 against Cincinnati with Matt Moore struggling to start the season, but the Panthers are limited in the passing game with Steve Smith and little else. Clausen might not even hold onto the starting job since Moore could get the job back, and we don't see Clausen doing much to infuse life into this offense.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Buffalo
Owned: 1 percent of leagues
Week 2: Did not play.
Analysis: Pass on Fitzpatrick in all leagues, including 16-team formats and leagues where you start two quarterbacks. He is limited in his talent and the weapons around him. The Bills need too much help for Fitzpatrick to be considered any sort of savior with Trent Edwards struggling to start the year. And it's no guarantee Fitzpatrick will remain in the role if he also can't get the job done. The Bills offense is in trouble, and as we've suggested before, they might be better off running the triple option since Lynch, Spiller and Jackson are their best players on offense.

Scout 'Em
Golden Tate, WR, Seattle
Owned: 21 percent of leagues
Week 2: Had one catch for 52 yards at Denver.
Analysis: Seattle coach Pete Carroll said the Seahawks have to get Tate more involved. He was inactive for Week 1 against San Francisco and had the one big catch against the Broncos, but the potential is there for Tate to play an important role on offense. Don't add Tate in the majority of leagues, but he is worth keeping an eye on since Seattle is limited in its weapons in the passing game. We could see Tate developing into a No. 3 Fantasy wide receiver as the season goes on.

Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Oakland
Owned: 8 percent of leagues
Week 2: Had six catches for 80 yards against St. Louis.
Analysis: Heyward-Bey led all Raiders in targets in Week 2 with 13, and he finally looked like a quality wide receiver. But don't run out and add him in the majority of leagues since he performed well against a weak secondary with the Rams. In Week 1 at Tennessee, Heyward-Bey had one catch for 11 yards, so there is still a lot of room to grow. The quarterback situation in Oakland is tenuous at best with Jason Campbell and Bruce Gradkowski vying for the starting role in Week 3 at Arizona, but if Heyward-Bey continues to show improvement then he would be worth adding in deeper leagues.

Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Detroit
Owned: 6 percent of leagues
Week 2: Had seven catches for 108 yards against Philadelphia.
Analysis: Pettigrew showed he was all the way back from last year's knee injury with his performance against the Eagles. It appears like Shaun Hill will favor Pettigrew, who was targeted eight times in Week 2. Tony Scheffler will cut into Pettigrew's playing time, but the Lions like Pettigrew's ability to make plays. He's not worth adding yet in the majority of leagues because we want to see him do that again after he had just one catch for 6 yards in Week 1 at Chicago, but the potential is there for Pettigrew to become a bye-week replacement as the season goes on.

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On Sunday Darren McFadden put up the second highest rushing total of his career. With previous performance failing to meet his talent level there was the continuous question of how much nagging injuries were holding him back. If he breaks through to a new level owners who believed in him one more time will be richly rewarded. Michael Bush is looming, but Oakland seems willing to run the ball enough to give both backs value. Two former first overall picks are among the most dropped of the week.
Added

Darren McFadden: He was heavily involved in both the rushing and passing game, totaling 150 yards on 24 touches. His receiving ability allows him to stay involved in the offense even during blowouts. The Titans were an above-average run defense in 2009, allowing 4.3 yards per carry.

Drop for him: Chester Taylor, C.J. Spiller, Clinton Portis
Don't drop for him: Fred Jackson, Reggie Bush, Ahmad Bradshaw

Nate Washington: He tied for the team lead in targets and made the most of them, reeling in three catches for 88 yards and a score. Kenny Britt did not appear in the box score and seems to be in the doghouse, leaving Washington as by far Tennessee's best deep threat. Pittsburgh and the New York Giants are up next, two defenses that had strong opening weeks.

Drop for him: Anthony Gonzalez, Julian Edelman, Roy Williams
Don't drop for him: Mario Manningham, Mike Williams (either one)

Brandon Jackson: When Ryan Grant left the game Jackson became Green Bay's feature back. Grant seems unlikely to suit up next week when the Bills come to Lambeau. Jackson averaged 3.5 yards per on eighteen carries. His career average is a subpar 3.9. The offense could just become even more focused on Aaron Rodgers.

Drop for him: Marshawn Lynch, Steve Slaton, Donald Brown
Don't drop for him: Jerome Harrison, Carnell Williams, Tim Hightower

Brandon Lloyd: On eight targets he caught five for 117 yards, a far more productive game than starter Jabar Gaffney had. With Eddie Royal catching shorter passes Lloyd was hit for 41, 27, and 25 yards. The Denver defense could not contain Jacksonville and David Garrard; similar efforts will result in many shootouts.

Drop for him: Greg Camarillo, Devin Thomas, Golden Tate
Don't drop for him: Davone Bess, Nate Burleson, Muhamed Massaquoi

Dropped

Matthew Stafford: He was knocked out of Sunday's game with a shoulder injury. Initial tests showed no tears, but this week he is flying to Birmingham to see Dr. James Andrews. Early estimates are that he misses two to six weeks. He was 11 for 15 while in the game, but only averaged 4.4 yards per attempt.

Drop him for: Kyle Orton, Chad Henne, Sam Bradford
Don't drop him for: Derek Anderson, Matt Moore, Jake Delhomme

Bernard Berrian: He caught just one pass for three yards on Thursday as Brett Favre spread the ball to nine receivers. He was a disappointment last year, although he exceeded the 55 catches he had only once. If he fits into the Favre offense it should be apparent when Minnesota hits their Week 4 bye.

Drop him for: Jabar Gaffney, Devery Henderson, Laurent Robinson
Don't drop him for: Kenny Britt, Jerricho Cotchery, Demaryius Thomas

Alex Smith: He was expected to feast on a Seattle team short on talent, but led the offense to only six points. San Francisco was only 1-15 on third down. Smith threw 45 times, averaging 4.8 yards per attempt and getting picked off twice. This could be just a very bad game from a team picked to be much better.

Drop him for: Vince Young, Ben Roethlisberger, Donovan McNabb
Don't drop him for: Mark Sanchez, Matt Cassel, Michael Vick

Early Doucet: He sustained a groin strain in the first half and his production (2 rec, 37 yds) was dwarfed by that of Steve Breaston (7 rec, 132 yds). Derek Anderson tried to connect with Larry Fitzgerald 15 times and succeeded only three, his downfield accuracy is definitely a concern for all Cardinal receivers.

Drop him for: Deion Branch, Jordan Shipley, Michael Jenkins
Don't drop him for: Josh Morgan, Jordy Nelson, Arrelious Benn

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Jason Snelling, RB, ATL - Michael Turner exited stage right with a groin injury and Snelling proceeded to have a monster day to the tune of 129 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs, 5 receptions, 57 receiving yards, and a receiving TD. That's right - 186 yards of total offense and 3 TDs. Sweet heavens that was a major fantasy nuke! While Jerious Norwood continues to be hampered by bumps and bruises, Turner is expected to return. However, groin injuries can be a little tricky, and Snelling has shown the world (again) that he can get it done if called upon. If you are a Turner owner, consider this a shot off your bow and more than fair warning to be sure to grab Snelling off the wire this week. If you don't own Turner, be sure to pick up Snelling and then torment the Turner owner in your league with him. Who knows, maybe they will panic and give you some very nice tender in a trade!

Jahvid Best, RB, DET - We don't understand it, but according to publicly available fantasy football league statistics, Best is still available for pick-up in some leagues out there. If you are reading this right now and find yourself in one of those leagues, run, don't walk to the waiver wire and get Best right now! The rookie has proven to be ultra explosive and has demonstrated immunity to the curse of playing in Detroit. He ended the day on Sunday with 78 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs, 154 (yes 154) receiving yards on 9 (yes 9) receptions, and a receiving TD. In a word: explosive.

Peyton Hillis, RB, CLE - Hillis makes our list for the second week in a row. Thus far in the season, he has proven to be the best fantasy back in Cleveland. Hillis nailed another solid outing on Sunday with 61 yards of total offense and a TD (35 yards rushing and 26 yards receiving on 3 receptions).

Vincent Jackson, WR, SD (for now) - There is a rumor out there that the Vikings, who are desperate after going 0 - 2 and without question need major help at WR, are going to make a move to get Jackson. If the deal gets done by Wednesday, Jackson's NFL suspension would be reduced from 6 to 4 games. The circumstances and news is good enough to squeeze a roster spot for Jackson if still available and assuming someone else in your league hasn't already stashed him on their bench waiting for the day he is eligible to play.

Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN - Last week it was Brandon Lloyd and this week it is Thomas. Since Denver is "New England West", this could be a classic case of chase the receiver each week (or in New England's case, chase the RB). Regardless, Thomas had a very solid day pulling in 8 receptions for 97 yards and a TD. He was plagued with injuries in the preseason, so buyer beware that he could miss some time downstream with injury. In the meantime, roll the dice on him and see what develops.

Mike Williams, WR, TB - Evidently all Williams does is get TDs. The rookie is now 2 for 2 nailing a TD in consecutive weeks. He hasn't offered much more than that in his young career so far, but in fantasy where the all important TD reigns supreme, that is plenty. Williams has loads of talent and could impress this year, particularly if he keeps up his TD streak.

Kevin Walter, WR, HOU - Walter had a monster day pulling in 11 receptions for 144 yards and a TD. He is a great complement to Andre Johnson, and this won't be the last time we hear about big numbers coming out of Walter.

Louis Murphy, WR, OAK - Murphy is one of our two Oakland WR sightings we had in week 2. Without question Murphy has the talent, and there were times last season he showed he could flash a decent game on occasion. He did that on Sunday, pulling in 6 receptions for 91 yards and a TD. If the QB situation could ever get stable in Oakland, Murphy could emerge.

Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, OAK - We had a Heyward-Bey sighting on Sunday. For those that saw the game, it was clear Heyward-Bey was playing completely different. In fact, it looked like someone lit a fire under his exterior and gave him a good shot of toughness. He ended the day with 6 receptions for 80 yards, and of course, a couple of deep bombs that were near misses that do not show up in the stat line. Good idea to keep an eye on this situation to see what develops. There is a little bit of a QB controversy in Oakland as Jason Campbell was pulled and Bruce Gradkowski inserted. Gradkowski played fairly decent, or at least good enough to warrant there being a controversy.

Kyle Orton, QB, DEN - He is not sexy, but he is getting the job done and very comfortable in Denver. Orton had another solid outing throwing for 307 yards and 2 TDs.

Tony Moeaki, TE, KC - This rookie has proven to be more than a serviceable TE after the first two weeks in the season. There isn't much to get excited about in the KC passing attack thus far, but Moeaki has shown you can start their TE and hold your own. Moeaki finished the day with 58 receiving yards on 5 receptions.

Marcedes Lewis, TE, JAX - Lewis continues to have the hot hand and followed his 2 TD week 1 performance with a 5 reception, 70 yard week 2 performance. Lewis has always been considered a great pass catcher, and this may be the year he starts to spread his wings a little.

Miami Dolphins Defense - While traditionally decent, this defense may prove great this year. Mike Nolan has brought his magic from Denver and is now serving as defensive coordinator for the Phins. As you may recall, Nolan was only in Denver for one year and pretty much single handedly put that defense back on the map (which they have fallen off again since he left - granted they have sustained major injuries as well, but that secondary is just as solid as ever). Miami stuffed Favre and company to the tune of 3 sacks, 3 INTs, a fumble recovery, and only surrendered 10 points.

Kansas City Chiefs Defense - This defense looks to be revitalized and could impress this year. They did on Sunday, nailing a sack, an INT, a forced fumble, INT return TD, and held their opponent to only 14 points.

[Bobtheicon]

Love these posts. Thanks BCB. Good info here.

[justdonating]

I drafted Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver in one league (auction format) for $1! If he plays like he did last week, he'll make one helluva keeper for $1.

[bcbadgalz]

Originally Posted by justdonating

I drafted Demaryius Thomas, WR, Denver in one league (auction format) for $1! If he plays like he did last week, he'll make one helluva keeper for $1.

No kidding jd...greatb pick there!