Week 3, much like Week 2, has been a brutal one for injuries. Fantasy managers have had to deal with the fallout of Christian McCaffrey, Saquan Barkely, Davante Adams, A.J. Brown, and George Kittle, all being ruled out for this week. Fantasy number one overall pick McCaffrey will miss 4-6 weeks and second overall pick Barkley is done for the season. The hits keep on coming.
Week 3 is no time to panic, however.
More likely than not, you are one of many teams in your league dealing with injuries. Points will be scored and a lot of those points will be from players who are not rostered. Have a plan and attack the situation to win yourself the week.
Last week, Dumpster Diving proved to be a fruitful exercise. TE Jordan Reed had 7 catches for 50 yards and a sizzling two scores. WR Adam Humphries had 5 catches for 48 yards and also found the end zone. WR Tre’Quan Smith, Draft- and Fantasy-Twitter favorite, looked dynamic as New Orleans’ leading receiver with 5 catches for 86 yards. WR Quintez Cephus had a quiet game. 3 out of 4 recommendations ended up being strong starts.
As fantasy teams have added more and more usable players through waivers, finding potential last minute adds becomes more challenging. This week, due to all the injuries, we will increase the amount of players listed: Our threshold, as always, is players rostered in less than 10 percent of Yahoo! leagues.
Bryan Edwards WR Las Vegas (9%)
Edwards is rostered in almost 100% of NFFC and FFPC leagues. He is available in a staggering 91% of Yahoo! leagues. His start to the season has been slow, but the talent is there. Last week he had two catches for 42 yards. This week the catches will at least double up as could the yardage. The Patriots will look to slow down explosive TE Darren Waller and limit RB Josh Jacobs. This could lead to some extra opportunities for the Raiders’ wideouts. With teammate Henry Ruggs ruled out, Edwards should see a decent amount of targets.
Cole Beasley WR Buffalo (9%)
A fun match-up based streamer. Last year, Beasley was a top 40 PPR WR all season. He provided a nice safety blanket for QB Josh Allen when he was not connecting with Smokey Brown on downfield targets. This year, Beasley was an afterthought as Buffalo added star WR Stefon Diggs and talented rookies RB Zack Moss and WR Gabriel Davis. But Beasley’s role has not changed. He is still a safe floor play. This week, TE Dawson Knox has been ruled out as has RB Zack Moss. John Brown will play but has been limited at practice. Diggs will face shadow coverage from CB Jalen Ramsey. Diggs will no doubt still receive a good amount of targets, but Beasley could see a nice day as a floor play in an important game vs The Rams.
Adam Humphries WR Tennessee (5%)
Here we go again. Last week Humphries took advantage of his opportunities and this week he faces a plus match-up against a decimated Minnesota secondary. This is a floor play for teams looking for 8-12 PPR points, with the possibility of him finding the end zone again for even more.
Mo Alie-Cox TE Indianapolis (8%)
Last week, Alie-Cox was sensational with 5 catches for 111 yards. He showed a great connection with QB Phillip Rivers and displayed athleticism and explosiveness. This week, however,TE Jack Doyle returns from injury but the Colts also lost WR Parris Campbell for the season. It would be nice to roster Alie-Cox and see how his usage is this week on your bench, but if you are desperate for a TE, he has shown a high ceiling and the ability to provide yardage after the catch.
Jordan Akins TE Houston (5%)
Akins is coming off a strong game with 7 catches for 55 yards. In week one, Akins found the end zone. He seems to have passed Darren Fells and is a trusted target for QB Deshaun Watson. The Steelers defense is very strong, but Akins is worth a look for TE needy teams.
Rex Burkhead RB New England (2%)
RB James White suffered a great tragedy off the field and missed last game and has been ruled out again for this week. In White’s absence, Burkhead played 73 percent of the snaps, easily leading the Patriots’ backfield. He had over 80 yards combined rushing/receiving and now faces off versus a Raiders team that has been dominated by backs the first two weeks of the year. If you are in a pinch, consider Burkhead a useable floor play. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Always hard to dumpster dive at RB but for some of you in a pinch, Burkhead may be the best option
Miles Boykin WR Baltimore (4%)
Quietly, the second year wide receiver has played in 68% and 74% of snaps in Weeks 1 and 2 respectively. Last week, he had 4 catches for 38 yards and the Ravens thoroughly dominated the Texans and had little-to-no need to air it out. This week, Pat Mahomes comes into Baltimore for an epic showdown. This game looks like a high-scoring affair and the Chiefs are hurting at CB. Hollywood Brown should see plenty of opportunities as should TE Mark Andrews, but Boykin is a sneaky bet for a big game.
Andy Isabella WR Arizona (3%)
WR Christian Kirk has been ruled out for Arizona. Kirk had not been a fantasy producer, but did see looks as the deep threat for a potent Arizona offense. DeAndre Hopkins will see a massive amount of targets, but there is potential for Isabella to provide some big play ability and speed to test a poor Detroit defense that has given up 5 TD passes the first two games of the season.
All of these players take a leap of faith, but could also provide the necessary spot-start points needed to get you through a treacherous Week 3. Good luck everyone.