Riding the Waivers for Week 3

If Week 1 was full of surprises, I guess you could say week 2 was full of home cooking. 14 of the 16 week 2 games were won by the home team. One interesting theory I heard was that the replacement refs are being persuaded more by the home crowds than the normal refs would be. It sounds like a big ole’ conspiracy theory to me. I will chalk it up to small sample size for now.

What’s really important is the fantasy football surprises in week 2. Julio Jones, Brandon Marshall, and Larry Fitzgerald combined for 42 total receiving yards in week 2. How is that for top-tier receiver? What about Darren McFadden and Chris Johnson combining to rush for 39 total yards? Not bad, eh? Of course, everyone knew that Dante Rosario would fill in for San Diego and score 3 touchdowns. That’s just common sense.

Don’t get down on yourself, though, if you happen to have drafted Darren McFadden and Larry Fitzgerald. They will come around, and you’ll be glad you didn’t sell low. However, if you are ready to cut ties with your 12th round draft pick, here are some solid options:

Russell Wilson – SEA vs. GB (29% Owned)
Last week the Packers defense demoralized and demolished Jay Cutler. The good news for Russell Wilson is that nobody has an offensive line as bad as Chicago’s. I look for the Packers defense to return to what we saw last year, where they allowed a ton of yards through the air. I’m going to say Wilson gets picked off once or twice but also throws for 235 with two touchdowns in the process.

Brandon LaFell – CAR vs. NYG (36% Owned)
For the third week in a row, LaFell gets my endorsement. If he explodes on national TV Thursday night, this might be the last week LaFell will fit in the under 50% criteria. Get him while you still can.

Laurent Robinson – JAX @ INDY (44% Owned)
Robinson is still adjusting to being the #1 option on a team, but now he is ready for a big game. Indy still has a pretty awful secondary, and the Jaguars should try to pass on them early and often. I am expecting at least 75 yards and a touchdown out of Laurent.

Mikel LeShoure – DET @ TEN (37% Owned)
LeShoure has served his suspension, and is ready to finally show why he was drafted 57th overall last year. LeShoure could be the feature back in Detroit a lot sooner than you realize. Time to snag him up from the waivers if he’s floating around out there.

Andre Brown – NYG @ CAR (14% Owned)
This is a very short-term pickup in my opinion. Nonetheless, it is the necessary pickup if you are in need of a quick fix at RB. Brown had 90 total yards and a touchdown last week while filling in for injured Ahmad Bradshaw. Rookie RB, David Wilson is in the doghouse for his Week 1 fumble, so Andre Brown appears to be the man while Bradshaw is out. Don’t get too excited about this pickup, but go out and do it if you need a one or two week filler.

Martellus Bennett – NYG @ CAR (38% Owned)
It’s really funny how our writer Josh Hill has been pimping Martellus Bennett all year, he performs will in Week 1 and 2, but he’s still available in 62% of leagues. A lot of owners are scared to take a flyer on an unknown Tight End. Instead, they choose to stick with the hot Tight End from last year. You know that guy that comes out of nowhere to randomly scored 10 Touchdowns, then scored 2 the following season. Don’t be scared, Bennett is that guy… this year.

Buffalo Defense @ CLE (42% Owned)
Cleveland looked a lot better last week on offense, but that’s not hard, considering their Week 1 performance. They are still a very below average offense. Buffalo is an emerging defense that should put the clamps on a young Cleveland Offense, and force a lot of turnovers in the process. Dallas and Jacksonville are a couple other options that should be available if Buffalo is not.

–Last Week Recap–
Christian Ponder – When I said Ponder should throw for 250 yards and two TDs, what I meant was 245 yards and two TDs. He was a pure matchup add. So feel free to kick him back to the curb until needed again. No Change in Yahoo! Ownership Percent.
Brandon LaFell – After a couple weeks on this feature, the rest of the world is catching onto LaFell. He is still out there in 64% of leagues though, so go snag him up.
Davone Bess – I took a gamble and said Bess would step up last week. Turns out I was wrong, it was Brian Hartline with the 111 yards but no touchdown. Bess ownership actually declined from 21% to 18%. Worth keeping an eye on Bess in deeper leagues.
Dexter McCluster – McCluster was the Waiver Sweetheart last week, and he broke everyone’s heart. He caught 4 of his 5 targets for a measly 32 yards. Tim D-Bowe took all the glory, and the Chiefs tried to get Baldwin more involved, as he was targeted 6 times. Whatever they did wasn’t even close to working, so look for them to come out with a different gameplan next week.
Alfred Morris – Morris wasn’t overly impressive, but he has won he trust of Fantasy Owners. Morris is now owned in 80% of Yahoo! leagues. Sounds like a perfect time for Shanahan to announce a new Running Back.
Coby Fleener – 2 catches for 16 yards, ewww. Donnie Avery was targeted on seemingly every play against the Vikings. The Colts played super conservative in the second half, so there weren’t a lot of passes to go around. Fleener’s is now owned in 52% of Yahoo! leagues, so people understand this was just one bad game.
Washington Defense – The Redskins were the #4 Defense in week 2. Not bad for a unit that was available in 96% of Yahoo! leagues before the week started. They suffered a couple key injuries last game, so don’t hold onto this Defense. Time to pick up a new defense.