This article is part of our NFL Waiver Wire series.
Week 2 is now in the books and we look ahead to Week 3. Are you glad you missed out on Elijah Mitchell? There should be better days ahead for the youngster. While there isn't anyone as obvious as him on the waiver wire this week, there might still be a diamond or two in the rough to find. Let's dig in.
This column is geared toward "standard" 12-team leagues and based upon a $100 free-agent budget. Please adjust for your league based on both the number of teams (I'm in a 24-team league, for example) and remaining budget.
QUARTERBACK
SECONDARY TARGETS
Daniel Jones, NYG - I'm holding my nose as I write this, but it's time to take Jones seriously. He's rushed for a touchdown in back-to-back games and had a third nullified by penalty Thursday night. He's yet to throw an interception in 69 pass attempts and his 7.5 yards per pass attempt is a respectable number. He'll get the Falcons this week, a team that's been torched by Tom Brady and Jalen Hurts in the first two weeks. Jones has a starting job and a great matchup this week, which is why he's listed above the next guy I'm going to talk about. FAAB: $4-$8
Justin Fields, CHI - Coach Matt Nagy said Monday as long as Dalton is healthy, he will start (eye roll) for the Bears. But the Andy Dalton era in Chicago might come to an abrupt halt if his knee
Week 2 is now in the books and we look ahead to Week 3. Are you glad you missed out on Elijah Mitchell? There should be better days ahead for the youngster. While there isn't anyone as obvious as him on the waiver wire this week, there might still be a diamond or two in the rough to find. Let's dig in.
This column is geared toward "standard" 12-team leagues and based upon a $100 free-agent budget. Please adjust for your league based on both the number of teams (I'm in a 24-team league, for example) and remaining budget.
QUARTERBACK
SECONDARY TARGETS
Daniel Jones, NYG - I'm holding my nose as I write this, but it's time to take Jones seriously. He's rushed for a touchdown in back-to-back games and had a third nullified by penalty Thursday night. He's yet to throw an interception in 69 pass attempts and his 7.5 yards per pass attempt is a respectable number. He'll get the Falcons this week, a team that's been torched by Tom Brady and Jalen Hurts in the first two weeks. Jones has a starting job and a great matchup this week, which is why he's listed above the next guy I'm going to talk about. FAAB: $4-$8
Justin Fields, CHI - Coach Matt Nagy said Monday as long as Dalton is healthy, he will start (eye roll) for the Bears. But the Andy Dalton era in Chicago might come to an abrupt halt if his knee injury keeps him out for a few weeks. While Fields didn't have the greatest day in backup duty Sunday, he should be better with a week of work with the first team. Fields can not only do damage with his arm but also with his legs (10 carries for 31 yards). He's 51 percent owned in Yahoo leagues as many owners anticipated him taking the job this season. FAAB: $4-$8
RUNNING BACK
PRIMARY TARGETS
Tony Pollard, DAL - Do we have a full-blown timeshare in the Cowboys' backfield now? It certainly appears that way after Pollard (16 touches) and Ezekiel Elliott (18 touches) pretty evenly divided the workload in a close, competitive game. Pollard barely meets the criteria in this space given he's 53 percent owned in Yahoo leagues, so it's a coin flip as to whether he's available. Crazy as it sounds, he has the opportunity to surpass Zeke on the depth chart. FAAB: $8-$16
SECONDARY TARGETS
Cordarrelle Patterson, ATL - While Mike Davis isn't going anywhere, Patterson has carved out a role in the Falcons offense. He finished with 69 yards from scrimmage Sunday and scored on the ground and through the air as well. Atlanta appears to be using Patterson to his strengths, giving him nine and 11 touches in the first two games. Expecting 55-60 yards from scrimmage with the occasional touchdown seems like reasonable expectations. FAAB: $4-$8
Michael Carter, Ty Johnson NYJ - It looks like the Jets are turning the page on Tevin Coleman (five carries) and are looking to Carter (11 carries) and Johnson (12 carries) to handle the load in New York's backfield. Carter is a slight preference for me given he was a fourth-round pick this season and appears to have acclimated to the pro game (pass protection, catching passes) nicely. The Jets offensive line is suspect at best, but both players should be good for double-digit touches. FAAB: Carter $4-$8, Johnson $3-$6
HAIL MARY
Duke Johnson, Lamar Miller, FAs - I'm not in love with either player, but they're visiting the 49ers, whose backfield is a mess. This is a run-heavy offense, so if either catches on, there might be something there. Keep in mind Jeff Wilson, who is already running, is eligible to come off the PUP list Week 7 and might be the healthiest running back for San Francisco now. FAAB: FCFS or $1 (assuming one signs)
WIDE RECEIVER
SECONDARY TARGETS
K.J. Osborn, MIN - There are some nice perks playing with Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, and probably the best is getting matched up with the opponent's third-best cornerback. Osborn has looked great in his sophomore campaign with a 15-12-167-1 line through the Vikings' first two games. He had 14.6 and 20.1 fantasy points (PPR) in Weeks 1 and 2, respectively, showing consistency. There's an obvious rapport between him and Kirk Cousins, and if anything happened to Jefferson or Thielen he would be someone you could trust every week. FAAB: $4-$8
Zach Pascal, IND - A lot of his value is going to be tied directly to the health of Carson Wentz, but for now let's pretend that's a healthy situation. Through the first two weeks it appears Pascal is the go-to guy in the red zone. I'd rather have teammate Michael Pittman for the rest of the season, but there's obviously some talent here with Pascal. FAAB: $4-$8
Rondale Moore, ARI - It will be tough figuring out when it's a Christian Kirk week and when it's a Rondale week, but both are talented players. It was Rondale's turn Week 2, finishing with 24.4 fantasy points (PPR). The Cardinals don't have much of a running game and it wouldn't be shocking to see a Kliff Kingsbury team throw all game long. Look for Moore to benefit from being in this type of an offense. FAAB: $3-$6
HAIL MARY
Freddie Swain, SEA - Swain's big day (5-5-91-1) lands him on the fantasy radar, but if we're being honest, he's just a blip on said radar at this point — his 68-yard TD reception Sunday came on a wildly blown coverage. It'll take an injury to DK Metcalf or Tyler Lockett for Swain to truly be a viable fantasy option, so at this point just take note of him and be prepared to pick him up if he gets a bigger role in the Seattle offense. FAAB: FCFS or $1
TIGHT END
SECONDARY TARGETS
Maxx Williams, ARI - It's good to get any receiving option for the Cardinals, as they've been a fantasy carnival to start the season. Williams got in on the action Sunday, finishing with a stellar line of 7-7-94 against the Vikings. He'll have plenty of room to work over the middle with DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk and Rondale Moore attracting a lot of defensive attention, and he's a big target for Kyler Murray in the red zone. Just realize his floor is pretty low as he only got one target (an incompletion) Week 1. FAAB: $3-$6
DEFENSE
Carolina Panthers - The Panthers have played excellent defense to start the season, allowing only 14 and seven points in their first two games. This week it'll be a short week playing Thursday night and they'll get backup Davis Mills if Tyrod Taylor isn't ready to go. Only look this way if Taylor is misses Thursday's game. FAAB: $2-$4
New York Giants - I don't have a ton of faith with this pick, but the GMen do have a few things working in their favor. Atlanta has looked absolutely horrible through two weeks and Matt Ryan might be done as an NFL starting quarterback. There's really not much of a running game for the Falcons and the Giants will be home with some extra time to prepare for this game. FAAB: $1-$2
