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Fantasy Football Week 3 Add/Drop: It’s High Upside Week
Most of the major tweaks to your fantasy football rosters have already been made, but with the sure-bets off of the waiver wire, you’ll likely be targeting potential this week - and we’ve got two rookies on our list of high-upside adds.
It’s been a quiet week on the fantasy football injury front, and while a few quarterback changes are shaking up the league, they’re likely not affecting your fantasy league. Still, as always, there are good players to be had on the waiver wire, and players that you might currently own that have severely diminished fantasy value. Your Week 3 fantasy football add/drop follows, and it includes a couple of promising rookies coming off of big weeks.
Add, Or Consider Adding
Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez. There's not much out there at QB this week, unless you're into the idea of adding Jimmy Clausen to your roster. Perhaps you're in a standard format league with a buddy of yours that panicked and axed Sanchez after he threw for a scintillating 74 yards in the Jets' Week 1 loss to Baltimore. If that's the case, it's time to capitalize on your buddy's blunder, if you haven't already: Sanchez threw for 220 yards and three scores in Sunday's win over New England, and has a couple of soft matchups (Buffalo, Denver) coming in the next month. Expect inconsistency and tough matchups for the most part, but you can do a lot worse than Sanchez as a backup or a spot starter.
Chargers running back Mike Tolbert. If you own rookie running back Ryan Matthews - whose ankle injury looks to be minor, but whose Week 3 status is still somewhat fuzzy - you'd be wise to go get your Mike Tolbert handcuff. When Matthews went down Sunday against Jacksonville, Tolbert stepped into the lineup and excelled, rushing 16 times for 82 yards and two scores. He'd get the lion's share of the rushing load if Matthews were ever to be lost for an extended period of time, but again, Matthews looks to be OK.
Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas. There might not be a hotter fantasy commodity this week than Thomas, who caught eight passes for 97 yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut Sunday against Seattle. He may be something of an injury risk, and he's certainly only a depth add at this point, but Thomas showed the athleticism and upside that made him the first receiver selected in this past April's draft. Jabar Gaffney and Eddie Royal will steal targets, but Thomas should see his role expand in the coming weeks.
Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez. Rookie teammate Rob Gronkowski has gotten the bulk of the fantasy tight end consideration in New England thanks to his red zone prowess, but it's Hernandez that has the most upside. He only caught one pass in Week 1, but it was a 45-yard gain. In Week 2, he hauled in six passes for 101 yards, displaying the speed and agility of a receiver in open space. Gronkowski will still steal looks down close, but Tom Brady is going to use Hernandez, and his athleticism and upside make him hard to ignore from a fantasy perspective.
Drop, Or Consider Dropping
Panthers quarterback Matt Moore. I mean, I guess if you're OK with keeping a backup fantasy quarterback that not only sports a quarterback rating of 41.8, but is also a backup on his own team, I suppose you can hold onto Moore. He was, however, benched in favor of rookie Jimmy Clausen on Monday, which probably means it's time to let the dream die if you're a Moore owner. Which also means you're a Panthers fan. Which also means you've already put a waiver claim in on Clausen, so I probably didn't even need to write this paragraph.
Cowboys running back Marion Barber. This one is tough. Barber is still likely to get the biggest chunk of the work in Dallas' three-headed backfield, but there's a chance that that could change in the near future. With the Cowboys sitting at 0-2, expect Jerry Jones to start leaning on Wade Phillips and making some decisions for him; I'm guessing that one of the first things he'll ask for is more work for Felix Jones (19 touches in two games). Should that happen - and let's be honest, it's not a stretch - Barber would be reduced to short-yardage and goal line work. That still gives him fantasy value, but if you're deep or looking to swing a trade, Barber's a guy to move on from.
Vikings wide receiver Bernard Berrian. A lot of people added Berrian to their fantasy rosters upon the news that Sidney Rice would miss the first half of the season, hoping to capitalize on the idea that Berrian would get most of Rice's looks. That has not been the case, as Brett Favre has largely been ignoring Berrian and his other receivers in favor of tight end Visanthe Shiancoe. Even without considering circulating rumors that the Vikings are discussing making a trade for Chargers WR Vincent Jackson, Berrian's not worth keeping on your fantasy roster any longer.
Giants tight end Kevin Boss. Set aside the fact that he's recovering from another concussion for a moment; that's obviously a concern. The Giants are struggling right now. They're struggling to protect Eli Manning, to run the ball, and to complete passes down the field. There are a ton of quality fantasy tight ends to be had this year that play in better offenses and have more upside. Factor Boss' concussion back in, and it's safe to say that you can probably do better with your second tight end.
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