Were finally getting to that point in the year where things start to solidify for teams, and we can get a better understanding of them for our imaginary teams. We’ll dive into both waivers for the week as well as some player you can move on from considering their performance over these first 3 weeks of football. Reminder that the only players I will discuss will be below 50% rostered in either or both of Sleeper and Yahoo! as these are my favorite platforms to use.
Table of Contents
Waiver Adds
Wide Receiver
Mack Hollins, WR, Las Vegas Raiders – Yahoo! 3%, Sleeper 17%
Hollins is the receiving yardage leader for the Raiders, just like everyone expected at this point, right? He may have started as a filler for Renfrow, but Hollins looks to be a favorite of Carr and may have cemented himself as a starter on the team, likely in 3 receiver sets. He’s worth the grab to see if he can keep any semblance of this going.
Romeo Doubs, WR, Green Bay Packers – Yahoo! 27%, Sleeper 39%
Doubs is another rookie to take steps forward early in his first season, breaking out vs a solid Bucs defense with 8 receptions on 8 targets, 73 yards, and a TD. With injuries and no clear WR1 on the team Doubs could step into a bigger role sooner than later.
Greg Dortch, WR, Arizona Cardinals – Yahoo! 18%, Sleeper 32%
Every week he’s been in this column and I’m hoping people just accept that the Human Dortch is going to produce, at least while Rondale is out, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be coming back soon with that hamstring injury. You can use Dortch as a flex play if necessary.
Joshua Palmer, WR, Las Angeles Chargers – Yahoo! 27%, Sleeper 41%
Keenan Allen is still dealing a hamstring injury and his age doesn’t help. Whilst he’s been out, Palmer has filled in admirably for him and is worth the pickup if he’s still there on your wire.
Zay Jones, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars – Yahoo! 11%, Sleeper 14%
Jones has had a solid week, a bad week, and now a great week to start the season with the Jags. The offense doesn’t look bad which is a pleasant surprise and Jones has an average of 8 targets per game so he’s definitely someone you should grab to have as a backup on a rainy day.
Josh Reynolds, WR, Detroit Lions – Yahoo! 1%, Sleeper 3%
Reynolds has now had 2 good weeks in a row, last week catching a TD pass and this week almost reaching 100 yards on 6 catches (10 targets). Him and Goff have a connection from their time with the Rams so that could carry over here. Additionally, the Sun God Amon-Ra is now banged up, which could allow for more targets to come the way of Reynolds. I like him to pass DJ Chark in target share regardless and become their WR2 while Jameson Williams is out.
Richie James, WR, New York Giants – Yahoo! 4%, Sleeper 7%
James was nothing special this week, but he’s still getting a decent amount of opportunity despite the overpaid Golladay receiving a higher share of snaps again. Shepard also unfortunately tore his ACL in this one, which could open up more opportunities for targets for James the rest of the way.
Devante Parker, WR, New England Patriots – Yahoo! 25%, Sleeper 31%
Parker took full advantage of Meyers being out today and exploded for a massive 156 yards on just 5 receptions (10 targets). If Meyers should miss more time Parker could be a solid spot start, as I do believe he is talented and can get the ball regardless of the QB throwing it to him (yes even Brian Hoyer).
Running back
Khalil Herbert, RB, Chicago Bears – Yahoo! 50%, Sleeper 47%
One of the rare instances where Yahoo! players were ahead of Sleeper players, Herbert erupted for 169 total yards on 22 total opportunities, tacking on 2 rushing TDs for good measure. Considering that this team thinks that it is 1962 and they are allergic to passing the ball, Herbert should see plenty of work while the starter David Montgomery recovers from an ankle injury. He is a must add if he’s still on the wire.
Samaje Perine, RB, Cincinnati Bengals – Yahoo! 6%, Sleeper 9%
Perine filled in for Mixon due to an ankle injury, and although the reports are that Mixon will play this Thursday, it’s better to be safe than sorry. He’s a smart add, especially for Mixon managers who don’t already have a pivot option.
Justin Jackson, RB, Detroit Lions – Yahoo! 0%, Sleeper 0%
Craig Reynolds, RB, Detroit Lions – Yahoo! 0%, Sleeper 0%
There have been reports that Justin Jackson will be filling in for Swift in some capacity, which makes sense given his running style, but Craig Reynolds has also been involved when Swift goes down. This might end up being an ugly 3-headed monster of a committee, but you can still add either of these guys if you’re desperate. I personally prefer Justin Jackson as I like his explosivity out of the backfield.
Tight End
David Njoku, TE, Cleveland Browns – Yahoo! 52%, Sleeper 37%
Njoku had a monster game finishing with 9 catches on 10 targets for 89 yards and a TD. It seemed like every time Brissett dropped back to pass, he ended up targeting either Cooper or Njoku, which was basically the case given that 21 of his 31 attempts was aimed at one of those two players. It seems like its Cooper and Njoku, then everyone else. In a tight end desert Njoku might just be a small puddle that you need to survive.
Tyler Conklin, TE, New York Jets – Yahoo! 22%, Sleeper 29%
Conklin had yet another great game, and although Flacco’s time is sadly coming to an end, it is still wise to add Conklin just to see how he continues with Wilson, or even use him as trade bait for a team in desperate need at the position.
Will Dissly, TE, Seattle Seahawks – Yahoo! 1%, Sleeper 2%
Big Montana is a touchdown FIEND, catching two of them in his first 3 weeks of the season. He’s not really a great add unless there’s nothing left on the wire, but I love him, so he gets an honorary mention here anyway. YEEHAW
QB and Defense Streams
Geno Smith @ Detroit
Jared Goff vs Seattle
Jameis Winston vs Minnesota
Giants Defense vs Chicago
Broncos Defense @ Las Vegas
Dallas Defense Vs Washington
Players to Drop
Parting is such sweet sorrow... or not. I guess it’ll depend on the player. Here is a list of players that I think are droppable in most league formats. Obviously if your league is much deeper, or a dynasty league then don’t, or still do, you be the judge there. My reasoning for each is pretty much the same: their opportunity isn’t there and/or their snap percentage is dwindling. Injury may also be a factor that I take into consideration.
Darrel Williams, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Darnell Mooney, WR, Chicago Bears
Robbie Anderson, WR, Carolina Panthers
Jarvis Landry, WR, New Orleans Saints
Zamir White, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
Jerick McKinnon, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Boston Scott, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Justin Fields, QB, Chicago Bears
Skyy Moore, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Kadarius Toney, WR, New York Giants
Rex Burkhead, RB, Houston Texans
Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Mecole Hardman, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Sterling Shepard, WR, New York Giants (Torn ACL)