Featured Pros: Week 3 Waiver Wire Rankings

With another slate of games in the books, it’s time to focus your energy back on using the waiver wire to improve your fake football squad. Week 2 certainly had its share of breakthrough performers, from Danny Amendola (15 rec, 160 yds, 1 TD) to the Giants’ virtually unknown RB, Andre Brown (72 rushing yards, 1 TD).

To help make sense of it all, we’ve lined up a group of experts to provide advice on this week’s best waiver wire targets. Specifically, the experts were provided with a list of 10 RBs and 15 WRs and we asked them to rank the players based off of their rest of season value. We then combined the picks to produce consensus waiver wire rankings.

Before we get to the rank lists, here’s a rundown of the experts offering their advice. Read on to see who they like as the best waiver wire targets this week.

Featured Pros

Kevin Roberts – (NFL Soup)

Mike Tagliere – (Tags Fantasy Football)

Ryan Lester – (Lester’s Legends)

Alan Harrison – (The Fantasy Fix)

Mike Rodriguez – (Gridiron Experts)

RB Waiver Wire Rankings (STD Scoring)

*See how each expert ranked the players

WR Waiver Wire Rankings (STD Scoring)

*See how each expert ranked the players

Week 3 Waiver Wire Advice

We also asked each expert to share a specific piece of advice for this week’s waiver wire (player to target, strategy tip, etc). Here are the experts’ suggestions.

Kevin Roberts – NFL Soup

While everyone is racing to pickup Danny Amendola (not that they shouldn’t), I’m content with getting Brian Hartline this week. My only real concern with him heading into 2012 was his health, and now he looks 100%. The Dolphins aren’t a great passing team, but he’s the best receiver they have and that offers the potential for his targets to continue to translate into solid fantasy numbers. He won’t match his 9 receptions and 100+ yards against Oakland every week, but that stat line could still be a sign of things to come.

Mike Tagliere – Tags Fantasy Football

We all know how brittle Ahmad Bradshaw is, and that is why David Wilson was such a draft day commodity. As it turns out, he may have fumbled that away to Andre Brown who definitely looked the part on Sunday although it was against the Bucs. If Bradshaw misses time, this could be a lottery ticket.

I’m assuming Brandon LaFell is owned in most leagues (if he isn’t, get him!), so I would suggest targeting Danny Amendola. I have liked Amendola in years past, but this offense really opens things up for him underneath when they go 4 or 5 wide. I would drop players like Titus Young for him.

Ryan Lester – Lester’s Legends

There are some solid options on the waiver wire this week. Just be careful not to overreact. Justin Blackmon, for example, is off to a horrible start. Don’t abandon ship for someone that can be a flash in the pan. Don’t be afraid to use your waiver wire position to acquire somebody that you don’t even want on your roster. Perhaps you can use that player as trade bait. Lastly, add a dollar to your roster claim amount. If you think a player is worth $5 and you want him, try $6 because maybe your competition is thinking the same thing.

Alan Harrison – The Fantasy Fix

As I mentioned last night on Twitter, there doesn’t appear to be a player widely available that I would be willing to burn a top two waiver claim on in leagues whose waiver orders do not reset weekly. With that said, Andre Brown could warrant a top two waiver claim considering he received the lion’s share of carries in Bradshaw’s absence, although I truly believe David Wilson will find his way out of Tom Coughlin’s doghouse sooner than expected. Maybe, Thursday?

Speaking of Lions, Mikel Leshoure was reinstated from his suspension and will be active for week three. The former second round draft pick should be a target for owners bit by the injury bug (Matt Forte, Fred Jackson) or Kevin Smith owners speculating a battle for carries in Detroit. Brandon LaFell, who was featured as a sleeper in our draft kit and appeared again in week one’s waiver wire at The Fix, is the clear number one pass catcher of those listed for standard leagues. Through two contests, LaFell has appeared on the field for the most snaps of any Carolina receiver and has just two less targets than “All-World” wideout Steve Smith. Brandon LaFell could could finish the season as a bona fide number two fantasy receiver.

Mike Rodriguez – Gridiron Experts

One of my fantasy teams this year features a unique strategy that is so far paying off quite well. I’m in a complex keeper league with a flex position, and I entered the season with an array of elite receivers. Most top running backs were off the board so my goal this year was to target as many high-quality tier 2 running backs on excellent teams as I could, praying for an injury. This is a very high risk strategy, but so far Michael Bush looks to be my starter for week 3. One of the other potentials sitting on my bench that I’m hoping gets an opportunity to start is Kendall Hunter from San Fran. The 49ers have an excellent offensive line and if given a chance I’m confident Hunter will have a breakout season. Frank Gore is very injury prone and Hunter is available on most waiver wires. I know up until this point the 49er backup/kick returner has been average at best in the stats department, yet it’s his quick speed and cuts that really catches my eye. I would grab him right away if available. Kendall Hunter is a great waiver wire sleeper.

—

I’d like to thank to this week’s Featured Pros for stopping by to share their advice! Stay tuned for more picks as their weekly rankings are unveiled shortly.

Photo Source