Each week I’ll provide you with a rundown by position of key
waiver wire adds. We’ll evaluate not just breakouts based
on past performance, but also who could deliver this week based
on a soft matchup. Stats will be provided based on a 12-team PPR
league, with players less than 75% (preferably less than 50%) ownership
being considered.
Russ cooked against the Commanders, putting up 308-3-1 passing
with a couple of his patented deep shots to Marvin Mims. He also
looked like his old self by chipping in 56 yards on the ground
(6 carries). Up next is a road matchup against the explosive Dolphins,
and then the soft Bears defense is on tap in Week 4. Wilson looks
to build on his understanding of Sean Payton’s offense as
the season ramps up.
Stroud bounced back from a rough Week 1 to pass for 384-2-0 against
the Colts (rushing 3-1-0 and losing a fumble). There will be ups
and downs for the rookie in 2023, but with a team that is rebuilding
they most likely will be behind in games and forced to throw.
This week he gets the Jaguars defense which is bottom 5 against
QBs, so if your waiver wire is thin and you lost Aaron Rodgers,
Stroud will be worth a stream.
Mac Jones,
NE vs MIA: Jones had a rough outing against the Dolphins,
managing a 231-1-1 passing line to go with 5-25-1 rushing. The
upcoming schedule features the Jets and Cowboys who boast strong
pass defenses so he can is be left on the bench/wire for now.
Jordan
Love, GB @ ATL: Love put up 151-3-0
with 2-23-0 rushing in a losing effort against the Falcons. The
first two weeks have shown Love to be hyper efficient, throwing
3 touchdowns in both games while having a total of 52 attempts.
Christian Watson and Aaron Jones were both sidelined but there’s
still a concern of touchdown regression if he doesn’t start throwing
the ball more. Week 3’s opponent (NO) was top 5 against QBs in
2022, but weeks 4 and 5 (LV and DET) were both bottom 10 defenses
against QBs last year.
Brock
Purdy, SF @ LAR: Purdy saved his
fantasy day with his feet, going 3-5-1 rushing despite only throwing
for 206 yards (without a touchdown or interception). He has to
throw touchdowns to pay off, but it looks possible over the next
few weeks with matchups against the Giants (allowed Josh Dobbs
to throw and rush for a touchdown) and Arizona next up.
Breida didn't do much in Week 2, but with Saquon Barkley having
to be carted off with an ankle injury, Breida will most likely
be the next man up as the Giants prepare for a Thursday night
game against the 49ers. San Francisco has a tough rush defense,
but they just allowed Kyren Williams to put up 28 PPR points mostly
due to 6 catches. If you choose to roll the dice in Week 3, the
Giants schedule softens up a bit thereafter, with games against
bottom-10 rush defenses (Seahawks, Dolphins).
Moss got his first start of the season after sitting
out Week 1 recovering from a broken forearm. He promptly delivered
18-88-1 rushing and 4-4-19 receiving. Considering Deon Jackson
was dreadful in Week 1, Moss got the start and didn’t disappoint.
There are some tough matchups ahead (Ravens, Rams, Titans, Jaguars,
Browns are the next 5 opponents and all rank top 10 against RBs),
but Moss appears to have taken control of this backfield for however
long Jonathan Taylor is out (at least 2 more weeks).
Ford came on after Nick Chubb sustained a season-ending knee
injury and put up 16-106-0 rushing to go along with 4-3-25-1 receiving
(and adding a 2-point conversion). Ford carried the load after
Chubb left and had a 70-yard gain that should help him maintain
the lead role. Up next are two tough rush defenses, Titans and
Ravens, before the Week 5 bye. The Browns may seek to add another
RB (Kareem Hunt?), but for now, Ford is a priority add on volume
alone.
Jones came on for an injured Jamaal Williams to go 12-34-2 on
the ground, although he missed both targets. Alvin Kamara should
be back starting in Week 4, but if Williams sits and you need
a spot starter for Week 3, the Green Bay defense has been bottom-10
against RBs to start the year, especially those that catch passes.
Warren went 6-20-0 on the ground but 6-4-66-0 through the air
against a Browns defense that locked down the Steelers on Monday
night. Najee Harris is still the starter, but his efficiency is
in question and Warren looks like the more explosive back. It
is not expected that Warren will take over the backfield, but
his 12 targets through two games means he still has a role in
PPR leagues. The Raiders have given up 16 catches to RBs in the
first two games of the season, so Warren should be busy.
Gus Edwards
and Justice Hill,
BAL @ CIN: Edwards went 10-62-1 (0 targets) while Hill
posted 11-41-0 rushing and 3-3-12 receiving. This appears to be
a committee backfield with Edwards getting early down and goal
line work and Hill getting the pass-catching role. Week 3 should
be easier sledding against the Colts. Both backs should have some
FLEX appeal as they seek to share touches alongside Lamar Jackson
on the ground.
Tyler
Allgeier, ATL vs GB: Allgeier came
back to earth with a 16-48-0 rushing line and 0 targets in Week
2. Bijan Robinson is dominating this backfield (as expected),
but there are still plenty of rushing attempts available in the
Falcons run-heavy attack. Allgeier is a strong handcuff with potential
for more in games against poor rush defenses.
Kenneth
Gainwell, PHI vs MIN: Gainwell sat
out Week 2 due to injury while D’Andre Swift went off for 27.1
PPR points against the Vikings. It will be interesting to see
if Swift has taken control of this backfield or whether Gainwell
comes back as the starter if he’s healthy for Week 3. Gainwell
is only 60% owned so he’s certainly worth an add in deeper leagues
as Swift has never played a full slate of games.
Kyren
Williams, LAR @ SF: Williams went
off against a tough 49ers defense to the tune of 14-52-1 rushing
and 10-6-48-1 receiving. Williams appears to have the trust of
Sean McVay as Cam Akers was a healthy scratch and perhaps is on
the trading block. The Rams have shown a penchant to have a bellcow
RB under McVay’s tenure, so if he’s still available in your league
(62% owned), go get him.
Joshua
Kelley, LAC @ TEN: Kelley found
the going tough against the Titans with 13-39-0 on the ground
with Austin Ekeler sidelined. Kelley appears to have control of
this backfield until Ekeler returns, but that may be as soon as
Week 3.
Collins has been the WR1 for the Texans in 2023, exploding for
9-7-146-1 in Week 2. Tank delivered a 10-7-72-1 line against the
Colts, leading the team in targets and finishing 2nd in receptions.
Woods put up 9-6-74-0 receiving to go along with 10-6-57-0 in
Week 1. C.J. Stroud has thrown for 44+ attempts in both outings
this year, so the Texans aren’t shy about letting Stroud
get some work in as the team plays from behind. This will likely
continue against a middle-of-the-pack Jaguars defense against
WRs, so Collins (61% owned on Yahoo) is the priority add while
Dell and Woods (available in 90% of Yahoo leagues) are still available
in all but the deepest of leagues.
Atwell produced a 9-7-77-0 line while chipping in 1-5-0 rushing
against a tough 49ers defense. Atwell appears to have stepped
into the WR2 role behind Puka Nacua/Cooper Kupp as he’s drawn
8+ targets in both games of 2023 and produced 15+ PPR points in
each. The Bengals have been stingy against WRs, but Weeks 4 and
5 are against bottom-10 WR defenses (Colts, Eagles). Regardless,
Matthew Stafford will deal out targets and it looks like Tutu
has carved out a nice role in this offense.
Reynolds spiked 2 touchdowns on his way to 6-5-66-2 receiving
against the Seahawks. Amon-Ra St. Brown is the clear WR1 of the
Lions, but he’s been out produced by Reynolds through two weeks.
With Goff being quite efficient (71% completion) on 30+ attempts
per game the WR2 role will have value in this offense. Tough WR
defenses are up over the next three weeks (Falcons, Packers, Panthers
all rank top 10) but if St. Brown has any ill effects from the
cramping he saw in Week 2, Reynolds should be the main beneficiary.
Ertz looks to have shaken off the knee injury of late 2022 as
he went 8-6-56-0 in Week 2 after garnering 10 targets Week 1.
The Cowboys defense is a tough draw in Week 3, but they are middle
of the pack against TEs while being top 5 against both RBs and
WRs, so Ertz should be Josh Dobbs’ main outlet as the Cardinals
will be playing from behind.
Thielen was quiet in Week 1 but looked like his old self in Week
2, producing 9-7-54-1 against a stingy Saints pass defense. In
Week 3 he gets a soft Seahawks pass defense that has been torched
by the Rams and Lions the past two weeks. Carolina is a run-first
offense but there appears to be room for their WR1 to score.
Puka Nacua,
LAR vs SF: Nacua went nuclear as a stand-in for Kupp,
going 20-15-147-0 against the 49ers. It will be interesting to
see how he does when Kupp comes back, but for now he is a must-start
for however long Kupp is out.
Kendrick
Bourne, NE vs MIA: Bourne led the
team in targets but only delivered 9-4-29-0 receiving against
the Dolphins. With Mac Jones throwing 40+ times per game there
are targets to be had in this Patriots offense, but with DeVante
Parker back Jones dealt 6+ targets to five different receivers
so it seems there is no alpha at the moment. Tough defenses (Jets,
Cowboys, Saints) against WRs are on top for the next three weeks
but this could still serve Bourne well as Jones’ security blanket.
Jakobi
Meyers, LV @ BUF: Myers was out
Week 2 with a concussion. Jimmy Garoppolo only had 24 attempts
despite getting blown out by the Bills. As such, expectations
for Myers should be tempered in Week 3 (assuming he returns) as
Davante Adams is a target hog and the Raiders don’t seem to trust
Garoppolo’s arm to bring them back if they are behind.
Hunter
Henry, NE vs MIA: Henry went 7-6-52-1
in Week 2 after going 6-5-56-1 in Week 1. He has been nothing
if not consistent, and there appears to be a solid connection
in Bill O’Brien’s offense between the quarterback and tight end.
With Jones putting up 40+ attempts per game Henry should have
a solid floor week in and week out.
Jacksonville only allowed 17 points on the road against the Chiefs
and they’ve had back-to-back weeks with 3 turnovers. The
Texans offense has given up 5+ sacks per game to the Ravens and
Colts and scored 16 points combined in two meetings versus Jacksonville
in 2022.
Chiefs vs CHI
Kansas City stymied a potent Jacksonville attack (9 points, 4
sacks, 1 fumble recovery) on the road. In Week 3 they are at home
against an anemic Bears offense that has given up 10 sacks, 4
turnovers, and 2 defensive touchdowns in the first two weeks of
2023.
Patriots @ NYJ
NE has been steady to start the year against tough offenses (Philadelphia
and Miami). Next up they get the Jets with Zach Wilson at the
helm, who just threw 3 interceptions and managed just 10 points
against the Cowboys. In two wins last year the Patriots held the
Jets to a combined 20 points, while grabbing 3 interceptions in
New York.
Seahawks vs CAR
Seattle converted 3 turnovers into a defensive touchdown against
the dangerous Detroit Lions in Week 2. At home this week, they
get the Panthers (and rookie QB Bryce Young), who gave up 3 turnovers
and only scored 10 points against Atlanta Week 1.
