Week 2 was not what we hoped for from the Waiver Wire Wishlist crew. Christian Kirk was the top scorer of the week at 9.5 points. That tells you exactly how this week went. For some of our suggestions, like Elijah Mitchell and Kenneth Gainwell, the chances were plentiful, which, when it comes to the waiver wire and fantasy football as a whole, is the key to success. Let’s put this past week behind us because we have some big names and big performances to talk about for Week 3.
I typically like to keep my suggestions around, or below, the 40-percent owned mark in both Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues. The format I’ll follow is one quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers and one tight end. As always, the Streamable Defenses of the Week article will drop tomorrow (Tuesday) and Nate’s B-Team series will drop every Saturday. Be sure to follow We Know Fantasy (@WeKnowFantasy) on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to keep up-to-date with all of our fantasy football content.
Mac Jones threw for 186 yards in a win over the Jets. That’s it. No touchdowns or anything. But he played good football and in games with better game scripts, he’ll return to his Week 1 form where he threw for 281 yards and a touchdown. Mitchell saw 17 carries against the Eagles but was only able to put up 42 yards against that tough defense. Gainwell ran six times, had three targets and converted a two-point conversion. Christian Kirk followed up his big Week 1 with a serviceable Week 2. He caught three of his four targets for 65 yards. Terrace Marshall Jr. caught all three of his targets but only went for 17 yards. Juwan Johnson caught just one of his three targets.
Week 2 Results
Mac Jones (New England Patriots) - 7.44 points
Elijah Mitchell (San Francisco 49ers) - 7.3 points
Kenneth Gainwell (Philadelphia Eagles) - 7.2 points
Christian Kirk (Arizona Cardinals) - 9.5 points
Terrace Marshall Jr. (Carolina Panthers) - 4.7 points
Juwan Johnson (New Orleans Saints) - 3.3 points
Week 3 Suggestions
Quarterback
Daniel Jones (New York Giants) - Owned in 19% of Yahoo and 10.7% of ESPN leagues
Week 3 Matchup: vs. ATL
Here comes the annual debate of if Daniel Jones is a competent fantasy football quarterback. If the first two weeks of the season have anything to tell us, the answer is yes. So far, it’s been Jones’ rushing ability that has really propelled him. So far this season he has 122 rushing yards and two touchdowns. On top of that, he’s thrown for 516 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The best part of all of this is that he gets the Atlanta Falcons this week, who have allowed Jalen Hurts and Tom Brady to post fantasy lines of 28.76 and 29.46 points respectively. Daniel Jones should be in line for another 21-plus fantasy point performance.
Runningbacks
Cordarrelle Patterson (Atlanta Falcons) - Owned in 15% of Yahoo and 8% of ESPN leagues
Week 3 Matchup: @NYG
Patterson is currently operating as Mike Davis’ backup in Atlanta. Although he only has 14 rushing attempts on the season, he’s really getting it done in the passing game. He has eight targets and seven receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown to go along with his lone rushing touchdown. Davis has yet to score on the season and only has 84 rushing yards on 24 carries. He too is getting it done in the passing game, but the split is getting closer to 50/50, especially after a big Week 2. Get Patterson while he can.
J.D. McKissic (Washington Football Team) - Owned in 29% of Yahoo and 42% of ESPN leagues
Week 3 Matchup: @BUF
J.D. McKissic was a big part of Washington’s offense a year ago and so was he in Week 2 against the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football. McKissic, who was barely used in Washington’s opener, saw six targets in Week 2. He used those targets to catch five of them for 82 yards. He added a rushing touchdown as well. What is interesting here is that when Ryan Fitzpatrick, who started Week 1, was Washington’s quarterback, McKissic was not involved. When they were forced to move to Taylor Heinicke due to injury, he was majorly involved. Heinicke will be the Football Team’s starter for the foreseeable future. Add McKissic now.
*Note: If Tony Pollard (Dallas Cowboys - Owned in 53% of Yahoo and 38.6% of ESPN leagues) is available on your waiver wire, make him a priority.
Wide Receivers
Rondale Moore (Arizona Cardinals) - Owned in 34% of Yahoo and 19.2% of ESPN leagues
Week 3 Matchup: @JAX
Rondale Moore has now seen 13 targets in this high-flying, dangerous Cardinals’ offense. I know a big time 77-yard touchdown reception highlighted his stat sheet from Week 2, but he still put up 37 yards on six receptions in Week 2 if you were to take his big play again. On top of that, he had four receptions for 68 yards in Week 1. He leads the NFL in yards-after-reception by a bazillion (yes, that stat is correct.) As long as this Cardinals’ offense keeps putting up numbers (which I don’t see an end in sight) Moore should be involved.
Zach Pascal (Indianapolis Colts) - Owned in 16% of Yahoo and 14% of ESPN leagues
Week 3 Matchup: @TEN
Zach Pascal was a popular pickup after Week 1 due to a two touchdown performance. Beyond that, many counted him out as the Colts’ new WR1 as he was set to face the likes of Jalen Ramsey and the Los Angeles Rams. Pascal only went on to catch five-of-six targets for 38 yards and a score. Now, the Colts may be without Carson Wentz in Week 3, but that won't deter me from picking up Pascal.
Tight End
Evan Engram (New York Giants) - Owned in 32% of Yahoo and 32.4% of ESPN leagues
Week 3 Matchup: vs. ATL
It’s likely that Evan Engram could make his season debut this week as the Giants host the Atlanta Falcons. Now, we know Engram for his impressive rookie campaign and then his inability to catch balls in his seasons beyond that, but with the way Daniel Jones has opened the season and the fact that Rob Gronkowski caught two touchdowns against the Falcons as Dallas Goedert caught one in Week 1, it couldn’t be a better matchup for Engram to start his season.
Week 1 Results
Jameis Winston (New Orleans Saints) - 34.62 points
Kenneth Gainwell (Philadelphia Eagles) - 11.3 points
James White (New England Patriots) - 9.1 points
Amon-Ra St. Brown (Detroit Lions) - 3.3 points
Bryan Edwards (Las Vegas Raiders) - Yet to Play
Zach Ertz (Philadelphia Eagles) - 4.4 points