Week 3 Adds, Drops, Buys, and Sells
What a week! Week 2 was exhilarating but the turnaround is quick. Waivers are running and we have championship rosters to build. With that in mind, here are the adds, drops, buys, and sells to consider making in Week 3.
START/SIT ASSIST | TRADE CALCULATOR
Buy Robert Woods
It’s been the Cooper Kupp show over the first two weeks, but that doesn’t mean we should forget about Robert Woods. Most of us were drafting Woods ahead of Kupp this summer. While that may turn out to be a mistake, there’s still a lot to be excited about when it comes to Woods. His numbers have been pedestrian so far but that’s what makes him such a great buy candidate. Woods saw 30-percent of Matthew Stafford’s targets in Week 2. That was second on the team to Cooper Kupp and no one else came close. He also has three carries over the first two weeks as the Rams make a clear effort to have him involved heavily in the offense. It’s an aggressive offense that wants to push the ball down the field to its playmakers. It’s only a matter of time until Woods breaks out for one of these big games like we’ve seen from Kupp.
Buy Leonard Fournette
That’s right. Lombardi Lenny is leading the way in the Bucs backfield. He saw nearly 60-percent of the backfield opportunities in Week 2 with a target share over 11-percent. Giovanni Bernard is already being phased out of the offense, leaving Fournette as the leading pass-catching back in Tom Brady’s high-flying offense. He hasn’t scored a touchdown yet which keeps the buy-low window open. Go get him.
Buy AJ Brown
AJ Brown scored a touchdown in Week 2 to save his fantasy day, but there is a lot of panic throughout the fantasy-verse about him right now. That’s why it’s the perfect time to buy. While he managed only 49 receiving yards against Seattle, Brown finished the week fourth in air yards with 172. That accounted for 42.8-percent of the team’s total air yards. He has also had a 22-percent target share in each of the first two weeks. That led the Titans in both contests. As we know, air yards and target share are two of the most predictive metrics for future production. Plus we know how good Brown is anyway. Tennessee’s next three opponents are Indianapolis—who just got destroyed by Tyler Lockett and Cooper Kupp in back-to-back weeks, Jacksonville, and the Jets. Buy Brown now before he blows up over his next three games.
Sell George Kittle
If we’re buying, we also have to sell. On top of the sell list right now is George Kittle. Kittle had a nice Week 1 against a bad Lions defense, but he still only ran a route on 42.3-percent of Jared Goff’s dropbacks. That’s despite being on the field for over 94-percent of the snaps. He followed that up with a 17-yard outing against the Eagles where he saw a 13-percent target share. Kittle is being used more as a blocker and less as the receiving weapon he’s been in the past. He’s in a conservative, run-first offense that isn’t featuring him. I’m not saying he won’t be a top-10 tight end or even top-five, but he’s not in that elite tier like he used to be. At least not unless the Niners change the way they operate.
Add Rondale Moore
After a productive NFL debut, Rondale Moore’s snap share jumped from 29-percent in Week 1 to 46-percent in Week 2. While that’s still under half the snaps, Moore led the Cardinals with a 22-percent target share. The increased role resulted in an incredible seven catch (on eight targets), 114-yard, one touchdown performance. His opportunities in the offense are only going to grow as he plays well and the team realizes AJ Green is washed. Moore was rostered in less than 20-percent of leagues on both Yahoo and ESPN heading into Week 2 so he’s widely available on waiver wires. This is your last chance to add him.
Add Justin Fields
If Andy Dalton can’t go due to his knee injury, Fields will be an instant-fantasy starter against the Browns. Once he gets his opportunity to play, it’s hard to imagine the Bears ever going back to Dalton. This is what we’ve been waiting for.
Drop Rhamondre Stevenson
If you haven’t already. Rhamondre Stevenson was a Twitter darling after his preseason performance. If you fell for the hype and drafted him, it’s time to let go. He was never going to be relevant without a Damien Harris injury. This is Harris’ backfield. Stevenson wasn’t even active for Week 2. Sayonara.
Buy Courtland Sutton
If you weren’t buying Courtland Sutton last week, you missed the buy-low window. Sutton predictably blew up against a bad Jacksonville secondary. But it’s okay to buy high. He had a 35-percent target share and led the league in air yards. Get him now and start him every week.
Sell Devin Singletary
Singletary’s Week 2 performance basically came down to a 46-yard touchdown run at the start of the game. That accounted for 62-percent of his fantasy production on the day. Zack Moss is back in the fold and, while Singletary is still leading the way, it’s hard to rely on anyone from this backfield for weekly production. There’s really no upside in holding.
Buy Tony Pollard
This is a bit of a buy high. While this is still Zeke’s backfield, Pollard proved in Week 2 that he can have stand alone value. If anything were to happen to Elliott, Pollard is instantly in the top-five fantasy running back conversation. In the meantime, plug him into your flex.
Add Emmanuel Sanders
Emmanuel Sanders has seen target shares of 16 and 18-percent to start the season. He’s also on the field a lot and is being used as a deep target. We know Josh Allen throws one of the best deep balls in the game so it’s only a matter of time before the two link up for a big one.
Add Van Jefferson
The Rams offense is operating on all cylinders. Second-year receiver Van Jefferson is very much a part of it. After scoring a big touchdown in Week 1, Jefferson saw his snap share jump 23-percent (92-percent) in Week 2. He’s the locked-in WR3 as Desean Jackson didn’t see a single target while playing only 5-percent of the snaps. I want pieces of this offense and Jefferson the guy available on waiver wires to target.
Sell Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers played well on Monday night against a poor Lions defense. He even threw four touchdowns, thanks to Aaron Jones. We knew going into the season it would be hard for Rodgers to repeat his 2020 performance just based on touchdown variance. We saw that in Week 1. I’m not saying he’s going to suck the rest of the season, but he doesn’t run the ball. We have these elite combination players at the top of the position like Kyler Murray, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, etc who, unless he somehow continues his unsustainable touchdown rate from a year ago, Rodgers just can’t compete with from a fantasy football perspective. So if you have a league mate that is willing to pay top-three, top-five quarterback price for Rodgers, I think you take that deal.
Buy Devonta Smith
After an exciting Week 1, Devonta Smith had only two receptions for 16 yards. Boxscore watchers will see that and panic. He was barely involved, right? However, the truth is Smith was still very much involved. He actually had a higher target share (29%) than he did in Week 1 (23%). He was also sixth in the league in air yards (168), accounting for 49.7-percent of the team’s total. Despite the quiet showing on the stat sheet, it’s obvious Smith is the alpha in the Eagles passing game and is a screaming buy.
Buy Chase Edmonds
This is Edmonds’ backfield. He had a 58-percent snap share, compared to James Conner’s 39-percent. Edmonds has had target shares if 12-percent and 14-percent through two weeks while Conner has yet to see a single pass go his way. The Cardinals have one of the most explosive offenses in the league. We are seeing Edmonds’ floor right now. Spike weeks are coming. Buy. Buy. Buy.
Hold Laviska Shenault
I have seen some chatter on Twitter about people being fed up with Laviska Shenault. Some have even said they’re dropping him. These people are “analysts.” I’m here to tell you, to hold onto your Shenault shares. The Jaguars are awful. But because of this, they’re throwing the ball a ton. In each of the first two weeks, more than 20-percent of the team’s pass attempts have gone in Shenault’s direction. You can’t drop a guy playing that significant of a role. The connections will come.
Buy Mike Williams
I said it before the season. This is the year. I’ve never been a Mike Williams drafter, but this was the year to get him. Two weeks into the season, he’s proven me right and I’m telling you to target him in trades. The Chargers are one of the most consolidated teams for fantasy purposes so we know where the balls are going each week. Williams has seen a target share over 24-percent in each of the first two weeks. And he’s getting valuable targets too, not just 50-50 balls. He’s being used underneath, in the red zone, and everywhere in between. He’s a weekly WR2 with upside to finish in the top-five every single week. Get him.
Hold Jalen Reagor
Jalen Reagor was productive in Week 1, but flopped in Week 2. However, he did have a touchdown taken off the board and was heavily involved. Reagor had a 21-percent target rate as the clear WR2 behind Devonta Smith. He’s a guy that can produce splash plays and should not be dropped.
Drop Gio Bernard
Bernard played 26-percent of the snaps in Week 1. That was cut to 10-percent in Week 2. He saw a 6-percent target share in both games while Leonard Fournette was in the double-digits. Bernard is not what he used to be. The Bucs are seeing that too. He may have a role in two-minute situations but he’s not fantasy relevant at this time.
Add Daniel Jones
Huh? What? Yep. Daniel Jones is the definition of the Konami Code quarterback. He’s bad in real life. He’s bad on the passing sheet. But the dude runs and rushing production is gold for fantasy quarterbacks. So much so, that he’s a top-five scorer on multiple fantasy platforms through two weeks. I certainly don’t expect that to continue, but he needs to be rostered. He’s a great streaming option at worst against the Falcons in Week 3.
Add James White
Vintage James White is back. Mac Jones is the dump-off king and White has been a major beneficiary. I expect that will continue. He’s on pace for over 100 receptions and is still available in a lot of leagues.
