We asked our writers to name their top waiver wire targets at running back and wide receiver entering Week 3 of the 2018 fantasy football season. Here’s what they said.
All players are owned in 30% or less of Yahoo leagues.
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Who’s your top running back pickup of the week?
Giovani Bernard (CIN)
This is a no-brainer with Joe Mixon set to miss between two and four games with a knee injury. Bernard is going to be the featured back in Cincinnati’s offense and will likely be involved on all three downs. He totaled 53 yards against the Ravens on Thursday with Mixon in and out of the lineup. And when Mixon was injured last season, Bernard averaged 16 touches per game. He can be an RB2 as long as Mixon isn’t playing.
Jon Munshaw – @jon_munshaw
Joe Mixon suffered a knee injury that will keep him out for the next two-to-four weeks, so Giovani Bernard will be close to a three-down, feature back while Mixon is sidelined. Bernard isn’t as good between-the-tackles as Mixon, but he is an effective pass-catcher and should see close to 20 touches against a Carolina defense that he had some success against, rushing 18 times for 137 yards and a touchdown the last time the Bengals and Panthers squared off. Bernard should be the top Week 3 waiver-wire add in all leagues.
Jody Smith – @JodySmithNFL
Just narrowly making the cut with a 28 percent Yahoo ownership rate, Giovani Bernard is the clear answer. The 26-year-old back registered 173 yards and a touchdown in two games without Mixon late last season. Mixon will miss at least two weeks after undergoing a knee procedure, so Bernard instantly jumps from afterthought to a solid RB2 who has averaged a career 4.2 YPC and 74.6-percent catch rate.
Andrew Gould – @andrewgould4
Joe Mixon is expected to miss two-to-four weeks following a knee scope, making Gio Bernard this week’s top waiver wire add at the running back position. In four games as the Bengals’ lead back with Mixon hurt last December, Bernard averaged 20 touches and 109 yards per game, while scoring twice. Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor sure sounds like someone who believes Bernard can step up again, telling the Dayton Daily News that Bernard is a “warrior” and “pretty effective inside runner,” while explicitly noting that Gio had 30 touches in a game last year. Mark Walton and/or Tra Carson should also be sprinkled in, but even if Bernard isn’t a true workhorse, he should get enough work to be a viable RB2 for at least the next couple weeks.
Andrew Seifter – @andrew_seifter
From Week 12-16 last season, with Joe Mixon injured, Bernard averaged 19 touches and 18.1 fantasy points per game. The only other backs on the Bengals’ roster are pre-season dud Mark Walton and 2016 undrafted free agent Tra Carson, who has done literally nothing in his career. That sets up Bernard to be the short-term bell-cow for a Bengals offense scoring on 52% of its drives so far, second best in the league. His Week 4 matchup against Atlanta looks particularly juicy, as the Falcons tend to give up big receiving games to running backs and will be without S Keanu Neal and LB Deion Jones.
Scott Cedar – @scedar015
Bernard is set to carry the load for the Bengals for the next two-to-four weeks with Joe Mixon missing time with a knee injury. He has little competition for touches and is an excellent receiver out of the backfield. Owners will get RB2 production from Bernard for the short term with added value in PPR formats. As a bonus in Week 4, he will face an Atlanta squad that just surrendered 14 receptions and 139 total yards to Christian McCaffrey.
Justin Mackey
Javorius Allen (BAL)
Javorius “Buck” Allen is not just a disrespected third-down back — he is actually a disrespected satellite plus back. He’s bigger than Alex Collins. He’s 6’0″ and weighs over 220 pounds. Not only can he catch the best out of the Ravens backfield, but he can also vulture touchdowns from the fumble-friendly Collins. Now that the third breakout for Kenneth Dixon has been eliminated, look for Allen to be quite active as both a third-down specialist and a change-of-pace for Collins. The once crowded Baltimore backfield isn’t so crowded anymore. Allen is definitely worth spending a “Buck” on this week.
Marc Mathyk – @Masterjune70
Theo Riddick (DET)
Gio Bernard is obviously the priority add at running back, so I’ll go with someone less likely to get plugged. You know what you’re getting with Riddick, who’s basically a glorified wide receiver at this point. The key here is that Riddick has seen 19 targets across the first two weeks of the season because Detroit has been consistently playing from behind. That’s not likely to change with the Patriots coming to town Sunday night as 6.5-point favorites. New England just gave up eight catches for 69 yards to Jaguars’ running backs last week. Riddick is a great PPR fill-in option for owners reeling from the losses of Le’Veon Bell, Devonta Freeman, Joe Mixon, etc., and won’t cost close to top-dollar on the wire.
Eli Weiner – @eweinerfantasy
Corey Clement (PHI)
While Giovani Bernard will surely draw most of the attention on the waiver wire at RB this week, and rightfully so with Joe Mixon out the next two-to-four weeks, not everyone will get a shot at him. For those fantasy owners, give Corey Clement some consideration. With the 35-year-old Darren Sproles missing Week 2 with a hamstring injury, Clement moved into the pass-catching back role for the Eagles offense reeling in five receptions for 55 yards. With Jay Ajayi bouncing in and out of the lineup in the early going and Sproles aging and dealing with an injury, Clement could have opportunities as both the pass-catching back and lead RB depending on who is on or off the field. Clement could also benefit, along with the rest of the Eagles offense, with the return of Carson Wentz in Week 3.
Brad Richter – @rotopilot
Who’s your top wide receiver pickup of the week?
Tyler Boyd (CIN)
It has been coming for a while. A year or two before the name John Ross was uttered in the NFL, many had high hopes for Tyler Boyd. Unfortunately, he never lived up to the hype. Even when he was healthy, he was always a third option. Though he still might technically be a third option, he seems to have surpassed Ross who apart from a three-yard touchdown, has not measured up to his supposed emergence. Boyd was sublime against the staunch Ravens defense, lighting it up alongside A.J. Green. Tyler Eifert is not as big of a threat stealing touchdowns because he is on a regimented snap count, so Boyd is definitely a guy I will be targeting this week.
Marc Mathyk – @Masterjune70
With how well Andy Dalton is playing, Boyd is worth adding to the end of your bench. Even better than his Week 2 performance were the nine targets he saw, tied with AJ Green to lead the team. Boyd is playing ahead of John Ross right now (Boyd played 76% of the Week 2 snaps to Ross’ 59%), has more experience in Bill Lazor’s system and has a more-developed rapport with Dalton. He’ll never face the opposing team’s top corner and runs high-percentage slot routes. He makes for an intriguing end-of-bench flier with legitimate bye-week flex status in his range of outcomes.
Eli Weiner – @eweinerfantasy
John Brown (BAL)
Brown has opened up the season by scoring a touchdown in back-to-back games and has become Joe Flacco’s favorite target early on. He leads Baltimore in receiving yards, yards per catch and touchdowns. Thursday night against the Bengals, Brown was targeted 10 times, tied for first on the team with Michael Crabtree. There’s always a health concern with Brown — he’s struggled with a sickle cell trait his entire career — but it is worth riding this hot streak.
Jon Munshaw – @jon_munshaw
I called Brown my top waiver add before he hit paydirt in Week 1, so I’m not exactly sure why he is still only owned in 25 percent of Yahoo leagues. But you have to believe this is the week that his ownership finally spikes after he collected four catches, 92 yards, and another touchdown on primetime television Thursday night. Big stats aside, there is ample opportunity for Brown to maintain his production and prove that his early-season success is not a mirage. The Ravens’ passing game looks surprisingly potent, and fellow wideout Michael Crabtree isn’t the player he once was. Brown’s 10 Week 2 targets hint that even bigger stat lines are possible for him.
Andrew Seifter – @andrew_seifter
I was dead wrong about John Brown heading into 2018. That’s why you never hold grudges for guys who have previously let you down. He has seized the limelight by scoring a touchdown in consecutive games while garnering 10 targets on Thursday night. The perennial breakout leads the Ravens in receiving yards (136) and red-zone targets (three). Despite building a goal-line rapport with Joe Flacco, he has also drawn the fourth-most average targeted air yards (19.8). He’s a legitimate high-upside matchup play going forward.
Andrew Gould – @andrewgould4
I’ve been touting John Brown as my top waiver wire add for two weeks, as he’s always produced when healthy and has a clear path to targets. So far he’s stayed off the injury report and has been very productive on the field, sitting at WR12 heading into Monday Night Football. He’s getting strong volume (14 targets, despite largely sitting in the second half of Week 1’s blowout), including from up close (three targets inside the 10, most on the Ravens). If Brown isn’t available, I really like Antonio Callaway as well — Josh Gordon’s exit presents a massive opportunity and he’s an absolute burner.
Scott Cedar – @scedar015
Brown has shown just how good he can be when healthy by opening the season with scores in each of the Ravens’ two contests. He turned 10 targets into four catches for 92 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals in Week 2. Brown has been productive in the past, as evidenced by a 1,000-yard campaign he posted with Arizona before injuries slowed him the past two seasons. He is an ideal deep threat with great hands and elite speed and can be started as a flex option with WR2 upside.
Justin Mackey
DeVante Parker (MIA)
Parker is a polarizing player but it appears that he’s just about ready to play after recovering from a hand injury. Once he’s activated, Parker will immediately slide back into his old starting role opposite of Kenny Stills and should command his customary target share. He’s not the most consistent wideout, but Parker has weekly WR2 upside and needs to be owned in all leagues.
Jody Smith – @JodySmithNFL
Dez Bryant (FA)
The trade of Josh Gordon to the Patriots will once again fuel speculation that Dez Bryant could be signed by the Browns who could use a receiver opposite Jarvis Landry and especially a big red zone target. Whether it is the Browns or another WR-needy team, I’m willing to do a speculative add of Bryant to see if he latches onto a team over the next couple of weeks before byes start to force tougher roster decisions.
Brad Richter – @rotopilot
So there you have it, the top WRs and RBs our writers are targeting on the waiver wire the week. Have any other questions? Let us know @FantasyPros.
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