2012 Fantasy Football, Week 2 Gold Mine: Danny Amendola Is Waiver Wire Treasure
Danny Amendola
Another rash of injuries has some new names garnering extra interest off the waiver wire this week, while some unexpectedly elite performances are also having some lesser names stand out.
Week two of fantasy football offers up some possible one-hit wonders, as well as some handcuffs that could have a bright immediate future ahead of them. Let’s take a look at five available guys who could pay off soon:
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Buffalo Bills (Available in 62% of leagues)
I could put Sam Bradford here, too, but something tells me there’s something very wrong with putting three Rams plays on a waiver wire list, so I won’t. Settling for Fitzpatrick isn’t a step back, though, as he’s put up comparable stats and he still has potential to do more damage. He’s a risk versus shaky matchups, to be sure, but right now he’s playing good ball and he gets a bad Browns team in week three. I like his chances.
Daryl Richardson, RB, St. Louis Rams (95%)
Richardson has been impressive as a rookie. So impressive, that he’s the locked-in backup to Steven Jackson before second round pick Isaiah Pead. That certainly won’t be changing after Richardson put up over 100+ total yards with Jackson sitting out most of week two’s game with a sore groin. Jackson isn’t a lock to play in week three, which makes Richardson a hot add off the waiver wire. Even if S-Jax is back and 100%, Richardson just become the best new handcuff you have to have.
Danny Amendola, WR, St. Louis Rams (51%)
We all knew Amendola was PPR gold and a quality WR3 in random weeks, but pretty much no one saw his 15-catch, 160-yard and one-touchdown showing coming in week two. He probably even didn’t. However, Sam Bradford loves throwing to the guy, and this freakout may be more of a normal thing going forward. Maybe not exactly to this magnitude, but you can bet Bradford will continue to look to him as his top guy. Amendola is just that reliable.
Brian Hartline, WR, Miami Dolphins (96%)
Hartline was slow to make an impact after missing a ton of time over the summer with an appendectomy and nagging injuries. He’s healthy now, and it was pretty evident in week two after he caught nine passes for 11 yards off of 12 targets. I know Miami has a rookie quarterback under center, but if Hartline is getting targets like that and actually producing like he did last week, it’s not something you can ignore. I’ve always liked his size and athleticism, and now it appears he might have a role that could garner some attention. Don’t be too shocked if he keeps putting up solid WR3 production.
Martellus Bennett, TE, New York Giants (64%)
I was a little skeptical on Bennett entering 2012, but I’m man enough to admit I was wrong. With two touchdowns through the first two weeks, he’s already proven to have the chemistry with Eli Manning to make him a quality play on weekly basis. His size and athleticism are great and I really like what I’ve seen out of him so far. There’s still untapped potential here.
Week two of fantasy football offers up some possible one-hit wonders, as well as some handcuffs that could have a bright immediate future ahead of them. Let’s take a look at five available guys who could pay off soon:
Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB, Buffalo Bills (Available in 62% of leagues)
I could put Sam Bradford here, too, but something tells me there’s something very wrong with putting three Rams plays on a waiver wire list, so I won’t. Settling for Fitzpatrick isn’t a step back, though, as he’s put up comparable stats and he still has potential to do more damage. He’s a risk versus shaky matchups, to be sure, but right now he’s playing good ball and he gets a bad Browns team in week three. I like his chances.
Daryl Richardson, RB, St. Louis Rams (95%)
Richardson has been impressive as a rookie. So impressive, that he’s the locked-in backup to Steven Jackson before second round pick Isaiah Pead. That certainly won’t be changing after Richardson put up over 100+ total yards with Jackson sitting out most of week two’s game with a sore groin. Jackson isn’t a lock to play in week three, which makes Richardson a hot add off the waiver wire. Even if S-Jax is back and 100%, Richardson just become the best new handcuff you have to have.
Danny Amendola, WR, St. Louis Rams (51%)
We all knew Amendola was PPR gold and a quality WR3 in random weeks, but pretty much no one saw his 15-catch, 160-yard and one-touchdown showing coming in week two. He probably even didn’t. However, Sam Bradford loves throwing to the guy, and this freakout may be more of a normal thing going forward. Maybe not exactly to this magnitude, but you can bet Bradford will continue to look to him as his top guy. Amendola is just that reliable.
Brian Hartline, WR, Miami Dolphins (96%)
Hartline was slow to make an impact after missing a ton of time over the summer with an appendectomy and nagging injuries. He’s healthy now, and it was pretty evident in week two after he caught nine passes for 11 yards off of 12 targets. I know Miami has a rookie quarterback under center, but if Hartline is getting targets like that and actually producing like he did last week, it’s not something you can ignore. I’ve always liked his size and athleticism, and now it appears he might have a role that could garner some attention. Don’t be too shocked if he keeps putting up solid WR3 production.
Martellus Bennett, TE, New York Giants (64%)
I was a little skeptical on Bennett entering 2012, but I’m man enough to admit I was wrong. With two touchdowns through the first two weeks, he’s already proven to have the chemistry with Eli Manning to make him a quality play on weekly basis. His size and athleticism are great and I really like what I’ve seen out of him so far. There’s still untapped potential here.
Written by Kevin Roberts of NFLSoup.com for TheFantasyFix.com. For more great fantasy football analysis, follow Kevin on twitter @NFLSoupKevin.
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