2014 Fantasy Football, Week Three Waiver Wire: Add Knile Davis and Bobby Rainey
Week two of the National Football League is officially in the books. And with that, fantasy football fans are looking towards the waiver wire to see if their team can be improved in any way. Some fantasy footballers will react — or, overreact — to their players performances unjustly during this period. Plenty of buzz and player recommendations will surface in preparation of your league’s waiver period causing owners to make rash decisions and drop players they spent months researching. But if I had one recommendation at all, it would be to sit back, relax and let your leaguemates be the ones to overreact.
Before we get to this week’s potential waiver wire pickups, it’s important to note that I WOULD ONLY spend my first or second waiver priority on Knile Davis or Bobby Rainey (if you’re a Jamaal Charles or Doug Martin owner) from the list below. Also, players listed below are in no particular order.
Knile Davis | Kansas City and Bobby Rainey | Tampa Bay
The injury bug struck early and often in week two, with two of the top 11 running backs — according to preseason average draft position — either being inactive or leaving early.
The former would refer to Doug Martin, who the Buccaneers declared as inactive prior to their contest with the Saint Louis Rams. Enter Bobby Rainey, the former Western Kentucky back who rushed for a whopping 144 yards on 22 carries. Rainey added three receptions on three targets for 30 yards for a grand total of 174 total yards from scrimmage. This week, the Bucs get a Falcons run defense that just surrendered 265 total yards and two touchdowns to Giovanni Bernard and Jeremy Hill and allowed 139 yards on the ground in week one from a combination of Saints’ skill players. On a short week, the Falcons defense will be vulnerable, and the combination of Doug Martin and Bobby Rainey could cause some trouble if both are healthy. Regarding Martin: In 15 games since his four touchdown performance against the Raiders in week nine of the 2012 season, he’s only eclipsed the 100-yard mark four times and landed in the end zone just five times. Rainey has six touchdowns and three 100-yard games in ten contests since week ten of ‘13. I would not be surprised if Rainey took a bulk of touches away from Martin, even if he is healthy. I just don’t think Martin is all that good. But that is old news.
Jamaal Charles headed to the locker room with a high ankle sprain after just five snaps in Sunday’s showdown with Denver. Charles, a consensus top three fantasy football draft pick, carried the ball just twice for four yards and added one reception on one target for an additional eight yards. Knile Davis was the next man in and rushed for 79 yards on 22 carries and found the end zone twice. He also hauled in six passes on eight targets for 26 yards out of the backfield. Andy Reid indicated that Charles did indeed suffer a high ankle sprain, but didn’t believe it “was a severe one.” Davis probably should’ve been drafted in most leagues with 12 or more teams, but if by chance he’s still on the wire, the time to pounce was on draft day is now. You never know what can happen with those pesky ankle injuries, so you need to have your insurance.
Consider in leagues: All
Waiver Priority Worthy: 1 and lower for Charles/Martin owners
Spend this much FAAB to acquire: 50%
Players I’d drop for him: your lowest ranked player
Danny Woodhead | San Diego and Donald Brown | San Diego
Ryan Mathews is injured again. Insert joke about Mathews’ inability to stay healthy here. This time, he’ll miss 4-5 weeks with a sprained MCL. In his stead, both Danny Woodhead and Donald Brown figure to take on the heavy lifting in the Chargers’ backfield. Woodhead has 14 carries and five receptions on the season thus far but doesn’t have any touchdowns or significant yardage totals to show for it. Despite playing roughly half as many snaps asWoodhead, Brown has almost as money touches (10), most of which came on the ground (7). Woodhead’s value will likely get the biggest boost in PPR formats while I like Donald Brown to get the bulk of the carries.
Consider in leagues: 10-team and deeper
Waiver Priority Worthy: 5 and lower
Spend this much FAAB to acquire: 20-25%
Players I’d drop for him: LeGarrette Blount, Dexter McCluster, Lance Dunbar
Kirk Cousins | Washington
Another victim of the week two injury bug was Robert Griffin III. The Redskins’ quarterback suffered a dislocated ankle while rolling out of the pocket towards the sidelines under pressure. Some reports suggest that Griffin III could miss up to eight weeks since there is no fracture in the ankle. But for fantasy purposes, up to eight weeks puts you pretty close to the fake playoffs. And if your league doesn’t have an IR type of slot, he’s not worth keeping around for the time being and hogging a roster spot. Kirk Cousins stepped in and completed 22-of-33 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns. Cousins does have a history of throwing the ball to players wearing different jerseys, so don’t get too excited if you’re able to grab him, but I do think he has some upside.
Consider in leagues: 12-team
Waiver Priority Worthy: 8 and lower
Spend this much FAAB to acquire: 5-10%
Players I’d drop for him: Robert Griffin III, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Hoyer
Ahmad Bradshaw | Indianapolis
Bradshaw is owned in most 12-team leagues, so this is just a friendly reminder to take a gander at your wire for him. Bradshaw saw just about one-third of the touches out of the Colts’ backfield on Monday Night Football, but did get more work in the passing game than his counterpart Trent Richardson did. Bradshaw only outgained Richardson 96-to-95 (yards), but he did so on fewer carries and landed in the end zone twice. Bradshaw should be rostered, preferably by you, come Wednesday.
Consider in leagues: 12-team
Waiver Priority Worthy: 5 and lower
Spend this much FAAB to acquire: 20-25%
Players I’d drop for him: LeGarrette Blount, Dexter McCluster, Lance Dunbar
Davante Adams | Green Bay
Adams, a favorite deep sleeper of many fantasy football analysts heading into the season, hauled in five passes for 50 yards on seven targets against the Jets in week two. Rodgers sure has an incredible rapport with Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb, but Jarrett Boykin — who I genuinely liked heading into this year — has just one reception for six yards in the two games. I’m not dropping Boykin just yet, but I do believe that Rodgers needs another pass catcher outside of the primary duo to get the ball to. Adams could very well be that guy.
Consider in leagues: 14-team
Waiver Priority Worthy: 12 and lower
Spend this much FAAB to acquire: 0-5%
Players I’d drop for him: Player with the lowest ceiling
Larry Donnell | New York Giants and Niles Paul | Washington
Adrien Robinson was a popular pick to emerge as the go-to tight end for the New York Football Giants, but he hasn’t seen the field outside of special teams. Donell, on the other hand, has been on the field for 113 of the Giants’ 135 offensive snaps. The 6’06”, 279 pound man out of Grambling State has hauled in 12 receptions on 17 targets for 137 yards and a touchdown through two weeks.
With Jordan Reed sidelined, Niles Paul has filled in nicely for the Skins. Paul has 12 receptions on 14 targets for 185 yards and a touchdown but has dropped a pass and fumbled once. With that said, he’s scored the sixth-most fantasy points among tight ends as we enter week three, so he should be given a look if you’re scrambling for a tight end, have an injured one or can start multiple in your lineups.
Consider in leagues: 12-team
Waiver Priority Worthy: 10 and lower
Spend this much FAAB to acquire: 5-7%
Players I’d drop for him: Garrett Graham, Brent Celek, Tim Wright
The Author
2 Comments
If you’ve put yourself in the unenviable situation of needing an RB2/flex for the duration of the season, who’s a better investment? Sure you might get three or four stellar weeks out of Davis, but what will he do when — “if” is unlikely — Charles returns? Does Martin’s status as a “Schiano guy” and a rather underwhelming performer since his breakout ’12 campaign make him vulnerable to lose snaps to Rainey when he returns?
I’ve got the top waiver pick, and will move to the back once I use it, so I want to make sure I don’t continue my terrible trajectory in this league.
I also have the top waiver pick and am a Charles owner and I’m going Rainey just because when Charles is back Davis isn’t going to steal many touches from him. Rainey however will continue to see a bulk of the carries, so long as he produces and Martin continues to struggle(highly likely)