Here comes week three of the season. Although it just began, it already nears the quarter-point of fantasy football season. Some teams are 0-2, putting their owners in panic mode as they scour the waivers to replace players that didn’t perform as expected. Veteran players know not to panic, and that the landscape has yet to truly take form. Waiver claims are still being wasted on one-hit wonders who quickly fade. But, being patient, and getting a good watch list going is the key to victory. Many players on Last Word on Sport’s weekly watch list can be grabbed as free agents since they are still flying under the radar.
Week 3 Fantasy Football Watch List Featuring Jeff Wilson
Jeff Wilson Jr.
It’s rare to see a third-string running back even have a shot at making a fantasy impact, but that is exactly what happened this past Sunday with the San Francisco 49ers. Head coach Kyle Shanahan is a certified running back whisperer, best known for making Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman one of the most fearsome tandems in the league.
Last year Shanahan got good production out of multiple backs, one of which was Jeff Wilson. After the team lost Jerick McKinnon to injury before the season started, they experimented with their backs for a while. They probably spent too much time on the plodding Alfred Morris, who put up under four yards-per-carry. Matt Breida quickly took over, boasting a nice 5.3 yards-per-carry, and totaled over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in just 13 starts.
But Breida was often hurt, giving some other runners, Raheem Mostert and Wilson significant playing time in many games. This year, Mostert is operating as the number two. He’s already gone over 200 yards from scrimmage in two games, scoring over 20 points in fantasy last week. This week he is one of the top waiver adds who could jump right into the starting role if the injury-prone Breida goes down.
Wilson even got in on the fun last week. He was activated from the practice squad right before the game and went right in to score two touchdowns. Now, it won’t be every game that the 49ers can run the ball at will, meaning that Wilson can’t be counted on to start immediately. But the point is, that if Breida goes down, Wilson will immediately jump into the number two role.
Keep an eye on him and the rest of this potent backfield.
James Washington
James Washington was getting a lot of buzz this offseason as Juju Smith-Schuster’s replacement as the number two receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Last season, the offense got two wide receivers well over 1,000 yards. Well, Washington’s buzz quickly died out as Donte Moncrief ended up winning the number two spot.
But Moncrief hasn’t done well. In two games he has a solid 11 targets. Yet, he has only been able to secure three catches for 11 yards. That is only a 27 percent catch rate. Needless to say, it is time to give Washington a shot.
And there is another factor that also has Washington trending up. Ben Roethlisberger injured his elbow and is now officially out for the season. Mason Rudolph will take over the job moving forward, and he has a history with Washington. Both Rudolph and Washington were college teammates at Oklahoma State.
With Rudolph at quarterback, Washington racked up 35 touchdowns and 4,188 yards through 42 games. This chemistry could pay dividends quickly. Keep an eye on Washington next week, as he could become a top waiver wire add very soon.
Andy Dalton
Just thinking about the name Andy Dalton in fantasy football leaves a bad taste in one’s mouth. Dalton has been a starter in the league for a while for the Cincinnati Bengals. But he has never really sniffed fantasy relevance. Last season, he went down week 11 with a thumb injury. At that time, he was rated as the QB16.
His best year came back in 2013 when he was the QB5. Since then, he’s been somewhere between QB13 and QB18. But, this year, he could move a good amount up the rankings due to the plethora of injuries at the position right now. With top options like Drew Brees and Roethlisberger out, Cam Newton not looking the same, and Andrew Luck retiring, the quarterback landscape is ridiculously thin this year.
Through two games in 2019, Dalton is sitting at the QB11 spot. Both have given him consistent numbers two, with him not scoring under 19 points week one and two. His wide receivers are looking great, even without superstar A.J. Green. Tyler Boyd is continuing his breakout that began last season. But in addition, John Ross, who was considered dead even by his own team, has suddenly woken up.
Ross is finally living up to his high draft stock, totaling 280 yards and three touchdowns through two games. If Boyd and Ross keep clicking, and quarterbacks keep dropping, Dalton could be worth an add, at the least when bye weeks start hitting.
Redux: Terry McLaurin
Last week, Terry McLaurin made the watch list after coming out of nowhere to gain 125 yards and score a touchdown on five catches. While he didn’t have a ridiculous a game week two, he showed that week one was at least not a fluke. Again, McLaurin caught five passes, but this time was targeted nine times.
While it would have been nice if McLaurin would have reeled in a few more catches, to see him leading the wide receiver corps in targets is extremely promising. The Redskins really don’t have anyone to compete with McLaurin for targets. Chris Thompson will get his dump offs, likely leading the team in catches and targets, but McLaurin will be right behind.
If Jordan Reed ever comes from his concussion, he could compete, but knowing his injury history, he won’t be in the lineup for very long. Vernon Davis has filled in decently for him. However, he is in his 14th season and is 35 years old. Basically, if McLaurin didn’t get picked up during the waiver period, grab now before it is too late.
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