The Waiver Wire can be a fickle beast. Surprising Week 1 performers like Alfred Morris, Andrew Hawkins and Dennis Pitta followed up with solid Week 2 stat lines, while other “Must-Adds” like Mark Sanchez and Kevin Ogletree were apparently spending their Sundays getting ready for the premiere of Boardwalk Empire. And while I don’t blame them, they should really just DVR it like the rest of us. Actually, it’s on HBO so they have the options of DVR, On Demand, or HBO Go. So there’s no excuse for Jonathan Dwyer to manage only 28 yards against a Jets defense that let C.J. Spiller do whatever he wanted in Week 1. The whole situation makes me want to give him the Jimmy Darmody treatment. Anyway, here are your Week 3 pickups for unique leagues:
PPR Leagues – Danny Amendola and Donnie Avery
This was a busy week for receivers on the 2009 St. Louis Rams with the initials D.A., as Amendola and Avery pulled in a combined 24 receptions. Amendola had an especially big day with 15 catches for 160 yards and a TD, and will be among the most-added players in all leagues heading into Week 3. The Rams O-Line is perpetually leaky, so Sam Bradford will be constantly targeting his hot receiver, and while 100+ yards may not be a weekly occurrence, 10+ targets sounds about right. If Amendola is not owned in your PPR league, he’s worth the #1 Waiver bid or about half of your FAAB budget. If he is owned, his price tag just went up to Welker-level.
Donnie Avery has had an up and down career, but he’s always been worth a roster spot in PPR leagues when healthy. His role in the Colts offense was questionable heading into this season, but with Austin Collie dealing with concussion issues yet again, it appears that he will see the field for the foreseeable future. Through two weeks, Indy has used Avery in a Percy Harvin-like role, and his 20 combined targets and rushes ranks 13th among all receivers. No matter the situation, it appears that Donnie is never out of his element.
Two QB Leagues – Ryan Tannehill and Kevin Kolb
After watching Hard Knocks, the only things clear to me are 1) Jeff Ireland shouldn’t be in charge of a Pop Warner team let alone an NFL team, 2) Ryan Tannehill’s wife will be on a Bravo reality show within the next two years, and 3) Matt Moore gives the Dolphins the best chance to win this year. Obviously Tannehill is the long term plan (if there is one) in Miami, and in fantasy we usually don’t care about that. But after his performance against the Raiders, it looks like Tannehill has some upside this year. Thus far he’s been slightly erratic, but his overall numbers aren’t that bad, and he brings some value with his legs. Those are the same exact things people are saying about Jake Locker, and he’s likely rostered in 2QB leagues. Additionally, Tannehill gets nice matchups in Weeks 5, 6, and 9, which lines up with the bye weeks for Romo, Stafford, Cam, Brees and Brady.
If they ever make a movie about this Arizona Cardinals season, and at this rate they might, I think Dwight from The Office is a shoo-in to play Kolb. Either him, or this Dutch kid I know named Veets. But Dwight is a professional actor, so he makes more sense. As physically painful as it might be to add Kolb, the Cards appear to be following the 2011 49ers season to a tee, and Kolb is playing the role of Alex Smith. Last year, the thought of Smith finishing as a top-15 QB was as comical as Notre Dame actually beating a top-10 team, but crazier things have happened. Kolb won’t be spectacular, but you could do worse (see: Gabbert, Blaine).
IDP Leagues – Jerrell Freeman and Yeremiah Bell
True story. When I was looking to add a linebacker to my IDP team after Week 1, I saw Freeman’s performance and thought, “I’ll give him another week before seriously considering him.” Well, someone in my league got him for $1, and got to enjoy his 13-tackle, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble performance against the Vikings, while I was left with Jovan Belcher and a bag of Takis. So far, Freeman has been good for both tackles and big plays, and without Pat Angerer, this Colts team appears to have no one who knows how to tackle. Don’t be like me. Put some pants on and grab Freeman before it’s too late.
Yeremiah Bell has racked up over 100 total tackles in each of the last 4 years, leading the Dolphins in that category each time. He has since moved to the Jets, and for some reason he has fallen out of favor with the folks that do IDP rankings. The rap on him has always been his lack of big plays, which is justified, but there is no one more consistent when it comes to plain old tackles. His price will be rising after a 10-tackle performance against the Steelers, so now is the time to make a move.
Dynasty/Keeper Leagues – Daryl Richardson and Lamar Miller
Both of these guys will join Amendola among the most-added in all leagues this week, but I only recommend making a move in leagues that look towards the future. Richardson got his work because Jeff Fisher was making an example of Steven Jackson, and while he looked good at times, he may have hurt his chances at future carries with a costly fumble. Richardson has value as Jackson’s backup in 2012, but that’s about it. Next year is a different story, as I expect the Rams to have a time-share with Jackson, Richardson and Isaiah Pead, with one of the young guns taking over for good in 2014. At this point, it looks like Richardson is the front-runner for that job.
Lamar Miller is probably best known for his meteoric fall at this year’s draft, turning a former first-round prospect into a fourth-round value for the Dolphins. The biggest problem for Miller now is the crowded state of the Miami backfield. Reggie Bush is entrenched as the starter, and last year’s second-round pick Daniel Thomas is a serviceable backup, providing seemingly little opportunity for Miller. That all changed Sunday, as Thomas was out with a concussion and Bush was tired from running a marathon against Oakland’s defense, giving Miller a chance to show his stuff. He made the best of it with 65 yards and a TD, and a possible preview of the backfield of the future with Tannehill in Miami. He will remain behind Bush and possibly Thomas for the rest of this season, but it will be Miller Time at some point soon for the Dolphins.
