Consider yourself lucky if your fantasy teams weren’t affected by the plethora of NFL injuries this week.
Even if you escaped unscathed, you should still work the waiver wire to try to improve your roster. Injuries will continue to happen and depth is key.
This will be a busy week to acquire free agents.
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RYAN TANNEHILL (QB, Dolphins)
Tannehill is a quarterback to stream in Week 3. He passed for 389 yards, two touchdowns and rushed for 35 yards against the Patriots in Week 2. The Browns have allowed 580 passing yards and four touchdowns the first two games to Carson Wentz and Joe Flacco.
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JERRICK MCKINNON AND MATT ASIATA (RBs, Vikings)
Adrian Peterson has a torn meniscus and it’s not clear how much time he will miss. McKinnon has been limited by a back injury early on. He’s the more explosive back and could get more touches than Asiata. McKinnon will be better in point-per-reception formats, but Asiata will get goal line touches and he will be cheaper in leagues with free agent acquisition budgets.
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DWAYNE WASHINGTON (RB, Lions)
Ameer Abdullah has a foot injury and while Theo Riddick will get a boost and most of the action in the passing game, Washington will see more touches. Washington has six carries for 32 yards with a touchdown and should be used near the goal line.
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FOZZY WHITTAKER AND CAMERON ARTIS-PAYNE (RBs, Panthers)
Jonathan Stewart is going to miss time with a hamstring injury. Whittaker had 16 carries for 100 yards and caught three passes for 31 yards in Week 2. Artis-Payne has been inactive the first two games since he doesn’t play special teams, but coach Ron Rivera said he will play. Whittaker is the preferred play in point-per-reception leagues, but Stewart might only miss one week or two. Artis-Payne received 33 carries in three games that Stewart missed last season.
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JAY AJAYI (RB, Dolphins)
Don’t go crazy over Ajayi. This is for deeper leagues. The Dolphins will struggle to run the ball. Arian Foster has a groin injury and could miss time. Ajayi was left behind in Miami in Week 1 and he fumbled in Week 2. The coaching staff doesn’t love him, but he will get volume if Foster is sidelined. Kenyan Drake will be in the mix, too. Damien Williams and Isaiah Pead could be active as well. So yes, this is a mess.
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JORDAN HOWARD (RB, Bears)
Jeremy Langford has struggled and fumbled Monday night. Ka’Deem Carey has a hamstring injury and Howard may get more involved in the offense.
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COLE BEASLEY (WR, Cowboys)
Beasley has become a dependable piece of the offense, especially with Terrance Williams being phased out. Beasley caught five passes for 75 yards on six targets after he had eight catches for 65 yards on 12 targets in Week 1.
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JAMISON CROWDER (WR, Redskins)
Crowder is a big part of a Redskins offense that is heavy on the pass. He had six catches for 39 yards with a touchdown and was wide open for another score, but Kirk Cousins overthrew him. Crowder has 12 catches on 18 targets and five red zone targets.
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VICTOR CRUZ (WR, Giants)
Cruz has looked good and made a tough catch with a defender on him late in the game to set up the winning field goal against the Saints on Sunday. He had eight targets and caught four passes for 91 yards. The Giants employ a lot of three-wide sets and Cruz played all but five snaps in Week 2.
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QUINCY ENUNWA (WR, Jets)
Enunwa is basically the tight end in this offense since the Jets don’t have one they utilize in the passing game. Even with Brandon Marshall, Eric Decker and Matt Forte, there is room for Enunwa to succeed. He has caught 13 of 14 targets for 146 yards with a touchdown.
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TYRELL WILLIAMS (WR, Chargers)
In case you missed him last week, Williams could see more targets with Danny Woodhead out for the season. Williams had three catches for 61 yards, including a 44-yard TD in Week 2.
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JESSE JAMES (TE, Steelers)
James, who has played every snap, had three catches for 29 yards with a touchdown on five targets. He had seven targets in Week 1 and Ben Roethlisberger likes to target the tight end in the red zone.
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DENNIS PITTA (TE, Ravens)
With injuries and several disappointments at tight end, Pitta needs to be added. Pitta, who missed 2015 and played three games in 2014, led the Ravens with 12 targets and caught nine passes for 102 yards.
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JACOB TAMME (TE, Falcons)
Tamme had eight targets for the second straight game. He has 11 catches for 126 yards with a TD.
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This column was provided to The Associated Press by the Fantasy Sports Network, http://FNTSY.com .
