Week 2 of the NFL season reminds of Bono's epic lyric, "Sunday, bloody Sunday." I'm in no way trying to diminish the real tragedies that spawned the U2 classic, but that is how Sunday's games unfolded. Fantasy is very similar to real football when injuries occur; next man up! Let's take a look at this week's top waiver adds for Week 3, along with their new-found opportunities.
Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL
Tevin Coleman has been diagnosed with fractured ribs, and looks to be out at least 2-3 weeks. Freeman will now get all he can handle as an undersized bell cow. Do temper expectations though: the Falcons are still a pass first team, and Freeman has looked very pedestrian as an NFL back. Also keep an eye on Terron Ward, the new backup RB in Atlanta. He is a rookie UDFA out of Oregon St., the younger brother to stud Safety T.J. Ward of the Denver Broncos, and impressed the Falcons coaching staff throughout camp and preseason.
James Starks, RB, GB
"Chubby" Eddie Lacy rolled his ankle Sunday night against the Seahawks, and couldn't return to the game. Reports have confirmed he avoided the dreaded high ankle sprain, and X-rays revealed no broken bones. He could miss no games, he could miss a month. All we do know is that Starks is one of the better back-up RB's in the league, and that McCarthy and Rodgers trust him as the RB1. If you're an Eddie Lacy owner, like myself, Starks is your number one priority this week.
Matt Jones, RB, WAS
Matt Jones was clearly miscasted in his offensive use at the University of Florida, and the Redskins have figured out that they have a HORSE of a rookie RB. St. Louis is thought to have a top five defense, and yet Matt Jones gouged them to the tune of 19/123/2. In comparison, Alfred Morris's stat line of 18/59/0 pales in comparison. Quite simply, Jones is "Family Ties," and Alf is "Alf."
David Johnson, RB, ARI
Similar to Jones, Johnson just looks too big to be that fast. Fresh/rookie legs must have something to do with it, but they just look "different" running the football. With Ellington on the mend and CJ?k running on egg shells, Bruce Arians will be forced to give the rookie more and more touches as the year goes on. Johnson has seven offensive touches for 100 yards and two TDs, and a 108-yard kickoff return TD to boot. Yes, please!
Travis Benjamin, WR, CLE
Welp. Gulp. This is a tough one. On one hand, how can you trust anyone in the CLE "aerial attack?" On the other hand, he just tied a record with another Brown you may have heard of, Jim Brown. Benjamin has FOUR TDs more than 50 yards long in the first two weeks of the season. Go get him. Gulp. Welp.
New England Patriots DST
As I've mentioned here before, I'm a fan of streaming defenses. This means I pick up a new Defense every week based on matchups. The Patriots D was dropped in a lot of leagues due to a poor Week 1 showing and a bad matchup in Buffalo in week two. In week three, they get Jacksonville at home. STREAM.