Fantasy Football Buy and Sell Candidates For Week 3

I May Not Be A Doctor, But I Can Still Help

Is there a doctor in the house? IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE!!??

The Week Two injuries to RG3, Jamaal Charles, Doug Martin, Knowshon Moreno, Carson Palmer, A.J. Green, Mark Ingram and Vernon Davis, among others, will test your skills as a fantasy football manager as well as your ability to put together a winning Week Three lineup.

Oh did I forget to mention that Adrian Peterson will be MIA for the foreseeable future as well? You’ve got a lot of work ahead of you. Right now your team might look like Humpty Dumpty after he took the big fall, but you are going to use all of your powers and unlike all the king's horses and all the king's men you will put your roster back together again…with my help of course.

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By now you’ve familiarized yourself with all of the hot waiver wire pickups. You probably already know about Knile Davis, Bobby Rainey and Mohammed Sanu, and they are all viable options, but my four buy recommendations include some familiar names and some others that you might not have considered as replacements for your wounded warriors.

Like last week I’ve also chosen two players that you should sell while they still have some residual value remaining. Most importantly you need to keep it together. It’s only week three and you’ll get through this. Good luck!

Week 3 Fantasy Football Buys

Cordarrelle Patterson - WR, Minnesota Vikings

Owned in 98% of Fleaflicker leagues

It will be interesting to see how the Vikings offense adjusts to life without Adrian Peterson. Matt Asiata was gobbled up by fantasy football managers hungry for a decent option at running back and he performed admirably in Week Two, notching a touchdown and 84 total yards, but I believe that the absence of Peterson will definitely expand Cordarrelle Patterson’s role in the Viking offense.

Since he is widely owned in all league formats you are going to have to put on your GM cap and work out a trade for him but I think it will be worth your while. His numbers thus far this season haven’t been spectacular, seven receptions on 12 targets, but wide receivers who can line up in the backfield like he did in Week One when he rushed three times for 102 yards and a touchdown, are few and far between.

The Vikings will try to keep opposing defenses guessing and will have Patterson line up as a slot receiver on some plays and in the backfield on others. He is a playmaker who has the ability to take a screen pass and turn it into a huge gain. He is a dynamic receiver who will definitely player a larger role in the Viking offense in the coming weeks.

Steve Smith Sr. - WR, Baltimore Ravens

Owned in 72% of Fleaflicker leagues 

Steve Smith Sr. has certainly found the fountain of youth in Baltimore. Smith Sr. took the fact that he was released by the Panthers personally and came into preseason camp looking to prove that he still had a lot left and so far it looks as if he does. If you watched last Thursdays game between the Ravens and the Steelers you saw Smith playing like a man possessed.

Although officially listed as the Ravens WR2 he has definitely gotten QB Joe Flacco’s attention with thirteen receptions compared to incumbent number one receiver Torrey Smith’s four grabs. Smith Sr. has outpaced Torrey Smith 25 to 10 in the all important targets category.

As long as he can stay healthy Smith Sr. is a solid play every week. He may not be available on your league’s waiver wire but if you need some help at the wide receiver position he is someone that you can trade for without having to give up too much.

Kirk Cousins - QB, Washington Redskins

Owned in 35% of Fleaflicker leagues 

Robert Griffin III’s season seemed to be doomed from the start. He had a tough preseason in which he looked way out of sorts as he struggled to learn Jay Gruden’s offense. Kirk Cousins, who will be the starter going forward after Griffin dislocated his ankle this past Sunday, drew praise from Hall Of Fame QB Joe Theisman as he outplayed RG3 leading up to the start of the NFL season.

Common sense dictates that you can’t put too much credence in preseason stats but Cousins picked up right where he left off when he relieved Griffin this past week, completing 22-of-33 pass attempts for 250 yards, two touchdowns and zero picks. It seems that Cousins has a fantasy stud to work with at every position.

Everyone knows how good wide receivers Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson are but the emergence of tight end Niles Paul, (eight receptions for 99 yards and a TD with eleven targets) the solid running of RB Alfred Morris and the rumors circulating that Gruden always felt that Cousins was a better choice to run his offense than RG3, all make him a must add this week.

Marvin Jones - WR, Cincinnati Bengals

Owned in 16% of Fleaflicker leagues

Marvin Jones was a touchdown machine in 2013 scoring 10 TDs on just 51 receptions last season. That means that almost 20% of his catches went for touchdowns! He had 712 receiving yards in 16 games last season and at 24 years old was considered a budding fantasy star. Unfortunately Jones is dealing with a broken foot but he is targeted to make his season debut in Week Five, following the Bengals BYE.

With the uncertainty of the seriousness of Bengals number one WR A.J. Green and the loss of TE Tyler Eifert until Week 10 this might be a good time to pluck Marvin Jones off of the waiver wire and stash him on your bench. Any foot injury to a wide receiver is worrisome but all reports indicate that Jones’ rehab is progressing as planned and if you have the room on your bench picking up Jones now could be a move with a lot of upside.

Week 3 Fantasy Football Sells

Doug Martin - RB, Tampa Bay Bucs

Owned in 95% of Fleaflicker leagues 

If you own shares in Doug Martin you and your fellow fantasy owners collectively breathed a sigh of relief when it appeared that he would be ready to play for his Week Three matchup against the porous Atlanta Falcon D but you are not out of the woods yet. After missing 10 games last season Martin is dealing with a knee injury that has the potential to hamper his entire 2014 season.

With the emergence of Bobby Rainey as an effective replacement, the Bucs won’t hesitate to sit Martin or limit his touches and he will be a risky play every week. Your best case scenario is that Martin has a good Week Three performance and drives up his trade value. If you’re lucky and that happens, you need to put him on the trading block and negotiate a deal where you get back fair value considering that you probably picked him up within the first few rounds of your draft.

Hakeem Nicks - WR, Indianapolis Colts

Owned in 48% of Fleaflicker leagues

Through the first two games of the season Indy QB Andrew Luck has targeted Hakeem Nicks just eight times. Reggie Wayne has had 20 passes targeted his way and T.Y. Hilton, the perennial number one Colt receiver, has been targeted 22 times. In an offense in which the quarterback has attempted 87 passes so far this season, Hakeem Nicks is an afterthought.

Nicks has not been a viable fantasy wide receiver since 2011 and he has done nothing so far to make us believe that he will regain the form that saw him score 11 touchdowns on 79 catches in 2010. The NY Giants’ offense struggled mightily last season but Nicks was still targeted 102 times and only came down with 56 receptions and zero touchdowns.

Thankfully for those who had faith enough to draft him this season he has already eclipsed that number. The Colts have a powerful offense and Nicks needs to absorb some of that power. Maybe he needs to take a page out of He-Man's book and hold a football up to the sky and proclaim “I HAVE THE POWER!!!.” No, that still wouldn’t work. Your best bet is to put him on the trading block.