RADIO
Another week, another top player at his position with a serious injury. This time it's Carolina tight end Greg Olsen, who was expected to be a top-five TE this season. There were also plenty of other injuries--Corey Coleman, Jimmy Graham, Jordan Howard (who was in a sling after the game after dealing with shoulder issues all week).
It also wasn't the best week for last week's top pick-up, Bears running back Tarik Cohen. That's less his fault, though, and more the fault of that very bad Bears performance. Bring on the Trubisky! Or...not.
Let's look at deeper waiver wire targets and sleepers for Week 3, players whose ownership is currently under 20% and are likely available in many of your leagues. There will be some surprising names this week because it was not the most normal week. Note: All ownership percentages are for Yahoo leagues.
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Deeper Waiver Wire Targets for Week 3
Trevor Siemian (QB, Denver Broncos) - 13% owned
Siemian was not on many people's radars, but after throwing for four touchdowns in Denver's 42-17 win over Dallas, maybe it's time to give him a look. He's currently the top scoring player in standard not named Kareem Hunt and the Broncos defense looks good enough to give the Broncos offenses a lot of playing time. Even if you aren't ready to run with Siemian as your every-week starter, he's still worth an add and a role as the spot-starter for your team.
Deshaun Watson (QB, Houston Texans) - 13% owned
Watson was thrust into the starting role for the Texans and he was...not great. At least, not great from a real life perspective, but his rushing ability and the fact that Houston's offensive line is BAD and will keep Watson scrambling gives him a pretty high fantasy floor. If he can improve his accuracy, he can be more than a sneaky play at the position. Don't forget: he gets to play the Colts twice.
Chris Johnson (RB, Arizona Cardinals) - 12% owned
Johnson was signed during the week after David Johnson was placed on IR. Chris Johnson has been around a long time and whether or not be can hold up is a valid concern. But Johnson carried the ball 11 times for 44 yards this week for the Cardinals and if you really need to own a piece of this backfield then give Johnson a try. He won't recapture the old magic, but he'll probably get between 10 and 15 touches going forward.
D'Onta Foreman (RB, Houston Texans) - 7% owned
The running back position is already pretty shallow when it come to the waiver wire, but Foreman is an interesting prospect. Lamar Miller hasn't impressed as the Texans starting back, which is why Foreman saw 12 carries in Houston's Week 2 win against Cincinnati. Foreman looked exciting at times in the preseason and could be a good play if he continues to carve out a role with the Texans.
Kendall Wright (WR, Chicago Bears) - 15% owned
If the Bears are as bad the rest of the year as they were in Week 2, then Kendall Wright could be seeing a lot of targets as Mike Glennon (or Mitchell Trubisky?) just throws the ball over and over to try getting his team back into the game. Wright flashed some potential early in his career as a Titan, so it isn't a stretch to think a change of scenery and a big role on the Bears will lead to some big games for Wright.
Devin Funchess (WR, Carolina Panthers) - 13% owned
There's nothing super exciting about Funchess, but with Greg Olsen out for a while, Funchess could be in line to see an uptick in targets. The Panthers offense hasn't looked great thus far in 2017, but Funchess did have 68 yards in Week 2--he could be a solid, unspectacular FLEX play when he gets a good match-up.
Jaron Brown (WR, Arizona Cardinals) - 2% owned
Arizona's offense doesn't look great, but Jaron Brown was targeted 11 times. He only turned that into four catches, but if he sees that volume again he's bound to perform better, right? The Cardinals have a crowded receiving core, but if John Brown misses more time then Jaron Brown could continue to get looks.
Rashard Higgins (WR, Cleveland Browns) - 2% owned
I wouldn't normally advise you to pick-up a completely unknown receiver for the Cleveland Browns, but Corey Coleman broke his arm, Sammie Coates apparently does not exist, and Kenny Britt only barely exists, which means Higgins is suddenly a viable option in the Browns passing game. 11 targets. That likely isn't sustainable, but for now Higgins looks like the player to own in the Browns receiving core--at least until the mysterious Josh Gordon returns from his hundred-year suspension. (I'm joking about Gordon, right? He's not going to show up on this list next week, right? I didn't add him to my watch list, right???)
Brandon Coleman (WR, New Orleans Saints) - 1% owned
What can I say? He's a Saints receiver who went off this week. There's probably a 90% chance you don't want to own him, but it's hard to resist taking a chance on someone who Drew Brees will be throwing footballs to. Coleman probably has a couple more big games this year and puts up a lot of duds, but if you're in a position where you need to throw a Hail Mary then there are definitely worse options.
David Njoku (TE, Cleveland Browns) - 7% owned
Njoku is going to be a very good tight end one day, but rookies often struggle at the position. It'll be an up and down year for him, but he should become more valuable as he gains comfort in the Cleveland offense. Like I said above, the team doesn't have the best group of receivers, so Njoku could emerge as a great safety valve for the Browns and quarterback DeShone Kizer. Again, it's tough to trust a rookie tight end, but Njoku has all the tools to be a great NFL player.
Zach Miller (TE, Chicago Bears) - 5% owned
Zach Miller seems to be always underrated. Here's what he can be for your fantasy team this season: a consistent option playing on a very bad team that will likely rely on the tight end position with most of their wide receivers hurt. Miller was targeted nine times this week and I don't expect to see that number decline much going forward. Zach Miller will never give you a big game, but he can give you steady production at a position where that can be hard to come by.
Benjamin Watson (TE, Baltimore Ravens)- 2%
The Ravens seem to be content just running the ball and throwing it to the tight end in 2017, which means Watson could have a few more games like his eight catch, 91 yard Week 2 one. I don't think he provides the safe floor of Zach Miller, but he has much higher upside.
