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Nick Gaut looks at the most added and dropped players of the week on Fleaflicker's waiver wire transactions list to help fantasy football owners evaluate player value and who to stream in Week 3.
Two weeks have now passed in the young 2020 season of the NFL and the Miami Dolphins have already given up 102 points. Who knew that fielding a team of minor leaguers would lead to such a historically horrible start?
Everyone. Everyone knew. Here's some helpful advice that will serve you well for all the year: when looking to stream a defense or grab one in DFS, always look first for the team that's playing the Dolphins. You won't be disappointed. But enough about the poorly playing, poor man's porpoises.
Let's move on to some professional football teams!
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Week 2 Recap
Week 2 was chock full of wide receivers blowing up, as Demarcus Robinson (172 yards, 2 TD), Odell Beckham (161 yards, 1 TD), and Julio Jones (106 yards, 2 TD) all going off in big ways. In the backfield, Green Bay running back Aaron Jones made all his owners step back from the cliffs of insanity, rewarding them with 116 yards and a touchdown. And Austin Ekeler continued to ruin Melvin Gordon hopes and dreams of the Chargers crawling back to him, with Ekelar combining on the ground and in the air for 133 yards and a touchdown.
And speaking of ruined hopes and dreams, how about all the owners who used a top-3 pick on Christian McCaffrey only to see him go belly-up in Week 2, posting only 53 total yards on 18 touches? With Cam Newton currently moving like the Tinman (pre-oil can), McCaffrey owners have to be wondering just how good this Carolina offense will be. Wait, did Ryan Fitzpatrick just throw another pick-six? That can't be right, that game ended four days ago! But to be fair, technically anything is possible with FitzMagic, including the Dolphins continuing to let him start on the road in Dallas next week. Which is a long way of saying that you should stream the Cowboys Defense, if at all possible.
It's been a fun two weeks so far but those are now dead and gone. Let's move on to an exciting Week 3 and take a look at three of the biggest risers and fallers on Fleaflicker.com. A full list of the most added and dropped players on Fleaflicker can be found here.
Most Added in Fleaflicker - Week 3
Frank Gore (RB, BUF vs. CIN), 2087 Adds – 41% Owned
Death, taxes, and Buffalo running back Frank Gore. At some point, we need to test Gore for vampire blood, right? The 36-year-old University of Miami product just keeps on trucking and with Devin Singletary (hamstring) questionable for Sunday's home game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Gore could be in for a heavy workload. After getting injured in Buffalo's 28-14 win over the Giants in Week 2, Singletary missed Wednesday's practice and Coach Sean McDermott announced that "we will see how the week goes" before determining his availability for Sunday's game. Even if Singletary plays, Gore could still be a good option considering that his four red zone rushing attempts leads the team and the Bills are facing a Cincinnati Bengals Defense that was gashed in Week 2 by the San Francisco 49ers for 259 yards on the ground.
Nelson Agholor (WR, PHI vs. DET), 3221 Adds – 46% Owned
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor has a prime matchup in Week 3, as it seems that the Eagles will be without wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson, thrusting Agholor into a prominent position by attrition. In last week's 24-20 loss to the Falcons, Agholor finished with 107 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions and his 11 targets trailed only tight end Zach Ertz's 16. All against a Falcons Defense that is allowing the fewest receiving-yards per game in this young season. In Week 3 the Eagles face a much lesser defense, matching up against a Lions team whose 562 yards allowed through the air is the 8th-worst in football. Agholor will seemingly always have problems with drops but expect quarterback Carson Wentz to keep pumping passes to him anyway, making his a solid WR3 with upside in Week 3.
Raheem Mostert (RB, SF vs. PIT), 5332 Adds – 51% Owned
San Francisco running back Raheem Mostert might still be listed behind starter Matt Breida on the depth chart but his production and usage have told a different tale. The 49ers used all three of their backs effectively in a 41-17 Week 2 win against the Bengals, rushing for a total of 259 yards. But it was Mostert who led the team in snaps (34), carries (13), and running back targets (4), finishing with 83 yards on the ground while hauling in three passes for 68 yards. With quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo not yet finding his footing in this early part of the season, expect San Francisco to continue to lean on their running attack when facing a Pittsburg Steelers team in Week 3 that has allowed 250 yards on the ground in this young season.
Most Dropped in Fleaflicker - Week 3
Dede Westbrook (WR, JAX vs. MIN), 1483 Drops – 74% Owned
Jacksonville wide receiver Dede Westbrook was a popular sleeper pick heading into 2019...Right up until the moment that quarterback Nick Foles' collarbone snapped like a twig, promoting Gardener Minshew to the starting role. Minshew has not only failed to connect with Westbrook deep, but he's also spreading the ball around more, with Westbrook's five targets in Week 2 tying him with Chris Conley for the third-most on the team. Facing a stingy Titans Defense on Thursday, Westbrook definitely belongs on your bench in 10-team leagues and shouldn't be used unless you absolutely have to in 12-team leagues either.
Giovani Bernard (RB, CIN vs. BUF), 1245 Drops – 45% Owned
Cincinnati running back Giovani Bernard was supposed to be a high-upside sleeper against San Francisco in Week 2 with starter Joe Mixon still recovering from an ankle injury. But Bernard - along with all of the Bengals running game - hit the skids in a 41-17 blowout loss to the 49ers, carrying the rock six times for just six yards and catching one of his three targets for seven yards. With Joe Mixon close to full health and running behind an already bad offensive line that just lost starting right guard Michael Jordan to injury, Bernard is nothing more than a dart throw who should be thrown back to the waiver-wire slums.
Dante Pettis(WR, SF vs. PIT), 1283 Drops – 58% Owned
Here lies San Francisco wide receiver Dante Pettis, once thought to be a future fantasy breakout. Seemingly in head coach Kyle Shanahan's doghouse during the preseason, Pettis didn't seem to be out of it by Week 1 and was only on the field for two snaps. While Pettis was on the field for 47% of the snaps in a 41-17 win against the Bengals in Week 2, he was targeted exactly zero times while rookie Deebo Samuel continued to be fed, leading the team with seven targets. With a 49ers offense that's geared around a dynamic backfield and given that Shannahan sees Samuel and Pettis as occupying the same role in the offense, there's nary a reason to roster Pettis, let alone start him.
