September 20, 2016

Tony Peters identifies deeper 2016 fantasy football PPR sleepers & Week 3 NFL waiver wire pickups. These PPR RBs, WRs & TEs should be added off the waiver wire as fantasy football sleepers.

Entering the third week of the fantasy football season, this week's deeper PPR waiver wire column sees a mix of veterans enjoying early success and young whippersnappers pushing for bigger roles and more of those tasty, tasty targets. Sure, the names one would expect to dominate the fantasy scoreboards this year have been disappointing, but there's a swell of fantasy potential rising towards the top.

Here are some players to consider in deeper PPR leagues for Week 3 (and possibly longer), all owned in 25% or less of Fleaflicker leagues.

Editor's Note: Be sure to check out FantasyAces DFS contests for Week 3. New users that sign up on Fantasy Aces and make a $20 deposit will receive RotoBaller's full season NFL Premium Pass for free (including Premium DFS), normally a $59.99 value. Expert DFS research, sample lineups, matchup ratings and lots more!

PPR Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Adds

Anquan Boldin (WR, DET) - 17% Owned

With the Lions looking to spread the ball around more after losing Megatron in the offseason, wide receiver Anquan Boldin has been one of the biggest beneficiaries. After catching all three of his targets in Week 1 against the Colts, he caught 4-of-7 for 48 yards and a touchdown against the Titans, missing out on a second one due to a penalty. The Lions are going to be involved in a gun fight Week 3 against the throw-heavy Packers, which will give Boldin plenty of chances to put up two solid fantasy performances in a row.

Cole Beasley (WR, DAL) - 10% Owned

After receiving an unexpected 12 targets in Week 1, wide receiver Cole Beasley picked up six more in Week 2, catching five of them for 75 yards. He appears to have leapfrogged over fellow receiver Terrance Williams to become the Cowboys' number two wide receiver as the team continues working towards a younger team. With a Week 3 matchup against the Bears, Beasley will be kept busy as his quarterback Dak Prescott throws all day in what is bound to be an offense-first game.

Jamison Crowder (WR, WAS) - 5% Owned

Of all the players with as many or more targets than wide receiver Jamison Crowder (18), the lowest ownership rate among them is 76%. Yet the barely-owned receiver for the Redskins has turned into a PPR sleeper as quarterback Kirk Cousins has been making him a focal point of the offense. Crowder followed up a 10-target performance Week 1 by leading his team in targets Week 2 with eight, catching six for 39 yards and a touchdown. Cousins is tied for the NFL lead with 89 passing attempts, giving plenty of reason to believe this isn't a passing phase (apologies for the pun). While the Giants' defense has been tough on receivers so far this year, Crowder's PPR value will shine through in Week 3.

Others: Kenny Britt (3% owned) is becoming one of quarterback Case Keenum's favorite targets in what is turning out to be one of the league's worst offenses, but 16 targets are 16 targets...right? Adam Humphries (0% owned) has a low ceiling as the slot receiver for the Bucs, but after seeing his targets increase from five to eight between Weeks 1 and 2, he's trending upwards in PPR potential. Terrelle Pryor (10% owned) is still a work-in-progress after catching only six of his 17 targets after two games, but the volume is still there as is a Dolphins' defense that is struggling to contain opposing passing games.

PPR Running Back Waiver Wire Adds

Josh Ferguson (RB, IND) - 1% Owned

After showing a spark of PPR possibility when he caught both of his Week 1 targets for 26 yards, running back Josh Ferguson saw an increase in targets Week 2 in the Colts' 34-20 loss to the Broncos. He was targeted five times, catching all five for 29 yards while also throwing in seven rushing yards on two carries. Though the rookie isn't likely to see much rushing work with Frank Gore healthy, Ferguson is quickly becoming the best pass-catcher between the four backs on the Colts. With his Week 3 opponent the Chargers one of the worst teams this season at stopping backs from catching passes, he's a great stab-in-the-dark PPR play.

Fozzy Whittaker (RB, CAR) - 3% Owned

One of the top adds this week in all leagues, running back Fozzy Whittaker is set to start Week 3 against the Vikings in what could be a big PPR day for him. He finished Sunday with 100 yards on 16 carries and 31 yards on three catches after starter Jonathan Stewart left Sunday's game with a hamstring injury that will likely cause him to miss Week 3. The Vikings have been effective at limiting the fantasy impact of opposing running backs when it comes to the ground, but they are just the opposite when it comes to the air, giving up two touchdowns and 76 yards to the Titans' running backs in Week 1.

Others: Chris Thompson (5% owned) faces a real tough test against a Giants defense that has grounded all the running backs they have faced this season, but could still receive enough short passes for PPR value. Shane Vereen (19% owned) draws a great matchup for both his ground and air game against the Redskins following his Week 2 performance as the team's top running back.

PPR Tight End Waiver Wire Adds

Dennis Pitta (TE, BAL) - 10% Owned

Tight end Dennis Pitta exploded against the Browns Sunday, catching 9-of-12 targets for 102 yards in the Ravens' 25-20 win. After only four targets the week prior as he was working past a thumb injury, his bounce-back performance (only the second 100-yard game in his career) seems to prove he's back to being a player quarterback Joe Flacco can look towards. The Ravens travel to face the Jaguars in a favorable Week 3 matchup that is likely to break into a throw-off between the two teams. With two more soft matchups (Raiders, Redskins) coming up after that, now's a great time to buy low on Pitta.

Clive Walford (TE, OAK) - 17% Owned

After a disappointingly quiet Week 1, tight end Clive Walford showed off his stuff Sunday, catching 6-of-7 targets for 50 yards and a touchdown. The second-year player has taken the lead at the position for Oakland, drawing two more targets than presumed-starter Lee Smith, who didn't even play in Week 1. Walford will face the Titans in his Week 3 matchup, a team that sits in the middle of the pack in terms of allowed tight end production this season. He might not score a touchdown this week, but quarterback Derek Carr shouldn't run into so much resistance he isn't able to get Walford another six targets.

Others: Jacob Tamme (6% owned) now has back-to-back eight target games, something that won't change Week 3 when the Falcons travel to face the porous Saints' defense. Jesse James (25% owned) was able to snag three of his five targets against the Bengals Sunday for 29 yards and a touchdown as he continues to make a name for himself in a potent Steelers offense set to face the Eagles this week.