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With Week 3 on tap, we can take a look at some of the popular waiver wire targets out there.
Need help and can't decide whether these players are legitimately worth your roster space? Good thing we are here to put things back into perspective and examine whether this week's news regarding the studs of the waiver wire is actually "fake news" or if there is some authenticity to their performances.
Let's get started!
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Fake Fantasy News or Real Deal Value?
Chris Carson - RB, Seattle Seahawks
One of the most talked-about rookies heading into the regular season was Seahawks running back Chris Carson. While playing for Oklahoma State, the rookie was semi-productive, racking up only a little over 1,000 yards rushing over two seasons. He was effective finding the end zone however, accumulating 13 touchdowns throughout his college career, including nine scores in 2016. In any event, with the 249th overall pick, Seattle selected the 5’11’’, 218 pound powerhouse in the seventh round. After an efficient training camp, Carson was just as efficient during the preseason, rushing for an average of six yards per carry and on top of two touchdowns. Not bad, not great but good enough to put him on fantasy radars heading into drafts over the summer. After the first week of regular season play, Carson was a fantasy disappointment to say the least, rushing the ball only six times for 39 yards in Week 1. Though those numbers weren’t bad, he didn’t get the amount of snaps needed to make an impact on the fantasy frontier. With many fantasy owners shaking their heads, Carson was dumped by many. However, after a solid Week 2 performance against San Francisco, that included 20 rushing attempts for 93 yards, Carson was as sought after on waiver wires as a Pamela Anderson video in the 90s. So now what? Is Carson the real deal, or are the waiver wire articles just “fake news?”
It would be hard to believe that Thomas Rawls, who missed the team’s Week 1 matchup with an ankle injury, would be an afterthought so quickly. With only five carries for Rawls in Week 2, Carson saw significantly more carries. As a result, Carson’s fantasy stock has skyrocketed. But is this because Rawls is getting phased out, or is it because he is simply “easing his way” back into playing shape? With Eddie Lacy eating his way out of the lineup and C.J. Prosise being an afterthought in the run game, the snap battle virtually comes down to Carson and Rawls, or at least that is how it appears right now. However, with head coach Pete Carroll not giving a definitive answer regarding Carson's anticipated role and with Rawls still having plenty of gas in the tank, it is too early to decide whether or not Carson is an efficient fantasy option. Also considering that Carson's "breakout" performance came against an inefficient San Francisco rushing defense, it is hard to take him seriously at the moment.
Verdict:
It is still too early to tell whether Carson is the real deal or not. For now, Carson is considered "fake news."
Giovani Bernard - RB, Cincinnati Bengals
One of the most interesting waiver-wire adds that I’ve seen this week is Cincinnati Bengals running back Giovani Bernard. When I read this, I immediately looked around to see if someone was playing a practical joke on me, but it wasn't a joke. Somebody actually thinks that Giovani Bernard is a hot target this week. My first question is asked myself is “why the hell would somebody actually think about adding Gio to their fantasy team?” Now don’t get me wrong, I am actually a Bengals fan, as sad as that sounds and I love Giovani Bernard (as a player). He is a good football player. However, good football players don’t necessarily translate to good fantasy football players, catch my drift? If you read my 2017 Cincinnati Bengals Team Outlook article, you would know that Bernard is coming back from a season-ending knee injury. You would also note that his production has been down over the past few seasons as opposed to his first few years in the league. On top of this, let’s not forget about what a disaster it is in Cincinnati right now. Horrible line, new offensive coordinator, Andy Dalton playing like garbage, guys getting fined and suspended left and right….it’s a mess. Now someone who is reading this might say to themselves “but Gio has value in PPR leagues.” In which my response would be “not really.”
So far this season, Bernard has been targeted by quarterback Andy Dalton only six times, catching half of them. He has also only racked up an unimpressive 55 yards and also has zero touchdowns to his credit. Can we blame this all on him? Not really. With Dalton completing passes as effectively as I am at dieting, those around him will suffer. I’m not a mathematician but I do know that bad quarterback + bad offensive line + horrendous coaching + Joe Mixon + Jeremy Hill = unproductive fantasy player.
Verdict:
Bernard will have some good games going forward because he is very talented. However, knowing what we know about the Bengals' current state, unfortunately Gio as a legit fantasy option is “fake news.”
Chris Thompson - RB, Washington Redskins
Chris Thompson has burst onto waiver wire columns throughout the land but how credible is this? With “Fat” Rob Kelly going down in Week 2 with a rib injury, Thompson responded for 77 yard rushing and two touchdowns on the day. Wow, that’s great right? Yes it is. However, he did it on only three attempts, the same number of attempts that he had in Week 1. However, he only rushed for four yards in that one. Let’s not forget that a big chunk of Thompson’s yardage came from a lone 61-yard run for a touchdown. Will Thompson have another 61 yarder, or anything close to that in Week 3? Probably not, especially against the Oakland Raiders rush defense. Also keep in mind that it was rookie Samaje Perine saw the bulk of the offensive load, carrying the ball 21 times for 67 yards against the Rams. So if anyone is going to benefit from a potential absence of Kelly, it will be Perine. He does hold flex value in full PPR leagues, but there's no reason his ownership should skyrocket.
Verdict:
This one is easy and unfortunately for those who picked Thompson up off the waiver wire, this week’s development regarding the back can be chalked up as “fake news."
