Fantasy Football Week 3 Waiver Wire: Giovani Bernard, Ryan Fitzpatrick top list of players to add

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For the most part, we got lucky when it comes to injuries for Week 2. Only two prominent players suffered injuries, with Joe Mixon (knee) and Greg Zuerlein (groin).

Mixon is expected to miss at least two weeks, which makes Giovani Bernard the No. 1 player to add in all leagues where he's available. He's owned in 41 percent of leagues on CBS Sports heading into Week 3, and we'll talk about him more in the running back section of this column.

Zuerlein is looking at an extended absence, although he should return at some point this year. Despite Zuerlein being drafted as the No. 1 Fantasy kicker in the majority of leagues this season, he needs to be dropped while he's hurt. The Rams added Sam Ficken (0 percent ownership) as a replacement option, and you can look at him as a streaming option, although I prefer new Vikings kicker Dan Bailey (8 percent).

Now, there are some minor injuries we're keeping an eye on, including Melvin Gordon (upper body), Dalvin Cook (hamstring), LeSean McCoy (ribs) and Larry Fitzgerald (hamstring). These guys are expected to play in Week 3, but you might want to prepare just in case something changes.

Also, keep in mind, that we still don't know the status for guys like Leonard Fournette (hamstring), Devonta Freeman (knee), Marquise Goodwin (thigh) and Doug Baldwin (knee), who missed Week 2. They could be out again, which means you still need replacement options, and we have you covered.

Editor's note: For this waiver wire column, we are only looking at players owned in less than 65 percent of CBS Sports leagues.

Quarterbacks

Injuries of note: Marcus Mariota (elbow)

Priority list: Ryan Fitzpatrick (21 percent ownership), Andy Dalton (33 percent), Blake Bortles (31 percent)

Fitzpatrick has been impressive through the first two weeks of the season with 819 passing yards and nine total touchdowns against New Orleans and Philadelphia. He has a favorable matchup in Week 3 against Pittsburgh at home, and he's worth trusting as a No. 1 quarterback in the majority of leagues. Now, there's some long-term concern about Fitzpatrick with Jameis Winston (suspension) expected back in Week 4. But if Fitzpatrick has another strong game against the Steelers he should remain the starter in Tampa Bay for the foreseeable future, which looks like a good thing for Fantasy owners. He's worth 5-10 percent of your FAAB budget depending on your need at quarterback.
Through two games against Indianapolis and Baltimore, Dalton is averaging 26.5 Fantasy points, with at least 19 points in each outing. He's worth buying into this season as a low-end starting option since he has a healthy receiving corps and a revamped offensive line. And this week he faces a Panthers defense that just allowed Matt Ryan to score 33 Fantasy points in Week 2. He's worth 1-5 percent of your FAAB if you need a quarterback.
Bortles was better than Tom Brady in Week 2 in their head-to-head showdown, and he scored 40 Fantasy points. He now has at least 22 Fantasy points in six of his past eight games in the regular season going back to last year, which is impressive. He has a favorable matchup in Week 3 against Tennessee and is worth starting in two-quarterback leagues.

Drop candidates: Case Keenum (69 percent), Dak Prescott (62 percent), Eli Manning (54 percent)

Running backs

Injuries of note: Joe Mixon (knee), Leonard Fournette (hamstring), Devonta Freeman (knee), Melvin Gordon (upper body), Dalvin Cook (hamstring), LeSean McCoy (ribs), Tarik Cohen (ankle), Darren Sproles (hamstring)

Priority list: Giovani Bernard (41 percent ownership), Corey Clement (61 percent), Javorius Allen (26 percent), Theo Riddick (37 percent), Corey Grant (3 percent), Ito Smith (3 percent), Chris Ivory (8 percent)/Marcus Murphy (7 percent), Latavius Murray (46 percent)

Bernard will start for Mixon until he returns, and he has an excellent track record whenever he's been given an increased workload. During his career, Bernard has 29 games with at least 15 touches, and he's scored at least 10 PPR points in 23 of those contests. In 2017, he had five games with at least 15 touches, and he averaged 16.4 PPR points over that span. Mixon had 22 touches in each of the first two games, so Bernard should get the bulk of that workload. He will be a weekly starter while Mixon is out, including Week 3 at Carolina. Bernard is worth at least 20 percent of your FAAB.
Clement had a solid outing in Week 2 against Tampa Bay with Sproles out and Jay Ajayi dealing with a back injury. Ajayi should be fine for Week 3 against the Colts, but we don't know if Sproles will play, leaving Clement the chance for additional touches, especially in the passing game. After just five carries for 26 yards and no catches in Week 1 against Atlanta with Sproles active, Clement had six carries for 30 yards and a touchdown and five catches for 55 yards on six targets against the Buccaneers. He could become a weekly PPR starter as long as Sproles is out and is worth 10-15 percent of your FAAB.
Allen has found a way to be productive in each of the first two games against Buffalo and Cincinnati with two touchdowns and 10 catches over that span. He's scored at least 13 PPR points in each outing, which is good, but it's frustrating because we want to see more from starter Alex Collins. Allen will remain Baltimore's primary pass catcher out of the backfield, and the Ravens like using him at the goal line as well. And should Collins continue to struggle with fumbles or suffer an injury, we could see Allen in a bigger role. He's a good player to stash at the end of your bench and is worth 5-10 percent of your FAAB.
Riddick had no carries in Week 2 at San Francisco, and we hope the Lions start to give more work to rookie running back Kerryon Johnson. So why is Riddick listed here? Because through two games he has 14 catches on 19 targets and should remain a part of the passing game no matter what happens with Johnson or LeGarrette Blount. He's a good player to stash in PPR leagues and is worth 5-10 percent of your FAAB.
Grant and Smith are worth adding in deeper leagues just in case the injuries to Fournette and Freeman linger. In Jacksonville, Grant did a nice job playing in tandem with T.J. Yeldon in Week 2 against New England with four carries for 13 yards and six catches for 56 yards on seven targets. And Smith helped Tevin Coleman in Atlanta with nine carries for 46 yards and one catch for 8 yards in Week 2 against Carolina. Fournette and Freeman could return in Week 3 or both could remain out. If the latter occurs then Grant is worth 5 percent of your FAAB budget and Smith is worth 1-3 percent.
As mentioned above, Cook and McCoy are dealing with minor injuries, but you might want to consider adding their replacements just in case they can't play in Week 3. Murray would be a star in Week 3 against Buffalo if Cook is out, and he's worth 1-3 percent of your FAAB. And the Bills would likely use both Ivory and Murphy in tandem if McCoy couldn't play at Minnesota. I like Ivory slightly better than Murray, but both running backs are just worth 1-3 percent of your FAAB.

Drop candidates: Tarik Cohen (82 percent), Duke Johnson (70 percent), Ty Montgomery (51 percent), C.J. Anderson (51 percent)

Wide receivers

Injuries of note: Larry Fitzgerald (hamstring), Doug Baldwin (knee), Marquise Goodwin (thigh), Alshon Jeffery (shoulder)

Priority list: Chris Godwin (37 percent ownership), DeSean Jackson (52 percent), Keelan Cole (63 percent), John Brown (50 percent), Geronimo Allison (51 percent), Antonio Callaway (13 percent), Tyler Boyd (1 percent), Mike Williams (52 percent), Dede Westbrook (27 percent), Dante Pettis (29 percent), Calvin Ridley (64 percent), DJ Moore (31 percent)

There are a lot of good receivers to add this week, but I'm going with the Tampa Bay duo at the top for two reasons. One, they are playing well to start the season, with Godwin scoring at least 13 PPR points in each of the first two games, and Jackson at 22 points in each outing. On top of that, they face the Steelers this week, which should be a fantastic matchup, especially if cornerback Joe Haden (hamstring) remains out. He's worth 10-15 percent of your FAAB. While Jackson has been the star of this receiving corps through two weeks, including Mike Evans, I don't expect his production to be sustainable. You can add him first if you want, and I would start him over Godwin for now. But over the course of the season, I like Godwin better, which is why I'll take him first. Both are worth 10-15 percent of your FAAB.
After an OK performance in Week 1 at the Giants with three catches for 54 yards on four targets, Cole showed his upside in Week 2 against New England. He had seven catches for 116 yards and a touchdown on eight targets, and he should be the No. 1 receiver in Jacksonville in 2018. He might not post consistent production weekly given how much the Jaguars like to run the ball, especially when Fournette is healthy, but Cole still profiles as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver with top-20 potential. Hopefully he stays hot in Week 3 against Tennessee. He's worth 10-15 percent of your FAAB. As for Westbrook, he should be Jacksonville's No. 2 receiver and just posted a line of four catches for 83 yards and a touchdown on five targets, and he's worth up to 5 percent of your FAAB.
Brown might not establish himself as the clear-cut No. 1 receiver for the Ravens with Michael Crabtree and Willie Snead all having about the same amount of targets through two weeks (Crabtree has 16 and Brown and Snead each have 14). But Brown looks like the one with the most upside. He has seven catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns, and hopefully he'll stay healthy all season with his sickle-cell trait. In 2015 with the Cardinals, his last healthy season, Brown had 65 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns on 101 targets, and we hope to see that player again this year. He's worth 5-10 percent of your FAAB.
Allison followed up a strong Week 1 against Chicago (five catches for 69 yards and a touchdown on eight targets) with another quality outing in Week 2 against Minnesota. He had six catches for 64 yards on six targets and looks to remain a significant factor for the Packers all year. While there are a lot of mouths to feed in Green Bay with Davante Adams, Randall Cobb and Jimmy Graham, Allison could be a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in most formats if he continues to get an average of seven targets a week from Aaron Rodgers. He's worth 5-10 percent of your FAAB.
Callaway gets a big boost with Josh Gordon being traded to New England, and he just had three catches for 81 yards and a touchdown on four targets in Week 2 at New Orleans, with Gordon not playing in that game. He's going to be inconsistent, but there's a lot of upside running as the No. 2 receiver opposite Jarvis Landry. Callaway is worth 5-10 percent of your FAAB.
Boyd, and not John Ross, looks like the No. 2 receiver for the Bengals after his performance through the first two games. While Ross might have the higher ceiling, the Bengals are giving Boyd more chances with 14 targets on the season, and he's responded with nine catches for 117 yards and a touchdown. He had 21 PPR points in Week 2 against Baltimore, and he's someone to speculate on heading into Week 3 at Carolina with up to 5 percent of your FAAB. You can also look at Rashard Higgins (1 percent) in deeper leagues.
Williams didn't have a big game in Week 2 at Buffalo, but that's because the Chargers only attempted 27 passes in an easy 31-20 victory. Still, he found the end zone on two catches for 27 yards on two targets. He also had five catches for 81 yards on six targets in Week 1 against Kansas City, and he should emerge as the No. 2 receiver for the Chargers behind Keenan Allen. Now, there are a lot of mouths to feed for the Chargers with Allen, Melvin Gordon, Austin Ekeler, Tyrell Williams and Antonio Gates, but Williams could be a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in most formats. He's worth up to 5 percent of your FAAB.
Pettis, Ridley and Moore are three rookie receivers who will likely post inconsistent production early in the year as they continue to learn the NFL. But there's potential for plenty of production down the road. Heading into Week 3, I would take Pettis first, especially if Goodwin remains out, given his matchup at Kansas City. Long-term, I like Ridley the best because of his role with the Falcons, and he just scored a red-zone touchdown in Week 2 against Carolina, which is something Julio Jones has a problem with. Moore will hopefully get a bigger role moving forward with the Panthers, and he just a 51-yard touchdown at Atlanta on his lone catch. He only had two targets, but coach Ron Rivera said more work should be coming his way. All of these guys are worth up to 5 percent of your FAAB.

Drop candidates: Sterling Shepard (84 percent), Jordy Nelson (83 percent), Jamison Crowder (75 percent), Mohamed Sanu (45 percent), Michael Gallup (45 percent)

Tight ends

Injuries of note: Nothing new to report

Priority list: Will Dissly (54 percent ownership), O.J. Howard (39 percent), Jesse James (25 percent), Austin Seferian-Jenkins (40 percent), Austin Hooper (17 percent)

Dissly's production could be considered a little fluky since he had a 66-yard catch in Week 1 at Denver and then scored a garbage-time touchdown in Week 2 at Chicago, but he's producing, which is all that matters. And given the state of the tight end position, as well as the lack of weapons for Seattle, he's worth buying into right now. Remember, the Seahawks had 14 touchdowns from their tight ends last year with Jimmy Graham and Luke Willson, and both are gone now. Dissly should be considered a low-end starter heading into Week 2 against Dallas and is worth 5-10 percent of your FAAB.
I wish Howard was No. 1 on this list, and maybe one day he'll be there. He's the most talented tight end listed here, but he doesn't get enough targets to trust on a weekly basis. The good news is he's established himself as the No. 1 tight end in Tampa Bay since Cameron Brate doesn't have a catch. But Howard only has six targets on the season, and he has five catches for 150 yards and a touchdown to show for it. If you need a tight end to start this week, I would take James and Seferian-Jenkins over Howard. But if you just want to speculate on someone here, Howard is your guy, and he's worth up to 5 percent of your FAAB.
I could see James being more productive than Dissly for the rest of the season, but Vance McDonald could eventually become a problem for James. Both played in Week 2 against Kansas City and had five targets, but James had five catches for 138 yards and a touchdown, while McDonald had just three catches for 26 yards. James also had three catches for 60 yards in Week 1 at Cleveland, although McDonald was out for that game. Keep an eye on McDonald's role moving forward, but James is hot right now and worth using as a streamer in Week 2 at Tampa Bay. He's worth up to 5 percent of your FAAB.
Seferian-Jenkins found the end zone in Week 2 against the Patriots to go with three catches for 23 yards on four targets. He should have scored in Week 1 also but had a touchdown against the Giants called back due to a penalty. He will likely be touchdown dependent, but he looks like the Jaguars best weapon in the red zone through the air. He's worth a flier if you need a tight end, and you can spend up to 5 percent of your FAAB on him.
Hooper will be an inconsistent Fantasy option all season, with his performance in the first two games as evidence. He had three catches for 24 yards on four targets in Week 1 at Philadelphia and then five catches for 59 yards and a touchdown on five targets in Week 2 against Carolina. Hopefully, he can start to be more consistent heading into Week 3 against New Orleans, and he's worth a look in deeper leagues. Spend 1-3 percent of your FAAB on him.

Drop candidates: Tyler Eifert (73 percent)