Week 3 Waiver Wire: Examining Top Fantasy Football Targets

In what turned out to be a crazy slate of games in the NFL, Week 2 looks like a turning point for many fantasy owners. You either lost a key star to an injury or lucked into a situation where the right player was on the waiver wire, just waiting for you to scoop him up. 

As you've started to set your lineup for Week 3, which begins with a Thursday night matchup between Tampa Bay and Atlanta, there are still valuable names on the waiver wire to get. The dilemma is trying to figure out who is for real and who is a flash in the pan. 

We are going to take a look at the top fantasy targets for this week, specifically the players who are going to carry their momentum forward. There may be more names on the top of your waiver target list, but these are the ones to scoop up as soon as you see their name. 

Note: Percentage owned is according to ESPN.com.

Bobby Rainey, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Chris O'Meara/Associated Press

Percentage Owned: 6.8

The Buccaneers were expecting big things from their running game this year, but Doug Martin was supposed to be the back doing the heavy lifting. Martin didn't play in Week 2 against St. Louis, allowing Bobby Rainey to step in and look like the superior runner in every way. 

Rainey, making his seventh career start last week, was a monster with 144 rushing yards on 22 carries and 30 receiving yards. He's going to get a lot of attention on the waiver wire this week, so it's best to grab him now before the vultures start circling. 

The 26-year-old has always been a valuable backup, averaging 4.1 yards per carry in limited work with five rushing touchdowns throughout his career. Everyone underestimated Rainey going into the game, including ESPN fantasy guru Matthew Berry:

By the end of the week, Rainey finished as the eighth-best running back in standard scoring leagues with 17 points, via ESPN.com. This week looks especially promising for Tampa Bay's running game, as the Falcons have allowed 309 yards on the ground through two games. 

Berry's ESPN colleague KC Joyner noted (Insider subscription required) that Rainey's advanced metrics have always graded out well with a "9.9-yard mark in the good blocking yards per attempt."

Combine Rainey's consistency, even in limited attempts, with a bad matchup on a short week, and it all adds up to a monster fantasy performance. 

Antonio Gates, TE, San Diego Chargers

Harry How/Getty Images

Percentage Owned: 54.4

It's hard to believe that nearly half of ESPN fantasy leagues have Antonio Gates available. Even though he's not the game-changing talent he used to be, San Diego's tight end has never been a bad player. Age and health have caught up to him, but even last year, the former All-Pro had 77 catches and 872 yards. 

The true gauge of Gates' value and importance to San Diego's offense was never more evident than in Week 2 against Seattle. He finished that game with 96 yards and three touchdowns on seven receptions. This was following a Week 1 effort when the 34-year-old had six receptions for 81 yards. 

Whenever the Chargers get in the red zone, Philip Rivers is going to look for Gates. He's a matchup nightmare at 6'4" and 255 pounds. Then there is also this nugget provided by ESPN's Kevin Negandhi on Twitter:

It's time to drink the Kool-Aid, even though he's an older player. Gates played all 16 games last year and has played in 33 of 34 games since the start of 2012. Tight end is not a deep position. Once you get past Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski (an injury risk in his own right), Vernon Davis and Julius Thomas, there aren't a lot of great options out there. 

Gates is as safe and consistent as any player at that position. He's staring at a matchup against a Buffalo pass defense that ranks 27th in the league. The Bills have done a great job defending the run this year, so the passing game will play a huge role for San Diego. 

James Jones, WR, Oakland Raiders

Beck Diefenbach/Associated Press

Percentage Owned: 28.7

While there's always a danger taking a wide receiver on a team without a proven quarterback, James Jones looks like a clear exception after two weeks. The rapport between him and Derek Carr looks strong with 12 catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns. 

Jones had the blunder with two fumbles on the same play against Houston, but nine catches for 112 yards and one touchdown can make up for a lot. The Raiders are going to be behind in a lot of games this year, so a lot will be asked of Carr's arm. 

The Raiders seem to have gained confidence in Jones, as Rotoworld.com noted his expanded role in the offense from Week 1 to Week 2:

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The rest of Oakland's receivers are either not good (Denarius Moore) or low-ceiling possession types (Rod Streater, Mychal Rivera), so Jones appears to have a stranglehold on targets as long as he's getting every-down work. He did not in Week 1, but still delivered a 3-34-1 stat line. Jones was an every-down receiver in Week 2, and paid dividends.

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Jones has also been efficient on offense with 12 receptions on 16 targets through two games. He's not in an ideal situation to score points this week against New England and Darrelle Revis. It's hard to gauge how good or bad the Patriots secondary is due to playing the always inconsistent Ryan Tannehill and Matt Cassel in the first two weeks. 

Facing a rookie isn't likely to tell us more about New England's pass defense, but Revis hasn't been the dominant force he used to be so far. As Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus wrote after Week 1, Mike Wallace beat him badly in coverage:

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Even the good of Revis often owed a little to the Miami side of the ball helping him out. He broke up a pass on a hitch route intended for Wallace on 3rd-and-12 that seemed like a great play until you take a look at the replay and see how badly beaten he was to begin with until Wallace stopped working back to the ball and allowed him to regain position and break it up.

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Revis is still a top-tier cornerback who is capable of shutting down any receiver at any moment, but that consistency from play to play hasn't been there. Jones has the explosiveness to create plays deep down the field. 

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