Andrew Hawkins Warrants Waiver-Wire Add in All Fantasy Leagues

Looking for a heavily utilized wide receiver to spruce up your fantasy football squad? Andrew Hawkins has emerged as the Cleveland Browns' No. 1 wideout during Josh Gordon's suspension, and it's time the fantasy community took notice.

Two games into his season, Hawkins is tied with Jimmy Graham on the targets leaderboard, getting 23 looks during the young campaign.

Rank	Player	Targets
1	Julio Jones	33
2	Jordy Nelson	30
3	Vincent Jackson	35
T4	Steve Smith	24
T4	Calvin Johnson	24
T6	Andrew Hawkins	23
T6	Jimmy Graham	23
T8	Jeremy Maclin	22
T8	T.Y. Hilton	22
10	Mike Evans	21

Keep in mind Julio Jones and Vincent Jackson benefit from a larger sampling after playing on Thursday night. Only three wide receivers have gotten more targets per game than Hawkins, who remains owned in just 15.7 percent of ESPN leagues, as of Saturday night.

That number somehow has dropped a fraction of a percentage. Who saw the 28-year-old collect six catches for 70 yards against the New Orleans Saints and declared, "Not good enough!"?

Week	Opponent	Rec.	Targets	YDs
1	at Pittsburgh Steelers	8	10	87
2	New Orleans Saints	6	13	70

He didn't exceed 100 yards or produce a touchdown, but he received at least 10 targets during both contests. ESPN's Ken Daube listed all of the other players who have accomplished that same feat, and none of the others are floating around free agency.

"

Andrew Hawkins is 1 of 7 players to be targeted at least 10 times each of the first 2 weeks (Jordy, Smith, Calvin, Graham, Hilton & Maclin).

— Ken Daube (@ESPNKenD) September 17, 2014"

Despite his prominent placement in Cleveland's offense, fantasy managers are hesitant to trust Hawkins. He's understandably not a flashy play. The fourth-year wideout has already exceeded last year's reception and target totals. Through eight games with the Cincinnati Bengals, he snagged just 12 catches on 18 targets for 199 yards. He hasn't scored a touchdown since Dec. 9, 2012.

Yet he and Brian Hoyer have displayed chemistry in Cleveland, who ranks 13th in total yards per game. The quarterback commended his wideout to ClevelandBrowns.com's Kevin Jones.

“Hawk showed everyone what we thought he was going to be,” Hoyer said on Monday. “He’s tough. He knows where to be at the right times and he makes big plays.”

The Browns have rattled off this hot start without Gordon. The superstar wide receiver left a gaping hole in the offense with his season-long suspension, but new rules will allow him to return sooner than expected.

Per The Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot, he'll now return after 10 games due to an adopted NFL drug policy.

"

#Nfl and nflpa officially announce that josh Gordon's suspension has been reduced to 10 games. Substance abuse policy approved

— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) September 19, 2014"

That will impact Hawkins' looks later, but that's a problem for future you to address. A lot can happen in eight more games, including Gordon's understudy winning you some matchups and cementing his spot as the No. 2 wideout upon the stud's return.

At this pace, Hawkins would enter the 11th game with 70 receptions and 785 yards. Albeit an unsustainable pace, it demonstrates just as much that he has left his mark so far. Even if he doesn't pursue 100 receptions this season, 75 grabs would make him a great play in point-per-reception (PPR) leagues.

Nobody is asking you to trade Alshon Jeffery for him. Just grab Hawkins off the waiver-wire if he's still available.