Week 3 Waiver Wire: Early Pickups and Breakout Fantasy Football Candidates

Week 2 brought fantasy owners a mixed bag.

It featured some sure things, some surprises and some "who the heck is this guy!?" breakouts.

Let’s focus on that last peg. Because whether you wind up 2-0, 1-1 or 0-2, a shrewd fantasy owner is always scouring the waiver wire for the next surprise stud.

Week 2 shed some light on who these no names turned fantasy monsters could be.

Go Get 'Em

Matt Jones

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Here’s what I wrote about Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones on September 7:

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He’s owned in 19.2 percent of leagues, but the bruising Redskins runner is set to take away some of Alfred Morris’ thunder.

Or, eventually, all of it.

Jones is a 6’2” 231-pounder who runs at defenders like they just heckled his grandmother. He’s had a slew of Marshawn Lynch-like runs this preseason, and it’s only a matter of time before he creeps into fantasy relevance.

"

On Sunday, the ‘Skins took it to the St. Louis Rams, 24-10, who were fresh off of win over the Seattle Seahawks. How in the world did that happen?

Matt Jones—that’s how.

The third-round pick out of Florida ran wild on the Rams and finished with 123 yards and two scores on 19 carries. Usual starter Alfred Morris totaled 59 yards—less than half what Jones had—on one fewer carry (18).

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We’re witnessing a changing of the guard, folks.

It won’t come quickly, and Morris will still be involved. But Jones is clearly forcing the team to feed him the rock.

Coach Jay Gruden was complimentary afterward:

Coming into the afternoon, Jones was owned in 16.1 percent of ESPN standard leagues. That number is going to burst into outer space come Tuesday morning. If you can get him, do so.

And don’t think twice about it.

Karlos Williams

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LeSean McCoy owners can’t stand this guy.

Buffalo Bills rookie Karlos Williams extended his scoring streak to two consecutive games on Sunday, poaching another score from Shady.

Expect that to become the norm, per Charles Robinson of Yahoo:

Williams finished with 43 yards and a score in Sunday’s 40-32 loss to the New England Patriots. McCoy tallied 89 yards on 15 totes.

While the latter is a shifty speedster, the former is a 230-pound bruiser. Every time Williams takes the ball, he looks like he’s trying to run through a brick wall. These guys are a thunder-and-lightning tandem if there has ever been one.

From a real football view, that’s great. From a fantasy standpoint, though, that’s no fun.

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Williams should be owned in all leagues. On Sunday morning, he was owned in just 21.1 percent of ‘em, and most people who have him probably own Shady, too.

If McCoy, who has been banged up all summer, ever has to miss time, Williams will be a serious option at RB. Even with McCoy still getting the early-down work, Williams is worthy of a flex play simply because of his penchant for punching it in.

To put things in perspective, Jones has a legitimate chance to take the starting job from Alfred Morris. Williams doesn’t figure to challenge Shady’s starting spot (yet...), but he does enough to be fantasy relevant.

If you can’t get Jones and need running back help, scoop up Williams with confidence.

Johnny Manziel

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Johnny Manziel went into full-on Johnny Football mode Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, finishing with 172 yards, two scores and zero turnovers on 8-of-15 throwing.

When Marcus Mariota brought his team back to within striking distance midway through the fourth quarter, Manziel answered with a 50-yard bomb to Travis Benjamin to put the nail in the coffin.

It was vintage Johnny Football, but it didn’t come with the usual catches that we’ve seen at the pro level. Cleveland coach Mike Pettine thought so, too:

Usually, Manziel will take turns flashing brilliance and greenness. But on Sunday, he looks composed and collected. While Mariota, coming off an unbelievable debut in Week 1, struggled with turnovers—he must have fumbled about five or six times, with three getting recovered by Cleveland—Manziel was the epitome of poise.

ESPN’s Michael Wilbon sees some of that college magic working its way into the pro game:

Expect Johnny Football to keep the starting job going forward if he continues to control the offense like he did on Sunday.

He’s a boom-or-bust fantasy option, but his legs and playmaking ability make him a viable option if you’ve been dealt a hand of injuries or need a QB change.

Proceed with Caution

Alex Smith

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Alex Smith is still Alex Smith. Let’s not lose sight of this.

But for all his limitations, the Kansas City signal-caller does have an unreal amount of weapons at his disposal. Between Jamaal Charles, Travis Kelce and Jeremy Maclin, Smith is due for some big weeks by virtue of his strong teammates.

Don’t rely on him week-to-week, because Smith will give you a fair share of days where he’s asked to handle Charles the rock and do nothing else.

If you’re dealing with injuries or desperately need some QB help, Smith is probably safer—but not as explosive—as Johnny Football. He's only owned in 30.4 percent of ESPN leagues.