Fantasy Football Week 3: Waiver Wire Pickups

Injuries in the running game are starting to take a toll on some of the top 20 backs around the NFL.

Last week, Ryan Grant was done for the season with an ankle injury and in Week 2, Ryan Mathews and Michael Turner got hurt. While both backs are not expected to miss a long time (on Monday mourning anyway), their backups are worth picking up.

For Week 3 I don’t have a quarterback for you to pick up, but it is worth noting that Jimmy Clausen has taken over for Matt Moore in the starter's role. This won’t change unless Clausen suffers an injury, so we will now see whether Clausen is fit to be an NFL quarterback.

Don’t look for him as a fantasy option as Clausen hasn’t played well in his short time on the field and the Panthers only have Steve Smith to help him in the passing game.

Now, on to our Week 3 waiver wire pickups for standard and PPR fantasy football leagues.

Running Backs

Jason Snelling: Last season, Jason Snelling filled in admirably for Michael Turner after the star running back suffered a high ankle sprain against the Panthers. Turner went on to basically miss the rest of the season, and Snelling was a decent-flex play option for most weeks.

This season, Turner has already shown signs of breaking down as he suffered what the team is calling a mild groin injury. The Falcons told the press that Turner could’ve come back into the game, but I think that is more coach talk than anything else. I won’t believe Turner is ready for this week until I see him take full practice at some point.

If Turner should be slowed or out at any time, Snelling will be a starting running back for your team. Against the Arizona Cardinals, Snelling posted 129 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 24 carries. He also got it done in the passing game as he totaled five receptions for 57 yards and a score.

Mike Tolbert: Chargers’ rookie running back Ryan Mathews suffered an ankle injury against the Jaguars and was carted back to the locker room. He reportedly had trouble putting any weight on the ankle when coming off the field and this isn’t a good sign he will be back for Week 3.

Again, Norv Turner, like the Falcons' coaching staff, came out and tried to downplay the injury after the game. In this case, I do think Mathews will miss at least one game, and I will keep a close eye in his health this week in practice.

When Mathews was out, it was Mike Tolbert that led the way for the Chargers on the ground. Tolbert posted 16 carries for 82 yards and two touchdowns against the Jaguars. This week, Tolbert will probably start and will get a nice matchup against the Seahawks.

Wide Receivers

Kevin Walter: Where the heck did Kevin Walter go in 2009?

Who knows? Walter had a nice second half of the season in 2008 and is now off to a hot start in 2010. I was disappointed that the Texans re-signed Walter this offseason as I thought Jacoby Jones was ready for a starting role.

The Texans’ coaching staff came out after signing him and made a big deal about how important he was. It was hard for me to believe this when Walter hardly showed up the season before.

In fantasy football, it is all about what you have done for me lately and Walter has been producing at a starter level so far.

In Week 1 he had a touchdown catch in a game that Matt Schaub threw for just over 100 yards. In Week 2, Walter had a huge game. He posted 11 receptions for 144 yards and a touchdown.

You may not trust Walter enough to start him every week, but he should be on your bench for good depth. With the Texans giving up so many yards (400 plus for both weeks already) to opposing quarterbacks, the offense will have to throw most weeks to win football games.

Louis Murphy: In one of my private leagues, where all the fantasy owners show up to draft, I laughed when my uncle drafted Louis Murphy in the late rounds.

It’s not that I don’t like Murphy, but more that the Raiders aren’t a very good passing team. In Week 2, Murphy had six catches for 91 yards and a touchdown score.

This is only one game, but if Bruce Gradkowski continues to play, he loves to get the football to Murphy. Just last year Murphy had some big catches from Gradkowski against the Bengals and Steelers to help the Raiders win. At least keep an eye on Murphy since he is probably the Raiders best receiver going forward.

Devin Hester: The Bears will throw the football to many different options this season, but Jay Cutler did show some favor to Hester early last season. In Week 2, Hester posted four catches for 77 yards and a score. Hester isn’t a player you should start every week, but he makes for a decent bye week fill-in.

Team Defense

Redskins Defense: Sure, the Redskins' defense was walked on by the Texans last week, but they did play well against the Cowboys. This week, they play the Rams and make for a very nice one-week play. Look for the Redskins to sack Sam Bradford a good number of times and acquire turnovers as well.

Honorable Mention

Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez: Let's see him show more consistency, but last week was a nice game. He went for over 100 yards receiving.

NFL fantasy football player rankings writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

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