Keepers, Sleepers, and Jeepers: Week 3

By Adam Filadelfo (@FNTSYArchitect)

So two weeks of fantasy football is in the books and owners are preparing for week three the only way they know how. By hitting the waiver wire. Week two saw a rash of injuries to key players making this week for pickups more important than the last two. Every position saw a major injury that is sure to affect many fantasy owners and replacing those players now is extremely vital for fantasy success this week and the coming weeks as well.

Keepers

Kirk Cousins- Quarterback- Washington Redskins- With the ankle injury to Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins will take over an offense with plenty of weapons. Cousins proved he could move the ball downfield as he passed for 250 yards and two touchdowns and provided over 20 fantasy points off of the bench in week two. Week three has Cousins as the starter against an Eagles team that will force him to throw to keep up. The extent of the RG3 injury is unspecified at this time but most fantasy owners have to believe that Cousins will start enough games to warrant a top waiver wire priority this week.

Larry Donnell- Tight End- New York Giants- Not much has gone right for the Giants offense the last two weeks but Larry Donnell has been one of the few bright spots in a otherwise dismal showing. In the two games played so far this season, Donnell has been targeted 17 times for 12 receptions and 137 yards and a touchdown. He's averaging close to double digit fantasy points and could be a valuable replacement for fantasy owners that have Vernon Davis on their roster.

Knile Davis- Running Back- Kansas City Chiefs- As of this time, the only information we have regarding the Jamaal Charles injury is it's a high ankle sprain. How much time if any Charles will be sidelined has yet to be determined. Regardless of the answer, Knile Davis is a must own especially for Charles owners heading into week three. Coming off of the bench last week, Knile Davis totaled 105 yards and two touchdowns. In the two games he saw action this season, he's averaging over 11 fantasy points per game and should have no problem producing big fantasy numbers going forward should Charles miss a significant amount of time.

Bobby Rainey- Running Back- Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Doug Martin was a late scratch heading into week two and Bobby Rainey owners reaped the benefits. Rainey is averaging almost 13 fantasy points the first two weeks of the season and gets a poor Falcons defense on Thursday night if Doug Martin isn't able to go. Rainey clearly looks to be the better back at this point and is worth a pickup whether Doug Martin plays or not.

Mohamed Sanu- Wide Receiver- Cinncinnati Bengals- With the injury to A.J Green, Mohamed Sanu looks to be the Bengals downfield threat. Fantasy owners are still in limbo as to how much time if any Green will miss so Sanu should be owned regardless. Through two games, Sanu has nine targets and seven receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown. He's averaging over nine fantasy points per game and should Green miss any time at all, fantasy owners can expect an increase with those numbers.

Sleepers

Niles Paul- Tight End- Washington Redskins- With the constant injuries to Jordan Reed, Niles Paul is starting to emerge and seemed to have a good connection with Kurt Cousins. Seeing how Cousins is expected to make the start in week three, Paul could be a sleeper for owners in need of a tight end. He's averaging over 12 fantasy points per contest and has 15 targets through two games. Paul has caught 12 of those targets for 185 yards and a touchdown and should help tight end needy owners.

Matt Asiata- Running Back- Minnesota Vikings- Since the recent events surrounding Adrian Peterson, Matt Asiata may be a sleeper for fantasy owners to keep an eye on. If AP should miss any more time, Asiata could provide a fantasy boost from the running back position. Week two had Asiata starting in place of AP and saw him provide a boost in PPR leagues where he had six catches for 53 yards and managed to find the end zone. He is worth holding onto until the drama with AP is finalized.

Khiry Robinson- Running Back- New Orleans Saints- With the hand injury to Mark Ingram, fantasy owners may want to take a shot on Khiry Robinson. He'll end up splitting time with Pierre Thomas but in an offense that can score a ton of points in a hurry, may be worth the stash. He was averaging six fantasy points per game with Ingram in there and an uptick of touches without Ingram is not out of the question.

Donald Brown- Running Back- San Diego Chargers- With Ryan Matthews expected to miss four to five weeks with his MCL sprain, it appears Donald Brown will be sharing touches with Danny Woodhead. Brown proved last season he could be a reliable fantasy back with Indianapolis when he averaged over eight fantasy points per game and could be a PPR asset as well with his 27 receptions from last year.

Jeepers

Jonathan Dwyer- Running Back- Arizona Cardinals- Even though Dwyer vultured a touchdown against the Giants last week, he doesn't get enough touches to warrant adding to a fantasy roster. Andre Ellington is proving that his foot issue isn't hampering him very much and as long as Ellington is in there, Dwyer isn't going to see much playing time.

Damien Williams-Running Back- Miami Dolphins- Williams is on the Jeepers list because at this time, it's unknown how much playing time he'll actually get. That will depend on the severity of the ankle injury Lamar Miller sustained last week. There hasn't been any news on Lamar Miller since the injury occurred and that could be good or bad. Up until this point, Williams has had five carries for 19 yards and won't be given too many opportunities unless the injury to Miller is more severe than fantasy owners were lead to believe. In that case, Damien Williams would make the jump up to Sleepers status.

Jerick McKinnon- Running Back- Minnesota Vikings- I will put McKinnon in the same category as Damien Williams to a certain point. If AP misses time, the Vikings have Asiata to fill his role. Should Asiata not quite produce like expected, there is a chance Jerick McKinnon gets a shot and runs away with the job (no pun intended). At this point, there is little value to McKinnon seeing how two running backs are ahead of him on the depth chart but if he were to get an opportunity to play, would jump up to Sleeper status like Damien Williams would.