Top 5 Most Wanted — (Week 3)

Holy hotdog! It's the all rookie edition!

1. Rondale Moore — WR (ARI)

Rondale Moore is currently available in 74% of leagues. Chances are your leaguemates saw the highlights of Moore and Kyler Murray dominating the Vikings secondary. Go ahead and place a claim on Moore, or bid at least 20–30% of your FAAB budget if you want to nab him. If you play in a less-active league, you might be able to get away with a 10–20% bid.

But before you smash that waiver button, allow me to play Brad the Buzzkill for a second.

Mike Clay @MikeClayNFL

Rondale Moore defying logic. ARZ's WR4 and played 46% of the snaps...but puts up a 7-114-1 line on a team-high 8 targets

Mike Clay @MikeClayNFL

One of the reasons Rondale Moore went off yesterday despite a "small" snap count was because ARZ doesn't move its WRs around. Hopkins aligned against Pat Peterson on 31 of his 37 routes as a result and was targeted 4 times.

I’m trying to be less of a buzzkill these days, so let’s focus on Clay saying Moore is “defying logic.” You know who that reminds me of? Tyreek Hill, or Derrick Henry, or Alvin Kamara, or any other player that bursts onto the scene and spits in the face of data and historical trends. They’re just different. If you think Rondale Moore is different, go ahead and get him.

O.K., but…. The Athletic’s KC Joyner notes Moore ran the fewest routes among Cardinals’ wide receivers and Christian Kirk worked ahead of him in the slot. He also mentions the Cardinals remaining games include 7 of 15 matchups that’ll be tougher on slot wide receivers.

Still! That’s 8 of 15 games that Moore could once again put up a highlight play with some Murray magic. It’s up to you.

I’ll probably sit this one out.

2. Larry Rountree — RB (LAC)

Austin Ekeler had a bit of a hammy issue heading into Week 1, which led me to pick up the Chargers presumed No. 2 running back Justin Jackson.

Presumptions aren’t great, people!

Larry Rountree appears to be the next man up for the Bolts, and the RB’s prospects got a heckuvalot better with Ekeler catching 9 balls in Week 2.

Rountree’s stat line would say otherwise—as he didn’t make a dent against the Cowboys—so I’m not suggesting you pick him up during this Tuesday waiver period. But I believe Rountree will be worth adding to your bench ahead of the main slate, as L.A.’s lead back can be a PPR gold mine.

3. Kenneth Gainwell — RB (PHI)

The University of Memphis has turned into Running Back U: Darrell Henderson Jr., Antonio Gibson, and now Kenneth Gainwell have emerged as dual-threat backs at the NFL level. So far, Gainwell has made the most of his role as a third-down receiving back for Jalen Hurts and the Eagles.

In Week 1, the kid took 9 carries for 37 yards and a score, adding 2 receptions on 3 targets for 6 yards.

In Week 2 he saw a similar workload: 6 carries for 14 yards while adding another 2 receptions on 3 targets for 18 yards.

I don’t think you’ll have to spend a lot of FAAB to nab Gainwell this week—but he’s definitely worth a spot on your bench given the Eagles surprising start and the fact that Miles Sanders is not a dependable three-down back.

4. Pat Freiermuth — TE (PIT)

Keep an eye on the Diontae Johnson injury. If he’s out this weekend or for an extended period of time, Pat Freiermuth is in line to emerge as one of Big Ben’s best friends in the Steelers’ quick-release, high-volume passing offense.

JuJu Smith-Schuster and Najee Harris would likely be ahead of Freiermuth in the pecking order, but the TE may see more opportunities than Chase Claypool who appears to be boxed-in as the big-play threat in this Steelers’ attack.

If you’re worried about Eric Ebron, that’s understandable—to some extent. Freiermuth has played better than Ebron thus far and appears ready to take over the TE1 role.

5. Demetric Felton — RB (CLE)

He’s a Cleveland Browns running back! They love to run the ball! C’mon! There was also this Cleveland media tweet in the offseason:

Camryn Justice @camijustice

#Browns I'll say it again, Demetric Felton has to make this roster.

Through two weeks, here’s the stat line:

• Week 1: Nothing

• Week 2: Two receptions for 51 yards and a TD

Now… don’t rush to pick him up. He’s a name to monitor on one of the NFL’s top rushing attacks. Also, not for nothing: Cleveland’s top receivers are banged up.

For more waiver recommendations, visit the Week 1 and Week 2 posts. I’d prioritize Jeff Wilson Jr., Sterling Shepard, K.J. Osborn, and Emmanuel Sanders.

The Bandits release their Week 3 Preview this Thursday!

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Thanks for dropping by! We’ll see y’all next time.
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