Fantasy Football Week 3 waiver wire pickups: Top 7 RB’s

46. Bradshaw is the pickup of the week as he continues to shine in the Colts attack.  He continues to outperform backfield-mate Trent Richardson and should continue to see plenty of work going forward.  On Monday Night, Bradshaw scored a pair of receiving touchdowns on his five catches while going for 26 yards and added 70 yards on 13 carries.  He is still in a timeshare and does pose a significant injury risk, but he has enough upside in a good offense that he should be owned in almost all formats. 23.9% owned. Week 3 @ Jaguars. Ahmad Bradshaw. 1. player

player. 48. Rainey exploded for 144 yards on his 22 carries on Sunday while adding 30 more on three receptions.  He didn’tfind the end zone this week, but did sconre one of the Bucs two receiving TDs in week one.  Rainey has all the upside of Bradshaw, but the reason he ranks below the Colts’ veteran is the questions surrounding his role when Doug Martin returns healthy.  If Rainey continues to get carries and catches, he’ll be worth a look and is definitely in the RB2 discussion if he gets another start this week.. 6.8% owned. Week 3 @ Falcons. Bobby Rainey. 2

11.9% owned. Week 3 @ Saints. Matt Asiata. 3. player. 60. In the early morning hours on Wednesday, the Vikings decided to make the move of sidelining Adrian Peterson while his legal proceedings play out meaning Asiata will again be a lead back for the immediate future.  Asiata was a solid option in his one game as top running back finishing with 36 yards on 13 carries and five catches for 48 yards and a touchdown.  He isn’t a high-upside pickup, but he will get touches and has a high floor.  That means even on his off days he will produce something for you and as a result he should be owned in all formats in the immediate future.

Week 3 vs Ravens. Isaiah Crowell. 4. player. 53. Crowell is definitely part of the Browns’ plan with Ben Tate sidelined and will continue to see work in tandem with fellow-rookie Terrance West.  In Cleveland’s upset win on Sunday, Crowell didn’t find the end zone like he did twice in week one but did get a solid 11 carries and took them for 54 yards.  It looks like he’ll be a change-of-pace back this week, but he does have some nice upside going forward based on his average of over five yards per carry in the touches he has been given.  . 3.4% owned

Week 3 @ Browns. Justin Forsett. 5. player. 26. Another secondary back performing well in the role given him by the team is Justin Forsett, who will continue to platoon with Bernard Pierce to replace Ray Rice.  Don’t worry about the Rice appeal since even if he wins, the Ravens did terminate his contract and he would become a free agent if reinstated.  Forsett is clearly behind Pierce at this point in Baltimore’s backfield, but he continues to be productive in limited touches finishing with 56 yards on eight carries and adding four catches for 16 yards on Thursday night. He is familiar enough with Gark Kubiak’s offense that he should remain the passing down back making him a flex consideration if you’re desperate in the coming bye weeks.  He’s also only a Bernard Pierce injury or fumble from stepping into a much bigger role.. 9.6% owned

32. Dwyer is another timeshare running back who is playing the change-of-pace role for his team, but producing decent fantasy points if things break his way.  This week, he did get the goal line carry instead of Andre Ellington punching in a one-yard TD against he Giants as part of his nine-attempt, 31-yard game.  He should continue to get touches and especially goal line work while Ellington plays through injury.  He doesn’t have a super-high ceiling, but will get enough touches to keep him fantasy relevant until Ellington is healthy enough to be an every-down option.  . 27.6% owned. Week 3 vs 49ers. Jonathan Dwyer. 6. player

60. For my last slot, I’m looking a little bit more long-term and taking a flier.  If you’re in deep leagues or have the roster space to stash a RB, take a look at Vikings rookie from Georgia Southern Jerick McKinnon. He only got four touches on Sunday in Adrian Peterson’s absence but was on the field for about a third of the Vikings snaps.  He offers more athleticism and flash than the plodding Asiata, and he could be the lead back at some point this season taking over Asiata’s workload gradually as the season goes on.  At the very least, he should be a valuable part of a timeshare in Peterson’s absence and has a high ceiling if given an extended opportunity.  . 0.8% owned. Week 3 @ Saints. Jerick McKinnon. 7. player