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10 RB sleepers to target for fantasy football week 3

Sep 1, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Cameron Artis-Payne (34) runs up the middle chased by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker L.J. Fort (54) during the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Cameron Artis-Payne (34) runs up the middle chased by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker L.J. Fort (54) during the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
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It’s been an injury-filled start to the season for many fantasy teams, so check out these options if you’re hunting for last-minute RB sleepers.

Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell (34) is one of the biggest RB sleepers heading into Week 3. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland Browns running back Isaiah Crowell (34) is one of the biggest RB sleepers heading into Week 3. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The fantasyĀ football season tends to turn into a battle of attrition at some point in the seasonĀ where almost every owner is trying to manage around injuries. It seems like that point has come very early this year after a number of big-name players have ended upĀ on the shelf.Ā Ā With news coming down Sunday that even more options are unavailable, check out these last-minute RB sleepers if you suddenly need to scramble at the position.

Every week, you can find these position-focused last-minute sleepers hereĀ on FanSided along with plenty of other posts to help you throught the week. Ā Check outĀ my top 10 last-minute WR sleepersĀ from earlier this morning if you’re hitting the market for receiverĀ help.

More from Fantasy Football

FanSided has assembled some great tools to help you get your lineup set for fantasy football each week. You can find all our coverage by checking out (and bookmarking) theĀ fantasy football hubĀ where you’ll findĀ the top 10Ā matchups to attackĀ for the week as well asĀ full Week 3 rankings. You can also get any specific lineup question answered by checking out the newĀ start/sit tool.

You won’t find these RB sleepers at the very topĀ of those rankings, though. Instead, I’ll use this post to try to pinpoint some players in the mid-range who could be among the top performers along with some players flying off the radar towardĀ the bottom of the rankings who have serious potential to be the best RB sleepers this week.

All theseĀ RB sleepers are risky to someĀ degree, but I think they can be used as cheap DFS plays or as plug-and-play options off of many league’s waiver wires. Overall, I expect each of them to out-perform their general expectations in week 3.

One finalĀ reminder–theseĀ are sleeper RBs, so don’t go crazy and take a flier on one of them over a more established play. Ā For example, I like Cameron Artis-PayneĀ a lotĀ this week, but I wouldn’t start him over Mark Ingram, Melvin Gordon, or even Shane Vereen. The picks appear in order from most well-known to deepest sleeper.

Let’s get going with my five last-minute sleeper running backs week 2 by starting with a back in a juicy matchup who could be a top-10 option.

Next: Time to be the No. 1