10 WR sleepers to target for fantasy football Week 3
By Josh Wilson
Week 3 of the NFL season is upon us in just two days. Maybe your fantasy football team is enjoying an undefeated start like the Niners, Cowboys, Dolphins and Raiders. Or, perhaps you're hanging around at 1-1 like the Chiefs, Bills, Vikings, and Packers.
Or, maybe you're in the very unfortunate position of being 0-2 much like the Chargers, Broncos, and Bengals. Perhaps, if you're in that state, you're already thinking of throwing in the towel for the year and setting aside the stress of managing a fantasy team. No judgement, I've been there.
Don't fret! Two weeks gives plenty of time to make up ground so long as you can make some savvy additions to the fringes of your roster. While quality midseason adjustments can rarely completely repair a bad fantasy draft, making smart adjustments to the margins of your roster week-in and week-out can be the difference in those close fantasy matchups, keeping you in the race for the playoffs.
If you're looking to beef up your receiving options, these players are worth considering. Most are available in a majority of leagues (percent availability listed in the article as of Tuesday afternoon in ESPN fantasy leagues). Roughly, they're ordered based on a mix of how impactful these players might be in addition to how available they are. As always, it's your team, so apply your own judgement and have fun!
Dontayvion Wicks
Rostered in 0.1% of leagues.
Dontayvion Wicks is a worthy add if Christian Watson's injury continues to keep him out. Wicks got a start in his place in Week 2 and caught two balls for 40 yards, scoring a touchdown in the afternoon against a Falcons defense that has so far held offense in the air to a minimum.
In a very small sample size, Wicks has the league's best yards after catch above expected. That could indicate he's a possible player to take a ball to the house even facing strong coverage.
Rashid Shaheed
Rostered in 25% of leagues.
In Week 1, Derek Carr told Rashid Shaheed to go, and go he went. Shaheed, through two games, has already tallied about a third of the receptions he grabbed in his rookie season. While his volume has increased, his yards per reception has maintained at just a shade under 17.
Through the first two games he's averaging 76.0 yards per game, proof of the big jump in the game-planning he's seen this year (he clocked at 40.7 yards per game last year).
Shaheed projects to be one of the Saints touchdown scorers this year after scoring just two last season.
I have him ranked early here because he's rostered in a bit more leagues than the rest of the players, so if you're in a larger pool, your chances of picking him up may be slim. But if he happens to be available in your league, picking him up could make you look like a genius.