Another week down and the waiver wire activity for week 3 has already begun.
Last week’s top add of Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Donte Moncrief produced in a good way Monday. Moncrief totaled 18.20 points against the New York Jets, with 122 yards receiving and one touchdown. He registered eight targets, and if your league didn’t get the memo last week, he should be owned in all fantasy football leagues.
The Colts operate a high-volume passing offense, and Moncrief has firmly gone ahead of Andre Johnson in the passing game.
Here are this week’s top adds on the waiver wire.
Matt Jones, Washington, Running Back
Be careful with this addition.
Jones will be the hot pickup of the week off the waiver wire. He was a beast Sunday, with 24.60 points. He garnered 123 yards rushing with two touchdowns.
The concern with Jones is that he’s not the starter. Alfred Morris starts for the Redskins, and Morris tallied more than 100 yards in week 1. This appears to be a situation where whoever has the hot hand, they will stay in the game.
Those are recipes for disaster for fantasy football owners. Jones’ rise actually complicates Morris’s fantasy owners, as he will likely see his carries drop.
Washington is a run-first team, so the running back position can pay dividends. However, it’s not clear if Jones will score any points in the coming week, based on the uncertainty displayed during weeks 1 and 2.
Travis Benjamin, Cleveland, Wide Receiver
Maybe this should be titled “Be careful who you pick up,” because Benjamin may be even more risky than Jones in fantasy football.
If you’ve started Benjamin (and by the looks of how many waiver wires he’s on in fantasy football you haven’t), then you know how valuable he’s been so far.
This season, Benjamin has 38.40 points in two weeks. Not counting quarterbacks, he has the fourth-highest fantasy football total so far this season.
So, he’s likely to be another hot addition off the waiver wire. However, don’t expect too much.
He has four total touchdowns this season, with three receiving and one by way of special teams.
However, his targets remain low, with him getting only four looks last week.
On the plus side, though, it does appear that quarterback Johnny Manziel and Benjamin have chemistry, and Benjamin has the capability of scoring on big plays. He’s not a volume guy, so he may have some down weeks, but if you’re in need of a wide receiver, you could do much worse than Benjamin.
David Johnson, Arizona, Running Back
There are several fantasy football leagues that he’s already not on the waiver wire. If that’s the case, then you likely missed out on one of the top rookie fantasy football producers.
Johnson already has three touchdowns this season, and with starting running back Andre Ellington always suffering from injury problems, Johnson will continue to see more workload throughout the season.
He hasn’t had too many touches yet, with only one reception in week 1 and five carries for 42 yards and one reception in week 2, but he’s made those touches count. He has three total touchdowns (one was a kickoff return) for the season, and with Chris Johnson manning the majority of the running back duties with Ellington out, Johnson should see more reps.
He’s scored in double-digits each week this season. As he gets more touches, that number will likely be consistently in double-digits. It may take a few weeks before the touches are there, but as is the case with Detroit Lions running back Ameer Abdullah, it’s only a matter of time.
Rishard Matthews, Miami, Wide Receiver
We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again — the Miami Dolphins are going to air it out this year.
Because of that, Miami wide receivers are the biggest beneficiaries of that approach.
Matthews was off the radar in the offseason, but in the first two weeks, he’s totaled 9.40 and 11.50 points respectively. What’s even more intriguing, and likely makes him a better add than Benjamin, is that he’s taking in a lot of targets. In week 2 against Jacksonville, he caught six of seven targets. In week 1 against Washington, quarterback Ryan Tannehill targeted him six times.
We don’t expect the Dolphins to change strategies as the season progresses. Matthews should continue to see looks, even with Buffalo and the New York Jets as opponents in the next two weeks.
Marvin Jones, Cincinnati, Wide Receiver
The Bengals wide receiver hasn’t done much in the receptions category this year, but it’s his playing time that has us excited.
Jones is the clear-cut No. 2 receiver for the Bengals now, outpacing Mohamed Sanu by almost a 2-to-1 ratio. Jones also had five targets last week from quarterback Andy Dalton.
He does have that boom-or-bust problem, though, as he’s usually a low volume guy with big-play potential. But with the increased playing time, he should get more looks, since A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert can’t have all the targets.
Jones also should be a good play this week, with Baltimore surrendering more than 300 passing yards in week 2 against Oakland.
Eric Ebron, Detroit, Tight End
He may already be gone on your waiver wire, but if he’s still there, he should be picked up this week.
Ebron totaled 10 targets in week 2 against Minnesota for five catches, 43 yards and one touchdown. He also grabbed a touchdown reception in week 1 against San Diego.
Last year wasn’t particularly good for Ebron, as he nabbed only one touchdown catch, so his expectations were low entering the season.
But quarterback Matthew Stafford is targeting him heavily, so he’s a quality addition to any fantasy football roster.
