Week 3 Waiver Wire: Reviewing Top Pickups and Drops Likely Available

There’s no avoiding the scourge of injuries in the NFL. The chaotic, physical nature of the game means everyone on the field is one play away from a trip to the trainer’s table or even the surgery ward. 

Week 2 hit running backs particularly hard, with guys like Danny Woodhead, Adrian Peterson and Jonathan Stewart all suffering leg injuries.Add the notable injuries to poor early returns from some players, and just two weeks of football already have fantasy football owners scrambling like Cam Newton on a broken play, hoping to make the right moves without getting blindsided. Every week, certain players quickly become waiver-wire favorites. Whether you believe in wisdom of the crowds or think people are sheep, it’s worth taking a look at which players are proving particularly popular, and why.

Here are the top pickups and drops from Yahoo Sports and ESPN fantasy football leagues entering Week 3.

To account for the larger 12- and 14-player leagues, only players owned in less than 50 percent of leagues are included in the pickups category, except in the case of major swings in ownership not related to injuries. For drops, players owned in more than 50 percent of leagues may still be included to show they are rapidly falling out of favor. 

Fozzy Whittaker Getting All the Love

According to Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, Stewart could miss a game or two with a hamstring injury picked up Sunday in a 47-26 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

“If it’s a hamstring—and every indication is that it is—it’s going to be at least a week or two,” Rivera said, per the Associated Press’ Steve Reed. “We’ll see how severe.”

Though the Panthers boast a stable of backup backs including Mike Tolbert, Cameron Artis-Payne and Fozzy Whittaker, it’s the latter of the group whom fantasy owners are feeling all warm and fuzzy about. 

Whittaker impressed in taking over for Stewart against the 49ers, carrying the ball 16 times for 100 yards while adding another 33 through the air. While he’s hardly been on fantasy radars prior to now, there’s reason to believe he will continue to produce if given a chance. 

For his career, Whittaker is averaging 4.3 yards per carry, so he’s never been a slouch despite limited action. He lost a fumble against the 49ers, but it was the first such incident of a four-year career that has seen him touch the ball 146 times. 

Still, NFL Network’s Michael Fabiano believes he’ll be in a committee if Stewart is indeed out: 

Expect Cameron Artis-Payne, Fozzy Whittaker committee. https://t.co/uHRuqYQfM1

— Michael Fabiano (@Michael_Fabiano) September 19, 2016

Considering the longest run of his career is only 25 yards, it could be that he’ll need plenty of touches to cobble together a worthwhile day for fantasy owners. If Artis-Payne gets the rock with any regularity and Tolbert continues to siphon carries, Whittaker might only provide …

continue reading in source www.bleacherreport.com