NFL fantasy football waiver wire: 8 adds and 4 drops for Week 3

With Week 2 in the NFL all wrapped up, it’s time for a look at the fantasy football waiver wire moves you need to make heading into Week 3. We’ll start off with a Bengals player who should be owned this week due to an injury to second-year back Joe Mixon.

Fantasy Football Week 2 Adds

Bengals RB Giovani Bernard

The Bengals have lost Joe Mixon, who underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and is expected to miss 2-4 weeks. This is a very tricky recovery, and given the Bengals’ history of muddying up the waters with injured players, the safe approach to take is assume Mixon misses at least two games and is brought along slowly in his first game back.

In the meantime, Giovani Bernard is a very valuable backup who has proven he can be an RB1 when made the featured back. He had 95-plus yards from scrimmage in three of his last five games in 2017 when Mixon was in and out of the lineup.

As of Sunday, Bernard was only owned in 41 percent of CBS fantasy leagues. He needs to be at 100 percent in any type of league by the time Week 3 begins.

Browns WR Antonio Callaway

Now that Josh Gordon is out in Cleveland, you have to think one of the other receivers is going to step up and become a viable fantasy option. Might that be Antonio Callaway?

The rookie receiver had a good preseason and has already earned a starting role. Then came what was almost a game-winning score against the Saints in Week 2; a 47-yard touchdown that tied the game late before the PAT was missed.

With Gordon now out of the picture, you have to think Cleveland is going to make Callaway the featured receiver, making him an easy add to make for Week 3.

49ers RB Matt Breida

With Jerick McKinnon on injured reserve, Matt Breida is now the featured back in San Francisco. Breida’s season got off to a good start when he ran 11 times for 46 yards against a stout Vikings defense.

Then in Week 2 against the Lions, Breida erupted for 138 yards and a score on 11 runs with three catches for 21 yards. His 66-yard rushing touchdown was the longest rushing score by a 49ers running back since Frank Gore in 2009 (80 yards vs. Seahawks).

Eagles RB Corey Clement

The Eagles lost Jay Ajayi to injury against the Buccaneers in Week 2, while Darren Sproles was already out due to injury. That led to Corey Clement becoming the featured back and impressing with a bigger workload. He gained 30 yards on six carries and caught five passes for 55 yards.

Clement gained 26 yards on just five carries against the Falcons in Week 1, so he’s been building up to taking on a bigger role, which may come sooner rather than later. If you need running back help in deeper leagues, Clement could be the best addition possible for you to make.

Bengals WR Tyler Boyd

Coming into the season, the thought in Cincinnati was Tyler Eifert and John Ross would be the fantasy relevant pass-catchers not named A.J. Green. But after two weeks, it’s Tyler Boyd who ranks second on the team in targets (14), catches (9) and yards (116). He’d be a solid addition in PPR leagues as long as he keeps getting 5-7 targets per game.

Packers RB Aaron Jones

The Packers are set to get back Aaron Jones, who was suspended by the NFL for the first two games of the 2018 season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Jones was the team’s second-leading rusher in 2017, his rookie season, with 448 yards. He also rushed for four touchdowns.

Jones and Jamaal Williams shared touches in 2017, though Jones was clearly the better back (5.5 ypc to Williams’ 3.6) when healthy. Williams hasn’t done enough to keep the top spot over the first two games, so stash Jones now in hopes he’ll be getting the majority of carries very soon.

Packers WR Geronimo Allison

With Jordy Nelson gone, Geronimo Allison has taken over the No. 3 receiver spot and ran with it. After catching five balls for 69 yards and a score in Week 1, Allison racked up six more catches for 64 yards from a hobbled Aaron Rodgers. Allison also has 14 targets through two games, so he’s a nice addition in deeper leagues if you need receiver help.

Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin

Tampa Bay is on fire to begin this season, and part of that is due to the emergence of Chris Godwin. The second-year receiver has two touchdown grabs through two games on eight grabs for 97 yards on just 10 targets.

Even with Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson doing plenty of damage, Tampa has been a pass-heavy offense where even the No. 3 receiver is fantasy relevant. Godwin is another good addition in deeper leagues for those in need of receivers.

Fantasy Football Week 2 Drops

Greg Olsen

After missing much of 2017 with a foot injury, Greg Olsen has been shelved again due to a similar issue. The latest setback is expected to keep him sideline for 4-5 weeks. As good as Olsen is when healthy, that’s too long of an absence to keep him on your roster, and there’s no assurance he’ll remain healthy when he returns.

Eagles WR Mike Wallace

If you were counting on Mike Wallace to be for the Eagles what Torrey Smith was in 2017, those hopes may have been dashed Sunday after Wallace left Sunday’s game on a cart with an ankle injury. He doesn’t have a catch on three targets this season, even with Alshon Jeffery out of the lineup. Wallace is an easy call to cut if you still have him.

Bengals WR John Ross

As mentioned above, the Bengals had big expectations for their former top-10 pick coming into the season. But after two games, John Ross has just two catches for 11 yards and a score on six targets. Ross has a world of potential, but Andy Dalton and the offense don’t appear ready to trust him enough for him to stay fantasy relevant.

Cardinals WR Christian Kirk

With the Cardinals losing John Brown and Jeron Brown this offseason, second-round pick Christian Kirk was expected to take on a major roll as a rookie. With a solid veteran in Sam Bradford and an offense that was likely to be playing behind a lot, Kirk looked like a sneaky fantasy prospect to spend one of your final roster spots on.

But after two games, the Cardinals are even worse than imagined, and Kirk has just five catches for 31 yards and no scores on seven targets. Like the rest of Arizona’s offense other than David Johnson, Kirk is cannon fodder you need to get rid of.