NFL Fantasy Fixer-Uppers Week 2

WEEEEE-OOOOOOO!!!!! WEEEEEEEEE-OOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! WEEEEEE-OOOOOO!!! That sound you hear is the ambulance coming to pick up all the injured players on your fantasy roster. An absolutely brutal week for injuries saw players such as Jamaal Charles, RG3 and Knowshon Moreno leave their games and not return. Most of those players are on fantasy rosters across the nation which means the waiver wire will be full of action tomorrow morning. If you are unsure as who deserves your top waiver claim have no fear as I will guide you as to who can help replenish your roster after the rash of injuries. And if your team somehow came through the week unscathed, well, you are some sort of wizard.

Knile Davis, RB, Kansas City Chiefs (66% owned standard ESPN leagues)

Perhaps the biggest fantasy name struck by the injury bug is Jamaal Charles who left Sunday’s game against Denver with an ankle injury. The update is not good. Charles has a high ankle sprain which tends to linger throughout the season and is out indefinitely. Enter Davis who rushed for 79 yards and two touchdowns against the Broncos while adding six catches for another 26 yards. He did have a fumble but that is stellar production from the running back spot. Knile is the clear-cut started now in KC and needs to be owned in all leagues. He is worth spending your top waiver priority. This is also a good reminder as to why you should handcuff your top running backs. Charles was more than likely a top three pick in your league.

Matt Asiata, RB, Minnesota Vikings, (12% owned)

Asiata was a surprise start Sunday against New England after Adrian Peterson was deactivated before the game. While his rushing numbers don’t jump out at you; 36 yards on 13 carries, he did add five catches for 48 yards and a score. That is more than worthy of a flex play. If you are a Peterson owner Asiata is a must-add. More rumblings are coming out about Peterson being involved with child abuse and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is forced to miss more time. While Asiaita won’t come close to putting up AP-style numbers the catching ability is sure to boost his value in PPR leagues. My advice is to grab him now and stash him. If Peterson winds up missing more time Asiata is the man in Minny’s backfield. You can never have too much running back depth.

Kirk Cousins, QB, Washington Redskins (8% owned)

I am not a psychic but I have this feeling that Cousins is about to be the most added quarterback this week. Well, let’s take a closer look at this, shall we? Cousins was pressed into duty when RG3 dislocated his ankle all by himself and looked pretty good against Jacksonville. The third year signal-caller completed 2/3 of his passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns without turning the ball over. That’s about as solid a day as you can ask from your backup QB, but is he really worth the add in fantasy? I suppose it depends on your situation. Are you a Griffin owner? Then, yes, you may want to add Cousins. Other than that, I think it would be wise to steer clear here. That was fun to say. Steer clear here. Yep. Fun. Anyway, if Cousins is your starting QB for any reason other than injury or a bye week fill-in you’d better hope the rest of your roster is stacked.

Larry Donnell, TE, New York Giants (1% owned)

You may be asking yourself “Larry Who?” and that’s just fine. I asked myself the same thing after Week 1. I’ve watched both New York Giants games so far this season and Donnell has certainly earned Eli Manning’s trust and has gained his eye as well. Don’t believe me yet? Donnell has a team-high 12 catches on a team-high 17 targets including finding the end zone against Detroit. The Giants don’t have the best offensive line which may lead to a lot of quick, check-down passes in New York’s new scheme which could lead to a steady dose of targets for Donnell. They also figure to be playing from behind a lot which will force Manning to throw the ball. That sounds like a recipe for a quality tight end plucked straight from the waiver wire.

Jeremy Kerley, WR, New York Jets (<1% owned)

First of all, look at that ownership. Less than 1% owned in standard ESPN leagues. That right there is a thing of beauty for a little blog because that means there’s a greater than 99% chance that Kerley is available in your league and what I write about him may or may not persuade you to add him. So I should probably get to that part now. Ahem. Kerley has eight catches for a modest 60 yards on the season, however, he had a 37-yard touchdown catch negated because a coach called timeout prior to the snap. That touchdown would have tied the game in Green Bay. The Jets did have another shot at the end zone and again Geno Smith looked Kerley’s way. One reason for this may be that free agent signee Eric Decker left the game early with a hamstring issue and his status going forward is iffy. Insert Kerley who should see increased looks while Decker is out.

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