Story by Jayce Standridge / Contributing Writer
Week two is in the books, and some teams are showing off their dominance already. Some players bounced back from a poor week one performance, and others slowed down. My last week Love/Hate went 6-4 so I’m looking to improve. I have that list and my top five waiver wire pickups for week 3.
Love
● D.J Moore (WR) CAR
● Marquise Brown (WR) BAL
● DeVonta Smith (WR) PHI
● Javonte Williams (RB) DEN
● Kyler Murray (QB) ARI
These are my picks to exceed their projections this week. First, for D.J Moore, he has led the Panthers receivers in targets for the first two games of the season. He should continue this tear through a weak opponent in Houston on Thursday night. The next guy on the list is Hollywood Brown. I have him having a huge week against the Detroit Lions, with him being the leading receiver for Baltimore. DeVonta Smith is in the third spot on this list. Last week he didn’t play to his full ability but should bounce back this week facing the Cowboys. The only RB I have here is Javonte Williams of the Broncos. He has shared snaps with Melvin Gordon, but with him facing the struggling Jets defense he is an easy start. Kyler Murray should be obvious, but some people are still benching him. He has been the number one QB to start the season and will stay an MVP caliber player for the coming weeks.
Hate
● Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB) KC
● Robert Woods (WR) LAR
● Brandin Cooks (WR) HOU
● Austin Hooper (TE) CLE
● Joe Burrow (QB) CIN
These are my picks to fall below expectations. CEH has struggled so far to this point being RB47. He only had 13 rush attempts this past week with 46 yards. Matthew Stafford has shown he is an elite QB so far in LA but has yet to give Woods the workload he is used to. I would bench him this week against the proven Buccaneer defense. The loss of Tyrod Taylor is unfortunate for the Texans and Cooks. The rookie Davis Mills has to step up for Houston, but it won’t happen on Thursday Night. The only tight end I have on either list is Austin Hooper. He has fallen below expectations so far and will continue for a few more weeks. Joe Burrow is the last guy I have here. He is coming off a week where he threw three INTs and will face the stellar defense in Pittsburgh. I just don’t see him recovering from last week.
Waiver-Wire
● Zach Pascal (WR) IND – 36% Rostered
● Braxton Berrios (WR) NYJ – 2% Rostered
● Cordarrelle Patterson (RB,WR) ATL – 16% Rostered
● Derek Carr (QB) LV – 28% Rostered
● Quintez Cephus (WR) DET – 7% Rostered
I have Zach Pascal leading my top five pickups. He already has three TDs this season, with most of his targets being in the RedZone. I was very tempted to put him on my list last week, but the others edged him out. Braxton Berrios is my next pickup. He has had 18 targets in the past two games with 12 receptions. Berrios has benefited from Jamison Crowder being out but has still shown he deserves a role in the Jets offense. The hybrid back in Patterson is following on here. Although he has had only 7 carries in each game, he has asserted himself as a prominent pass catcher with a TD against the Bucs. Derek Carr has shown why he earned his way to this list. As the QB9 this season, Carr has exceeded expectations so far. He is capable of being your starting QB for weeks to come. Quintez Cephus is my last pickup. With a TD in each of the past two games, he is a great pick-up for deeper leagues.
