Fantasy Football: High on Dwayne Washington, Terrelle Pryor

More young players emerged in Week 3, and many should still be on the waiver wire in your league. Get the jump on them as soon as you can.

Rookie Washington Should Carry the Mail in Detroit

With Ameer Abdullah sidelined for at least the next seven or eight weeks, the Lions backfield was completely up in the air going into Week 3. The picture is now a bit clearer; pass-catching specialist Theo Riddick proved that he can’t be a feature back while rookie Dwayne Washington showed how effective he can be on the ground. Riddick rushed for just nine yards on 10 carries, while Washington trucked his way to 38 yards on the same amount of carries. Riddick will remain the primary pass-catching option while Washington seems to have established himself as the main ball-carrier.

Swiss Army Knife Pryor Locked-In as Fantasy Asset

Former college quarterback Terrelle Pryor made an impact in every aspect of the offense in Week 3, posting 144 yards on eight catches, 21 yards and a touchdown as a runner, and 35 passing yards as a QB. With rookie Cody Kessler not prepared to carry the lackluster offense, it’s a safe bet that Pryor will continue to be the x-factor as the Browns try to move the ball down the field. With this kind of usage expected to continue, Pryor needs to be added in all formats.

Murray Losing Touches Every Week

Latavius Murray was drafted as an RB2 in most fantasy leagues, and so far he’s returned that value on the strength of three rushing touchdowns (one in each week). Unfortunately for his owners, Murray now seems to be entrenched in a timeshare of sorts, as both Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington are seeing significant touches each week. Washington even led the team in rushing in Week 3 with 57 yards on just six rushes. It’s impossible to bank on a touchdown each week, and if Murray isn’t scoring then he may not be worth starting.

NFL Sleepers of the Week

Each week we will identify three players worth taking a shot on in deeper leagues.

Jamison Crowder, WR, Washington Redskins – Has emerged as a consistent flex option each week, with 185 yards and two touchdowns on 16 catches through three games.

Jordan Howard, RB, Chicago Bears – With Jeremy Langford expected to miss 4-6 weeks and backup Ka’Deem Carey also ailing, Howard should be the feature back for Week 4 and beyond.

Cameron Brate, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Austin Seferian-Jenkins was released by the Bucs last week, leaving Brate as the unquestioned tight end. He responded with a 5-46-2 line in Week 3, and should continue to produce every week.

NFL News

There are a number of surprising quarterbacks available at this point in the season, and for those (like me) who waited on a quarterback in the draft it’s worth taking some fliers early on. Three big names stand out from Week 3—Trevor Siemian, Carson Wentz and Ryan Tannehill. Siemian shredded a very good Bengals defense for 312 yards and four touchdowns in Week 3, and he has some extremely favorable matchups in the near future. Wentz has been the surprise of the season, as the rookie has yet to turn the ball over through three games. He’s on bye this week, but he’s worth adding for the future as long as he’s playing this well. Tannehill has been somewhat erratic, with a 5:4 TD-INT ratio, but he’s racking up yards in the process (892 through three games) and as long as that’s the case he’s rosterable.