Every week, we examine players that may be available on your league's waiver wire that could help your team in the short and/or long term.
For a player to be listed, he must be owned in 50 percent (or less) of Yahoo! leagues. The goal is to provide recommendations of players that have a greater chance of being available on your league's waiver wire. Of course, your league's size and settings could significantly impact whether these players (or better options) are available in your particular league(s).
With that said, here are some running back waiver-wire options to consider heading into Week 3 (Yahoo! % rostered in parenthesis):
[Note: Players listed below are sorted by my preference to add.]
1. Joshua Kelley, Los Angeles Chargers (39 percent)
There were a rash of running back injuries on Sunday, which creates plenty of unexpected opportunities for some scarcely-owned players. And while Justin Jackson was already out on Sunday, Kelley has further cemented his role as the early-down complement to Austin Ekeler in the Chargers backfield.
Kelley has performed as the RB20 (half-PPR scoring) through Sunday Night Football. Both Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler finished 2019 as top-24 running backs and Kelley has the potential to continue performing as an RB2/flex the rest of the way.
The rookie's 23 carries in Week 2 were third-most behind fellow rookie Jonathan Taylor (26) and 2019 rushing champion Derrick Henry (25). Adding a pair of receptions, Kelley totaled 113 scrimmage yards on his 25 touches against the Chiefs.
2. Mike Davis, Carolina Panthers (6 percent)
Diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain after leaving Sunday's game in the fourth quarter, Christian McCaffrey is expected to miss the next 4-6 weeks. While Davis had just one carry yesterday, he added eight catches for 74 yards. When healthy, CMC is a nearly every-snap workhorse, but Davis will hold down the fort for as long as McCaffrey is out and has RB2 weekly upside.
3. Darrell Henderson, Los Angeles Rams (32 percent)
Cam Akers left Sunday with a ribs injury as Henderson had the best game of his career (121 YFS and a score on 14 touches). At this point, it's unclear if Akers (or Malcolm Brown, finger) misses any time and if he doesn't (they don't), Akers and Brown are our preferred options over Henderson. Either way, the Rams are likely to use a hot-hand approach the rest of the way.
4. Jerick McKinnon, San Francisco 49ers (24 percent)
Both Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman will miss Week 3 against the Giants, which provides McKinnon with a huge opportunity in the short term. McKinnon has been highly effective on his limited work this season (6/101/1 rushing and 3/20/1 receiving) and will be a plug-and-play option for fantasy owners with a favorable matchup against the Giants.
5. Myles Gaskin, Miami Dolphins (15 percent)
Instead of Jordan Howard or Matt Breida, Myles Gaskin has been the Dolphins best running back. Gaskin has 13 touches in back-to-back games and has been highly efficient on his opportunities. Through Week 2, the former seventh-rounder has 16 carries for 86 yards (5.38 YPC) and 10 receptions on 11 targets for 62 yards (6.2 Y/R). Not only does Gaskin have more rushing yards than Breida (59) and Howard (11) combined, but he's second on the team in receptions behind Mike Gesicki (11).
6a. Wayne Gallman, New York Giants (1 percent)
6b. Dion Lewis, New York Giants (6 percent)
6c. Devonta Freeman, Free Agent (13 percent)
When Saquon Barkley left with a torn ACL on Sunday, Dion Lewis was the only other active running back. Lewis had 56 YFS and a touchdown on 14 touches, but he had only one carry for one yard in Week 1. Before the season began, ESPN's Jordan Raanan wrote the following of Wayne Gallman: "Gallman is a gamer who can carry the load should something happen to Barkley." Then again, it's possible the team signs free agent Devonta Freeman, who will visit the team on Tuesday, to "carry the load." The uncertainty gives all of them some waiver-wire value, but you could make a case for any of them over the other two.
- More Fantasy Football Waiver-Wire Advice Heading Into Week 3
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