Injuries. They are as synonymous with football as apple pie is with America. They’ve always been there and will always be.
What am I telling you? Part of winning your fantasy league is by being aggressive, picking up backups as soon as their starting counterparts get carried off the field. Unfortunately, there were some big injuries in the fantasy world this week and these players are ready to fill their shoes in a big way. Also, go eat some pie. Because it’s delicious.
Related: Can You Name This Fantasy Football Star?
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Josh Helmuth is the editor of CraveOnline Sports.
Week 3 Fantasy Football Pickups
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Knile Davis RB - Kansas City Chiefs
19% Owned
Davis is a border-line RB1 this week if Jamaal Charles can't go Sunday against Miami, and from what reports are giving us, that's a possibility.
Charles suffered a bad ankle sprain early in Sunday's game at Denver. Monday, head coach Andy Reid said, "It doesn't look to be a real severe one, but it does have the components of a high ankle sprain... What does that mean? We'll see what happens."
Ya, not a full bill of confidence there, doc. If Kniles plays, he'll put up numbers. While filling in this past Sunday, he racked up 21 points off two TDs.
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Bobby Rainey RB - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
22% Owned
While filling in for an injured Doug Martin, Rainey piled up 144 yards rushing against a capable Rams defense Sunday. The team says Martin could have played, but decided to hold him out since they're on a short week, playing this Thursday.
There were already pre-season rumors this could be a timeshare at the RB position. Now that Rainey showed he can carry a solid load, he's a borderline FLEX play even with a healthy Martin, and he doesn't appear to be 100%.
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Donald Brown RB - San Diego Chargers
9% Owned
Yes, this is the Donald Brown that used to share carries in Indy. But the media out of SD expects Brown to get a bulk of the carries now that Ryan Mathews is out 4-6 weeks.
Don't overpay here; you're still getting a 27-year-old running back who's never been a successful full-time starter. Still, he's worth a grab. We're curious.
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James Jones WR - Oakland Raiders
21% Owned
This is a case of Derek Carr having no one else to throw to. Denarius Moore and Rod Streater were assumed to be in the mix this year, but Carr has looked to Jones for a majority of his throws.
Jones is the only WR on the team to have a TD in each game so far this year. If you need help at wideout, Jones might help you at the WR3 spot -- just play him based on matchups from week to week as we don't have full faith in Derek Carr or the offense ceiling in Oakland just yet.
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Kirk Cousins QB - Washington Redskins
9% Owned
RGIII is hurt again, this time with a dislocated ankle. The team isn't giving a timetable for his return yet, but it could be awhile. Plus, remember just a few weeks ago when NFL pundits were arguing whether or not Cousins should start over RGIII, regardless? Ya, it's happening now.
Cousins looked like the more competent quarterback in the preseason and now that he has the starting job in Washington, could be one of the best backups in fantasy, or even possibly a borderline starter in deep leagues. Heck, when coach Jay Gruden was asked about the status of RGIII's job when he's healthy, he was noncommittal, saying, "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
Cousins is for real, folks. And his 22 of 33 passing and 2 TDs against the Jags this past Sunday could be just the beginning. With DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, Jordan Reed and Alfred Morris on his side of the ball, Cousins has all the weapons he needs to thrive.
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Larry Donnell TE - New York Giants
21% Owned
He's put up 19 points through two fantasy contests so far because he's literally Eli Manning's No. 1 receiver so far. I know, it sounds insane. But let me repeat, Donnell leads the New York Giants in receiving.
Granted it's only two weeks into the season, but Donnell has five more receptions and more than 50 yards receiving than WR Victor Cruz.
Maybe it's because Manning is adjusting to the new West Coast style offense or maybe he just likes Donnell a lot. Either way, Manning is finding his new tight end open and often and he's worth an add, especially this Sunday against the Texans.
