We are back after another beautiful week of football. We hit on three of our four running back sleepers and streamers from last week. Gus Edwards, Kyren Williams, and Zack Moss all returned value for us. But it was admittedly a bit of a layup of a week. Check into FantraxHQ every Tuesday for the best RB options on your bench/waiver wire. Now enjoy our Week 3 Running Back Sleepers and Streamers.
Whether it’s to improve your own team or keep one of your league-mates from improving, you’ll want to check in with us weekly. Let’s get into it!
Week 3 Running Back Sleepers and Streamers
Running Back Sleepers
Matt Breida, New York Giants, ~1% owned
Remember when Saquon Barkley threatened to hold out because if he were to get injured, he wouldn’t have a long-term contract to protect his earnings potential? Remember when he caved and accepted an improved one-year deal? I remember. On Sunday, Barkley sprained his ankle (fairly severely), and proved exactly why both sides did what they did. With Barkley, the Giants still don’t look like a team to be feared, and without Barkley, Matt Breida becomes the lead back (making the Giants even less dangerous).
That said, in fantasy football, opportunity is the name of the game. Even though Breida is unlikely to provide much value with his touches after Barkley’s injury, he’s still likely to get 15+ touches each week. At least until they sign another running back (like Hunt or Fournette). Any time you can find 15 touches on the waiver wire, you pick that person up. No questions asked. Breida is likely to be 50%+ owned after this week.
Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings, ~5% owned
The Vikings are off to a pretty horrendous start. Kirk Cousins and the passing game isn’t really the problem, though. It’s the run game and defense letting Minnesota down at the moment. Mattison, the lead back, has been struggling mightily running the ball. He’s sub 3.5 yards per carry, and the team is usually in catch-up mode in the second half, preventing the Vikings from running the ball late in the 2nd half. Enter Ty Chandler. The 2nd year player is going to be involved far more going forward because quite frankly, the Vikings will likely be changing things up to turn their season around. Expect 8 to 10 touches per game for Chandler going forward. This is more of a stash play, than a weekly start option, but Chandler is going to be in the mix so they can see what they have in their young player.
2023 Week 1 RB Streamers
Ezekiel Elliot, New England Patriots, ~60% owned
There’s a chance Elliot is still on your waiver wire in more shallow leagues. He’s Rhamondre Stevenson’s backup, but after watching the Patriots lose to the Dolphins, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Patriots offense and Mac Jones are going to be able to move the ball. He’s had at least 5 carries in both games, so far, and in Week 1 he also had 7 targets out of the backfield. He didn’t have any targets in Week 2 vs. Miami, but it’s more likely he sees closer to 7 targets per week, than zero. On top of that, the likelihood that Stevenson will make it through the year unscathed is low. Elliot will have his shot to be the number one RB on this team on certain weeks, and when that happens, he’ll be valuable. Pick him up now!
Damien Harris, Buffalo Bills, ~20% owned
I could almost copy and paste the above blurb for Harris. He’s the number two back on this roster behind James Cook (and Josh Allen for that matter), but the fact of the matter is that James Cook won’t stay healthy all year. No running backs do. When he’s the unquestioned number one back, he’s going to have enormous value as a red zone threat, and running between the tackles. Even as the backup, he managed to take seven carries for 33 yards and 1 TD vs. the Raiders last week. There’s no way Harris should be under 50% rostered, and after this week he’s likely to be claimed. Be there first!
Got a beef with Bradlee’s Week 3 Running Backs Sleepers and Streamers? Let him hear about it in the comments below!