Best Week 3 Moves From Our Experts: Go Get Parker Washington Before It's Too Late
Best Week 3 Moves
Whether you're playing redraft or dynasty, knowing what moves to make is crucial to success.
That's why we're having each of our fantasy football experts give you one move to take advantage of this week.
Buy High on Parker Washington
Washington has opened the season as the WR13 with 17.6 PPR points per game. It’s not a fluky start. The fourth-year WR ranks inside the top 5 among all WRs in target share and yards per team pass attempt.
He joins Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Justin Jefferson as the only WRs to rank in the top 5 in both metrics.
This isn’t a small-sample breakout either. Since the Jaguars bye in Week 8 last season, Washington is averaging 16.0 PPR points per game over a 12-game sample that includes the playoffs. That would have ranked him as WR9 last year.
A contract extension hasn’t happened yet, but there were reportedly discussions prior to the season. Such a deal would tie him to a Trevor Lawrence-led offense that finished sixth in points scored last season.
WRs that average WR1 production at 24 years old typically cost WR1 prices. That’s not the case for Washington, at least for the time being.
TIP
You can also find Washington plus five other buy or sell candidates among our Week 3 Trade Targets.
Hurting at QB? Grab Geno Smith
Lots of fantasy teams are struggling at QB after a rash of Week 2 injuries. If you’re one of those teams, grab Smith as a short-term Band-Aid.
Smith ranks just 25th among QBs in fantasy points through two games: an easy win over the Titans and a weather-impacted loss to the Packers.
But he’s played well. Among 33 qualified QBs, Smith ranks:
- 7th in completion rate
- 12th in completion rate over expected
- 3rd in accurate throw rate
- 14th in EPA per dropback
The matchups are about to get much better for fantasy scoring.
Smith travels to Detroit this week in a game with a 48-point over/under, third-highest in the league. An injury-wrecked Lions secondary has allowed 658 passing yards and 6 TDs to Tyler Shough and Josh Allen through two games.
Week 4 brings a meeting with the Bears. That matchup won’t have as much juice if QB Caleb Williams doesn’t play on the other side, but it’s still a plus matchup for Smith. Chicago limited QB Carson Wentz in a sloppy Week 2 but got lit up by QB Bryce Young for 361 yards and 3 scores in the opener. I think the Bears defense is closer to what we saw in Week 1.
Get a New Kicker and Drop Cameron Dicker
It's time to stop treating the Chargers offense like an elite unit and adjust expectations going forward. That includes Cameron Dicker.
Dicker is still rostered in 87.9% of ESPN leagues, the fourth-highest among kickers, and 83% of Sleeper leagues. Those numbers should be much lower, especially with this week’s matchup and the Chargers’ upcoming schedule.
I’d rather stream the position than hold Dicker. Some lightly rostered kickers I prefer this week include Tyler Bass (10.2%), Jake Elliott (8.1%), Chase McLaughlin (25.8%), and Evan McPherson (39%).
Sell Malik Nabers
The injury situation for Nabers continues to be worrisome. Watching him in Week 1, Nabers looked to play a bit tenuous after being a game-time decision. Then he hurt his shoulder in Week 2.
Nabers appears on track to play in Week 3, but being this banged up puts his effectiveness in question. Plus, Jaxson Dart will now miss the season with an MCL and meniscus injury. If Jameis Winston continues playing ineffectively, Nabers could wallow as a WR3 for most of the season.
This makes it an ideal time to move Nabers before his value falls off too hard. You can target Parker Washington (as Ian mentioned earlier) before his value increases further. Jaylen Waddle or Zay Flowers would also be straight trades to try for.
You can also use our Trade Builder to help construct a deal that works for you.
