Giants RB Andre Brown has been causing quite a stir in fantasy circles this week after he rushed for 71 yards on 13 carries with a lone TD against a Buccaneers team that is rather good against the run.
Additionally, Andre Brown (ranked 6th in our WK 3 RB Rankings)has a lot of folks wondering whether or not he is worth the waiver wire grab in Week 3—a question that has two answers depending on how you look at it.
Let's take a look.
Is Andre Brown Worth the Waiver Wire Grab In Week 3?
Here's the situation: Starting RB Ahmad Bradshaw has some sort of neck injury (sounds like a stinger) but there hasn't been any update regarding his status as of Tuesday 12 noon EST.
The Giants are on a short week as they play Carolina on Thursday night.
The Carolina Panthers are one of the worst teams against the run in the NFL which suggests that owners take a chance on him, but that may be a terrible way to look at the scenario.
It does sound like Ahmad Bradshaw has a stinger as he did miss Monday's walk-through practice and practice Tuesday altogether which suggests he's a no-go this week, and with the shortened week, I see the Giants giving the nod to Brown as a way of giving Bradshaw some extra time to heal, and perhaps as a reward for taking care of business against the Bucs last week.
Here's a complete list of WEEK 3 WAIVER WIRE PICKUPS
The problem, however, is Cam Newton and his silly-sick band of receiving warriors.
Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski must be salivating over the pending matchup against this pedestrian Giants secondary, especially with the way WRs Steve Smith and Brandon LaFell are playing right now—it isn't just the receivers mind you.
Buccaneers QB Josh Freeman racked up 243 passing yards with 2 TDs last week against the Giants and Cowboys QB Tony Romo abused them the week before throwing for 307 yards and 3 TDs—Cam Newton anyone?
But the Giants are no slouches on offense themselves.
WR Hakeem Nicks has 14 catches for 237 yards and a single TD on the year while fellow receiver Victor Cruz has 17 catches for 237 yards and a single TD—both have one 100+ yard game to their credit already.
QB Eli Manning already has 723 passing yards after bouncing back against TB last week for 500 passing yards as well.
What I'm getting at here is even if both teams want to curb the potential outbreak from the passing game by running, we all know this is going to turn into a shootout before the day's over.
Not a lot of fantasy potential for either teams RBs in this one.
I DO, however, like the idea of grabbing Brown from the waiver wire for the future considering Ahmad Bradshaw is as fragile as a dried up November leaf.
In larger formats where the RB list is thinner than the Denver air, I say go for it! In "richer" leagues, I would suggest the wait and see approach with rookie David Wilson still in the mix despite his limited use in Week 2—that's what Wilson got for fumbling his first handled ball in NY.
