12 waiver wire targets for fantasy football in Week 3

Here are your waiver wire targets for Week 3 of fantasy football.

After what seemed to be a low-scoring opening week for fantasy football, Week 2 offered some extremely explosive performances.

As roles begin to get settled, the waiver wire may not be as chaotic moving forward. But between injuries and poor performances, scouring the waiver wire for the top additions is still the best path to maintaining a championship-caliber team.

We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in ESPN leagues, using the 75% mark (25% availability) as the threshold. We also will be giving FAAB suggestions based on a $1,000 budget. Take it for what it is: a suggestion. You can go higher or lower at your own discretion.

If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on Twitter (@KevinHickey11). Your questions, comments, and roasts are always welcome!

Here are 12 waiver wire targets entering Week 3 of fantasy football:

Tunnel Vision of Week 2

Tunnel Vision – a look back at Sunday for fantasy free agents, injuries and notable performances.

SUNDAY SALUTES
Quarterbacks Pass-Rush TD
 Tua Tagovailoa 469-1 6
 Lamar Jackson 318-119 4
 Carson Wentz 337-23 3
 Joe Flacco 307-6 4
Jared Goff 256-(-2) 4
Running Backs Rush-Rcv TD
Nick Chubb 87-26 3
Tony Pollard 43-55 1
D’Andre Swift 56-31 1
Damien Harris 71-16 1
Aaron Jones 132-38 2
Wide Receivers Yards TD
Tyreek Hill 11-190 2
Amon-Ra St. Brown 9-116
68 rush
2
Jaylen Waddle 11-171 2
Cooper Kupp 11-108 2
Garrett Wilson 8-102 2
Tight Ends Yards TD
Mark Andrews 9-104 1
Darren Waller 6-50 1
Mike Gesicki 4-41 1
Ross Dwelley 1-38 1
Logan Thomas 3-37 1
Placekickers XP FG
Graham Gano 1 4
Daniel Carlson 2 3
Evan McPherson 0 3
Brandon McManus 1 3
Austin Seibert 4 2
Defense Sack – TO TD
Buccaneers 6-5 1
Jaguars 5-3 0
49ers 2-3 0
Falcons 1-3 1
Ravens 1-2 1

Bumps, Bruises and Bowouts

QB Trey Lance – Fractured ankle
QB Jacoby Brissett – Ankle
RB James Conner – ankle
RB Damien Harris – Knee
WR Devin Duvernay – Concussion
WR Jerry Jeudy – Shoulder
WR Mike Evans – Ejected
WR Hunter Renfrow – Head
TE Tyler Kroft – Knee
TE Dalton Schultz – Knee

Chasing Ambulances

QB Trey Lance – Fractured ankle and is gone for the year. This gives way to Jimmy Garoppolo and suddenly it’s 2021 all over again. 

QB Jacoby Brissett – Suffered an ankle injury when he was sacked near the end of the game. But he came back for the next series. He said he would play against the Steelers this week.

RB Damien Harris – He had five carries in the final two minutes but was injured on the final five-yard run with 1:51 that made the first down that allowed them to run out the clock. But he limped off the field. He later said he was fine. He’s continued with the same primary role he had last year.

RB James Conner –  Missed nearly the entire second half with an ankle injury. The Cardinals went to splitting the work evenly between Eno Benjamin and Darrel Williams who ended up leading the backfield with 59 yards on eight carries that included a one-yard touchdown. If Conner remains out, both backs will be involved again. They had similar stats, other than the one 30-yard run that Williams produced.

WR Jerry Jeudy – Reported to have injured his shoulder but had x-rays on his ribs that came back negative. He will undergo further tests but the hope is that he just bruised his ribs and can play through the injury. There were no receivers that stepped up and took his place. Courtland Sutton had 11 targets while no one else had more than four. The Broncos need Jeudy to return because the depth is very thin.

WR Mike Evans – Was ejected for fighting between downs when players were getting chirpy at each other and pushes became punches. There is still a chance that Evans would be suspended  because this hardly the first time that he’s tangled with CB Marshon Lattimore who also was ejected. The Buccaneers are thin on receivers with Chris Godwin and Julio Jones inactive this week. Breshad Perriman, Russell Gage and Scotty Miller were all involved this week to only minor impact.

TE Dalton Schultz – Injured his knee late in the win over the Bengals and left the field. He will receive tests on Monday to determine the severity, but there is a concern that he may miss time.

Free Agents, Flops and Other Notables

QB Joe Flacco (NYJ) – Led the Jets in a comeback win over the Raiders and threw for 307 yards and four touchdowns. Playing at home against the Bengals should be no worse this week.

QB Jared Goff (DET) – He may be often criticized, but the Lions quarterback threw four touchdowns against the visiting Commanders along with 256 passing yards. He’ll play at the Vikings this week which will be a tougher venue.

QB Jimmy Garoppolo (SF) – The 49ers lost Trey Lance for the season and Garoppolo slips back behind the wheel as he did last season when he passed for 3810 yards and 20 touchdowns over 15 games. He’s less a fantasy advantage as he is more reliable for keeping Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle fantasy relevant.

RB Darrel Williams (ARI) – He remained on the sideline in Week 1, but once James Conner was injured, Williams helped out for the second half and gained 59 yards on eight runs with one score. If Conner is out against the visiting Raiders this week, Williams will share the backfield with Eno Benjamin.

RB Raheem Mostert (MIA) – He started the game and out-touched Chase Edmonds 14 to 6. Mostert gained 51 yards on 11 carries and three catches for 28 yards. Edmonds only rushed five times and caught one pass. This is not an official switch of the depth chart, but a good example of how HC Mike McDonald will mix and match his backfield. Mostert is worth owning as a stash, but the backfield needs to show consistency before it can be relied on.

WR Nelson Agholor (NE) – Led the Patriot receivers with six catches for 110 yards and paired with Jakobi Meyers (9-95) as the only two receivers that mattered against the Steelers. Davante Parker failed to catch either of his targets. Kendrick Bourne is a nonfactor. And this week, the Patriots host the Ravens who were just toasted for 469 passing yards and six touchdowns.

WR Garrett Wilson (NYJ) – The rookie that was taken as the second wideout in the NFL draft has already proven he is the real deal. Wilson opened the year with eight targets for four catches and 52 yards in the loss to the Ravens. At Cleveland, he was targeted 14 times and caught eight for 102 yards and two scores. His second touchdown came with 11 seconds left to provide the game-winner. No other Jets’ wideout had more than five targets.

TE Gerald Everett (LAC) – The newest Chargers tight end opened the year with three catches for 54 yards and a score against the Raiders. In Week 2, he tied with Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler with ten targets in the loss to the Chiefs. That became six catches for 71 yards. For a tight end, that consistency and merits landing on a fantasy roster if he is still available.

WR Amari Cooper (CLE) – Had his breakout game as a Brown when he caught nine passes for 101 yards and a score versus the Jets.  That was more than double the production of any other Cleveland receiver.

WR Curtis Samuel (WAS) – Two weeks in and he’s been everything that he wasn’t last year. Samuel scored in both games and averaged seven catches for 65 yards per game.

WR Jahan Dotson (WAS) – The Commanders opened against a very light schedule – the Lions and Jaguars – but the rookie Dotson scored twice in Week 1 and then twice on Sunday versus the Lions. The home game against the visiting Eagles will provide plenty of motivation to throw the ball.

TE Evan Engram (JAC) – He hasn’t scored yet, but his first two games with the Jaguars resulted in four catches for 28 yards and then seven receptions for 46 yards this week. That’s worth bye-week coverage if nothing else.

RB Tyler Allgeier (ATL) – The Falcons placed Damien Williams on injured reserve, so the rookie was active in Week 2. He handled ten rushes for 30 yards, splitting the backfield workload in half with Cordarrelle Patterson (10-41). The new offense in Atlanta only threw one target at running backs this week – an incompletion to Patterson. Allgeier saw playing time and took the same amount of work as the starting running back.

RB Jeff Wilson (SF) – With Elijah Mitchell out, the 49ers relied on Jeff Wilson (18-84) and Tyrion Davis-Price (14-33) in the easy win over the Seahawks. But half of the rookie carries came in the last half of the fourth quarter to run out the clock. Wilson is safely the starter and will be the lead back. He’ll get a tougher challenge this week in Denver.

TE Kyler Pitts (ATL) – Apparently, the change in quarterback this year is catastrophic for Pitts production. Two weeks in and he’s turned in exactly two catches for 19 yards each time. The success of Drake London (8-86, TD) on Sunday should help, but Pitts receives the primary coverage of the defense and Marcus Mariota is not throwing to him.

RB Dameon Pierce (HOU) – It wasn’t a breakout game exactly, but Pierce owners have to like seeing him take 15 carries for 69 yards against the Broncos while Rex Burkhead had none this week. The schedule is no friend to the Texans, but Pierce is already assuming the entire rushing load for the backfield.

WR Darnell Mooney (CHI) – He turned in a career best 81 catches for 1,055 yards and four scores last year during Justin Fields’ first season. He also had Allen Robinson lining up across from him and he was the focus of the secondary. Now that he is gone -and not replaced – Mooney is the only wideout that concerns the secondary and after two weeks, he totals two catches for four yards. This week, it was one catch for a four yard loss. That’s all. Fields killed Robinson’s value last year and now Mooney is an absolute no-show. The good news is that the Bears host the Texans this week. If Mooney again only catches one short pass, stick him on the back end of your roster and forget about him until he does, well, anything.

Huddle player of the week

Tua Tagovailoa  –  There was a question as to whether Tagovailoa could justify having two elite wide receivers. The answer is yes, at least for Week 2. He passed for 469 yards and six touchdowns – tying the franchise touchdown record of Dan Marino and Bob Griese. He led the Fins from being down 28-7 to throwing the winning score with 14 seconds left to play. Both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle caught 11 passes for over 170 yards and two scores. It was a personal yardage best for Tagovailoa by 108 yards.

Salute!

Drama 101 – Somebody has to laugh, somebody has to cry

Comedy Yards TDs Tragedy Yards TDs
QB Tua Tagovailoa 469 6 QB Trey Lance 43 0
RB Darrel Williams 62 1 RB James Conner 51 0
RB Raheem Mostert 79 0 RB Ezekiel Elliott 49 0
WR Garrett Wilson 102 2 WR Ja’Marr Chase 54 0
WR Nelson Agholor 110 1 WR DJ Metcalf 35 0
WR Noah Brown 91 1 WR Brandin Cooks 54 0
TE Mike Gesicki 41 1 TE Kyle Pitts  19 0
PK Graham Gano  1 XP   4 FG PK Matt Prater   1 XP
Huddle Fantasy Points = 145 Huddle Fantasy Points = 28

Now get back to work…

Cardinals, Chiefs have 4 players connections

The Cardinals have three former Chiefs on their roster. The Chiefs have one former Cardinals player on their practice squad.

The Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs face one another in Week 1 at State Farm Stadium. The Cardinals have some former Chiefs players on their roster, but the Chiefs have no former Cardinals on their active roster, although they have one former Cardinals player on their practice squad.

What player connections are there between the two teams?

Read on!

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Potential trade candidates for Cardinals before final cuts

As final cuts come next week, the Cardinals could move these players and get compensation.

The Arizona Cardinals have one final preseason game this weekend on Saturday against the Tennessee Titans and then must make final cuts by Tuesday afternoon. They must get the roster down to 53 players.

While most of the roster moves they will make will be cuts, a few players who won’t make the roster could be traded.

A few players have some trade value, even if it ends up being just a Day 3 draft pick next year. Who are those guys? below we name a few.

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24 days till the Cardinals’ 2022 season opener vs. Chiefs

Have a look at some of the players who have worn No. 24 for the Cardinals over the years.

The Arizona Cardinals are now only 24 days away from the start of the regular season.

In 24 days, they will take the field at State Farm Stadium to face the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1.

No. 24 has not been used in a game since the days of safety Adrian Wilson, but there is a chance now. It now belongs to running back Darrel Williams.

Check out Williams and other players from the team’s past who have worn No. 24 are below.

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Sleepers and Value Picks: Running Backs

2022 Fantasy Sleepers – Running Backs

The Average Draft order shows a general picture of how your draft will unfold and where values/sleepers and bad values/busts likely exist. Any green highlight means the player is a good value that could be taken earlier. A red highlight signifies an overvalued player that is a bad value or just too high of a risk for that spot. No color means the pick is a reasonable value at that spot.

See also:
Sleepers and Value Picks: Quarterbacks
Sleepers and Value Picks: Running Backs
Sleepers and Value Picks: Wide Receivers
Sleepers and Value Picks: Tight Ends

Average Draft order – Value picks

ADP Tm Running Back
1 IND Jonathan Taylor Was No. 1 last year, has better schedule this year. Same system designed around him.
2 CAR Christian McCaffrey When he plays, he consistently a top fantasy play. When he plays, he’s a dual-threat and a monster weekly starter. When he plays… When he plays… feel lucky?
3 TEN Derrick Henry King Henry was mortal last year. After two seasons of historic usage, the foot gave out last October. He’s back and they’ll be significantly lightening his load to keep him fresh… who am I kidding? The only question on most plays is which side of the line he’ll be crashing through.
4 LAC Austin Ekeler He will miss one or two games. But he’ll always challenge for most receptions by a RB. Draft Spiller and sleep better.
5 PIT Najee Harris 381 touches as a rookie. New QB(s), same mediocre O-line and worse schedule but hey, may end up with another 381 touches.
6 MIN Dalvin Cook Great when healthy but always misses three or four games. New offense intends to throw more, run less. Still a safe pick but likely to take a small step back from previous seasons.
7 DET D’Andre Swift Productive when he isn’t missing three or four games per year. Great O-line and great schedule points at a career-high year if he stays on the field.
8 CIN Joe Mixon Blew up as the No. 4 RB last year. Dangerous passing offense means Mixon gets less focus. Rock-solid Top-10 with upside.
9 CLE Nick Chubb This  is about where he ends up every year. Top rusher but only around one   reception per game.
10 GB Aaron Jones Loss  of Davante Adams may mean Jones could top his career-high 52 catches of last   year, but GB has a terrible rushing schedule and AJ Dillon gets more involved. This is a little high, but his risk is balanced with minor upside   as a receiver.
11 NO Alvin Kamara This is a steal if his legal situation gets pushed out to 2023 and he plays all 17 games. He’s always a lock for Top-10 and offense remains the same from last   year.
12 DEN Javonte Williams No.17 as a rookie last year, gets a better QB in Russell Wilson. He’d be a   Top-10 lock if Melvin Gordon did not re-sign. One of the most talented young   backs.
13 NYG Saquon Barkley Third time a charm or that dog just won’t hunt anymore? This assumes that he’ll be back to form but miss a few games. Bad O-line a little better but schedule is even worse.
14 TB Leonard Fournette Oddity is that Fournette alternates great seasons with down years. Signed a big contract and is reliable for the Bucs, but 2021 was No. 6, 2020 was No. 34,  2019 was No. 7, 2018 was No. 38. Needs to break that trend.
15 DAL Ezekiel Elliott Down 2021 with a torn PCL but still his fifth-straight Top-10 season. Some believe   Tony Pollard is better, but not the DAL coaching staff. O-line still an advantage and this assumes he has the worst year of his career. Because of  voidable contract years, this is actually a contract season for him so plenty   to play for in 2022.
16 CHI David Montgomery Great 2020 was sandwiched by two years around No. 20. New offense hints more use of   Khalil Herbert, so Montgomery remains solid but less upside and runs behind arguably the worst O-line in the NFL.
17 ARI James Conner First year in ARI was best of his career. He was No. 5 last year, so this seems a   hard drop after scoring 18 TDs in 2021. Will get banged up for a game or two, but this is a great value pick for a guy that faced the No. 32 rushing   schedule strength and upgrades to only average.
18 BAL J.K. Dobbins Blew an ACL a year ago and missed last season. Was No. 28 as a rookie and still   plays in a committee backfield. Better schedule this year but O-line a little worse. Plus BAL told Lamar Jackson he can run wild again.
19 WAS Antonio Gibson Has never been worse than No. 14 in his two seasons and WAS has a nice upgrade in running strength of schedule. But Commanders leaning to more of a committee   this year with a healthy J.D. McKissic and short-yardage rookie Brian   Robinson. This is a safe spot. Maybe less upside now.
20 LAR Cam Akers Finished rookie season on a high note, but then tore Achilles. Somehow returned for playoffs but looked bad. More risk here than this spot should have. HC Sean   McVay even referred to Darrell Henderson as big factor in the backfield. Also drops from No. 3 down to No. 24 rushing strength of schedule.
21 SF Elijah Mitchell Everything they expected – from Trey Sermon. Mitchell was one of the best surprises of 2021. Was wildly productive with five 100-yard rushing games. Also missed six   games and suffered five injuries (shoulder, rib, finger, concussion, knee)   all in one year. Just very risky on an offense that changes the backfield   constantly. Raheem Mostert was a similar star in 2019.
22 LVR Josh Jacobs Always Top-20 and was No. 8 in 2020. But all new coaches bring in an RBBC history   and drafted Zamir White to help. Kenyan Drake returns from an ankle injury and worse yet, Raiders fall from No. 20 to No. 32 rushing schedule.
23 JAC Travis Etienne Love that upside. Etienne was lost for 2021 with a Lis Franc injury but in his own words, he picked a good year to take off. The 1.25 pick of 2021 is healthy   and wowing in camp. Dual Threat. Has about as much upside as any other RB.   Let him shine in a preseason game and this shoots much higher.
24 KC Clyde Edwards-Helaire No arguing that the Chiefs first-round pick of 2019 was a disappointment. And this rank is about where he landed as a rookie. He’s suffered ankle, hip, MCL and shoulder injuries over just two   years. But he’s slated to do more as a receiver with Tyreek Hill gone. There   is still upside here, but one more year of injury and under-performance will   be too much. Worth a shot at this spot.

Sleepers and overvalued players

ADP Tm Running Back
25 NE Damien Harris This seems like a steal since he scored 15 TDs last year, but OC Josh McDaniels is gone and Rhamondre Stevenson keeps getting hyped. Harris a solid pick but lacks upside.
26 GB A.J. Dillon Dillon was the No. 22 RB last year but that was filling in for Aaron Jones twice while going against the No. 2 best rushing schedule. This year it falls to No. 25. Not a bad pick, just a bit high.
27 NYJ Breece Hall Everyone loves the first RB drafted. The rookie Hall lands on one of least productive   offenses of 2021 but the NYJ schedule and O-line are much improved from last year. Prototypical workhorse back that can catch the ball.  Plenty of upside if passing game also improves.
28 PHI Miles Sanders Sanders has declined in each season and missed four games in each of the last two years. Dogged with knee, hamstring, ankle and hand injuries. Philly wants to   pass more with A.J. Brown on the team and it looks more like an RBBC involving Kenneth Gainwell as well.
29 SEA Rashaad Penny He was so great in four games at the end of 2021 – versus the worst four   defenses. Otherwise, his entire career has been the occasional rushing   attempt between injuries. Seahawks drafted Kenneth Walker as the second RB   this year, so even they don’t think Penny’s late-season burst was a new   normal.
30 CLE Kareem Hunt He gets banged up, but his moderate fantasy value skyrockets if Nick Chubb gets   hurt.
31 DAL Tony Pollard Nice spot and productive when given the chance and holds at least this much value   even with Ezekiel Elliott healthy. Expectation is that he sees more receptions since DAL receivers are banged up to start the year and Amari   Cooper is gone.
32 BUF Devin Singletary Improved all three years and turned it up nicely to finish 2021. BUF is a pass-first   offense and they added Isaiah Spiller to  their mostly committee approach, but powerful offense, good O-line and the No. 1 rushing schedule strength should see Singletary challenge for RB2   fantasy status.
33 JAC James Robinson Tore his Achilles at the end of last season but may be ready to play early in the season, if not Week 1. But scary injury to return from and Travis Etienne will drain much work. He needs to prove health in training camp or a very   risky pick.
34 MIA Chase Edmonds Okay, so he didn’t take over in Arizona and while he is listed as No. 1 in Miami, he probably won’t be more than a piece of a committee. As a late RB3 you could do worse. Marginal upside but should offer roughly this level.
35 DEN Melvin Gordon New coaches in Denver may not reprise the same committee backfield as last year. Then again, HC Nathaniel Hackett imports the GB scheme that used Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. Should be a safe pick for a back that historically has always   been Top-20.
36 SEA Kenneth Walker III The second RB drafted in 2021 is a 4.38/40 speedster out of Michigan State that ran for 1,636 yards and 19 TDs last year. The only one above him on the depth chart is the always-injured Rashaad Penny. Yeah. Love this pick and willing   to wait a few weeks for big things to happen.
36 ATL Cordarrelle Patterson Patterson made the shockingly effective switch to RB last year but then sputtered by   the end of the season. He’s 31 years old and probably even less likely to handle more than 150 carries. Worth it as an RB4 to see if he starts adding   tons of catches again as he did early in 2021.
37 NE Rhamondre Stevenson Saw much more use after Week 10 last year and even logged two 100-yard rushing   efforts. Expectations are that he will see even more action and is slated to   start catching more passes. The NE backfield has long been a source of   frustration and dashed hopes, but Stevenson as an RB4 is just too good to pass   up. Just his pace last year would have been around No. 24 had he played in   all games.
38 MIN Alexander Mattison Back up for Dalvin Cook. Three years and never better than this ranking.
39 NYJ Michael Carter Jets drafted Breece Hall and now Carter is just the No. 2 for the Jets – when has   that ever paid off? Good handcuff for the Hall owner but likely not enough production to merit a fantasy start unless Hall was out.
40 BUF James Cook Bills drafted Cook as the third RB taken this year with the plan to make him into a   pass-catching back to complement Devin Singletary as the main rusher. Anyone catching passes in the Bills’ offense needs to be owned. Reasonable handcuff   for the Singletary owner but should carry stand-alone fantasy value.
41 KC Ronald Jones II The info on Jones is conflicting. He’s said to be challenging Clyde   Edwards-Helaire to be a starter, and also speculated to not make the 53-man cut. Doesn’t help that KC has given first-team reps to undrafted Isaiah Pacheco who will also play special teams unlike Jones. As an RB4, he carries   some upside and if he flops, it won’t kill you.
42 LAR Darrell Henderson HC Sean McVay referred to his backfield as being both Cam Akers and Darrell   Henderson. Not Akers and his backup. The Rams like to pass anyway and Henderson has been around the No. 30 back for the last two years. No game   changer, but worth owning.
43 IND Nyheim Hines Was deemphasized last year but ranked No. 17 in 2020 when he caught 63 passes and   scored seven TDs. HC Frank Reich said he wants the 2020 version of Hines back   this year and that makes this a steal.
44 WAS J.D. McKissic Like Nyheim Hines, McKissic is not going to save your fantasy team but should see a return to an every-week value play in PPR leagues. He caught 80 passes in   2020 but missed six games last year. Nice value.
45 MIA Raheem Mostert In a best-ball league as a final pick maybe. But chances that Mostert is going to offer reliable fantasy points is too hard to buy into.
46 HOU Dameon Pierce Fourth-round pick could challenge Marlon Mack as the top back but a committee is expected, the rushing schedule is No. 30 and the O-line remains one of the worst. Upside here around the start of RB5, but not a lot.
47 HOU Marlon Mack Starting RB in Houston but virtually no upside and more likely to fall from this level.
48 SEA Chris Carson Retired. Will wash out of ADP.
49 NO Mark Ingram No. 2 in NO should be gold if Alvin Kamara is suspended, but that is no longer a  lock (at least for this year) and Ingram is 32 years old and a nonfactor since 2019.
50 LAC Isaiah Spiller Great handcuff for the Austin Ekeler owner but hard to reach since he tends to be   taken before the Ekeler owner can get there. Solid RB5 that could be huge if Ekeler missed much time.
51 CAR Chuba Hubbard Even with Christian McCaffrey flaming out last year, Hubbard only No. 36. Just a handcuff with marginal value even if McCaffrey misses time.
52 ATL Tyler Allgeier Good-sized back (5-11, 220) could beat Damien Williams out to be the No. 2 in Atlanta, and Cordarrelle Patterson faded last year. Bad schedule and bad O-line is a major challenge, but Allgeier could end up as the No. 1 RB in Atlanta this year.
53 DET Jamaal Williams D’Andre Swift tends to miss several games per year and Williams ranked No. 43 last season. DET has a great O-line and schedule, so Williams has minor value   regardless and becomes a starting consideration when Swift gets hurt.
54 PHI Kenneth Gainwell Ended as the No. 40 RB as a rookie last year and led the Eagles backfield since Miles Sanders was injured. Has minor stand-alone value and upside in this improving offense.
55 TB Rachaad White A popular sleeper-type this summer, White takes over for Ronald Jones as the   No. 2 back in TB. Worth owning in that productive offense but likely needs Leonard Fournette to be injured to offer any reliable fantasy starts.
56 ARI Darrel Williams Comes over from the Chiefs where he was the No. 21 back last year. Replaces Chase Edmonds as the No. 2 back in Arizona who was No. 33 in 2021. Should offer much more value than this spot and Conner usually misses a couple of games.
57 MIA Sony Michel Certainly Michel has value after a surprising year with the Rams, but the Miami backfield is a mess that’s hard to buy into.
58 BAL Gus Edwards Torn ACL last September and Ravens O-line not as good. Staying away from players returning from blown knees and playing in a committee backfield.
59 SF Tyrion Davis-Price Why not? SF has a tendency to make stars out of surprising players. Elijah Mitchell was the newest star last year, before that, Jeff Wilson, before   that, Raheem Mostert, before that, Matt Breida… Davis-Price was the  fifth RB drafted this year, so he’s not just a bottom of the roster filler.
60 NYG Matt Breida Handcuff for Saquon Barkley. No real value to anyone else and even if Barkley crashes yet again, Giants have a bad schedule, bad O-line and are installing a new offense.

 Best of the rest

Brian Robinson Jr. (WAS) – Firmly No. 3 behind Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic, the ex-Alabama bruiser could see short-yardage work and steps in if either starter is injured.

Hassan Haskins (TEN) – The Titans offense is meant to run and Derrick Henry proved he was not immortal last year with the foot injury. Haskins already impressed in camp and will be a hot commodity if Henry misses any time.

Khalil Herbert (CHI) – New offense in Chicago changes backfield roles and Herbert looks likely to receive more work. A needed handcuff for the David Montgomery owner, but may have stand-alone fantasy value anyway. 

Every NFL team’s top position battle to watch in training camp

These are the NFL’s top roster battles to keep an eye on in training camp.

Training camp has arrived, which marks the unofficial start of the 2022 season. All 32 NFL teams have kicked off camp, where there is no shortage of storylines to monitor this summer.

With training camp comes plenty of competition, especially after changes on the roster this offseason. Veterans and rookies alike will be looking to prove themselves in hopes of landing a roster spot or winning a starting job.

Our NFL Wire editors identified the top position battle to watch for each team this summer, which includes several noteworthy starting jobs up for grabs.

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Position battles to watch in training camp for Cardinals

As the Cardinals open camp, here are the battles for roles and spots on the roster to watch.

The Arizona Cardinals will officially open their 2022 training camp Tuesday when veterans report for physical exams and their conditioning test. Rookies and quarterbacks have already reported.

As camp opens, there are a few position and roster battles watch. Below are the battles to watch.

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RB Darrel Williams salary, contract details, cap hit

The new Cardinals running back gets a one-year deal worth almost $1.19 million and is mostly guaranteed.

The Arizona Cardinals announced the signing of former Kansas City Chiefs running back Darrel Williams this past week, solidifying the running room with proven production behind starter James Conner.

Williams signed a one-year deal after playing four seasons for the Chiefs.

He had his best season in 2021 with over 1,000 total yards from scrimmage and was one of seven players in the league to have at least 500 rushing yards and 400 receiving yards.

We now have the details of his contract through Over the Cap. We go over those details — salary, signing bonus and guarantees, as well as the implications to the salary cap below.

Darrel Williams’ salary, contract details

Williams signed a one-year deal with a total of almost $1.19 million.

He receives a signing bonus of $152,500.

He will earn $1.04 million in salary and $895,000 of that salary is fully guaranteed.

Salary cap information, cap hit

Williams’ deal is like many players’ contracts on the roster. His contract qualifies for the veteran benefit, meaning the cap hit is less than the money paid out, which is not normally the case with one-year contracts.

While he is being paid a total of almost $1.19 million, his cap hit will only be $1.05 million. That is a cap savings of $140,000.

This contract has the potential to give the Cardinals the same type of value that James Conner did last year, which led to his getting a new three-year contract to return to the Cardinals and their starting running back.

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Cardinals’ RB room basically has 2 open spots for final roster

The addition of Darrel Williams makes it appear that Jonathan Ward, Eno Benjamin and Keaontay Ingram will be competing for 2 roster spots.

The Arizona Cardinal added running back Darrel Williams to the offseason roster Tuesday, a move that comes as no surprise, as it was reported and confirmed long before the official signing.

With the move, it gives the Cardinals a second proven back in the league to pair with James Conner, who re-signed this offseason to a three-year deal.

It also tightens the competition for the remaining roster spots when it comes to the final 53-man roster.

Williams is not guaranteed a spot on the roster, but after more than 1,000 total yards from scrimmage in 2021, he seems pretty close to a lock.

That leaves two likely spots on the roster at running back, which means a competition between Eno Benjamin, Jonathan Ward, sixth-round pick Keaontay Ingram and undrafted rookies T.J. Pledger and Ronnies Rivers.

It will likely come down to a decision between Ward, Benjamin and Ingram for those final spots on the roster.

Ward has size and is a solid contributor on special teams. Benjamin offers more upside in the run game and can return kicks. Ingram is a big back who has a versatile skillset.

As OTAs continue and as training camp rolls around at the end of next month, this will be a competition to watch.

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