Week 3 fantasy football pickups

September 23, 10:40 PMBoston Fantasy Sports ExaminerMark Fuery

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Mario Manningham should be universally owned, grab him
while you can.

We are only two weeks into the season, but it is never too early to improve your fantasy squad. After all, it is rare that a championship caliber team is built exclusively through the draft. Usually the key to victory lays with the early season pickups of the budding stars that managers missed on draft day.

Players like Steve Slaton and Tyler Thigpen were afterthoughts on draft day last season, yet they finished among the best at their positions. Every year there is a handful of players that are there for the taking that can lead you to a championship.

Here are a few widely available players who can give you a quick boost:

Mario Manningham (WR – NYG): Manningham is this week’s no-brainer pickup, but he is still available in way too many leagues. He has a touchdown in each of his first two games and last week he picked up 150 yards while emerging as one of Eli Manning’s top targets.

Barring injury, Manningham should be the starter all year long and will have ample opportunities to put up big numbers. Don’t expect him to grab 10 passes for 150 every week, but he will give you great production for a third WR.

He is owned in only 5.4 percent of ESPN leagues, partially because all players are on waivers until Thursday in their standard leagues, which means you still have time to claim him. In Yahoo! leagues he is owned in 73 percent, which means 27 percent of you can still get a gem for nothing.

Laurent Robinson (WR – STL): Don’t let last season fool you, Robinson is better than teammate Donnie Avery in both fantasy and reality. Through the first two weeks, Robinson leads the Rams in all receiving categories, including targets.

The 6’2 speedster has the wheels to outrun the defense and the size to go up and get the ball in coverage. However, he does play for the Rams, so he won’t produce as much as a receiver with his skill set should. With that being said, he is still ownable in any format and is a solid starter in most cases.

Robinson is owned in less than 20 percent of standard leagues, and there really is no excuse for that. Aside from Steven Jackson, he is the only Ram who should be on your team, but don’t let the uniform mislead you. He is a stud.

Mike Sims-Walker (WR - JAX): As we all know, fantasy football is as much about opportunity as it is about talent. Luckily for Sims-Walker, he now has both.

Last week Jaguars starter Troy Williamson was lost for the season with a shoulder injury and Sims-Walker stepped in to the tune of 106 yards and a touchdown.

The 2007 third round draft pick will finally have an opportunity to start with Williamson out. Frankly, it is a spot he should have had from the first day of camp.

Sims-Walker gives the Jaguars a big play threat to go opposite of veteran Torry Holt, who’s presence should only help the young group of receivers.

Sims-Walker is in position to have a shot at 1,000 yards on the season, yet he is only owned in 19 percent of Yahoo! leagues, and significantly less than that on ESPN.

Lawrence Tynes (K – NYG): Kicker is often the most overlooked position in fantasy football. All too often, an owner will draft someone in the last round and stick with him for the rest of the season regardless of the options that are available.

Don’t be that guy. Tynes is the top kicker through the first two weeks and is primed to stay in that area. The Giants have been struggling in the red zone, which has made Tynes fantasy gold. Go get him if you can, he is only owned in 42 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Rashard Mendenhall (RB – PIT): “Fast” Willie Parker just isn’t getting the job done, as his 2.4 average indicates. On the other hand, Mendenhall has been explosive when he was given an opportunity to make a play. If this trend continues it will only be a matter of time before Mendenhall gets a majority of the touches.

Mendenhall brings both speed and power to the table and is without a doubt the most complete back the Steelers have. Right now, Parker plays two possessions and Mendenhall plays one, giving the second year back an important role in the offense.

Remember, last season Steve Slaton wasn’t the “feature” back at the start of the season, he had to make plays when he got the opportunity early in the season. Mendenhall probably won’t do what Slaton did last season, at least not to that extent, but look for him to be a reliable number-two fantasy back by the halfway point of the season.

Mendenhall is only owned in 33 percent of Yahoo! leagues, if you have an extra bench spot grab him and see what happens. He could pay off big time.

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