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Week 3 Waiver Watch: Brown, Dalton, and a bunch of tight ends

When I started looking at waiver options on Wednesday morning, the first name I thought of was Andre Brown, who played well at running back for the Giants last week after Ahmad Bradshaw left with a neck injury. Heading into the season, it looked like first-round pick David Wilson was going to be the Giants' backup, but after fumbling on his second carry of the season and dropping a key pass last week, the rookie out of Virginia Tech has found himself in Tom Coughlin's doghouse.

Brown rushed for 71 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown - the game-winner - Sunday against the Buccaneers, and it appears he will be getting the start Thursday night against the Panthers now that Bradshaw has been officially ruled out. To make it even more enticing, the matchup against the Panthers is a favorable one for the Greenville, N.C. native and NC State product, as they are allowing 146.5 rushing yards per game this season.

If you are in need of a running back, grab him now, although it may be too late (unless you have a high waiver position).

And what about the three tight ends I have mentioned so far this season: Scott Chandler, Martellus Bennett, and Kyle Rudolph?

Bennett, who has filled in nicely for the Giants in place of Travis Beckum, is the fifth-highest scoring tight end through the first two weeks of the season, catching a touchdown pass in both games. Only five tight ends in the entire NFL have been targeted more than Bennett this season, and that is certainly a good sign going forward.

Chandler was featured in last week's waiver watch, and then went out and picked up 53 yards and touchdown. Like Bennett, the Bills tight end has scored a touchdown and totaled double-digit points in each game. Rudolph has been solid as well, and faces a favorable matchup this week when his Vikings face the 49ers. Sure, they excel in almost all areas defensively. However, they have allowed opposing tight ends to score in both games they've played so far.

Here's a look at a few more players that might be worth a look this week:

Mike Williams (WR, TB) - The addition of Vincent Jackson definitely hurt Williams' fantasy value, but the fact of the matter is that their fantasy production is nearly the same. Despite Jackson receiving a majority of the targets (20), Williams (8 targets) has caught a touchdown pass in both of the Bucs' games. As long as Josh Freeman continues to look for him in the end zone, Williams is a decent WR3. The bad news for potential owners is that he had zero targets last season against the Cowboys, the team he faces in Week 3.

Andy Dalton (QB, CIN) - The Bengals' quarterback got off to a rough start in Week 1 against the Ravens, but was able to take advantage of the Joe Haden-less Browns in Week 2, throwing for 318 yards and three touchdowns. This week he faces the Redskins, who have struggled against the pass so far this season to say the least. Just take a look at their numbers against opposing quarterbacks this season:

Danny Amendola (WR, STL) - Amendola had 15 receptions - 12 at halftime - last week against the Redskins, so his PPR value speaks for itself. This week, Amendola and the Rams take on the Bears (28th in passing defense in 2011). Aside from a favorable matchup, an injury to Stephen Jackson could mean a lot of short passes from Sam Bradford to Amendola this week. Those receptions may not be sexy, but they will add up, especially if he can find paydirt. Bad news? If you play in a PPR league, where his value is the highest, he is more than likely on a roster already.

Mikel Leshoure (RB, DET) - Leshoure missed the first two games of the season while serving a suspension, but he will be back on the field Sunday against the Titans. He took second-team reps in practice this week, but will likely split the load with Kevin Smith on Sunday. You may want to get him now, because if he plays well, his role will likely increase as the season goes on.

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Matt Mullin is a sports producer at philly.com. You can reach him by e-mail at mmullin@philly.com. Follow Matt on Twitter: @matt_mullin