Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 3 (Fantasy Football)

We made it to Week 3 and we have another round of injuries to battle. As the weeks tick by, the waiver wire gets thinner and thinner. Here are some candidates that can help get you through until your studs return healthy and ready and to go.

Below is a list of potentially available players to consider targeting in your league(s). Get a full breakdown from The Fantasy Footballers on today’s show: Week 3 Waivers

Wide Receivers

Although heavily rostered, double-check for Garrett Wilson, Jahan Dotson, and Curtis Samuel. 61%, 65%, and 72% of Sleeper leagues have those players rostered respectively, but you never know. Wilson had a monster game against the Browns in an unexpected come-from-behind victory that largely fell on his shoulders. He had eight receptions on 14 targets from Joe Flacco for 102 yards and two touchdowns. The question will be what happens to Wilson once Zach Wilson returns, but G. Wilson should continue to see volume with Flacco at the helm.

It’s so fun being able to finally talk about Samuel being relevant in the NFL again and welcome to the league, Dotson! Samuel has been heavily involved in the Carson Wentz-led offense with 20 total targets and two touchdowns this season. Dotson has also scored in each game, logging two this past week on three receptions for 60 yards. These guys are likely rostered, but make sure you check.

One name that stands out on this list is Noah Brown of the Dallas Cowboys. Unless you paid close attention to the game in Week 1, it may have looked like Brown came out of nowhere with Cooper Rush under center in Week 2 when he had five receptions on five targets for 91 yards and a touchdown. However, he saw nine targets for five receptions that he turned into 55 (FIFTY-FIVE!) yards in Week 1. It looks more like a trend than a fluke that Brown will be included in the Cowboys’ offense with Amari Cooper no longer on the team, a banged-up Dalton Schultz, and CeeDee Lamb seeing double coverage. They have a tough matchup this week against the Giants, but then have four matchups in a row against bottom-five defenses against wide receivers.

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Sterling Shepard is an but has limited upside. Some points are always better than none in certain circumstances. The Giants some have tough matchups in the upcoming weeks facing Dallas, Chicago, and Green Bay, but those defenses can be exploited. They have a juicy matchup for WRs in Week 6, then are looking at smooth sailing in Weeks 10 through 15.

Get a full breakdown from The Fantasy Footballers on today’s show: Week 3 Waivers

Running Backs

Running backs are usually tough to come by, especially in deeper leagues. This week, we have a few options at RB that have some potential in Week 3 and beyond.

Raheem Mostert didn’t do all that much in Week 1. He logged only five rushing attempts for 16 yards against New England and caught his sole target for 16 yards. Week 2 was a much better performance in the absolute craziness against the Ravens. Even so, he only scored 9.4 fantasy points on 11 rush attempts for 51 yards. He is a passable fill-in if you are desperate at the position but beware of the lack of upside. J.D. McKissic is also a spot-start option if Mostert is unavailable.

This is no fun for fantasy managers who took the chance and drafted James Conner and now have to deal with the ankle injury that he suffered last week. According to the team, he avoided a serious injury, but he left the game and did not return. That doesn’t bode well moving forward. Managers will need to keep a close eye on his health this week. In the meantime, targeting either Darrel Williams or Eno Benjamin may be a good idea, just in case. Benjamin rushed eight times for 31 and averaged 3.9 yards per carry and added three receptions on four targets for 20 yards. Williams also rushed eight times for 59 yards and averaged 7.4 yards per carry. He was also involved in the passing game with two receptions on three targets. It was Williams, not Benjamin, who logged the touchdown so I am leaning toward Williams if Conner can’t go in Week 3.

Get a full breakdown from The Fantasy Footballers on today’s show: Week 3 Waivers

Tight Ends

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Team	Player	Roster %	Matchups
MIN	Irv Smith Jr.	35%	DET / @NO / CHI
CIN	Hayden Hurst	27%	@NYJ / MIA / @BAL
WAS	Logan Thomas	20%	PHI / @DAL / TEN
JAX	Evan Engram	15%	@LAC / @PHI / HOU
NYJ	Tyler Conklin	8%	CIN / @PIT / MIA

It’s panic time already at the tight end position with numerous questions heading into Week 3.

The number one name to target on this list is Vikings’ TE Irv Smith. I know, I know. Last night’s game was brutal and he had a heartbreaking drop. However, he did have five receptions on eight targets for 62.5 yards and a touchdown.

Hayden Hurst has emerged as a security blanket for QB Joe Burrow who has been sacked 13 times in only two weeks of football. Hurst saw eight and seven targets since Week 1 with five receptions in each matchup. He has totaled 70 yards combined but has yet to score a touchdown. He doesn’t have the TD upside with Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Tyler Boyd, and Joe Mixon on the squad, but if you need to fill the position and not log a zero… Hurst may be your guy if you miss out on Smith.

Get a full breakdown from The Fantasy Footballers on today’s show: Week 3 Waivers

Team DEF/ST

QB Streamers

Get a full breakdown from The Fantasy Footballers on today’s show: Week 3 Waivers

Good luck with your waiver claims!

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