Welcome to the Fantasy Football Waiver Wire for Week 3. For a lot of fantasy managers, the focus this week is going to be at the QB position. Joe Burrow, Jayden Daniels, Brock Purdy, Justin Fields, and J.J. McCarthy all suffered injuries before or during Week 2 and there’s a pretty good chance that none of them will play in Week 3. Burrow is out until at least Thanksgiving, and that’s the biggest blow for fantasy managers. The good news is that there are some decent options at QB, which I’ll get to.
The Process: Each week, I try to identify the top Waiver Wire targets and evaluate the short- and long-term prospects of those players. I also do my best to reveal which players who are coming off a big week are fool’s gold. Finally, I look at streamers who might help you in a pinch (this is usually more important during Bye weeks). Note that I’m writing this column BEFORE the two Week 2 Monday night games (TB@HOU, LAC@LV)
Some players discussed won’t be available in your league. I try to list players who are available in more than 50% of leagues. But what does that even mean? A 10-team league with six bench spots will have a much larger Free Agent pool than a 14-team league with eight. Most leagues fall somewhere in between. This isn’t “one size fits all.” By way of example, I won’t list Trevor Lawrence, Quinshon Judkins, Rasheed Shahid, or Cedric Tillman this week, among others who probably aren’t available in any of your leagues. All are priority pickups if available.
Two quick words about Week 3 waivers, and I’m more or less copying and pasting from last week’s column: (1) If you’re in a league that uses FAAB bids to process waivers, remember that your dollars are worth more right now than they will be later, since you could be using them to buy players for almost the entire season, potentially; and (2) People overreact to Weeks 1 and 2, and they do so every year. Keep an eye on who gets dropped this week, and especially rookies who’ve done very little so far. You might be able to scoop up someone else’s discarded treasure. An example from last season: Mark Andrews basically did nothing for the first five or six weeks, was dropped by many, and ended up leading all TEs with 11 touchdowns. You might see frustrated Andrews managers dumping him this week. Ditto Matthew Golden.
WEEK 3 BYES: NONE
Week 3 Waiver Wire
Quarterback:
The availability of QBs is going to vary widely between 1-QB and Superflex leagues. Players like Daniel Jones, Michael, Penix, Jr., Geno Smith, Aaron Rodgers, Bryce Young, and Cam Ward aren’t going to be available in most Superflex leagues, but should be in a lot of 1-QB leagues. They’re the obvious places to start if you’re stuck due to injury (or otherwise) in a 1-QB league. Jones would be my top choice here as he’s been a beast (QB3 on the season heading into tonight) through two weeks, but we’ll have to see if it’s real. Regular Big Blue readers are no doubt skeptical.
Others to consider if you’re scrambling in a Superflex league include Russell Wilson (the drag on him is mainly the uncertainty around how long he’ll be the starter), Jake Browning (who averaged 19 fantasy points per game and was a borderline Top-10 QB when he started for an injured Burrow across the last eight games of the 2023 season), Mac Jones (we’ve seen Kyle Shanahan do this before with backup QBs, and Jones had a big game this past Sunday), Spencer Rattler, Carson Wentz, and Marcus Mariota.
I’d prioritize them roughly in this order. I particularly like Browning given the situation and the likely long tenure as starter. It really depends how long you think you’ll need the help. No, I don’t think the Bengals are going to trade for Jameis Winston or another player to step in front of Browning. I do think they’ll add a backup to Browning though.
Running Back:
There are a few names to recommend coming out of Week 2.
Bhayshul Tuten took advantage of Tank Bigsby’s absence and makes for a nice stash right now. He’s the only back on the roster that was drafted by the current regime and is one of several rookies who could keep carving out a larger role. Cam Skattebo fits that bill as well. Like Tuten, he scored his first career TD this week, and notably, he garnered a larger share of snaps and touches than in Week 1.
With Austin Ekeer done for the year, both Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez should get added work behind presumptive early-down back JCR, but this could be a messy backfield all year.
Cleveland used all three backs in Week 2, but I’ll again recommend rostering Dylan Sampson. OK, that’s three rookies, but I do think this is a year where several rookie backs will emerge as the season goes along. Trey Benson, Blake Corum, and Kyle Monangai (another rookie) are stashes that I like longer-term. All three saw meaningful snaps and touches in Week 2 (although the Bears got blown out, so factor that in). One more rookie to consider is pass-catching specialist Woody Marks.
Tyler Allgeier and Tyjae Spears are two season-long stashes I like, if you have the room.
Wide Receiver
It’s not a great crop, but here are a few names to consider adding if you’re stuck:
Hunter Renfrow scored twice in Week 2, but remember that Jalen Coker should be back in a few weeks, so I’d temper expectations and probably wouldn’t chase that performance.
Wan’Dale Robinson, on the other hand, is someone I would take a serious look at, as a WR3 or Flex option and especially in Full PPR. Through two games, he’s got 14 catches for 197 yards and a TD on 18 targets, and is the clear #2 pass-catching option on a team that’s throwing a lot, and not playing particularly good defense. He caught 93 balls on 140 targets last season, so this kind of usage isn’t new.
Christian Kirk should be back in a week or two, and C.J. Stroud needs him. I was high on him this offseason and think he’ll be a WR3/Flex type with upside once healthy.
Titan’s rookie Elic Ayomanour has the opportunity to emerge as the clear second receiving option on his team and is worth a roster spot.
Others to consider for depth: Dyami Brown, Troy Franklin, Marvin Mims, Jr., Troy Horton, Joshua Palmer, and Malik Washington. Washington could have nice value if Tyreek Hill is traded, and especially in leagues that reward return yards.
Tight End:
I’ll repeat three names from last week. Juwan Johnson, Harold Fannin, Jr., and Brenton Strange are all worth adding, and I’d prioritize them in that order. Johnson and Zach Ertz are seeing significant target share on their teams. Ertz takes a hit if Jayden Daniels misses time, but I’d still add him if you need help at TE.
It sounds like Isaiah Likely is close to returning. If you’re a believer (I am), grab him now, before he gets expensive.
PK and D/ST Streamers, Week 3: (ranked outside the Top-15 for the week):
PK: J. Parker Romo (@CAR), S. Shrader (@TEN), E. Pineiro (vs. ARI).
D/ST: IND (@TEN), ARI (@SF).
That’s a wrap. Good luck with your waiver claims!
***This column appears each Monday right here at Big Blue View. Each Thursday, my weekly fantasy preview with my rides, fades and sleepers (start/sit) appears here, and on Fridays you can find my weekly Giants Props of the week, also right here. ***
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