Fantasy Football Week 3 Waiver Wire
By Brandon Lane
QUARTERBACK
If available: Russell Wilson (51%)
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
*Roster Percentage: 35%
I said it last week and I’ll say it again, Stafford looks great this season even against top tier defenses. In Week 2 he went 34-of-55 for 307 yards and a touchdown. Coach Sean McVay continues to be inventive with his play calling making this fast paced offense one of fantasy relevance. The Rams take on the Bengals on Monday Night Football and I expect Stafford to continue chucking the ball.
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Roster Percentage: 9%
The Texans are another team that has been airing it out through two weeks. Stroud threw for 384 yards and two TDs (30-of-47) in week 2. Stroud has impressed me with his abilty to keep the play alive while constantly being under pressure. While the rookie is likely to be a bit inconsistent I think he is worth rostering. This week the Texans travel to Jacksonville and I expect another big week from C.J..
Sam Howell, Washington Commanders
Roster Percentage: 20%
Sam Howell has been a top 12 fantasy QB so far through two weeks. In Week 2 he completed 27-of-39 balls for 299 yards and two TDs leading the Commanders to an exciting comback over the Broncos. He continues to give us a little extra with his legs each week as well. The Commanders take on a stout Bills defense this week so if you are streaming you might want to look elsewhere for a better match-up, but I do think Howell is someone that should be rostered in most leagues.
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Roster Percentage: 15%
Mayfield has had a surprisingly nice season so far with the Bucs and in Week 2 he threw for 317 yards (26-of-34) and a touchdown. I have to say I didn’t think I would be talking about adding Baker in a waiver column ever again but as long as he continues not to turn the ball over and has a strong repore with his stud recievers Evans and Godwin he can continue to be a valueable addition to your squad. But if you need a streamer this week I might look elsewhere with the Bucs taking on an Eagles defense that could make it difficult to keep things rolling.
Others to Consider:
Kenny Pickett (30% @ LV), Gardner Minshew (1% @ BAL)
RUNNING BACK
If available:
Kyren Williams (62%), Zack Moss (53%)
Jerome Ford , Cleveland Browns
Roster Percentage: 11%
This is a tough one to write in the wake of Nick Chubb’s season ending knee injury. My thoughts and prayers go out to him. We spoke a bit last week on “Winning the Wire” about rostering the top tier backups for fantasy purposes and Ford was one name we discussed. Behind a top-tier OLine we saw Jerome Ford come into the game after Chubb’s injury rushing the ball 16 times for 106 yards while also being effective in the passing game catching three balls for 25 yards and a TD. The Browns brought in Kareem Hunt today and is they resign him that could take some value from Ford but I still like Ford over Hunt.
Matt Breida/Eric Gray, New York Giants
Roster Percentage: 2/0%
Another big name running back got hurt in Week 2, Saquon Barkley suffered an ankle injury that will likely keep him out a few weeks. Matt Breida was the immediate backup in the game while rookie Eric Gray was inactive but should be activated for Week 3. The veteran Breida will likely get the start and could be the safer add but I’d rather take a shot on Gray. Gray started 12 games his senior year for Alabama rushing 213 times for 1,366 yards and 11 TDs. Neither back is someone I’d be excited to start this week against the 49ers but with so many running back injuries it would be smart to stash one of the Giants backups. Gary Brightwell could also see some work.
Justice Hill, Baltimore Ravens
Roster Percentage: 44%
Last week we had the discussion of Hill vs Edwards, I preferred Edwards and apparenly most of you did too as he is now rostered in 65% of leagues. But Hill did still see a solid workload carring the rock 11 times for 41 yards and added 12 more yards through the air. So if you need someone to stick in a flex you could do worse.
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
Roster Percentage: 17%
Spears is the clear-cut backup for the Titans behind Derrick Henry but he is seeing solid usage and if anything were to happen to King Henry you would have an RB1 on your roster. In Week 2 Tyjae rushed eight times for 49 yards and caught both his targets for an additional six yards. Spears was someone I liked after seeing him at the Senior Bowl this year and I think he will continue to see work moving foward.
Others to Consider:
Jaylen Warren (41%), Roschon Johnson (38%), Kendre Miller (13%), Latavius Murray (1%), D’Ernest Johnson (0%), Craig Reynolds (0%), Zonovan “Bam” Knight (0%)
WIDE RECEIVER
If available:
Jakobi Meyers (65%, concussion protocol), Nico Collins (61%)
Josh Reynolds, Detroit Lions
Roster Percentage: 14%
Reynolds flashed Week 1 and I have to admit I didn’t put as much stock in him as I should have in last weeks column. Well it’s time to remedy that as he smashed in Week 2 reeling in five balls for 66 yards and two TUDDIES while earning a 22% target share. He’s my top add at wide reciever this week.
Tutu Atwell, Los Angeles Rams
Roster Percentage: 25%
If you lost out on Puka Nacua last week Atwell isn’t a bad consolation prize. Tutu continued to see a large volume hauling in 7-of-9 targets for 77 yards, that’s after a Week 1 performance where he went for 119 yards. As I talked about at the start of the article the Rams are humming under coach Sean McVay and its good to have a piece of this fast paced offense.
Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers
Roster Percentage: 10%
Last week we discussed the debate between Doubs vs Reed and I went Reed. In Week 2 it proved to be the right call as the rookie led the team in targets with eight and while he only caught four of those for 37 yards he did hit pay-dirt TWICE. Christian Watson’s return could put a damper on his usage but I think Reed will continue to get his this season.
Robert Woods/Tank Dell, Houston Texans
Roster Percentage: 9/5%
Nico Collins is having a break out season so far but his teammates are also getting in on the action. Both Robert Woods and Tank Dell are worthy of consideration for wide receiver needy teams. Woods (6-of-9 of for 74 yards) and Dell (7-of-10 for 72 yards and a TD). This team is chuck’n the rock and while it might be hard to predict week-to-week who will hit its worth taking a shot on both at this point and see how things progress.
Others to Consider:
Kadarius Toney (49%), Kendrick Bourne (44%), DeVante Parker (2%)
TIGHT END
If available: Hunter Henry (55%)
Zach Ertz, Arizona Cardinals
Roster Percentage: 10%
Last week we brought up the fact that the veteran Zach Ertz lead all tight ends in targets; well, after two weeks he still holds that lead with 18 targets and a 27% target share. While the yardage total might not amount to much I’ll chase those targets, and this week he should keep things rolling against a Cowboys defense that has been a nice match-up for TEs so far this season.
Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers
Roster Percentage: 25%
Looking at the stats (two catches for 25 yards) most won’t look to Musgrave as a waiver add this week. But I still see the upside in the rookie and he is out there as a full time player for a young Packers team that is showing promise this season.
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets
Roster Percentage: 4%
Conklin might not be the sexiest pickup of the week but as long as the Jets continue to start Zach Wilson he should continue to be a safety valve for his young QB. The CONK caught five balls for 50 yards which is not bad at all for the current state of the TE market. If you are struggling at tight end give Conklin a look as the Jets take on the Patriots in Week 3.
Others to Consider:
Hayden Hurst (35%), Mike Gesicki (24%), Taysom Hill (10%), Logan Thomas (3% concussion protocol), Noah Fant (2%), Will Mallory (0%)
DEFENSE
Seattle vs CAR
Jacksonville vs HOU
Kansas City vs CHI
Cincinnati vs LAR
*Roster percentages based on Yahoo
