Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Week 3
Week 2 is in the books and once again we’re taking a look at the waiver wire. For the purpose of this article, I used ESPN’s rostered player pool including players around 50% or lower ownership. A lot of injuries occurred this weekend, and questions of playing time for top-notch waiver wire Week 1 players were addressed. Elijah Mitchell was the gem last week and he put up a 17 carry 42-yard performance. This week we see Justin Fields beginning to emerge as the starter in Chicago and could act as a high priority, as well as a personal favorite of mine, Rondale Moore! I’ll break all of the players to take a look at here in Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Week 3.
Quarterbacks
Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders, 17% rostered
Derek Carr is one of the more underrated fantasy quarterbacks in the league. He put up 435 yards in Week 1, and 382 yards in Week 2. He added two touchdowns this week against a very good Pittsburgh Steeler defense. Shall I say it? The Raiders look good and look like a playoff team right now. They just took down the Ravens and Steelers and Carr is leading the NFL in passing yards with 817. No one else has more than 700. Carr is the perfect starter in deeper leagues, but he’s beginning to knock on the door in your more basic 12 team leagues.
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears, 49% rostered
Is it time? Andy Dalton left Sunday with a knee injury. Justin Fields stepped in and completed 6/13 passes for 60 yards and one interception. He made his impact on the ground by running 10 times for 31 yards. Fields’ fantasy value seems to be in his rushing ability, but he has a great arm and could make an immediate fantasy impact.
Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers, 6% rostered
Sam Darnold landed in a great situation in Carolina. He has the best running back in football and a great wide receiver corps. Against the Saints, Darnold was 26/38 for 305 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Darnold has put respectable fantasy numbers up and is a great QB2 option in Superflex leagues, or a bye week replacement in redraft leagues.
Daniel Jones, New York Giants, 11% rostered
Daniel Jones lost a heartbreaker on Thursday night. He played great by having nine rushes for 95 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He went 22/32 for 249 yards and one passing touchdown. Jones is becoming fantasy-relevant and is a safe play in QB leagues. He would have had another score if Darius Slayton didn’t drop a wide-open touchdown pass.
Tyler Heinicke, Washington Football Team, 11% rostered
The back-and-forth game we did not expect. Jones versus Taylor Heinicke. Heinicke held his own in the win on Thursday by going 34/46 for 336 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. With Terry McLaurin catching passes, J.D. McKissic, Logan Thomas, and Antonio Gibson on offense, Heinicke has a lot of options he can turn to.
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Running Backs
J.D. McKissic, Washington Football Team, 42% rostered
McKissic had a huge Thursday Night Football game against the Giants. He had four carries for 10 yards and a touchdown but made his presence felt in the receiving game where he had five catches for 83 yards. Last season he saw 110 targets. If he is somehow available, he’s worth a top waiver claim. While everyone has been banking on a massive role for Gibson, it’s clear the Washington Football Team is still going to utilize McKissic plenty.
Michael Carter, New York Jets, 55% rostered
This is my one exception to the 50% rule, but only because he was widely dropped last week. The Jets looked awful against the Patriots, but Michael Carter showed flashes all day. He took 11 carries and turned it into 59 yards, and two catches for 29 yards. The Jets blocked well for him, and he was clearly the best running back on the field for the Jets. Talent wins out in the end and I fully believe he’s the best back on the Jets.
James White, New England Patriots, 55% rostered
I’ll make yet another expectation to my 50% rule. James White had a great game as the Patriots pass-catching back. Rhamondre Stevenson was inactive but doesn’t affect White, but it did give White a rushing touchdown. He had five carries for 20 yards and the touchdown, and six receptions for 45 yards. White is a PPR flex play in all formats.
Cordarrelle Patterson, Atlanta Falcons, 8% rostered
Cordarelle Patterson had himself one great fantasy day. Battling Mike Davis for starting reps, Patterson saw seven carries for 11 yards and a touchdown, but he also brought in five catches for 58 yards and another touchdown. He seemed to be all over and is beginning to pick up steam as a top waiver target.
Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers, 12% rostered
This is a pure speculative add, but just to keep in mind who the top backup in Carolina is. Christian McCaffrey was injured briefly today, and Hubbard stepped in with eight carries for 10 yards. Nothing flashy, but if McCaffrey were to miss time or injure himself, Hubbard would be the top add all over. Don’t use your priority or a lot of FAAB on him, but keep an eye on his usage, and in deeper leagues, you might stash him.
Ty Johnson, New York Jets, 5% rostered
I don’t expect much out of Ty Johnson for fantasy, but for those in deeper leagues, he’s worth a look. I expect Carter to start, but Johnson was the clear 1B today as he took 12 carries for 50 yards. Again, not a standard redraft target, but a deep league player to keep an eye on.
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Wide Receivers
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants, 55% rostered
Sterling Shepard is becoming the Giants wide receiver you want. Against Washington, he brought in nine catches for 94 yards on 10 targets. Kenny Golladay is supposed to be the WR1 in New York, but Shepard is becoming a must-roster. He’s seen 19 targets in the first two weeks which is good for 14th-most for wide receivers, tied with Tyreek Hill. The volume is absolutely there and he needs to be rostered.
Rondale Moore, Arizona Cardinals, 19% rostered
I have been shouting for Rondale Moore to be rostered all summer long and he’s starting to get involved. If you go back to all my sleeper articles, he’s all over them. This week, he broke out. Granted, the touchdown was more of a defensive mishap, but Moore showed that he has the explosive talent. He brought in seven catches for 114 yards on eight targets and a touchdown. The Cardinals use four-receiver sets more than anyone in the league, so expect Moore to be on the field a lot.
KJ Osborn, Minnesota Vikings, 1% rostered
KJ Osborn yet again had another big week for the Vikings. He brought in five catches for 91 yards on six targets and a touchdown. Osborn followed up his big Week 1 performance with another Week 2 and should be on the radar in 12-team leagues. He’s currently the WR18 in PPR leagues and has 15 catches for 167 yards and a touchdown this year.
Quez Watkins, Philadelphia Eagles, 1% rostered
Quez Watkins. Who? Two catches for 117 yards on just two targets. Watkins came out of nowhere, but shouldn’t be targeted unless you’re in deep leagues. If Watkins can keep up this explosiveness, the Eagles will have no choice but to get him involved more. He almost took a 91-yard reception to the house. He’s only seen five targets this year but has caught them all and is someone you need to keep an eye on.
Darius Slayton, New York Giants, 3% rostered
A terrible drop kept Slayton from having a monster game on Thursday. Outside of that, he saw six targets and brought in three catches for 54 yards and a touchdown. If he caught that touchdown, he would be a lot higher on this list. Jones showed he isn’t as bad as people make him out to be, but just needs protection on his line.
Tim Patrick, Denver Broncos, 13% rostered
Tim Patrick steps in for the injured Jerry Jeudy and caught three of his four targets for 37 yards and a touchdown. It is the second straight week Patrick has scored, and with Jeudy injured, Patrick will have an everyday role going home to face the New York Jets.
Braxton Berrios, New York Jets, 0% rostered
Another deep-league flier only, Braxton Berrios is making due with Jamison Crowder being absent. Berrios is filling the slot role, and returning kickoffs and punts. The Jets really like Berrios, and that was clear Sunday. He was targeted a whopping 11 times. He brought in seven catches for 73 yards. In PPR leagues, he’s put up double-digit points in back-to-back weeks.
Elijah Moore, New York Jets, 33% rostered
Another Jet?! After the performance Sunday, how can I put another Jet on here? Elijah Moore could have had a bigger Sunday than the stat line leads. Moore broke loose on two plays that should have been wide-open touchdowns. Wilson missed him on one, and the other led him to the sidelines instead. Keep an eye on Moore as the season goes along. He could heat up soon and break out.
Consistency Score: Running Backs
Consistency Score: Wide Receivers
Consistency Score: Tight Ends
Consistency Score: DST
Tight Ends
Maxx Williams, Arizona Cardinals, 0% rostered
Maxx Williams came out of nowhere this week and brought in all seven of his targets for 94 yards. Kyler Murray is playing like the best quarterback in football right now, and he found Williams often on Sunday. It is to be seen if this can be kept up, but Williams had a massive improvement over his one target Week 1.
Jack Doyle, Indianapolis Colts, 1% rostered
Not a great day for under-the-radar tight ends, but Jack Doyle had a decent stat line this week. He brought in five catches on eight targets for 64 yards. In leagues where you’re looking for a deep tight end target, Doyle can be it, but just be warned he is hit or miss, and the status of Carson Wentz is also very important here.
For more options, or questions about these options, please check me out on Twitter @NMimi. I can be found on Stack Attack Fantasy Sports and right here with The FF Faceoff!
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