Guillotine Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups – Week 3
So you’ve made it to Week 3 of your guillotine fantasy football league! Well done! Now, you just have to do it again. And again… Before that, we have Guillotine Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 3 to get through. Let’s get into the top guillotine fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 3.
Who was on that last-place team in Week 2? What players should you target? How much of your Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB) should you spend on players? I’ll give you my views, each week, on how to best navigate the waiver wire. Continue reading for my guillotine waiver wire pickups for Week 3. Let’s get into it.
Guillotine Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 3
If you read last week’s Guillotine Waiver Wire article, you probably noticed a lot of players listed went for a bit more than the prices I gave. That’s going to happen a lot in the early weeks of most guillotine leagues. With the format being so new and many people giving it a try for the first time, there are strategies and thoughts about dealing with the waivers that are interesting.
Last week, I saw players go for well over half of a team’s starting budget. In one of my leagues, a team spent more than 70% of their budget the day that waivers cleared. Sure, those teams have a mighty fine fantasy football player. However, they will be horribly handicapped for the rest of the season. If they make it that long.
Furthermore, the prices I give will always be respectable numbers that won’t cripple you for weeks to come. Keep in mind, that you may not win any bids in a given week. However, as long as you progress and make budget-savvy moves, you’ll be ahead of the game when you really need to throw down a massive bid in those later weeks. Let’s get into the top pickups for Week 3 of the 2024 NFL season.
QB Matthew Stafford – Los Angeles Rams
Max Bid: 5-6 %
What really stings about this one is that the matchup was so positive. Many managers started Matthew Stafford in Week 2 with high hopes that floated away like a helium-filled balloon. Unfortunately, 216 passing yards and zero touchdowns was far less than we anticipated.
In their next matchup, the Rams host divisional rival San Francisco. In a surprising Week 2 defeat by the Vikings, Sam Darnold had another effective day with 268 yards with two passing scores and another 32 rushing yards. I wouldn’t be hopeful of those rushing yards for Stafford. However, he could do just as well through the air as the Rams are in serious need of a victory. In his last four games against San Francisco, Stafford has averaged 267.3 passing yards and 1.8 passing scores per game.
Furthermore, since we know Puka Nacua is out and Cooper Kupp may be as well, his waiver price will take a shot. However, the rest of the available pass catchers are no slouches and should allow a solid performance from the veteran signal-caller. After all, we’ve seen Demarcus Robinson and Tutu Atwell shine very brightly when they’re called upon. “Buy the dip,” as they say.
TE Travis Kelce – Kansas City Chiefs
Max Bid: 12-15 %
For the second week to begin the season, veteran TE Travis Kelce might have sunk another team. With only a single five-yard reception, any Kelce manager might be sweating bullets through Monday night. Now we ask ourselves: “He won’t do this to me, will he?” With a couple of nice matchups in the immediate future (Falcons and Chargers), I’m optimistic for the future Hall of Fame tight end.
In Week 1, the Falcons allowed six tight end receptions to the Steelers. In his career, Kelce has averaged 7.5 receptions and 119 yards against Atlanta. As for the Chargers, Kelce has scored six times in his last four meetings with them.
If I’m unsure of my current tight end going into Week 3, I’d be willing to spend a little more for an elite player. Big names usually come with big price tags, but you never know til the waivers clear. Overall, Kelce might be a solid waiver wire pickup in your guillotine fantasy football leagues this week.
WR Jalen Nailor – Minnesota Vikings
Max Bid: 4-5 %
If you’re looking for some cheap value, the Vikings’ Jalen Nailor is a prime target. With no Jordan Addison, we saw Nailor get the start and make big plays of 18 and 26 yards. He now has four catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns on the season. Not to mention the speed he displayed on the final block he made to allow Justin Jefferson to score a 97-yard touchdown.
The Week 3 matchup for Minnesota will be challenging against the Texans. They held Michael Pittman Jr. to 41 yards in Week 1 and limited D.J. Moore to 8.8 Yards per catch this past weekend. More importantly, the Colts’ secondary receivers had huge plays against the Texans that totaled 179 yards and two scores on just four catches.
If you’re in the market for a short-term fix, Nailor could fill that role. You might even be able to land him the day after the initial waiver wire run if you miss on your other targets.
WR Terry McLaurin – Washington Commanders
Max Bid: 7-10 %
Terry McLaurin is the clear first option in Washington’s passing game. This past week, his eight targets and six receptions led the team but he only managed 22 yards of production. McLaurin isn’t the best YAC (yards-after-catch) man in the league, but with the amount of looks he’s getting, he only needs to break one to have a great fantasy day.
For the second time in his career, McLaurin will meet the Bengals. In the first meeting, he hauled in five balls for 84 yards. Recently, the Bengals allowed Rashee Rice to tally five catches for 74 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. Overall, these are positive signs for the sixth-year receiver.
Many fantasy football managers may be turned off by the short-range passes that the Commanders focus their air attack on. There’s still plenty of opportunity for McLaurin to have a successful fantasy day in Week 3.
RB Rachaad White – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Max Bid: 10-13 %
Managing a measly 18 yards on 10 carries is never good for fantasy. Adding one five-yard catch doesn’t help much, either. However, Rachaad White is still the first guy to get touches out of the Tampa Bay backfield and Week 3 might be what we’ve been waiting for. This offensive line is banged up too and just let Aidan Hutchinson go crazy on them for five sacks.
A matchup with Denver is the kind of scenario we all want for our fantasy players in 2024. They’ve been unable to sustain drives with the Denver running game making us all nostalgic for the days of Philip Lindsay. The passing game, aside from a big play or two, is nothing to brag about, either. All this means more attempts for White and the Tampa Bay ground game.
We saw the lack of efficiency from White in 2023. However, the sheer volume that will be on the table is what we’re looking for in these early weeks. All things considered, he is a running back I want to target for Week 3 in my guillotine fantasy leagues.
Guillotine Fantasy Football – Budget Waiver Wire Pickups
Every week, you’re going to see players become available that you want for your team. There are two views on this. Either wait and save your budget for when you really need it or place tiny bids on those bigger names that hit the wire. Personally, I prefer the second strategy.
Furthermore, I’ll put less than a 1% bid on a few players every week. As expected, I usually don’t get any of them. However, every so often I score a player with a big value that becomes a staple of my roster. The following players, as well as the ones previously mentioned, all fall into that category.
QB Josh Allen – Buffalo Bills
QB Anthony Richardson – Indianapolis Colts
QB Jared Goff – Detroit Lions
WR Tyreek Hill – Miami Dolphins
WR Romeo Doubs – Green Bay Packers
WR Khalil Shakir – Buffalo Bills
WR Demarcus Robinson – Los Angeles Rams
RB Jaylen Warren – Pittsburgh Steelers
RB Joe Mixon – Houston Texans
RB Zack Moss – Cincinnati Bengals
RB Gus Edwards – Los Angeles Chargers
TE Jonnu Smith – Miami Dolphins
TE Luke Schoonmaker – Dallas Cowboys
TE Dalton Kincaid – Buffalo Bills
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