Welcome to the Waiver Wire Week 3!
(Note: All players are available in 75% or more of Yahoo Leagues unless listed as a Shallow League Add.)
Last week’s Waiver Wire article had several big hits. Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, Jayden Reed, Gus Edwards, and Josh Reynolds provided fantasy managers with immediate returns. This week is not as strong, but several players can still help strengthen fantasy rosters in multiple formats.
Quarterbacks
Shallow League Add: Derek Carr | New Orleans (40%)
Carr is a substantial addition for managers in shallower formats. He has an exciting WR trio in Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, and Rashid Shaheed and is two weeks away from the return of Alvin Kamara. In the opener against Tennessee, Carr passed for 305 yards and a TD.
Shallow League Add: Matt Stafford | Los Angeles Rams (35%)
Stafford has passed for 300+ yards in back-to-back games and needs to be firmly on our radar. His personnel has shifted dramatically from last season’s team, but the injection of youth (and a healthy dose of Puka Nacua) has rejuvenated the passing game.
Sam Howell | Washington (20%)
Howell moved to 3-0 as Washington’s starting QB. He led the Commanders to an impressive comeback win in Denver, winning 35-33 after trailing 21-3. Howell passed for 299 yards and two TD passes. He has 501 yards passing for the season to accompany four combined TDs. With Buffalo on tap this week, Howell and the Commanders have a massive opportunity for an exclamation point win. Fantasy managers with Anthony Richardson (concussion) and Joe Burrow (reaggravated his calf) should prioritize Howell this week on Waivers.
Baker Mayfield | Tampa Bay (15%)
Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are now 2-0 with a clean sweep of NFC North opponents Minnesota and Chicago. 317 yards passing was Mayfield’s first 300-yard total since Week 5, 2021. Mayfield has a robust set of receivers in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Cade Otton, and Rachaad White. The Bucs OL also did not give up a sack. Mayfield also has 14 rushing attempts. If he continues seeing these rushing opportunities, it will further elevate his fantasy ceiling.
CJ Stroud | Houston (9%)
Stroud must be on our radar after a 384-yard performance in Houston’s loss to Indianapolis. After being swallowed up in Week 1 against Baltimore, Stroud showed promising connections with Nico Collins and Tank Dell. Houston’s offensive line is a mess right now and riddled with injuries, but Stroud’s fantasy trajectory is pointing up.
Gardner Minshew | Indianapolis (1%)
Anthony Richardson may miss this week with a concussion. During Indianapolis ‘ win over Houston, Minshew played well in relief, completing 19 passes for 171 yards. If you need a one-week streaming option, there is always a shot for some Minshew magic.
Running Backs
Shallow League Add: Zack Moss | Indianapolis (53%)
Moss is a no-brainer to add in any format. Moss is available in 47 percent of Yahoo Leagues. This is your Jonathan Taylor replacement. Evan Hull is on the IR and Deon Jackson is not the answer. Moss had 18 carries for 88 yards and a TD. He also added four catches in Sunday’s win over Houston.
Moss is a volume based low-end RB2/high-end RB3 moving forward. He is not exciting but will provide dependable volume.
Shallow League Add: Roschon Johnson | Chicago (38%)
The Roschon Johnson takeover feels inevitable at some point. D’Onta Foreman was a healthy scratch on Sunday. Johnson did not produce as he did in Week 1, but he added two more receptions, giving him eight on the season. Johnson needs to be added everywhere. He is the sort of player that can help win leagues in the second half of the season.
Craig Reynolds | Detroit (0%)
David Montgomery suffered a quad injury in Week 2 and told reporters, “it would take a couple of weeks” to heal. How much time Montgomery misses is a significant question mark, but Reynolds needs to be rostered everywhere. Jahmyr Gibbs will see an increased snap share but look for Reynolds to fill a significant portion of the Montgomery role, including goal line and short yardage work. Reynolds has had some fantasy success under Dan Campbell. In late 2021, he rushed for 216 yards over a two-game stretch and finished as an RB2 or better in both weeks.
Matt Breida | New York Giants (3%)
Saquon Barkley suffered an ankle injury that will keep him out 2-3 weeks. Breida is most likely the next man in. He has had a whopping four touches through two games this season, but with the short week and a trip to San Francisco, expect him to see most of the Giants RB touches. The job is his to lose in Barkley’s absence.
Tyjae Spears | Tennessee (17%)
I wrote about Spears last week in my Waiver Wire article. I also wrote about him in my Sleepers and Air Yards articles. Spears has multiple paths to return fantasy value this season. He is one of the most talented handcuff RBs in football- with dynamic, explosive rushing ability and receiving ability.
If Derrick Henry were to miss time, Spears would be a weekly top 15 play at the position. He also could see his volume increase even with Henry in the lineup.
Chuba Hubbard | Carolina (20%)
A direct handcuff that falls into the “handcuff plus,” category. Hubbard should have a weekly floor as Carolina looks to mix him in behind Miles Sanders to take pressure off Rookie QB Bryce Young. In Week 1, he had nine rushes for 60 yards and two catches for nine yards.
Jerome Ford | Cleveland (12%)
Ford was in the Kareem Hunt role- minus the targets in Week 1. Cleveland controlled the game, but Ford’s 15 carries were a positive sign and a display of the coaching staff’s trust in him. If Nick Chubb were to miss any time, Ford would be an every week RB2.
Note: This article was written before the news of Nick Chubb’s potential season ending injury broke.
Sean Tucker | Tampa Bay (4%)
Chase Edmonds is headed to the IR with a knee Injury. Rachaad White is the RB1 in Tampa Bay, but Tucker is the direct handcuff. Tucker is a talented player and could see his role grow over the next few weeks. He is an almost free add in most leagues but could pay big dividends. The Bucs offense is exceeding expectations.
Ty Chandler | Minnesota (5%)
Chandler played only seven snaps in Minnesota’s loss to Philadelphia. Right now, he is nothing more than a handcuff. Starting RB Alexander Mattison struggled, and there is a chance Minnesota self-scouts a little more work for Chandler.
Jaleel McGlaughlin | Denver (1%)
McGlaughlin scored a TD on his only carry. He only has two touches in two weeks but shined in the preseason. The Denver Broncos are now 0-2 and could give McGlaughlin increased work as they look to figure things out.
Latavius Murray | Buffalo (1%)
Murray ran ahead of Damien Harris this week in Buffalo’s win over Las Vegas. He found the end zone on a rushing TD and added two catches for 9 yards. He looks to be the handcuff play if James Cook were to miss any time.
Eric Gray | New York Giants (0%)
Gray, a rookie out of Oklahoma, makes for an interesting speculative addition this week.
The fifth-round draft pick has seen early work as the Giants kick and punt returner, but he was a highly productive player in college. He is a 1-percent bid type and an arbitrage play on Breida.
Tight Ends
Luke Musgrave | Green Bay (25%)
Musgrave has now had snap shares of 75-percent in Week 1 and 88-percent in Week 2. His production took a significant step back as he was nearly invisible with only two catches for 25 yards. In Week 1, he led all TEs in Air Yards and finished with 50 receiving yards. Musgrave is a big-time athlete in a full-time role. Expect solid fantasy numbers in the upcoming weeks as he becomes more acclimated to the NFL.
Zach Ertz | Arizona (10%)
Ertz is shockingly still available in 90 percent of Yahoo Leagues. Through two games played, he has a Travis Kelce like 18 targets. He has caught six balls in back-to-back games. In Arizona’s close loss to The Giants, he finished with 56 receiving yards. Ertz is 33 years old, and coming off of a major injury, but he is the preferred target of Josh Dobbs. Tight End Premium managers in formats like the FFPC need to add Ertz if he is available.
Cade Ottton | Tampa Bay (2%)
Otton has been a nearly every down player through two games for Tampa Bay. He caught all six targets on Sunday, finishing with 41 yards receiving. Otton should be prioritized by TE premium fantasy managers who play in formats like the FFPC. He now faces a Philadelphia defense that conceded two TD catches to T.J. Hockenson and a TD to Hunter Henry in Week 1.
Dawson Knox | Buffalo (21%)
Knox has now had nine targets in two games—a boom-bust TD-dependent TE in a great offense. You already know the answer to this one. If you catch Knox on the right week, he can help you.
Logan Thomas | Washington (3%)
Thomas had a strong game one and was on his way to a big game two before exiting with a concussion.
He is a big part of Washington’s offense. I would have him higher up this list if we knew he would be available this week against Buffalo.
Durham Smythe | Miami (1%)
TE Premium managers who are very needy only. Jaylen Waddle is now in the concussion protocol. Smythe has caught three passes in back-to-back games. He could see a slight uptick in Week 3.
Wide Receivers
Tank Dell | Houston (5%)
Dell is my favorite addition this week. The Texans promised a more significant workload, and they told the truth. Dell finished with seven catches for 72 yards and a TD. The Texans selected the University of Houston star in the third round of the NFL Draft.
Nathaniel Dell Advanced Stats & Metrics Profile
They know him well and like him. Stroud and Dell have natural chemistry, and game flow should be in Dell’s favor, as Houston will trail often. It would not surprise me if he became a weekly rest-of-the-season WR3.
Tutu Atwell | Los Angeles (25%)
Puka Nacua is not the only WR to be excited about in LA. Atwell followed up his 119-yard opening game performance with 82 combined yards in the Rams loss to the 49ers. Atwell will see a 20-percent target share in a pass-happy offense. He has dynamic speed, and the Rams are scheming him open. He is one of my favorite adds this week.
Josh Reynolds | Detroit (12%)
Jameson Williams, who? Reynolds followed up his 80-yard performance in the opener with a 66-yard two-TD performance against Seattle in Week 2.
Reynolds is a flex consideration every week until Williams returns from suspension. Detroit has one of the better offenses in the league, and Reynolds is a strong addition this week.
Jayden Reed | Green Bay (10%)
Reed has 13 targets over his first two games, and his role is expanding. This past Sunday, he found the end zone twice. How the Green Bay targets look when Christian Watson returns from injury will be a situation to monitor. Still, Reed is a talented player and is making the most of his early opportunity.
Marvin Mims | Denver (23%)
Mims, Denver’s second-round draft pick, displayed his speed and big play ability with a two-catch 113-yard performance this past weekend. Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton are far and away Denver’s top two WRs, with Mims seeing a limited number of snaps. Nevertheless, we want to bet on rational coaching and role expansion. Mims’ big play ability will force a more extensive role as the season progresses.
Allen Robinson (18%) and Calvin Austin (4%) | Pittsburgh
Dionte Johnson is headed to the IR. In Week 1, Robinson and Austin combined for 13 catches. One of these two could see a much larger role during MNF and beyond. There is a chance that both see somewhat equal targets. I prefer Austin because he is a little cheaper faab wise and younger, but it could be Robinson. (Note: this article was written before MNF.)
Jalin Hyatt | New York Giants (12%)
If you are looking for immediate Giants WR production, see below. Consider Hyatt if you want a speculative addition whose role could grow to stash on your bench. Hyatt is the Giants fastest WR. He did not catch a pass in the opener, but finished with 89 yards on two catches in game two. His 58-yard reception was one of the first big plays the Giants had all game in their comeback win.
Darius Slayton (3%) and Isiah Hodgins (5%) | New York Giants
The Giants will have to utilize their passing game more without Barkley. Slayton and Hodgins have seen similar target shares and are capable of a WR3-type performance.
The 49ers secondary conceded 224 receiving yards to Nacua and Atwell, and the Giants will look to attack them there.
Jonathan Mingo | Carolina (13%)
Mingo had 87 percent snap participation in Week 1 and received five targets. Mingo, a second rounder out of Ole Miss, could see his role expand as the season progresses. Stash him for now.
Devante Parker | New England (2%)
Last week, I wrote about Kendrick Bourne. He is now rostered in 44 percent of Yahoo leagues, but another veteran Patriots receiver is available. Parker had a promising debut game with eight catches for 57 yards.
Braxton Berrios | Miami (1%)
Deep league managers should monitor Berrios. He could see a more significant role if Waddle has to miss this week.
Top 10 Overall (excluding shallow league additions)
1- Tank Dell WR Houston
2- Roschon Johnson RB Chicago
3- Tutu Atwell WR Los Angeles
4- Josh Reynolds WR Detroit
5- Tyjae Spears RB Tennesee
6- Jayden Reed WR Green Bay
7- Craig Reynolds RB Detroit
8- Marvin Mims WR Denver
9- Luke Musgrave TE Green Bay
10- Zach Ertz TE Arizona
