Fantasy Football ‘24: Waiver Wire, Week 3 Edition

Welcome to the Fantasy Football Waiver Wire for Week 3! The first few weeks of the NFL season are always unpredictable, but what’s unfortunately very predictable is players getting hurt, and especially early in the season. Injuries are starting to pile up, and a few more of the biggest names in fantasy got banged up in Week 2. We even had guys (A.J. Brown and Evan Engram) who came out of Week 1 healthy but got hurt in practice or pregame warmups, and sat out this week. The embarrassment of roster riches that typifies Week 1 is over, and lots of fantasy managers now need to scramble to fill out competitive lineups. It’s only going to get harder when the Bye weeks start (Week 5), so working the Waiver Wire to your advantage is key. I’m here to help you navigate the free agent pool.

I’ll reiterate something I said last week. If your league uses a Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB) rather than priority waivers, first off, congratulations for doing things the right way. Second, bear in mind that your dollars are worth a little more right now than they will be later. Why? Because any player you acquire now might be with you for 12 or 13 weeks before your playoffs start. With each passing week, that number goes down, but you’re using the same dollars. I’m not arguing that you should blow your entire budget now, and saving money for later in the season has benefits.

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 Week 2 Monday night game.

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 FA 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 Baker Mayfield, Justin Fields, or Zach Charbonnet because they all should be rostered in the vast majority of leagues.

Let’s look at what’s available this week.

WEEK 3 BYES: NONE

Week 3 Waiver Wire

Quarterback:

Derek Carr. The biggest surprise of the first two weeks of the season has been the Saints. Not only are they 2-0, but under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak they’ve scored more than 40 points in each game. They shellacked the Cowboys 44-19 in Dallas on Sunday for their second straight blowout. It was an impressive display, as they scored a TD on each of their first six possessions. The oft-maligned Carr has been running Kubiak’s offense with precision, and his 45 fantasy points across the first two weeks leads ALL QBs (pending the Monday night game). No, Carr won’t finish the season as the QB1, but he’s got a very reliable WR1 in Chris Olave, an emerging field stretcher in Rashid Shaheed, and the NFL’s best healthy pass-catching back in Alvin Kamara, plus other complementary weapons. Laissez les bon temps rouller! Carr should be rostered everywhere.

Geno Smith. Geno is quietly the QB8 through two weeks (pending the Monday night game), and he’s put up at least 18 fantasy points in each game. This doesn’t feel fluky, given that he finished as the QB8 two years ago, has an excellent trio of receivers, and is in a new Ryan Grubb offense that’s a lot more up-tempo. Smith, like Carr, should be rostered in all leagues. He’s a good bet to continue producing as a low-end QB1/high-end QB2. That makes him a very good replacement for Tua Tagovailoa or Jordan Love.

Sam Darnold. If the Saints are the biggest surprise at 2-0, the Vikings are right behind them. Darnold, like Carr, has had a lot of negative things written and said about him over the years, but here he is, playing well AND putting up fantasy points. He’s thrown two TD passes in each of his first two games, and through two weeks he’s a Top-10 QB. I’m not totally sold, but he’s 100% worth a roster spot and especially in Superflex leagues. Assuming Justin Jefferson is fine, Darnold should be a decent option for you if you need him. If nothing else he’s a good upside stash for later in the season. Remember that right now both Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson are not in the lineup. This is another team with a good structure in place for a QB to succeed.

I wouldn’t go with the options listed below unless I was pretty desperate:

Skylar Thompson. Tua managed to get through last season without missing any games, but he got concussed late in the Thursday night game (after a hard collision with Damar Hamlin of all people), and now the questions about Tua’s brain health are once again front and center. I don’t know when Tua will be back, and I don’t think Thompson is good enough to keep Miami in the hunt, but assuming he starts a few games, he could surprise given the quality (and speed) of the Dolphins’ skill position players. I would only pick up Thompson if you’re really stuck, and ideally only in a Superflex or 2-QB league. The Dolphins also just signed Snoop Huntley. Make of that what you will. Malik Willis just won his first start, by NOT throwing the ball. I can’t recommend him as a good option. I also can’t recommend Andy Dalton, who is going to start over Bryce Young, for now.

Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images

Running Back: Several starting running backs either missed Week 2 with injury, or didn’t finish their Week 2 game because they got injured. RBs to consider this week:

Carson Steele and Samaje Perine. The Chiefs escaped with a last-second victory against the Bengals (their second such win in two games), but it was a costly one as workhorse RB Isiah Pacheco suffered a broken fibula. He could be out for at least six weeks. Obviously, there is fantasy value to be had in the KC backfield, but with the Chiefs very thin at running back it’s not clear how they’ll divide up the RB opportunities. I’d probably prioritize Perine over the rookie Steele. It’s also possible that Clyde Edwards-Helaire comes off of IR in two weeks and rejoins the team. Stashing him could be a sneaky play, and especially if you have an empty IR spot. Finally, the Chiefs are bringing in Kareem Hunt for a look-see on Tuesday. Keep an eye on what comes of that meeting before you submit your claims. Hunt is familiar with the offense and depending on what shape he’s in, could also be a speculative add with upside. Given the uncertainty here, I wouldn’t blow too much FAAB on any of the choices, other than maybe Perine.

Braelon Allen. In Week 1, Breece Hall completely dominated the RB touches for the Jets, with the 20 year-old Allen only touching the ball twice. In Week 2, Allen got more touches (nine) and made the most of them, scoring two ways (rushing and receiving). Allen probably doesn’t have a ton of stand-alone value, but he’d be a must-start if anything happened to Hall. If you’ve got Hall, try to get Allen if you can. If Allen is on your wire, he’s worth adding as a backup RB with nice upside.

Ty Chandler. I listed Chandler last week and I’ll put him here again. Aaron Jones is still playing more snaps and running more routes, but in Week 2, Chandler got 10 carries to Jones’s nine, and he rumbled for 82 yards on those opportunities. Chandler has excellent upside in a good offense, and given Jones’s age and injury history, he’s a nice back to have on your bench.

Antonio Gibson. The New England backfield belongs to Rhamondre Stevenson, and the team has had a lot more success running the ball than I would’ve expected. Gibson’s role expanded in Week 2, and he actually out-gained Stevenson, with 96 yards on just 11 carries. Gibson has limited stand-alone value for now, but is another one of those backs who could really help you if he gets an opportunity to start.

Other RB depth adds to consider: Rico Dowdle, D’Onta Foreman, Khalil Herbert, Bucky Irving, and Dameon Pierce (over Cam Akers).

Wide Receiver:

DeMarcus Robinson and Tyler Johnson. I mentioned Robinson last week, after Puka Nacua went down. This week, it was Cooper Kupp who left with an injury for the Rams, and he’s also likely to miss some time. Suddenly, one of the league’s best wide receiver duos is just a couple of spectators. This could be the season from Hell for the Rams, as their offensive line is really banged up too. But as long as Matt Stafford is healthy, there will be a lot of pass attempts. Robinson and Johnson could both be looking at a pretty big opportunity in the next 4-5 weeks while the starters heal. Of the two, I slightly prefer Robinson.

Quentin Johnston, Johnston was a major disappointment in his rookie season, but the buzz out of camp this year was positive and especially with the Chargers losing their top four targets from the last couple of seasons. Johnston was ranked well behind Ladd McConkey and Josh Palmer this offseason but so far, he’s been the best for fantasy. This is a run-first team, and I don’t think any of their WRs is going to emerge as a consistent fantasy option. But Johnston’s 5-51-2 (on six targets) outing at the Panthers is encouraging, even if it was against the NFL’s worst team. He’s got a real quarterback, and is worth an add just to see if he can build on his big week.

Alec Pierce. Pierce makes the list again this week. Anthony Richardson had a rough day, but Pierce found the end zone for the second straight week. Even when Josh Downs returns, he’ll have some kind of role. He’s worth a stash and can be a flex option in a pinch.

Andrei Iosivas. After a 2-TD day at the Chiefs, Iosivas is going to make a lot of waivers lists. On closer inspection, he only had two catches for seven yards, on four targets. Tee Higgins should return soon, and for me Iosivas is nothing more than bench depth. He likely just had his best fantasy output of the season.

If you’re looking for WR depth, some other names to consider are Brandin Cooks, Wan’Dale Robinson, Greg Dortch, Tutu Atwell, and Jalen McMillan. Most of these guys were listed here last week too.

Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images

Tight End:

What is going on with the supposed elite tight ends? Heading into Monday night we don’t have a single TE averaging more than 13 fantasy points per game in Half PPR, and Travis Kelce, Sam LaPorta, Mark Andrews, and Dalton Kincaid all sit below 10 fantasy points on the season in that scoring format. The position has also seen a few of the starting options go down with injury. If you’re in need, you can consider these guys:

Hunter Henry. Henry was on a lot of sleeper lists going into the season, and in Week 2 he erupted for 8 catches for 109 yards. It’s tough to trust anything on this offense outside of Stevenson, and Seattle allowed the most fantasy points per game to TEs last season so chasing performance here is risky. Still, with so many TEs struggling or hurt, Henry is a good option to consider for depth and streaming.

Colby Parkinson. He was on this list last week. Read what I wrote about the Rams’ WRs above. Parkinson should see increased targets also, and even though he had just one catch in the blowout loss to the Cardinals, he’s in the streaming conversation.

Mike Gesicki. Like Henry, Gesicki put up a big stat and usage line in Week 2. Like Henry, it’s unlikely to repeat very often. Fun fact, they were teammates last season. Like I said with Iosivas, the return of Tee Higgins (and his target volume) is looming. Still, he’s in a high-volume passing offense with Joe Burrow and has been fantasy-relevant before. I think it’s worth an add if you need another option at TE right now.

Jonnu Smith. I’d feel much better about this recommendation if Tua didn’t get hurt. Smith was pretty busy in Week 2 and actually led all Miami WRs and TEs in targets, catches and yards. There was clearly an intention to get him more involved. He’s a streaming consideration for Week 3, given the opponent (SEA), who really struggles vs. TEs.

PK and Streamers, Week 3 (ranked outside the Top-12 for the season):

PK: B. Grupe (vs. PHI), C. McLaughlin (vs. DEN), and D. Carlson (vs. CAR).

D/ST: TB (vs. DEN), LV (vs. CAR), SEA (vs. MIA, assuming Tua is out), and TEN (vs. GB).

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 FanDuel Props of the week for the Giants, also right here. ***