We’re heading back to the waiver wire ahead of Week 3 to improve our rosters. Regardless of your record, there is always a reason to be scouring the waiver wire. As the season progresses, it’s becoming increasingly obvious which players are worth having on our rosters and which are not. For that reason, I am including a few players you can confidently drop to make working the waiver wire that much easier.
You may be dealing with injuries, bye weeks, or just need to cycle out players from your bench. Whatever the case may be, the waiver wire is there to help. There’s not always a need to put in a claim for players each week, but if you do, make it count. Below, we’ll look at players at each position, who are on 50% or less of most fantasy football rosters, that could be considered on the Week 3 waiver wire.
Week 3 Waiver Wire By Position
Running Back
Jerrick McKinnon, Kansas City Chiefs
Clyde Edwards-Helaire is the running back the Chiefs clearly want to use the most this season. However, after getting his knee stepped on this past Thursday night, McKinnon slid right into a worthwhile role until CEH was able to return. McKinnon is a veteran in this league who excels as a pass catcher and brings quality pass protection to the table as well. If something were to happen to CEH long-term, McKinnon becomes a high-floor, high-ceiling RB2 as the Chiefs’ lead back. Those in need of running back depth, with room to spare on their bench, should add him ahead of Week 3.
Mahomes doing Mahomes things 🔥 #ChiefsKingdom #LACvsKC on Prime Video
Also available on NFL+ https://t.co/Fa02SqPmRn pic.twitter.com/HlbXp3UqRK— NFL (@NFL) September 16, 2022
Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins
This isn’t a great week on the waiver wire for running backs. While there are a few options, I’m not making any serious cuts from my current roster to add many of these backs, if any. Raheem Mostert is near the top of the list after his huge role in Sunday’s win over the Baltimore Ravens. He played more snaps (55%) than Chase Edmonds (51%) while out-touching Edmonds 14 to six. It’s worth mentioning, though, that Edmonds played more snaps and saw 10 more touches than Mostert in an easier Week 1 victory. I still think Edmonds is the best back on this roster. It’s obvious that head coach, Mike McDaniel, wants to use Mostert when he can. He should be on someone’s bench in your league.
Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons
It brings me great joy to finally recommend adding this rookie running back to your fantasy football rosters. My bold prediction that Allgeier is going to finish as the top rookie back is not off to a good start. The healthy scratch back in Week 1 did suit up for Week 2 playing 31% of snaps and matching Cordarelle Patterson with 10 carries apiece. With Damien Williams recovering on the Injured Reserve for a few more weeks, Allgeier is a bench stash, but with upside against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3. I’m hoping the same back that rumbled for a total of 2,731 yards and 36 touchdowns his final two seasons at BYU is on full display for fantasy football managers sooner than later.
Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints
Mark Ingram looks to have some tread still on his tires in replacement of Alvin Kamara. The veteran back averaged six yards per carrying, though had just 10 rushing attempts. Take it with a grain of salt, however. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense is one of the best against the run. Kamara is no sure thing to suit up in Week 3 as he deals with a rib cartilage injury. Ingram is a solid add for managers with Kamara, but, if he remains out, deeper league managers can roll him out against the Carolina Panthers in Week 3.
Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers
Elijah Mitchell is already out for approximately eight weeks. After making his debut, rookie, Tyrion David-Price, is now expected to be out “a few weeks” due to a high ankle sprain. Quarterback, Trey Lance, who is far more mobile than Jimmy Garoppolo, will also miss the remainder of the season due to an ankle injury. So, Garoppolo will take over at quarterback and this offense will likely mimic the 2021 version of itself. Expect a run-heavy approach with Jeff Wilson leading the way and Deebo Samuel mixing in. By default, however, Jordan Mason is probably going to fit in as the RB2, as well. He is a deep league add ahead of Week 3 with a possible higher priority moving forward.
Fool’s Gold
Eno Benjamin and Darrel Williams are clearly a committee in the Arizona Cardinals backfield when James Conner is not available. Following a mid-game ankle injury in Week 2, James Conner stayed dressed, but did not see the field in the team’s dramatic win against the Las Vegas Raiders. Instead, Benjamin logged 11 touches while Williams logged 10 himself. Conner’s injury is being described as “not serious” which is great news. That said, choosing between Benjamin or Williams at this point on the waiver wire seems like a waste of time. The Cardinals will take on the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3 who have a better than most run defense, as well. I’m not putting in a waiver wire claim for either of these two at this time.
Wide Receiver
Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
Garrett Wilson is finally commanding the respect he deserves, especially as a top-10 pick in the 2022 draft. His Week 2 breakout includes eight catches on 14 targets, good enough for a 32.5% target share. Wilson also has his first multi-score game of his career finding the end zone twice on Sunday, including a game-winner with seconds to go. It looks like Joe Flacco will remain the Jets’ starter until further notice. Wilson is on record saying Flacco throws a more “receiver friendly ball” than Zach Wilson. Flacco and the rookie receiver clearly have a great connection. He is the top add amongst all positions this week on the waiver wire.
Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots
It’s conceivable after a poor Week 1 performance from Mac Jones and the Pats, that Meyers ended up a free agent in your league, if he was even drafted. He is now the back-to-back target leader per game for this team. Meyers isn’t typically one to find the end zone with just two receiving touchdowns in the early stage of his fourth NFL season. He is, however, a PPR asset for fantasy football. His nine receptions for 95 yards on 13 targets still lands him tied with Saints’ Michel Thomas as the WR18 on the week. Meyers is a must-add if he’s out there.
Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders
Last call for Jahan Dotson! The 16th-overall pick from the 2022 Draft is going to get scooped up pretty much everywhere that he hasn’t by now. Dotson jumps ahead of all other Washington wide receivers in snaps played from Week 1 to Week 2 logging 98% this past Sunday. He’s still third in targets amongst the position, with 10 through two weeks, but has scored three times. Dotson is a clear favorite for Carson Wentz in the red zone with two of his three touchdowns caught from seven yards or closer. The Commanders have played from behind in both games this season. I expect that to continue lending to a high-volume passing offense with Dotson very much in the mix.
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants
After two weeks of play, Shepard is the clear top wide receiver on the 2-0 Giants. This comes as a bit of surprise after tearing his Achilles tendon in December. However, he’s leading the all Giants wide receivers in targets, with 14, after logging 10 in a tight victory this past weekend. His 12.25 PPR point per game average makes him a weekly flex consideration. With injuries and lack of playing time from Kadarius Toney, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Kenny Golladay, it’s a no-brainer that Shepard is a top waiver wire target. Richie James’ 10 receptions for 110 yards on 12 targets through two games also make him a deeper league add. His season-long value could be ripped out from under us at any time.
Treylon Burks, Tennessee Titans
It’s a matter of time before Burks breaks out in a big way. He’s still behind Robert Woods and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine is snaps played. However, in a blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 2, he led the Titans in targets with six for a 27% share. Once the game got out of hand, Burks ended up on the bench while others, like Woods, remained on the field. Tennessee spent a first round pick on Burks. He should continue to see more playing time on an offense that desperately needs a spark. If a frustrated manager drops him, or he’s available already, I like adding Burks on the waiver wire now, even if it is a week or two early.
Josh Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers
Palmer is likely going to be a top waiver wire target for many managers who just look at box scores. Palmer’s late-game touchdown reception with 1:11 left on the clock raised his PPR point total from 5.3 to 13.0 on Thursday night, saving his fantasy football performance. His eight targets in Week 2 are nice to see, but surprisingly fourth on the team with three other players logging 10 each of their own. Palmer is a good add for most PPR leagues, especially if Keenan Allen remains sidelined, but Palmer himself won’t have a healthy Justin Herbert throwing to him, if at all this weekend. Herbert is dealing with a rib injury that could hold him out. That’s enough for me to downgrade Palmer on the waiver wire ahead of Week 3.
Noah Brown, Dallas Cowboys
A big part of analyzing fantasy football is being able to identify your mistakes. Noah Brown is on the Week 3 waiver wire list of players to add after labeling him as last week’s “Fool’s Gold.” Brown (14) trails just Ceedee Lamb (22) in targets after two weeks. Though he saw just five in Week 2, he caught all of them for 91 yards and Dallas’ only receiving score. Michael Gallup is working his way back and tight end, Dalton Schultz, may miss some time with a knee injury. Brown remains relevant for now and is worth adding if you are looking for short-term wide receiver depth.
Fool’s Gold
Nico Collins is a player I’m waiting to see breakout in 2022. I’m just losing confidence and patience in the reality of it happening. It’s encouraging for Collins to log nine targets in Week 2, just one behind Brandin Cooks. He caught four of them for 58 yards resulting in just 9.8 PPR points. The Houston Texans also failed to score a touchdown against the Denver Broncos. Collins is worth leaving in free agency until he gives me something more worthwhile to write about. I’m fading him on the Week 3 waiver wire.
Tight End
Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers
If Everett is still a free agent in your league, and you need a tight end, he should be your top waiver wire claim. Even if you don’t need a tight end, but have bench room, Everett is worth adding. He is one of five Chargers to have exactly four targets in Week 1, catching three and scoring once. He tied Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler in Week 2 with a team-high 10 targets, catching six for 71 yards. Everett deserves starter consideration in Week 3. I think he will be a confident streaming option for most of the season.
Irv Smith, Jr., Minnesota Vikings
Week 2 is one to forget for the Vikings. For fantasy football purposes, however, Irv Smith’s performance is worth remembering. His eight targets are second to just Justin Jefferson. Smith turned them into five catches for 36 yards with a score. If you didn’t happen to see this game, though, Smith also dropped a would-be 63-yard touchdown catch (See Below). With Jefferson, Adam Theilen, K.J. Osborn, and Dalvin Cook catching passes on this offense, it could be tough to predict when Smith is worth starting. Regardless, he is worth having on your roster when the matchup is right.
Irv Smith Jr. dropped this potential TD: pic.twitter.com/fT6Uan1dDR
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 20, 2022
Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
Up next for Engram and the Jags are the Los Angeles Chargers. Jacksonville opens as a seven-point underdog. Engram is worth considering as a streamer as L.A. has allowed the fourth-most receiving yards to tight ends heading into Monday Night Football. Though the Chargers have yet to give up a touchdown to the position, Engram could see one-on-one matchups in the red zone given Jacksonville’s variety of talented pass catchers for defenses to worry about.
Logan Thomas, Washington Commanders
Carson Wentz likes to target his tight ends. So far in 2022, though, he’s force feeding his wide receiving group of Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Curtis Samuel. Against the Eagles in Week 3, Logan Thomas isn’t a bad play in fantasy lineups. Philadelphia’s 2021 defense allowed the second-most fantasy points to tight ends. Though he was unable to play them last season due to injury, Thomas did find the end zone in each of his matchups with the Eagles in 2020. He’s hard to trust week-to-week with a limited target share, but Thomas should get looks in the red zone as a big body option.
Fool’s Gold
Hayden Hurst’s seven targets may turn some heads, especially with a fully healthy group of Bengals wide receivers. Five of his 7.4 PPR points are the direct result of simply catching the ball as he totaled just 24 receiving yards. It’s unlikely the Bengals continue their recent struggles. They get the Jets in Week 3 and should handle them similarly to the Ravens in Week 1. Hurst isn’t going to see enough of a confident target share to stream in most leagues especially in their next matchup.
Quarterback
Carson Wentz, Washington Commanders
Wentz is seemingly on a revenge tour. In Week 1, he threw for 313 yards and four touchdowns against his former head coach, Doug Pederson. In Week 2, Wentz, the former 2016 second-overall pick, faced off against Jared Goff, the 2016 first-overall pick. Wentz threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns. He will host his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles, in Week 3. It’s the best defense he will face so far this season, but I do think he will throw a ton. The volume alone, and his performances so far, make him the top quarterback add ahead of Week 3.
Joe Flacco, New York Jets
It’s not the best advice in this waiver wire column for you to pick up a 14-year veteran quarterback, on his fifth team, who is a starting quarterback simply because of a preseason injury to starter, Zach Wilson. Joe Flacco, however, is thriving through two weeks under center with the Jets. His 616 total passing yards rank third amongst all quarterbacks headingbehind just Tua Tagovailoa and Carson Wentz. Flacco is also arguably playing with his best set of pass catchers in Elijah Moore, Garrett Wilson, Corey Davis, and others. He is a Superflex add, at a minimum, yet isn’t on the 1QB league radar at this time.
Fool’s Gold
Jimmy Garoppolo is taking over the San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback job. Trey Lance is going to miss the rest of the season, leaving Jimmy G under center for the remainder of 2022. As the starter in 2021, with nearly the same group of playmakers, Garoppolo averaged just 15.97 points per game. After Lance left early this past week, Garoppolo still only managed 16.66 points failing to eclipse 200 passing yards and multiple passing scores. He did rush for a touchdown, but that’s a rarity with Jeff Wilson, Deebo Samuel, and others more likely to do so. Jimmy G is not worth a waiver wire claim. He’s barely a QB2 most weeks in a Superflex League.
Drop ‘Em If You Got ‘Em
Trey Lance is done for the year after a season-ending ankle injury. The New York Giants have as many wins as snaps Kenny Golladay played for them on Sunday. Cole Kmet has two targets after two weeks on a Chicago Bears team that is averaging 14 pass attempts per game so far. Kenyan Drake logged just eight yards on six carries and played the least amount of snaps between he, Justice Hill, and Mike Davis in a shootout with the Dolphins. Kyle Philips, a popular Week 2 waiver wire add, went from nine targets last Sunday to just 12 snaps this Monday.
I’m still holding onto rookie running backs Rachaad White and Ken Walker. If Leonard Fournette goes down, White slides in as the lead back with pass-catching upside. Walker carried the ball or saw a target on more than half of his snaps in his debut. I’m dropping rookies like Zamir White and Isiah Pacheco who are healthy, but barely on the field. If you need players with upside or to contribute immediately, then you can drop the above players to make room.
Also make sure to check out our Week 3 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | Flex Rankings