Week 3 Waiver Wire Targets & Drop Candidates
If you feel like Week 2 turned your fantasy football team on its head, you’re not alone. I mean, we all should’ve seen the Carolina Panthers having the 2nd highest scoring offense and Kalif Raymond being the Bears’ top receiver, right? Going into Week 3 of the NFL season, fantasy lineups everywhere are going to look very different than managers expected after their drafts.
While Week 1 can be waved away as a blip, trends have emerged through two weeks that need to be acted upon. Too many people are too committed to their draft-season priors and unwilling to adjust to the realities of the current season. That leaves a significant edge for managers willing to be active on the Waiver Wire.
The players highlighted here will help your team, whether it’s by filling a hole in your lineup, providing depth in a shaky positional room, or offering a streaming option to get you in the win column in Week 3.
TOP PICKUPS
Rashod Bateman (WR, BAL)
In a fantasy climate that’s willing to write off rookie wide receivers that don’t earn a 20% target share in year 1, it’s refreshing to see a potential 6th year breakout from a WR. With Zay Flowers out, Bateman tied his career high with 7 receptions in Week 2.
It seems Bateman is a full-time starting WR for the Ravens through two weeks of the season, as his 92.65% route participation ranks 11th among WRs. While Ja’Kobi Lane and Zay Flowers missing Week 2 with injury certainly helped his route participation, Bateman was already the clear #2 option on the outside in Week 1.
A WR26 rank in air yards and WR19 rank in average separation also show that Bateman’s situation is not only about volume. Bateman may end up one of the biggest beneficiaries of a renewed passing attack under first-time offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. Doyle is getting the most out of Lamar Jackson and this passing attack, with the Ravens ranked 6th in passing yards per game through two weeks.
That type of passing offense can absolutely support two fantasy-relevant receivers once Zay Flowers returns. While a goose egg in Week 1 on only a single target for Bateman was concerning for his potential when Flowers returns, Ja’Kobi Lane’s absence helps alleviate my concern there.
Flowers’ injury was also a re-aggravation of the hamstring that was bothering him in training camp. When you see a re-aggravation in that short of a time period, it significantly increases the risk of further damage. And if Flowers does miss time again, we’ve seen the potential Bateman has.
If you’re thinking about someone to start right away in Week 3, a matchup against Dallas should entice you to look Bateman’s way when allocating your FAAB spend. Dallas has allowed the 6th most targets to WRs through two weeks. While they’ve only allowed the 15th most fantasy points, the context of their matchups is important. The Commanders without Jayden Daniels for the 2nd half, and the Giants in Malik Nabers’ first game returning from his knee injury. Not the most dangerous receiving corps. Bateman offers a great balance of instant impact as a starter in your lineup, a high likelihood of sustained Flex output, and WR2 upside should Flowers miss more time. I think that’s worth spending a bit of FAAB to secure early in the season.
FAAB Bid: 15%
Denzel Boston (WR, CLE)
When I think about good fantasy environments, the Browns aren’t normally atop the list. Things may be starting to turn around in Cleveland as the Browns accumulate skill position talent. The quarterback position is still a work in progress, but that doesn’t mean the receivers can’t provide some value as-is.
Through two weeks, rookie receiver Denzel Boston is the WR11. While long touchdowns have helped push him there, the underlying metrics are still encouraging. WR22 in YPRR, WR18 in air yards, and WR2 in yards after the catch over expected per reception.
We shouldn’t discount the long touchdowns as entirely random though. This is the profile that Boston entered the NFL with – a field-stretching, contested-catch specialist.
KC Concepcion has had a strong start to his NFL career as well, and may cap Boston’s ability to earn a dominant target share, but the two have co-existed with strong fantasy performances so far.
Boston offers an incredible combination of startable fantasy production in the short term and ceiling potential over the course of the season. While the Browns’ quarterback situation may cap the highest ceiling outcomes for Boston, we’ve already seen top 12 potential. Whether you need a starter for Week 3, or a high upside player to stash on your bench, Boston is a great target.
FAAB Bid: 15%
Emmett Johnson (RB, KC)
I try not to make a habit of betting on my ability to tell when a player will get injured in fantasy football. Still, one thing that’s naturally correlated with injuries is getting touches on the football field. And through two weeks, no RB has received more touches than Ken Walker.
Rostering clear handcuff RBs for elite offenses (the Chiefs are 1st in yards/game) is nothing new, and Emmett Johnson has played himself into that category. The Chiefs electing to release veteran Emari Demercardo and enter 2026 with the rookie out of Nebraska as their primary backup rusher was already a strong indication that Johnson should be rostered in deep leagues, but his play on the field has been so good that even Andy Reid is talking about getting him more opportunities.
Through two weeks Johnson ranks 10th among all RBs in missed tackles forced per attempt, and 17th in yards after contact per attempt. And while the sample size is low for his involvement in the passing game, his 3.56 yards per route run on 18 routes is incredible.
If what Reid said about getting Johnson more opportunities is true, then he could offer a bit of standalone value even with a healthy Walker. However, I’d warn fantasy managers with a hole in their RB room to be hesitant about spending all their FAAB hoping Johnson fills that hole immediately. Coaches often say they want to reduce reliance on their starting RB, but following through is a different story.
Johnson’s real value is in his role as a handcuff for Walker. If the Chiefs’ starting RB does miss any time with injury, Johnson would immediately be vaulted into high-RB2 territory on everyone’s weekly rankings list.
FAAB Bid: 10%
Adonai Mitchell (WR, NYJ)
The Jets finally have a quarterback that can run a competent offense. It just so happens it’s the same one they drafted 13 years ago. Through two weeks the Jets rank 11th in passing yards and 14th in total offensive yardage. While they haven’t transformed into a Super Bowl favourite, their offense is competent – high praise for the Jets.
With competent offensive production, the Jets have potential to support two fantasy receivers. Garrett Wilson will always earn his targets, but Adonai Mitchell has proven himself as the second option for the new-look Jets.
Mitchell’s usage has been impressive, ranking WR24 in expected fantasy points and WR17 in target share. His 2.02 yards per route run shows the volume isn’t unearned either.
If there’s a single receiver that should be in line for a big performance in Week 3, it’s Mitchell. A matchup against the Lions should push the Jets to throw the ball more after ranking 21st in pass rate through two weeks. The Lions have struggled defensively to open the season as well, giving up the most receptions and the 5th most fantasy points to the WR position.
Long term, Mitchell’s role could be eaten into if rookies Kenyon Sadiq and Omar Cooper earn a steady role as the season progresses. Still, if your goal is to replace an injured or underperforming starter in your lineup, there’s no better option than Mitchell.
FAAB Bid: 10%
Bryce Young (QB, CAR)
As expected, Bryce Young is the QB1 in expected fantasy points per game through two weeks. The powerhouse Panthers have taken the leap that everyone predicted coming into the season.
Well, maybe this start to the season wasn’t quite widely expected, but through two weeks it’s hard to ignore the success coming out of Carolina. Multiple top 24 wide receivers, the 2nd highest scoring offense, and the 2nd ranked fantasy quarterback.
This offense is perfectly built to attack defenses down the field. Young leads the NFL with 8 completions on throws 20+ yards downfield, and he’s been incredibly efficient doing so, with a completion percentage of 66.7% on those throws. When your top 3 wide receivers are big, fast, and able to win down the field, that’s not too big of a surprise after all.
In a Week 3 matchup against the Browns, Young is well positioned to continue his scorching hot start. A gauntlet of a schedule following that may bring Young back to earth, but capitalizing on a favourable Week 3 matchup is still worth the pickup. After that, using Young as trade bait may let you maximize the FAAB spend this week.
I’m not going to argue you should spend excessively on quarterback in your 1QB leagues, but Young is a great option if your starting QB is underperforming so far.
FAAB Bid: 10%
Dalton Schultz (TE, HOU)
With Jayden Higgins missing the season for the Texans, and now Nico Collins dealing with a hamstring injury, Schultz has taken over as a focal point of the Texans’ passing offense. That’s led to Schultz ranking 3rd among TEs in expected fantasy points per game.
It shouldn’t be assumed that Schultz will end up back on waivers once Nico is back and healthy either. Schultz earned 8 targets in Week 1 playing alongside the Texans’ top receiver.
This Texans offense should continue to offer plenty of opportunity to its pass catchers. Their 66.9% pass rate ranks 1st in the NFL. While David Montgomery got off to a hot start with 3 touchdowns in his Texans’ debut, he’s been far from efficient. His 2.69 yards per carry ranks 63rd in the NFL through two weeks. His underlying tackle breaking and yards after contact numbers don’t paint any better of a picture either.
As long as the Texans struggle to move the ball on the ground, Schultz will have plenty of opportunity. Still, the tight end position has plenty of cheap options. While Schultz is likely the best available on the waiver wire, I’m not looking to spend my entire budget on tight end. We’ll see whether that strategy pays off.
FAAB Bid: 5-10%
Alvin Kamara (RB, NO)
You’d think a 4-year $48 million contract would entitle Travis Etienne to at least a few weeks as the starting running back for the Saints. But it seems Kellen Moore disagrees.
In Week 1, Etienne surprised with only one more carry than 4th-year back Kendre Miller (10 vs 9 carries). Despite this, fantasy managers could take solace in the fact that Etienne was used extensively in the passing game – logging 9 targets, good for 2nd among RBs in Week 1.
Week 2 brought a new challenger to the Saints backfield, with Alvin Kamara returning from injury. Kamara not only outpaced Etienne on the ground (9 vs 8 carries), but he was also targeted 6 times to Etienne’s 2 targets.
Etienne hasn’t done anything to show he deserves to be the undisputed back atop the depth chart either. Through 2 weeks, Etienne ranks 48th among 68 RBs with 5+ carries in yards after contact per attempt.
Outside of injuries to incumbent starters raising prospects for backups, running back help can be hard to come by on waivers. Kamara gives a unique opportunity to find a potential starting RB on a good offense (the Saints are 6th in yards/game) who is involved in the passing game.
Kamara himself didn’t impress on the ground either, putting up an abysmal 1.7 ypc in his return to play. Still, his 18.8% target share ranked 6th among NFL RBs in Week 2 and offers some fantasy upside for managers struggling at the position. Kamara’s 33.3% carry share won’t wow anyone, but it’s enough in conjunction with the substantial target volume to make Kamara an interesting RB to roster in most leagues.
All that said, there are plenty of paths for Kamara to be unplayable moving forward. His own inefficiency on the ground was far worse than Etienne’s, so an improvement there is likely needed to even maintain his current limited carry share. Also, the fact that Kamara’s 6 targets came on only 9 routes can be seen as either positive or negative. Maybe it means he’ll be a target hog as his routes scale, or maybe this was an outlier week of targets.
I won’t tell you that Kamara is the smash RB pickup for your RB2 spot the rest of the season, but with running back points so tough to come by, it’s worth it to see what the Saints plan is with this backfield moving forward.
FAAB Bid: 5%
Deep League Targets
Traditional waiver wire articles are often ill-suited for leagues with 14+ teams or deeper starting lineups/benches, as many of the highlighted players are already rostered in those leagues.
In this section I tailor the options to those players that are more likely to be available even in deeper leagues. All highlighted players in this section are rostered in less than 10% of Sleeper and ESPN leagues.
Germie Bernard (WR, PIT)
The rookie Steelers wide receiver earned 8 targets in Week 2 with Michael Pittman out. He ranked just 1 target behind DK Metcalf, and ran only 3 fewer routes than Roman Wilson. Germie Bernard also received the only redzone target of the game. Bernard’s role may diminish when Pittman returns, but Roman Wilson is far from insurmountable on the depth chart.
Keon Coleman (WR, BUF)
With DJ Moore exiting early in the Bills’ Week 2 game, Keon Coleman took over as the team’s top wideout with 6 targets. It’s possible that this performance earns Coleman a larger role even when Moore does return, which sounds like it’ll be Week 3. The reason Coleman is in this section and not the one above is that his route participation and efficiency as a receiver still trailed even with Moore missing most of the week 2 game.
Ryan Flournoy (WR, DAL)
The Cowboys offense is still among the best in the NFL and Ryan Flournoy has solidified himself as the third wide receiver for the team. He’s run 55 routes through two weeks, just behind star wideouts CeeDee Lamb (57 routes) and George Pickens (61 routes). While a rank of WR58 in expected points per game isn’t all that impressive, all it takes is an injury to either of the top options to shoot Flournoy way up weekly rankings.
Kaleb Johnson (RB, GB)
The Packers continue to search for their lead rusher in Josh Jacobs’ absence, and that search has not been fruitful thus far. MarShawn Lloyd has shown flashes, but he seems to lack confidence early in the season. Kaleb Johnson may have flamed out quickly in Pittsburgh, but he showed flashes of the talent that made him a Day 2 pick just a year ago in his first action with the Packers. There are certainly limitations to his game, but Johnson has as good a chance as anyone to take over the lead job in Green Bay until Jacobs returns.
Players to Drop
While every waiver article talks about who to pick up, most ignore that you’re likely going to need to drop more highly rostered players in order to do so. Who to drop is very team/league dependent, so I’m always happy to answer specific add/drop questions in the comments on my weekly Waiver Wire YouTube videos, but these are the players I’d say are generally on the drop bubble at this point of the season.
Marvin Harrison Jr (WR, ARI)
Welp, didn’t see this one coming. The generational prospect has managed a generationally poor 6.3% target share through two weeks. Yes, there’s still a path, but it’s not one I want to walk with MHJ, not if one of the WRs highlighted above is available.
Travis Hunter (WR, JAX)
I know the talent is there, but you need to run more than 5 routes through two weeks to be fantasy-relevant outside of IDP leagues.
Makai Lemon (WR, PHI)
I just know Lemon is going to break out as soon as I give up, but through two weeks a sub 10% target share on 80%+ of routes just doesn’t give any confidence the breakout will happen soon.
Keaton Mitchell (RB, LAC)
The wanted posters have been replaced with missing person posters in LA. Apparently what really excites Mike McDaniel is a backup RB who gets very little usage. Through two games the Chargers hype is dead and backup RBs getting 15% carry share on a mediocre (at best right now) offense is just not worth rostering.
Kenny Gainwell (RB, TB)
The Bucs offense as a whole hasn’t bounced back like many hoped, but Bucky Irving has. That confluence of realities results in Gainwell being a luxury to roster. A luxury most managers can’t afford.
Bo Nix (QB, DEN)
Maybe the ankle is still bothering him, because 8 rushing yards through two weeks does not make a dual-threat QB. The QB who rushed for 350+ yards each of his first two seasons in the NFL is no longer here.
Harold Fannin Jr (TE, CLE)
This one hurts. I love Fannin, but the Browns’ rookie WRs are already being heavily involved in the offense, and this offense doesn’t have nearly enough production for Fannin to be startable as the third option. Maybe if Shedeur Sanders was taking over as QB in Week 3 I’d hold Fannin, but Deshaun Watson seems to have earned a few more weeks as the starter.