Fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 3 in 14-team leagues

It was a wild Week 2 in the NFL on Sunday and we saw multiple comebacks, a Hail Mary that almost gave the Broncos a win, and a few OT thrillers. As always, injuries come each week and surprise performances give us players to target on the waiver wire for fantasy football. In deeper formats, waiver claims this week are going to be very important as the crop of players available thins out. Below are some good options in deeper 14-team leagues.

Week 3 Fantasy football waiver wire pickups in 14-team leagues

Tyjae Spears, RB, Titans

Rostership: 17 percent

The Titans were one of those teams mentioned above, pulling off a 27-24 OT win over the Los Angeles Chargers. RB Derrick Henry continued to dominate the backfield with 25 carries for 80 yards and a TD. Henry’s backup, Spears, hasn’t been bad as a change-of-pace back and is steadily getting more touches. He had eight carries for 49 yards with two receptions for another six yards in Week 2. Henry is averaging just 3.75 yards per carry through two games. Spears is just under 7.0 YPC. So we could slowly see Spears get more carries and eventually supplant Henry as the top back.

Josh Reynolds, WR, Lions

Rostership: 12 percent

The Lions entered this season with Amon-Ra St. Brown at the top of the WR depth chart. Behind St. Brown, we weren’t quite sure who would emerge as the WR2. That is very clearly Reynolds, who is coming off a two-TD performance in Week 2 vs. the Seahawks. Reynolds finished with five catches on six targets for 66 yards and the two scores. He’s up to nine catches for 146 yards and two TDs, good for around 35 fantasy points in PPR. Detroit lost RB David Montgomery to injury in Week 2. That could force the Lions to lean more on the passing game, something they do anyway. QB Jared Goff may spread it around but there’s enough targets for everyone. Reynolds should have some staying power in PPR.

Jalin Hyatt, WR, Giants

Rostership: 12 percent

The Giants pulled off one of the biggest comebacks in NFL and franchise history on Sunday with a 31-28 victory over the Cardinals. The Giants were favored they just didn’t show up until the second half. RB Saquon Barkley was injured and could miss time. QB Daniel Jones threw for over 300 yards and had another 59 on the ground. TE Darren Waller should continue to be the top receiving option but at WR, Hyatt could become Jones’ favorite target. He only caught two balls but one of them went for 58 yards. Hyatt can stretch the field and has big-play ability. He could become a decent PPR option if he sees more volume in the passing game.

John Bates, TE, Commanders

Rostership: 0 percent

Bates is available in pretty much all fantasy football leagues. Or he should be. Washington TE Logan Thomas has a concussion and this isn’t the first time he’s been sidelined with injury. Thomas had two catches for 22 yards and a TD before exiting. Bates would end up posting three catches for 46 yards in the win over Denver. If Thomas is sidelined at all, Bates should see most of the snaps at TE for the Commanders, who may have a decent QB after all in Sam Howell. If you’re desperate for a tight end, Bates is a waiver option you should be able to get pretty easily.