Week 2 was packed with action, upsets and injuries. While key injuries can definitely drag a team down, they also open up opportunities for other players to emerge. Some of those players stepping up are available on the Waiver Wire Week 3 and can be strong additions to your season-long squad.
In Week 2, the Bills, Chargers, Vikings, Saints, Seahawks, Steelers and Buccaneers all picked up their second wins of the season, while the Rams, Giants, Broncos, Titans, Jaguars and Colts all fell to 0-2.
Whether your fantasy team is dominating or has stumbled out of the gate, there’s still plenty of time to get things turned around and headed in the right direction. Every season, there are key players who emerge as the season goes on, and many of those players can be grabbed off the waiver wire in season-long leagues.
Before we hit some of the top options at each position, let’s take a look at some of the injuries to watch after a tough Week 2.
Injuries to watch coming out of Week 2:
- QB Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
- QB Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
- WR Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
- WR Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
- WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
- WR Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions
- RB Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
- RB Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars
- RB Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs
- RB Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- RB Aaron Jones, Minnesota Vikings
- TE Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars
- TE George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
With those injuries in mind, here are some of my top names to watch for on waiver wire Week 3:
WR Jalen Nailor, Minnesota Vikings
The Rams will get plenty of attention on the waiver wire with Cooper Kupp (ankle) joining Puka Nacua (knee) dealing with injuries. Without the two stars, Tutu Atwell, Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson and Jordan Whittington are all in the mix. Whittington has the highest ceiling and is widely available, but he’s still a high-risk pickup with so many other options available.
Another injury that may open up opportunity took place as the Vikings knocked off the 49ers on Sunday. Justin Jefferson (quad) went down with an injury but said he’ll be ready to go in Week 3. However, even if he’s available, Nailor makes a solid pickup to consider at receiver.
The sixth-round pick has found the end zone in each of the first two weeks of the season, and in Week 2, he hauled in 3-of-4 targets with 54 receiving yards. Nailor won the No. 3 WR job out of camp but was battling an ankle injury coming into Week 1. He looked much healthier in Week 2 and could be ready for even more work if Addison and/or Jefferson is out or limited in Week 3 vs. the Texans.
Other great WRs widely available on the waiver wire include Quentin Johnston of the Chargers, Alec Pierce of the Colts, Rashid Shaheed of the Saints, Andrei Iosivas of the Bengals and Jalen Tolbert of the Cowboys.
TE Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
The Patriots lost in overtime to the Seahawks, but their offense was centered on Henry for most of the game. He finished with the best fantasy game of any tight end in Week 2 coming into Sunday and Monday Night Football.
Henry had eight catches on his 12 targets and racked up 109 yards. He was targeted on half of his team pass attempts in the first half and finished with a 44% target share. He and the Patriots have a short week before taking on the Jets on Thursday night football, but if he’s this involved going forward, he’ll end up as a high-floor starting option in most formats.
Another emerging option, Brenton Strange, stepped up with Even Engram out and finished with three catches for 65 yards. Veteran Mike Gesicki was also solid for the Bengals with Tee Higgins still out, and even Zach Ertz had a good game for the Commanders with double-digit fantasy points in PPR leagues.
RB Carson Steele, Kansas City Chiefs
The Jets mixed Braelon Allen in with Breece Hall, and the rookie had a big game with 33 rushing yards, a touchdown and a second touchdown on two catches for 23 receiving yards. While he’ll be an extremely hot name on the wire, another key sleeper to watch this week will be Carson Steele.
Steele operated as the Chiefs’ second RB behind Isiah Pacheco, who had a big game but went down with a fibula injury near the end of the game. Click here for the latest on Pacheco.
The undrafted free agent from UCLA finished with 24 yards on his seven carries, and he was the only running back to get any carries other than Pacheco. His bruising style should work great in goal-line and short-yardage situations. He did lose a fumble, but Coach Andy Reid continued to give him the ball and trusted him to get the team in position for the game-winning field goal.
If Pacheco is forced to miss time, Steele could step into a larger role in one of the best offenses in the NFL. If you have a need at running back and can’t get Allen, swinging for the fences with Steele is a move that makes sense. Even if he ends up in a timeshare with Samaje Perine, he will likely get the work near the end zone.
Other running back pickups to keep tabs on headed into the week include Antonio Gibson, Elijah Moore and Alexander Mattison.
QB Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
Carr is my only returning pick after he built on a huge Week 1 with another monster game in Week 2. He is still available in over 75% of leagues despite posting over 20 fanatsy points in each week in almost every scoring format.
In Week 1, his huge day came at home against the Panthers, so it was hard to tell how legit the new-look Saints offense under offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak really was. They erased those question marks with a huge performance on the road against a tough Dallas defense. Carr ran for a touchdown and threw for 243 yards and two touchdowns, including another long strike to Rashid Shaheed.
Carr and the Saints are home against the Eagles in Week 3 before going on the road for matchups against the Falcons and Chiefs. After scoring 47 and 44 points in their first two games of the season, Kubiak and Carr are bringing plenty of fantasy production so far this season.
If Carr was already grabbed in your league or you need a different QB pickup, Justin Fields continues to win for the Steelers and brings good rushing upside. Sam Darnold is also 2-0 in Minnesota and owned in under 20% of leagues despite throwing for multiple touchdowns and over 200 yards in each of the first two weeks of the season.
Raiders DST
In the final spot on the early Waiver Wire Week 3 list, here’s a surprise for my top streaming DST—the Raiders. Vegas, baby!
Part of the reason I like the Raiders DST is that the Raiders pulled off a big upset in Week 2. They had two sacks and an interception in Week 2 and knocked off the Raiders in Baltimore, 26-23. Maxx Crosby is an absolute beast and disrupted everything as you can see in these highlights:
Crosby and his Raiders are owned in under 10% of leagues coming into Week 3, when they have an incredibly good matchup against the Panthers, who have only scored 13 total points
Other streamers worth considering include the Texans (vs. the Bears) and the Commanders (vs. the Giants).
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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