After a fun Week 1, Week 2 in the NFL got even wilder with plenty of thrilling finishes across the slate, some huge breakout performances, and some key injuries. Whether your fantasy team is rolling at 2-0, reeling at 0-2, or somewhere in between at 1-1, it’s critical that you stay active and look to make the right waiver wire pickups for Week 3.
We now officially have more than one week of info to break down and can start to get an idea of who is legitimate and who may have just been a one-week wonder. Throughout the week, DK Network will have you covered with potential pickups and strong plays for Week 3 and moving forward, so be sure to stay tuned to the outstanding coverage from the whole team. This post is an early look at some of the names to keep an eye on coming out of Week 2
Every week of the season, players from the fantasy football waiver wire step up with big games and emerge as potential pickups. In this post, I’ll list my favorite options that are set for success in Week 3 and moving forward.
Another key factor to keep a close eye on every week is new injuries which occur — here are some new situations to keep a close eye on moving forward:
Players with new injuries from Week 2 to watch:
- QB Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
- QB Justin Fields, New York Jets
- WR KaVontae Turpin, Dallas Cowboys
- RB Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco 49ers
- TE Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
With those injuries in mind, here are some of my early names to watch if you’re shopping on the Week 3 waiver wire.
WR Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos
Last week, I highlighted Kayshon Boutte (8.6 FPTS), who remains a strong pickup if available. Rashid Shaheed (15.2 FPTS) and Dyami Brown (17.6 FPTS) are also strong options from the waiver wire for Week 3, and even Wan’Dale Robinson (28.2 FPTS) has potential if you buy the Giants offensive surge under Russell Wilson (30.3 FPTS).
My favorite widely available option at wide receiver to snag going forward is second-year receiver Troy Franklin (24 FPTS). He has had two very strong games in coach Sean Payton’s growing offense, and he’s maturing alongside his college teammate and fellow second-year player Bo Nix (21.2 FPTS).
Franklin finished the Broncos Week 1 game with four targets for 44 yards and played 45 snaps (59%), compared to 40 snaps (53%) for Marvin Mims Jr. (10.4 FPTS). Franklin operated as the second receiver in that game, which got my attention for my five fantasy football sleeper wide receivers to start in NFL Week 2.
Against the Colts, Franklin delivered on this promise, hauling in eight of his nine targets for 89 yards and a touchdown. He also tacked on an 11-yard rush. He ended up leading the team in catches, receiving yards and targets.
The fact that he has such a big role in a close game while Courtland Sutton (1.6 FPTS) was healthy and on the field is a great sign for him going forward. He and Nix have a strong connection, and the team was able to trade DeVaughn Vele (7.3 FPTS) to the Saints before the season, locking in Franklin’s role.
Payton and Nix have spread the ball around to different secondary options over the past two years, but it looks like Franklin is here to stay. He and Sutton should be a nice complementary set of receivers with Mims working in as a third option and gadget player moving forward. The 1-1 Broncos visit the Chargers next week before a Monday Night Football matchup with the Bengals. Franklin is a top emerging option to target and is almost universally available on the waiver wire for Week 3.
RB Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars Steelers
On Saturday, I highlighted Chris Rodriguez Jr. as a top pickup at running back, and earlier in the week, I highlighted Dylan Sampson and Quinshon Judkins in the developing backfield situation for the Browns.
In addition to those two situations, the other place to go shopping on the waiver wire for a potential pickup is in Jacksonville, where rookie Bhayshul Tuten (15.4 FPTS), played a much larger role in Week 2 after the team traded Tank Bigsby to the Eagles.
Tuten rushed eight times for 42 yards in the Jaguars’ Week 2 loss to the Bengals, adding two catches for 32 yards and a touchdown. Travis Etienne Jr. (16.9 FPTS) was still clearly the starter and primary running back, but Tuten played a significant enough role to be very interesting going forward.
Etienne has shared the load for most of his NFL career and also struggled with multiple injuries. If Tuten becomes the primary back, he’d be an RB2, but he’ll be a strong flex option even if he continues to share time with Etienne, since coach Liam Coen likes to rotate running backs to give teams different looks.
Tuten was a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Virginia Tech, and the Jaguars may give him more run as the season goes on since Etienne is in the last year of his rookie contract.
If Tuten is on the waiver wire, he’s a great pickup heading into Week 3 when the Jaguars host the Texans in an divisional clash.
QB Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts
Daniel Jones (22.84 FPTS) led his team to a second straight home win by besting Franklin’s Broncos on a last-second field goal. Jones finished Week 1 as the No. 3 QB in the league.
This week, he threw for 316 yards and a touchdown while running for just two yards but adding a rushing score for the second straight week. His rushing contributions give him a high ceiling, and he seems to have stepped into an ideal fit in coach Shane Steichen’s system.
Jones spread the ball around to his receivers and leaned heavily on Jonathan Taylor (29.5 FPTS) out of the backfield and rookie Tyler Warren (11.9 FPTS) from his tight end spot as key contributors.
Whether you totally buy into Jones yet or not, he’s a great pickup option at this point after his hot start. He and his 2-0 Colts have a favorable road matchup against divisional foe Tennessee next week and then a tough matchup against the Rams. The schedule lightens up after that, though, with the Raiders, Cardinals, Steelers and the Titans again as four of his next five games.
In his first full season as a starter, Michael Penix Jr. got off to a strong start, completing 27 of his 42 pass attempts for 298 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a touchdown with 21 rushing yards on six carries. The touchdown came on fourth down late in the game to give his team the lead.
Other widely available QBs to consider after strong Week 2 showings include Spencer Rattler (21.68 FPTS) and Sam Darnold (15.8 FPTS).
TE Ja’Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers
Last week’s waiver wire darling Harold Fannin Jr. (9.8 FPTS) had another strong week and is a good addition if available along with Juwan Johnson (15.9 FPTS), who is clearly going to be very involved for Rattler and the Saints.
Aside from those two options, another tight end that stepped up with a solid game in Week 2 was Ja’Tavion Sanders (12.4 FPTS) of the Panthers. He finished with seven catches on nine targets for 54 yards. Only Jake Ferguson (16.8 FPTS) had more targets than he did among all tight ends headed into Sunday Night Football.
Sanders was a sleeper at tight end that I mentioned on Saturday. He has clearly taken over as the team’s primary receiving tight end in his second year from Texas, and coach Dave Canales hyped up his offseason work and ability to produce this season. He had just two catches for 27 yards in Week 1, so Week 2’s usage was a step forward for him.
The Panthers have had to play from behind in each of their first two games and could ontinue to do so as a result of their shaky defense. If they have to air it out, Bryce Young (21.3 FPTS) could continue to look Sanders’ way often, since he has a strong catch radius and can work the seams of the defense with his downfield ability.
He’s still high-risk, but there’s a ceiling worth considering for Sanders in deep formats
Buccaneers DST
Since defense is the most streamable position in fantasy football, it’s important to jump ahead of favorable matchups by hitting the Week 3 waiver wire to grab defenses with good matchups.
One unit that deserves a look even though they haven’t played this week is the Buccaneers, who host the Jets next Sunday after starting with road games in Atlanta and Houston (Monday Night Football). The Jets lost Justin Fields to a concussion this week, and they gave up the second-most fantasy points to a DST as they took on the Bills. If Fields is out next week, they’ll be an even better matchup for the Buccaneers, who are sure to be fired up in their home opener.
The Falcons are in a similar situation coming off a Sunday night road game into a favorable matchup at home against the Panthers, who gave up the third-most points to the opposing DST this week.
The Titans have also been a favorable matchup for DST this season, so the Colts DST could be another matchup play, even though they did get torn up by the Broncos this week.
