Fantasy Football Week 3: Waiver wire pickups
Each week, we highlight the top potential fantasy football waiver pickups available in at least 50% of Yahoo leagues. If you find yourself with urgent roster needs following a messy Week 2, the names below can help.
Quarterbacks
Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints (34%)
If you rolled your eyes at the Saints' opening week box score for quality-of-opponent reasons, we get it. Carolina is not exactly the stiffest possible competition.
But on Sunday, New Orleans hung 35 points and 310 total yards on the Cowboys in the first half. Apparently, new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has assembled an absolute Death Star. The Saints’ ground game has been unstoppable and this team is maximizing the talents of preseason sleeper, Rashid Shaheed:
70 YARDS from Derek Carr to Rashid Shaheed
Cowboys 16-game regular season home winning streak is in jeopardy early 😳
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/LyXMJAJovF— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) September 15, 2024
Carr has obviously been a prime beneficiary of his team’s offensive surge. As most of you know, he’s had longtime red-zone issues, but that’s only a minor concern when the team can score from any distance, on any down. Carr delivered 243 passing yards, two scores and one pick in Sunday’s win at Dallas, adding another TD on the ground. He’s now averaging an absurd 11.4 yards per attempt through two games and his passer rating is a league-best 142.4.
The first 15 drives he directed this season ended with points, which is ridiculous.
Regression is coming for Carr at some point, because he’s been near-perfect through two weeks. Let’s not assume it’s gonna hit next Sunday, however, because the Saints will host the Eagles, a vulnerable defense on a short week.
Recommended FAB offer (assuming $100 budget): $8
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Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks (34%)
Smith has opened his season with back-to-back useful fantasy performances, picking up a pair of wins in the process. He threw for 327 yards and one score on Sunday against New England, leaning primarily on DK Metcalf and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Both Seattle receivers finished with double-digit catches and triple-digit yardage, with Metcalf providing the biggest play:
VINTAGE DK.pic.twitter.com/TtT7PsqwB7
— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) September 15, 2024
The Seahawks are headed into a home matchup with a Miami defense that was basically a no-show on Thursday night. Feel free to fire up Smith as needed. He was the overall QB5 just two years ago, so it’s not as if he’s some low-ceiling fantasy option.
FAB: $6
Additional QB options
Sam Darnold was downright heroic against the Niners on Sunday, delivering 268 passing yards, two TDs and a second straight W. He offers a dash of rushing upside, too. His fantasy appeal for Week 3 depends to a large extent on Justin Jefferson’s availability (quad contusion), but the matchup with Houston is manageable.
Justin Fields has surely done enough to keep the starting role in Pittsburgh after leading the team to a pair of wins to open the season. He hasn’t made much box score noise just yet, although he had a pair of big plays negated by penalties on Sunday. We all know his rushing upside is significant, making him a playable Superflex option.
Gardner Minshew has a date ahead with Carolina, the league’s most user-friendly defense. He’s also the guy who gets to throw to Davante Adams and Brock Bowers, which enhances his appeal.
Superflexers are no doubt excited by Andy Dalton's ascension to the starting gig in Carolina, but everyone else should just leave him alone.
Running backs
Carson Steele and Samaje Perine, Kansas City Chiefs (3% and 4%)
Isiah Pacheco suffered a fractured right fibula on Sunday in the closing minutes of KC’s home win, which left Perine and Steele as the team’s primary backs. Pacheco is looking at an extended absence, reportedly in the 6-8 week range.
Steele carried seven times for 24 yards against the Bengals (also losing a fumble) and he was involved before Pacheco went down. Perine handled just one touch on Sunday, but he’s the more experienced and versatile player, a vet coming off a 50-catch season in Denver. Both backs will undoubtedly see the field with Pacheco sidelined.
Steele is truly a bumper car of a human being who seems lab-built for a goal-line and short-yardage role. He was a 1,500-yard rusher at Ball State back in 2022 and he became a preseason legend this summer. The Chiefs clearly love him. Perine is a proven-if-unspectacular player who can do pretty much everything a running back needs to do, at the minimum level it needs to be done. He can be trusted in pass protection, too, which is a critical concern for KC. He would likely be the team's primary back in two-minute situations and obvious passing downs.
It’s difficult to imagine either player stepping into Pacheco’s full workload, but the team context makes them both interesting fantasy options. Based on early-season usage, give Steele a small edge. Clyde Edwards-Helaire will miss at least two additional games while on the NFI list, so he’s not currently available to the Chiefs.
The team has also signed Kareem Hunt, so this backfield committee is likely to become increasingly crowded. Hunt lacked any explosion last year, couldn't make anyone miss and generally went down on first contact, so let's not get too excited about him.
FAB: $31 and $26
Braelon Allen, New York Jets (10%)
The Wisconsin rookie made a pair of house calls against the Titans on Sunday, one on the ground and another as a receiver. Allen obviously isn’t a threat to Breece Hall’s featured status, but it’s clear that he’s already carved out a rotational role; he played over a third of the offensive snaps for the Jets at Tennessee, handling nine touches. He has frightening size (235 pounds) and enough speed to force ugly angles by would-be tacklers.
Allen is somehow still only 20 years old, despite three seasons of exceptional production at the collegiate level. He’s an understudy back seeing enough work to merit flex consideration.
FAB: $11
Various other RB adds
Antonio Gibson converted a dozen touches into 103 total yards on Sunday, delivering one of the week’s best runs in the process. Rhamondre Stevenson remains the clear lead back for the Patriots, but Gibson has earned a significant supporting role.
Rico Dowdle out-snapped and out-touched Ezekiel Elliott in Sunday’s non-competitive loss to New Orleans, finishing with 59 scoreless yards on 11 opportunities. He’s at least as flex-worthy as Zeke moving forward.
Ty Chandler has played over one-third of the offensive snaps for Minnesota over the season’s first two weeks, handling 21 total touches. He out-rushed Aaron Jones on Sunday, 82 yards to 32.
Chuba Hubbard remains the lead back in a hopeless and unwatchable Carolina offense, if that sort of thing is of interest to you.
Houston doesn’t have any exciting options in the backfield behind Joe Mixon, but they do have a few familiar names. Mixon picked up an ankle injury on Sunday night, which could force Cam Akers into the fantasy conversation at Minnesota in Week 3. Akers looked spry enough against the Bears (7 for 32), but he was lifted late after a lost fumble.
Jaylen Wright might just be Miami’s healthiest running back at the moment, for what it’s worth. Raheem Mostert is dealing with a chest issue and Jeff Wilson picked up an oblique injury on Thursday night. Wright was an efficient 1,000-yard rusher in the SEC last season and he possesses Dolphins-quality speed (4.38).
Wide receivers and tight ends
Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers (7%)
After a rookie season full of dropped passes and missed opportunities, expectations for Johnston this year were almost nonexistent. He wasn’t really on the radar for anyone in a fantasy league of typical size and shape.
Johnston was always a developmental prospect, however, despite his first-round draft status. On Sunday against the Panthers, it was clear he’s made some progress. Johnston won an early battle in single-coverage and hauled in a 29-yard TD reception, then produced a second (much easier) score when he was allowed to stroll through the end zone unchecked. He looked more or less like a competent and fully functional NFL receiver facing a lousy defense, which is a positive sign.
Targets should continue to flow in Johnston’s direction, given the unsettled nature of the Chargers' receiving hierarchy. His combination of size (6-foot-4) and athleticism (40.5-inch vertical) is certainly worth a flier when the on-field results materialize.
FAB: $9
More Fantasy Football analysis
Andrei Iosivas, Cincinnati Bengals (7%)
Iosivas delivered a pair of touchdown receptions against the Chiefs on Sunday, one of which involved a filthy route and the other a ridiculous toe-drag:
WHAT AN EFFORT
Andrei Iosivas with the textbook toe-drag for the @Bengals' first TD pic.twitter.com/IOkTeFQ1jQ— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 15, 2024
It was a low-volume day for Iosivas, but you can’t complain about the quality. The former sixth-rounder had significant buzz in late summer and it was pretty clearly deserved. For however long Tee Higgins remains out, Iosivas will have deep league appeal.
FAB: $6
Additional WRs and TEs to consider
Alec Pierce backed up his strong opening week with a 5-catch, 56-yard performance in which he returned to the end zone. Indy’s receiving corps will be even more of a guessing game when Josh Downs returns, but Pierce is clearly a preferred option for his young QB.
Jauan Jennings is going to see a bump in volume for however long Deebo Samuel is sidelined, and he's obviously attached to a credible offense. He's caught seven balls for 101 yards over two games so far.
Jalen Nailor has made house calls in consecutive weeks and his services will certainly be needed against the Texans in Week 3, because Jefferson (quad) and Jordan Addison (ankle) are both dinged at the moment.
If you aren’t searching for new ways to attach yourself to the Rams offense, that’s understandable. It’s probably the right approach. But Puka Nacua (knee) and Cooper Kupp (ankle) are both dealing with multi-week injuries, so we are duty-bound to inform you that Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell and Colby Parkinson will be drawing plenty of targets.
Jalen Tolbert showed us enough in his 9-target, 82-yard day to merit an add in deep leagues, but Dallas' receiving room remains crowded.
Hunter Henry led all New England receivers in targets (12), catches (8) and receiving yards (109) on Sunday. That’s more than enough to make him a player of interest at tight end, a position of disappointment and despair.
Mike Gesicki was a busy man on Sunday (7-91) and he has a pair of stellar matchups on deck against Washington and Carolina.
Defense
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5%)
The Bucs have a home date upcoming with rookie Bo Nix and the Broncos, which makes this D/ST an obvious target. The upcoming assignment is somewhat less challenging than Sunday’s date with Detroit, which went surprisingly well. Tampa Bay is coming off a two-takeaway game and we should probably expect something similar in Week 3, with an elevated chance of a defensive TD.
FAB: $2
Las Vegas Raiders (8%)
Maxx Crosby and friends are coming off an impressive win over the Ravens and they have a phenomenal series of matchups ahead: Carolina, Cleveland, at Denver. Add this group for the date with Bryce Young Andy Dalton and the Panthers, then consider holding through the end of September. The Raiders may have a few multi-turnover performances ahead.
FAB: $2