The most upsetting thing this season has been the number of injuries sustained by players around the league. This trend slowed but did not stop as even more players were hurt in Week 3. With that said, it is again time to mine the waiver wire. As always, all these players will be available in a minimum of 50% of Yahoo leagues as of the time of this writing. So, good luck and good bidding.
Quarterbacks
Sam Darnold (78% Available)
Despite the offensive line in Carolina not being good, they are able to give Darnold enough time to find his receivers. This has given us a chance to really see what Darnold can do in a competent offense. So far, it looks promising.
Games against the Buccaneers and even a rematch against the Saints later in the season will be challenging for Darnold. Upcoming games against Dallas, Philadelphia, and Minnesota over the next three weeks also allow for his early hot play to continue.
Jimmy Garoppolo (89% Available)
After Garoppolo struggled in the first half against Green Bay this week, Trey Lance came in for one play and rushed for a TD. Despite this, it was Garoppolo who thrived after halftime. If not for Aaron Rodgers being on the other side of the field, he would have led the 49ers back to another victory. Unfortunately, in a great ending, the Packers pulled it out. But it was not because of the play of the quarterback.
Jimmy G is still the quarterback for the 49ers. With divisional games against the Seahawks and Cardinals coming up, San Francisco will count on him to keep them alive in the most competitive division in football.
Running Backs
Kenneth Gainwell (65% Available)
I am amazed to find that his roster percent has dropped this week as he is 1% more available this week than last week. Crazy. Gainwell is being used as the Eagles’ passing-down back, which gives him a weekly safe floor.
Chuba Hubbard (75% Available)
Hey, this may be a gimme, but it is still worth it.
Christian McCaffrey is hurt. Again. Last season, his backup was Mike Davis. He is now in Atlanta, and Chuba Hubbard has taken over the role. The talented back from Oklahoma State will get his chance to show why he was considered one of the top running backs in the draft coming into this season.
Although he did not have the best final season in college in 2020, he had a great 2019. So, the talent is there. McCaffrey talent? No. but this is rare for anyone. If Carolina can get 75% of McCaffrey, they would be happy. If you get 75% of McCaffrey off the waiver wire? You should be ecstatic. Do not hesitate to get Hubbard if he is available. We spoke about the upcoming schedule earlier with Sam Darnold. Are you afraid of the Dallas, Philadelphia, or Minnesota run defenses? I did not think so.
Wide Receivers
Bryan Edwards (83% Available)
There was no touchdown in Week 3 for Edwards, but he still had 89 yards on three catches against a good Miami secondary. The connection Edwards is building with Derek Carr is becoming clear, and it is time we took notice. Finding this type of volume on waivers is a great find with all the injuries we are dealing with.
Quez Watkins (98% Available)
The schedule keeps Watkins interesting. A game against Kansas City is followed by the Panthers and newly acquired C.J. Henderson. These are two good matchups coming up. Hopefully, you will have some of the injured players back by the end of this, and you can drop Watkins. Or he might ball out, and you have a flex option to use during bye weeks as Philadelphia does not have theirs until Week 14.
Tight Ends
Tommy Tremble (100% Available)
Matt Rhule just said Tommy Tremble is this year’s Jeremy Chinn. This is high praise from his head coach. To add to the excitement, the Panthers have now traded their off-season free-agent signing Dan Arnold to the Jacksonville Jaguars for cornerback C.J. Henderson. This move will allow Tremble to find much more playing time.
With Arnold now gone, it is down to Tremble and Ian Thomas to fight for tight end snaps. As much as people loved Thomas just last season, the praise for Tremble shows where the team and their feelings lie here. Thomas has never been special. The Panthers seem to feel they have something special in the rookie. If he flames out, he will not cost you much. If he hits, he could win you a title. You might as well take the chance. It is only a tight end, for heaven’s sake. You can go grab Dan Arnold in a few weeks if you need to. He will be there.