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Pick ‘Em Up: Week 3 Waiver Wire

Waiver Wire Week 3

Week 2 brought some normalcy and stability with it. Not too many injuries, though Trey Lance is gone for the season, and, for the most part, players did what they were supposed to in fantasy. As I skimmed the Week 3 Waiver Wire candidates, one thing definitely stood out: There are a lot of decent TEs. They’re not great, but there is NO WAY Cole Kmet should be rostered in 64% of ESPN fantasy leagues while the names you’ll see today are available. The fantasy community needs to fix this immediately. That is your mission this week.

Quick Note: All players listed are available in around 50% of ESPN leagues. While not everyone plays on ESPN, studies show most do, so if they’re available there, they’re likely available on your platform. Pick ‘Em Up!

Week 3 Waiver Wire

Quarterbacks

Jared Goff (93% Available)

Look, I hate Goff as much as the next guy, but he is QB8 on the season and was QB6 in Week 2. The Lions’ offense looks surprisingly not-bad, and Goff has hit for over 200 yards and 2+ TDs each week. With Minnesota and Seattle on deck, he should keep that streak alive for the next two weeks.

Trevor Lawrence (50% Available)

Lawrence is unlikely ever to win you a week, but it appears that he won’t lose one for you, either. That is a significant improvement from his rookie season. He is QB13 on the season and was QB12 last week. Even in Week 1, where he was QB24, he scored 15 fantasy points. He wouldn’t be my first choice, but if you’re playing for a decent floor, Lawrence is your guy.

Carson Wentz (43% Available)

Wentz shouldn’t be on this list, seeing as he is below 50% available, but there are too few good QB options, and Wentz should not be this available. If he’s out there in your league, go add the season’s QB3.

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Running Backs

Jamaal Williams (56% Available)

It’s going to be up and down from Williams, and we’ve seen both already this season. In Week 1, he was a vulture and scored 16 PPR points. In Week 2, he wasn’t and scored just seven. What matters is that his usage stayed the same in both weeks. He is an RB3/Flex play with a safe floor.

Dontrell Hilliard (86% Available)

Hilliard missed Week 2 after a terrific Week 1, so it’s mildly understandable why he is available. However, Derrick Henry looks far from royal, and you want his backup. Hassan Haskins did nothing impressive with Hilliard sidelined, so it’s safe to assume that, when healthy, Hilliard will land his job back. That role led him to 22 fantasy points in Week 1.

J.D. McKissic (58% Available)

After a quiet Week 1, Mc-Smooches took almost all of the passing work away from Antonio Gibson. This has been his role in the offense for a while, and you cannot ignore a seven-target game. The fantasy numbers are below-average right now, but you want to chase volume, and there is no better volume than targets.

Eno Benjamin (96% Available)

The masses will clamor to Darrel Wiliams this week, don’t fall for it. Benjamin’s usage has been consistent whether James Conner was hurt or not. Conner is unlikely to miss any games, but he will be limited, which means more work for Benjamin while Williams watches from the sideline. Yes, Williams scored the TD in Week 2, but that was his only redzone touch. Benjamin has four touches in the redzone and eight targets on the season. He is a far better bet to replace James Conner during a game.

Jordan Mason (97% Available)

The carousel of San Francisco RBs continues. On top of losing Elijah Mitchell, they now lose rookie Tyrion Davis-Price to an ankle injury. Jeff Wilson will carry the load, and Kyle Juszczyk will be heavily involved, but there will be work for Mason. He is yet to touch the ball, though. So we have no idea what to expect. Thus, he is 5th on this list.

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Wide Receivers

Sterling Shepard (89% Available)

Make no mistake about it; Sterling Shepard is the leader in this NYG WR corps. With 14 targets in two weeks, he is on pace for almost 120 targets this season, and there is no way he is 100% healthy yet. So things could get better, and the Giants should be throwing plenty. Before you bring up Kenny Golladay…

Sammy Watkins (95% Available)

Signing Sammy Watkins in fantasy after Week 1 sounds ludicrous, I know. However, if you watched Sunday Night Football, you saw that they have multiple plays designed specifically for Watkins and ran them often. In addition, he is the only Green Bay Packer with over 100 receiving yards, and Aaron Rodgers trusts veteran wide receivers.

Zay Jones (90% Available)

Jones finds himself on pace for over 100 targets this season and is 2nd on the team with 13 targets. He had a solid Week 1 but followed it up with just a 5-point performance. You can expect these ups and downs, and you’re not starting him every week, but he is a good bye-week substitute.

Corey Davis (95% Available)

The issue here is: Will there always be enough work to go around? Right now, Davis is seeing more targets than Elijah Moore, but I can’t imagine that continuing for the season. Regardless, Davis has already found the endzone once in this young season and plays a lot differently than Moore or rookie Garrett Wilson. Even as the 3rd WR on his team, he will have some boom weeks and could be a nice bye-week fill-in.

Richie James (99% Available)

Who? Look, you’re chasing volume and a hunch here. James is 2nd on the Giants in targets, and I don’t think Kenny Golladay has a job after this week. If Daniel Jones is going to throw to him six times per game, James shouldn’t be on waivers.

Tight Ends

Irv Smith (67% Available)

It was a quiet Week 1 for Smith, as he works his way back from a thumb injury, but Week 2 was much better. Against the Eagles, Smith reeled in five balls on eight targets and found the endzone. It’s rare to find a TE that is his team’s 3rd option, and Smith could even be the 2nd option for the Vikings.

Gerald Everett (69% Available)

The Chargers’ offense targeted the TE almost eight times per game in 2021, and Everett is averaging seven in 2022. Yes, he just saw 10 targets in a game without Keenan Allen. While that will go down, he still has a safe target floor and as good a chance to score a TD as any mid-range TE.

Hayden Hurst (76% Available)

Hurst feels more stream-worthy than deserving of a weekly roster spot, but you cannot deny the volume. He followed up an eight-target Week 1 with seven targets in Week 2. That ties him for 6th place among all TEs. The fantasy points haven’t been there, he is TE13 on the year, but we have to expect Joe Burrow and the Bengals to play better.

Logan Thomas (80% Available)

Nobody was quite sure what to make of Thomas returning in 2022, but he has been solid. While there are questions about target volume remaining constant, Carson Wentz has always loved his TEs. Thomas has 11 targets through two games and has already found the endzone.

Evan Engram (83% Available)

Not trusting Evan Engram is a core value in fantasy football, but that might change in 2022. Engram has been a nice safety valve for Trevor Lawrence, reeling 11 balls on 12 targets. The yardage and touchdowns haven’t been there yet, but they will come. So if you don’t want to stream, he is a safe weekly play with some upside.

Juwan Johnson (99% Available)

Johnson is an interesting case. Before the season, we were sure it would be Adam Trautman and Taysom Hill playing TE for the Saints. It turns out that Hill is remaining in his QB-hybrid role, and Trautman is #NotGood. So no, Johnson is averaging six targets per game. He is only catching 50% but is also averaging 13.8 yards per catch, which is very high for a TE. He scored four TDs in 2021, so we know those will likely come, making him slightly better than a weekly streamer.

Keep an eye on our Article Page all week. We will have features for Streams of the Week, NFL betting, Prop betting, Starts and Sits, and DFS to help you in Week 3!