Despite a surprise RB backfield change and (another) rookie WR breakout, the top Week 3 waiver wire pickups seem a little...stale. It's tough to pinpoint exactly why, but it just seems as if there hasn't been as much excitement on the wire early this season. Raheem Mostert? Darrel Williams? Garrett Wilson? Greg Dortch? Logan Thomas? Yeah, they're nice, but are they really season changers? Maybe, maybe not, but either way, the waiver wire is the easiest way to improve your team, even marginally, so it's always important to know the top pickups and have projected FAAB bids in mind. Whether you have a set budget, limited number of moves, or just bad waiver priority, you have to smart with each claim, even the free agents.
As we'll do every week this season with the help of our friends at Fantasy Alarm, let's break down the top pickups and project how much of your FAAB budget you should bid on them.
Week 3 Fantasy FAAB Advice: Waiver wire QB pickups, streamers
By Ray Kuhn, Fantasy Alarm
Jimmy Garoppolo, SF. This is not at all how we wanted to arrive at Garoppolo being worthy of waiver wire attention, but he will be back under center for San Francisco for the remainder of the season. After replacing Trey Lance (ankle) on Sunday, Garoppolo completed 13-of- 21 passes for 154 and a touchdown while adding a second score on the ground. The game was never really close against Seattle, so Garoppolo was not asked to do much, but he knows the offense and has some talented skill position players around him. Projected FAAB Bid: 2-3% of total FAAB budget
Jared Goff, DET. Goff has been the perfect streaming quarterback over the first two weeks of the season. The majority of his production (215 yards and two touchdowns) came in garbage time in Week 1, and he followed that up by throwing for 256 yards and four touchdowns this week in a victory against Washington. With one interception over the first two weeks, Goff has taken care of the football, and while he has completed just 21 and 20 passes, respectively, he should be in passing situations most weeks to generate solid production. This week, Goff takes on the Vikings, who are coming off a short week in which Philadelphia was able to move the ball with ease against them. There will be quarterbacks with more upside than Goff, but if need to solidify the position, he can be a solid stopgap. Proj. FAAB Bid: 1-2%
MORE WEEK 3: Top waiver pickups | FAAB report | Trade advice
Week 3 Fantasy FAAB Advice: Waiver wire RB pickups, streamers
Raheem Mostert, MIA. In a game that Miami was trailing, it is telling that it was Mostert who lead the Dolphins’ backfield. After playing with Mike McDaniel in San Francisco, Mostert knows the offense, and that makes him a viable option as long as he remains healthy (which he currently is). On Sunday, Mostert carried the ball 11 times for 51 yards while also catching all three of his targets for 28 yards. The Miami offense certainly has potential to be dangerous this season, and right now it looks like Mostert is the running back to target in their backfield. Projected FAAB Bid: 5-7% of total FAAB budget.
Darrel Williams, ARI. With the departure of James Conner due to an ankle injury, Williams made his 2022 debut for the Cardinals and certainly made an impact. Williams did share time with Eno Benjamin, and while it is also unclear what Conner’s status is, this vaults him onto our radar. Williams carried the ball eight times for 59 yards, and it was telling that he was the back who received the goal-line opportunity, which he subsequently turned into a touchdown. He was also targeted three times and caught two passes for three yards. Conner’s health will likely at least be a passing issue all season, and that makes Williams an interesting option. Proj. FAAB Bid: 3-4% (Benjamin also worth a 1-2% bid.)
J.D. McKissic, WAS. We know that Washington is going to look to move the ball through the air a lot this season, and that means McKissic will be busy as a check-down back. It does seem, at least temporarily, that they did remember that Antonio Gibson used to be a receiver, but I would not question McKissic’s role in the Commanders’ offense. Last week, he caught all seven of his targets for 54 yards, which works in PPR leagues if you are looking to plug a hole in your lineup. Proj. FAAB Bid: 1-2%
MORE RB CONSIDERATIONS (1-2% bids): Mark Ingram, NO; Jordan Mason, SF; Tyler Allgeier, ATL.
WEEK 3 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 3 Fantasy FAAB Advice: Waiver wire WR pickups, streamers
Garrett Wilson, NYJ. Wilson was impressive in his debut last week but the Jets, and admittedly so, could have done a better job of getting the rookie involved as he finished with four receptions on eight targets for 52 yards. They certainly succeeded on Sunday with the rookie being targeted 14 times. Those targets did not come in vain as Wilson turned that into eight receptions for 102 yards while coming through with two touchdowns. What is clear, is that Wilson will continue to play a vital and large role in the Jets offense moving forward. Projected FAAB Bid: 8-10% of total FAAB budget.
Noah Brown, DAL. Brown was someone I had on my radar last week, and even with Dak Prescott sidelined on Sunday, he made things work with Cooper Rush under center. There is speculation that Prescott might return as early as Week 3, which would be even better for Brown, but after catching all five of his targets for 91 yards and a touchdown from Rush, I do not have much concern. It was the second straight week that Brown had five receptions after he picked up 68 yards to begin the season on nine targets. With Michael Gallup sidelined and both Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson in new homes this season, someone needed to step up for Dallas alongside CeeDee Lamb, and to this point Brown has proven to be more than capable. Proj. FAAB Bid: 4-5%
Greg Dortch, ARI; FAAB Bid: 3%. Between the suspension of DeAndre Hopkins and the injury to Rondale Moore at the start of the season, there was a clear opportunity to be had among Arizona receivers. Dortch stepped up in Week 1 as he caught seven of nine targets for 63 yards. This week, Dorstch made sure to show that it was not a one-week mirage as he caught all four of his targets for 55 yards and a touchdown. It was a tough matchup in the slot for Dortch so it was a good sign to see him have a second straight strong effort. Proj. FAAB Bid: 3-4%
MORE WR CONSIDERATIONS (1-2% bids): Michael Gallup, DAL; Sterling Shepard, NYG; Nelson Agholor, NE; Russell Gage/Breshad Perriman, TB.
WEEK 3 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 3 Fantasy FAAB Advice: Waiver wire TE pickups, streamers
Irv Smith, MIN. Smith is healthy this year so that is the first step and after failing to catch either of his targets in Week One, he looked a lot better on Monday against Philadelphia. To say that it was a rough game for the Vikings would be an understatement, but Smith was the one player who turned in a solid effort. Smith caught five of eight targets for 36 yards and a touchdown. At times, Smith looked like a wide receiver and I would expect to see him continue to be a large part of Minnesota’s offense. Projected FAAB Bid: 4-5% of total FAAB budget.
Logan Thomas, WAS. Tight end was been rough this season, and that might be an understatement, which brings us to Thomas. The main thing for Thomas this year is that he is healthy, and in Carson Wentz, he has a quarterback that is capable of getting him the ball. I should add that the bar for tight ends this season has not proven to be especially high, and Thomas has been targeted 11 times through two weeks with three catches in each game for a combined 82 yards and a touchdown. Proj. FAAB Bid: 2-3%.
MORE TE CONSIDERATIONS (1-2%): Hayden Hurst, CIN; Tyler Conklin, NYJ
Week 3 Fantasy FAAB Advice: Waiver wire Defense pickups, streamers
As we always caution, you shouldn't spend more than one percent of your FAAB budget on a D/ST. Here are this week's potential streaming pickups:
- Philadelphia Eagles (@ Commanders)
- Cincinnati Bengals (@ Jets)
- Carolina Panthers (vs. Saints)
- Kansas City Chiefs (@ Colts)
- New York Giants (vs. Cowboys)
- Chicago Bears (vs. Texans)
