Whether you're 0-1 or 1-0, you have plenty of work to do with your fantasy football team. Even after waivers cleared on Wednesday, plenty of value still sits on the free agent wire ahead of Week 2. With injuries already rearing their ugly heads, now is a perfect time to look ahead and try to find some value adds in the form of handcuffs/rookie sleepers, potential breakouts, and matchup-based streamers. Our Week 3 waiver wire watchlist can help you find some potential pickups, including Carson Wentz, Rachaad White, Josh Palmer, DJ Chark, and Taysom Hill.
The early weeks of the season can make or break a fantasy team's season, so it's important to scour the wire at all times. Maybe a roster spot opened because one of your players became IR-eligible. Maybe you just dropped a fringe player who has been battling injuries and just lost his QB for multiple weeks (cough, Michael Gallup and Dak Prescott, cough). The owners who find long-term fantasy success often anticipate who will be the following week's top pickups and add them as free agents before having to burn valuable waiver claims or FAAB money.
Case in point: we told you in this column last week to pick up New Orleans' Jameis Winston, and he turned in the seventh-best fantasy score of all QBs opening weekend. We also told you to grab Pittsburgh RB Jaylen Warren, Bears RB Khalil Herbert, and the Chargers' Josh Palmer, and boom, now they are some of the most popular adds this week (more on them in a bit).
WEEK 2 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
With first-year and second-year players always getting the most attention if they do anything, we like to add them ahead of time if we anticipate usage spikes in the near future. If you drafted a boring veteran late and he underwhelmed in Week 1, you're probably better off dropping him for a younger model. The veteran likely won't get picked up, but any rookie who gets a notable workload will be more popular on the wire.
It's also possible you're already looking to stream at QB, TE, or D/ST. Most aren't playing matchups yet aside from maybe D/ST, but if you are, it's smart to plan ahead and get your first choice before other owners get in the mix, too.
Some shallower leagues don't feature enough roster spots to really take advantage of "planning ahead," but for those in leagues that do, our week-ahead watchlist will be helpful all year long. Even though you won't pick up most (or all) of these players, it's worth watching their snap counts and target shares to file away for later.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Watchlist
Reminder: This list was put together in the lead-in to Week 2, looking forward to the players who could be popular waiver-wire targets ahead of Week 3. If you have a roster spot to play with, these are free-agent options you could grab early to beat the waiver buzz.
All these players are below 50-percent ownership on Yahoo unless otherwise specified.
Week 3 Waiver Wire Watchlist: QB
Carson Wentz, Commanders (42 percent owned)
Washington coach Ron Rivera and offensive coordinator Scott Turner clearly know how to utilize Wentz, one of the best deep-ball passers in the NFL when he's healthy and in the right system. The veteran put up 27.7 fantasy points in four-point TD leagues in Week 1 against Jacksonville, and his four passing touchdowns have him ranked second in the league next to Patrick Mahomes. He should have another good game against a mediocre Lions defense this week, putting him even more in demand. At best, Wentz is a top-10 QB this season. At worst, he's one of the better backups in standard leagues and a fantastic second option in two-QB leagues.
Matt Ryan, Colts (44%)
Ryan didn't take long to get comfortable in Indianapolis, throwing for 353 passing yards and a TD in his Colts debut. He already has a clear rapport with stud wideout Michael Pittman, who hauled in nine-of-13 targets for 121 yards and a TD. Seven other Colts also caught multiple passes, a clear sign that Matty Ice can still spread the wealth if endowed the right assets. He will likely go off this week against Jacksonville like Wentz did last week. Ryan is well worth a look in deep leagues and all two-QB leagues.
MORE POTENTIAL QB PICKUPS: Jameis Winston, Saints (51%); Marcus Mariota, Falcons (10%); Kenny Pickett, Steelers (4%)
WEEK 2 FANTASY PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kicker
Week 3 Waiver Wire Watchlist: RB
Rachaad White, Buccaneers (35 percent owned)
The Bucs rookie looked great in the preseason, and the Tampa Bay brass has clearly noticed. When starting running back Leonard Fournette winced off the field with hamstring pain in Tampa's win over the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, it was White who came in to spell him. Ke'Shawn Vaughn was a healthy scratch. Gio Bernard: zero snaps. The future of the Buccaneers backfield lies in White's stiff-arms, and the future might be now if Lenny's hammies tighten up again this weekend. Get ahead of the remaining 65 percent who aren't doing their homework.
Rex Burkhead, Texans (31%)
We're big on Dameon Pierce, but as of right now, Texans coach Lovie Smith seems to be taking his time on the rookie. That's great news for the veteran Burkhead, who saw 22 opportunities on Sunday against the Colts. Despite an elite Indy front-seven, Burkhead still tallied five catches and 70 all-purpose yards. The eight targets are the most intriguing — Rexy is the go-to guy when Houston QB Davis Mills finds himself under pressure. In PPRs, he could soon be a go-to guy for you, too. Pierce is expected to play more this weekend, but Burkhead is still a nice bench stash and potential PPR flex.
Jordan Mason, 49ers (4%)
Starting Niners RB Elijah Mitchell landed on IR with a sprained MCL Monday, which skyrocketed Jeff Wilson Jr.'s ownership from 16 percent to 68 percent ownership in a day. But as our friends at DraftSharks detail like only they can, Wilson’s injury history is plentiful: two different calf injuries, a high-ankle sprain, a low-ankle sprain, and a meniscus tear. We've liked Mason for a while, and he could be the next zero-to-hero RB story out of the Bay Area, much like Mitchell, Wilson, Raheem Mostert, and Matt Breida before him. He's a penny stock now, but he could boom -- and soon.
MORE POTENTIAL RB PICKUPS: Jamaal Williams, Lions (54%); Khalil Herbert, Bears (46%); Brian Robinson Jr., Commanders (46%); Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles (46%); Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs (34%); Mark Ingram, Saints (22%); Dontrell Hilliard, Titans (22%); Jaylen Warren, Steelers (17%); Gus Edwards, Ravens (13%)
WEEK 2 STANDARD FANTASY RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kicker
Week 3 Waiver Wire Watchlist: WR
DJ Chark Jr., Lions (50 percent owned)
The Lions offense has improved mightily, putting up 35 points in Week 1, and Chark lining up opposite Amon-Ra St. Brown has played a big part. In Detroit's narrow three-point loss to the Eagles, Chark hauled in four catches for 52 yards and a TD. The talent has always been there for Baby Chark — people just forgot about him because of his injury history and the years his services were drastically underutilized in Jacksonville. Add him to your bench now in case he continues to produce WR2/WR3 numbers against a mediocre Washington secondary this week.
Jahan Dotson, Commanders (38%)
Another squad that has significantly improved, the Commanders enjoyed a balanced passing attack in Week 1 thanks to Wentz, veterans Curtis Samuel and Terry McLaurin, and Dotson. The rookie brought in two TD catches in Washington's win over Jacksonville, posting a cool 18 PPR points in his NFL debut. He's certainly not a must-start, but he's arguably a must-own just based on potential in a healthy Wentz offense. If he goes off against Detroit's flimsy defense this week, his ownership will skyrocket.
Joshua Palmer, Chargers (25%)
We had Palmer listed in this column last week, and now his rostered numbers are spiking after Keenan Allen's hamstring injury. It just goes to show that staying on top of potential role shifts, maximizing value by utilizing every last roster spot efficiently, and picking up young and skilled skill-position players in good offenses can pay off big time. At best, Palmer will be a strong flex play or even a WR2/3 in a Thursday night shootout. At worst, he's a stash or a strong trade asset.
MORE POTENTIAL WR PICKUPS: Isaiah McKenzie, Bills (48%); Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Chiefs (45%); Treylon Burks, Titans (43%); Jakobi Meyers, Patriots (36%); Robbie Anderson, Panthers (31%); Romeo Doubs, Packers (30%); Skyy Moore, Chiefs (29%); Michael Gallup, Cowboys (28%); Donovan Peoples-Jones, Browns (12%); Zay Jones, Jaguars (13%); Sterling Shepard, Giants (5%); Greg Dortch, Cardinals (2%)
WEEK 2 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel | Yahoo
Week 3 Waiver Wire Watchlist: TE
Taysom Hill, Saints (55 percent owned)
Hill seems to pop up on waiver watchlists every year, and every year he serves as a divisive fantasy topic. There will always be people arguing that he should or should not have TE eligibility, and there will always be people saying he's a strong buy or an inevitable let-down. As long as he gets five to 10 touches in the open field, he has a chance to outscore the vast majority of tight ends, at least in standard leagues. He obviously won't have 57-yard TD runs every week, but frequent short TDs certainly aren't out of the question. He warrants a higher ownership than basically anyone else on this positional list besides maybe the Chargers' Gerald Everett.
Irv Smith Jr., Vikings (45%)
We're sticking with one of our top preseason sleepers here, as Smith serves as a more-than-capable red-zone threat in an offense that boasts Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook. With opposing defenses focusing so heavily on Minnesota's elite scorers, Smith could easily bag five to eight TDs this season. He's certainly a better buy than Hunter Henry in a far-lesser New England offense, and it's worth noting Vikings' coach Kevin O'Connell said Smith's low usage last week was "by design." Things should pick up against Philadelphia on Monday night.
O.J. Howard, Texans (7%)
Howard scored two TDs on two targets in Houston's Week 1 tie with the Colts, likely prompting the majority of RedZone viewers to say "Whuuuut?" This could easily be a fluke performance for Howard, who got cut by the Bills after signing a $3.5 million this offseason, but what if it's not? If you have a weakness at tight end in a deep league, he's worth a stash-and-watch.
MORE POTENTIAL TE PICKUPS: Gerald Everett, Chargers (50%); Mike Gesicki, Dolphins (32%); Robert Tonyan, Packers (30%); Evan Engram, Jaguars (22%); Noah Fant, Seahawks (15%); Hayden Hurst, Bengals (14%); Logan Thomas, Commanders (9%); Tyler Conklin, Jets (2%)
WEEK 2 DFS: Best values | Best stacks
Week 3 Defense Streamers and Sleepers
Dallas Cowboys (at Giants in Week 3, 46 percent owned)
The Cowboys offense might suddenly suck without Dak Prescott (thumb), but the defense should remain top-tier, at least in plus-matchups. Check to see if an over-anxious and overly freaked-out manager dropped the 'Boys this week because stashing this D might pay off handsomely in the long run. You probably don't want to start 'em against Cincinnati this week despite the Bengals' blocking deficiencies, but fire 'em up next week against the Giants, whose offense loves turning the ball over as much as I love tiramisu.
Philadelphia Eagles (at Commanders, 34%)
Philly surrendered 35 points to Detroit in Week 1 despite a pick-six, so we're a little on the fence with this one, but the Eagles do have a greatly improved D/ST and Washington will still turn the ball over plenty despite taking a big step forward offensively. Plus, there's always the revenge-game narrative on Carson Wentz and the divisional rivalry angle! Even if Philadelphia struggles against Minnesota on Monday, it has value in Week 3.
Minnesota Vikings (vs. Lions, 17%)
The Vikings defense has improved by leaps and bounds, as we saw in Week 1 against the Packers. Owners might avoid them since they face the Eagles in Philly this week, but an anticipatory stash will pay off when they go back home to face the Lions.
New York Giants (vs. Cowboys, 4%)
A home, prime-time matchup against Cooper Rush (or someone new and likely worse)? Sign us up, even with the Giants.
Chicago Bears (vs. Texans, 4%)
If the Bears tank against the Packers and Davis Mills plays well again, this one won't look as appealing, but those in deep leagues in need of a streamer should jump on the Bears now, just in case.
