The first week of fantasy football, as it always seems to be, was weird. We had surprise busts (Hey, Joe!), incredible breakouts (Daddy Mac will make you jump!), and frustrating goose eggs (Tee-minus Higgins, Dallas Goose-dirt?). We also saw injuries, surprise scratches, and perplexing usage all over the place. So, needless to say, it's a very important time to be working the waiver wire and creating a Week 3 watchlist with potential free agent sleepers like Roschon Johnson, Rashid Shaheed, Luke Musgrave, and more.
Even if your Week 2 waivers already processed, there might still be moves and improvements to make. Maybe an impatient owner dropped an underperforming player from Week 1. Perhaps you suffered injuries to a skill position and need some depth. Or maybe you're just being proactive about a particularly tough matchup one of your positional players has in Week 3. Regardless, our waiver wire watchlist will shine a light on the sleepers most leagues leave in the dark.
If you have an open roster spot because of a player on the IR or because you've already cut someone, don't let that spot go to waste. Try to anticipate who will be Week 3's top pickups after a strong performance this weekend. Adding potential boom players as free agents before their breakout helps you find solid production without burning a valuable waiver claim or FAB money. Research and preparedness — the keys to winning in fantasy.
What types of players typically draw attention and wind up on our waiver wire watchlist ahead of Week 2? Like last week, we're still looking at rookies and second-year players, especially if they look good or command more targets and touches than last week. Certain handcuffs will also be high on waiver lists, especially if veterans in front of them look underwhelming or get hurt. There will always be matchup-based streamers, too, especially at positions like QB, TE, and D/ST.
Most fantasy owners aren't playing matchups quite yet — at least at any position other than defense. If you are, it's smart to plan ahead and get your first choice before other owners jump into the frenzy after new information emerges. Our waiver wire watchlist helps you think about the future while the rest of your league is thinking about the present.
WEEK 2 FANTASY: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
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 Fantasy Waiver Wire Watchlist: QB
Matthew Stafford, Rams (34 percent rostered)
Time to face facts: Matthew Stafford and the Rams appear to be good again, regardless of Cooper Kupp's status. Los Angeles rolled over the Seahawks in Seattle in Week 1 behind a vintage Stafford performance that raised a lot of eyebrows across the NFL and fantasy communities. The 24-completion, 334-yard effort earned a 91.1 grade on PFF, their second-best grade of the week behind the Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa (92.1).
The biggest development for Stafford was the emergence of receivers Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell. Nacua caught 10-of-15 passes for 119 yards while Atwell caught six-of-eight targets for 119 yards. Two receivers with 119 yards — almost reminds us of Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods in their prime! The common link: Stafford's field vision and calmness in the pocket.
If Stafford can continue playing like that — or even deliver 80 percent of that performance week in and week out — this Rams team is going places, and Stafford fantasy owners will be, too. Los Angeles draws the Niners this weekend, so don't go streaming him just yet, but looking ahead, the Rams have Cincy, Indy, and Arizona between Weeks 3 and 7. At best, he's a week-winning streamer. At worst, he's a very reliable backup and insurance policy.
Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers (14%)
Stafford and Mayfield — how boring can we get? But, hey, sometimes veterans are the only dependable QBs out of the gates. You're likely not streaming QBs right now anyway, and Kenny Pickett, Bryce Young, and C.J. Stroud all have flaws and/or tough schedules. Mayfield throws a fantastic deep ball and has the luxury of passing to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, so you could do a lot worse than Baker as your backup QB or superflex plug-and-play.
MORE POTENTIAL QB PICKUPS: Kenny Pickett, Steelers (32%); Derek Carr, Saints (40%); Jimmy Garoppolo, Raiders (16%); Bryce Young, Panthers (16%)
WEEK 2 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 3 Fantasy Waiver Wire Watchlist: RB
Roschon Johnson, Bears (30 percent rostered)
We featured Johnson here in a blurb last week, and he has rocketed into the headline of the column after netting 5.8 yards per carry and catching six-of-seven targets for 35 yards in Week 1. The guy just looks good from a pure running standpoint, and he has the kind of size, strength, and burst that mesh very well with an athletic young team like the Bears.
Johnson also blocks exceptionally well for a rookie, and PFF graded him among the top-12 halfbacks in the NFL in Week 1. Grab this dude before someone else in your league does on waiver day next week — he won't be under 50-percent owned for much longer.
Zack Moss, Colts (27%)
Last week, we talked about Moss, Deon Jackson, and Evan Hull being targets. This week, it's Moss and Moss alone holding our attention after the rookie Hull landed on the IR (knee) and Jackson rendered himself useless against the Jaguars last week (13 carries for 14 yards, five catches for 14 yards).
Moss won't knock anybody's socks off, but he always won't fail miserably, either. If he has recovered from the broken forearm he suffered in July, he's the guy in this backfield until Jonathan Taylor returns from the PUP list (if he even returns). The Colts have a superb matchup with the Texans this weekend, so you might want to slide into that waiver wire now while you still can.
Justice Hill, Ravens (41%)
Hill received an unexpected promotion last weekend when JK Dobbins tore his Achilles, ending his season. This kind of fate seems to happen a lot to Baltimore RBs these days, but we're still picking up Hill even though this part of their depth chart might be cursed.
Hill collected not one but two TDs in the Ravens' Week 1 win over Houston, and he had a 50-50 carry split with fellow veteran Gus Edwards. Hill finished the past two seasons with a per-carry average of at least 5.0 yards, and this Ravens offense remains a run-first system, so he should be on your radar — and maybe even your team — right about meow.
MORE POTENTIAL RB PICKUPS: Jaylen Warren, Steelers (41%); Chuba Hubbard, Panthers (17%); De'Von Achane, Dolphins (43%); Tank Bigsby, Jaguars (41%); D'Onta Foreman, Bears (22%); Rico Dowdle, Cowboys (1%)
WEEK 2 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 3 Fantasy Waiver Wire Watchlist: WR
Rashid Shaheed, Saints (43 percent rostered)
Shaheed may not have the star power or high-profile name of fellow Saints receivers Chris Olave or Michael Thomas, but he's a damn good receiver with 4.3 speed and sure hands. Derek Carr could help turn Shaheed into one of the better WR3s in fantasy, especially if he keeps up his career average of 17.5 yards per catch.
Shaheed was electric last week against the Panthers, hauling in five-of-six targets for 89 yards and a TD. Don't consider him a must-start just yet, but don't sleep on him, either. This guy should probably be rostered in all 12-team leagues already, and he merits flex consideration in deep PPR leagues.
Zay Jones, Jaguars (44%)
We love everything about these Jaguars this year, and we think all three of Trevor Lawrence's top targets should be rostered in 12-team leagues. Calvin Ridley stole the show for Jacksonville in Week 1, catching eight passes for 101 yards and a TD, but Zay enjoyed the second-best stat line of any Jags wideout with a 5-55-1 line.
The past few years have proven that Jones has plenty of high-floor appeal. He regularly catches 67-70 percent of his targets and averages 10-12 yards per reception. With T-Law under center and Doug Pederson coaching, the sky's the limit for his ceiling. Grab Jones now and say hey Zay, Zay.
Kendrick Bourne, Patriots (35%)
The Bourne identity in New England appears to be Mac Jones's WR1 (see what I did there?). Jones looked his veteran receiver's way a whopping 11 times against the Eagles, connecting for six receptions, 64 yards, and a pair of touchdowns.
How can we ignore this level of production, even in Foxboro? We're at least stashing him wherever we have the extra space and waiting to see if their chemistry continues. If it's a fluke, and he fizzles out against Miami, he'll likely go back to where he came from: the depths of the free agent pool.
MORE POTENTIAL WR PICKUPS: Rashee Rice, Chiefs (37%); Kadarius Toney, Chiefs (46%); Allen Robinson Jr., Steelers (9%); Darnell Mooney, Bears (41%); Jayden Reed, Packers (10%); DJ Chark, Panthers (12%); Jonathan Mingo, Panthers (14%); Curtis Samuel, Commanders (10%); Donovan Peoples-Jones (10%); Rondale Moore, Cardinals (11%)
WEEK 2 DFS:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Best stacks | Best values
Week 3 Fantasy Waiver Wire Watchlist: TE
Luke Musgrave, Packers (22 percent rostered)
Luke Musgrave may sound like a country singer, but in reality, he's a mighty fine option at a tight end position that once again looks like a barren wasteland of broken dreams and false promises. The Packers are good — they have better Super Bowl odds than the damn Jets since Aaron Rodgers got hurt — and Jordan Love clearly likes looking Musgrave's way.
And why not? The dude's 6-6, 255 pounds, he runs crisp routes, and he rarely drops balls. We could see Musgrave pulling down six TDs and netting 600-700 yards this year, which would probably make him a TE1 in 12-team leagues by the season's end. At least stash him and monitor his progress if you don't have a top-five TE.
Adam Trautman, Broncos (3%)
Trautman plays for the Broncos, so the allure here is obviously low, but Russell Wilson has enjoyed success with large targets in the past. So has Sean Payton, who coached Trautman in the tight end's first two years in the league.
It could be nothing, but what if it's something? Trautman caught all five of his Week 1 targets for 34 yards. If I'm an owner of Kyle Pitts, Mark Andrews, or even Dallas Goedert in a deep league, I'm at least watching this guy.
MORE POTENTIAL TE PICKUPS: Hunter Henry, Patriots (46%); Hayden Hurst, Panthers (33%); Jake Ferguson, Cowboys (37%); Gerald Everett (41%) and Donald Parham, Chargers; Zach Ertz, Cardinals (8%)
Writer's note: How in the world are Hunter Henry and Hayden Hurst still under 50 percent rostered? These guys are both the top pass-catchers on their team right now. Wake up!
Week 3 fantasy defense streamers and sleepers
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Rams (48%)
Everything about the Bengals' first week of the season was awful. Just throw the tape out. Now take a deep breath and realize that the Bengals D still merits streaming consideration at home against a Rams offense missing Cooper Kupp.
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Texans (19%)
Like I said, we're all about the Jaguars in just about every way. Regardless of how this sneaky-good defense performs this weekend against a pissed-off Patrick Mahomes and the reigning-champion Chiefs, Jacksonville is a super-solid stream against rookie C.J. Stroud and the Texans.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Bears (40%)
The Bears can be exciting, but they can also be excruciating. Kansas City lost in Week 1 and probably has to engage in a shootout to win Week 2 against the Jaguars. Good luck facing the wrath of Mahomes, Chicago! With Justin Fields forced to keep up with a certified gunslinger — and Chris Jones back to 100 percent rust-free on the d-line — turnovers will be aplenty for da Bears.
