Waiver Wire Targets For Week 3 – 2024 Waiver Wire Targets

There were a few upsets this week and more importantly there were a few injuries that are going to cause a shakeup in the waiver priority this week.  Carson Steele vaults to the top of my waiver targets list due to his ability to step in for an injured Pacheco. 

NFL Waiver Wire Targets for Week 3:

Quarterback:  

1. Baker Mayfield (40% available) – He’s been playing well since landing in Tampa Bay and that will continue.  He’s also a better scrambler than he gets credit for.
2. Derek Carr (91%) – It’s hard to score 40 points in the NFL and the Saints have done it two weeks in a row.  This is a Shanahan-based system.  The Saints dismantled a good Cowboys team.  It’s time to take them seriously. 
3. Sam Darnold (95%) – I don’t love that Jefferson was injured at WR, but it doesn’t look like it’ll be long term. 

Running Back:

1. Carson Steele (98% available) – Pacheco is going to miss a lot of time.  Carson Steele wills step into the primary ball carrier role and I expect him to play well.
2. Kareem Hunt (100%) – the rumors have already started that Kansas City may bring back Kareem Hunt. 
3. Braelon Allen (93%) – Rookie Braelon Allen’s ability concerned me enough to downgrade Breece Hall’s ranking in the Almanac and he burst onto the scene with a couple of scores in week 2.  I think he’ll continue to see reps, and rightfully so. 
4. Ty Chandler (54%) – he runs well and Aaron Jones is often banged up, as he was in week 2
5. D’Onta Foreman (98%) – he continues to assert himself in NFL backfields.  I thought the Browns wrote him off, but he was much more involved in week 2. 
6. Dameon Pierce and Cam Akers – Mixon was hurt, but I saw him doing drills on the sideline and it didn’t look as though he’d be missing multiple weeks based on how he was cutting in those drills.  Of course, most of the swelling and pain would probably hit Monday.  That said, you have two options.  If you kept track of my preseason game writeups, I’ve been saying Cam Akers as looked like the superior running back, so that’s where I’d place my bet, though I’d rather have others this week.
7. Bucky Irving (71%) – he wasn’t as efficient as he was in week 1, but he is getting a lot of carries early in the year so things are trending well for the rookie.
8. Zach Charbonnet (25% available) – If Walker is set to miss more time, Charbonnet will score well enough to keep your RB position scoring well
9. Antonio Gibson (68%) – he ran very well for the Patriots in week 2.  He will eventually add more receptions to his numbers and when that happens, he’ll be an excellent PPR running back.
10. Tank Bigsby (85%) – Keep an eye on the news to see how bad the shoulder injury is, but Bigsby has looked good and RBs often bounce back from shoulder injuries quickly (as long as it’s not a broken bone). 

Wide Receiver:

1. Rashid Shahid (27%) – He should be rostered in every format.
2. Alec Pierce (87%) – teams are trying to shut down Michael Pittman Jr. and things are opening up for Alec Pierce.  He was the least targeted Colts WR in fantasy drafts, but he has started 2024 on fire.  It’s time to roster him.
3. Quentin Johnston (93%) – If this were his rookie season, he would have been rostered already.  He had a bad year for a bad coaching staff.  He’s looked really good to open 2024 in his 2^nd season and playing for a good coaching staff.  It’s possible that DJ Chark will return and send Johnston to the bench, but I’d roster the 2^nd player and see what happens.
4. Demarcus Robinson (67%) – In theory, he should be the top Rams WR if Kupp and Nacua are out, though I’m not as convinced he’ll be the top scoring WR. 
5. Jordan Whittington (98%) – this comes down to whether Cooper Kupp, who was in a walking boot, will miss games.  Whittington looks to be the backup slot receiver and he had a great training camp.  With Nacua and possibly Kupp out, Whittington could step up.
6. Jalen Nailor (99.5%) – if Jefferson misses a game or two, Nailor could continue his strong start in week 3.
7. Noah Brown (99%) – Brown quietly had an excellent debut with Washington.  I expect him to be the clear #2 WR for the Commanders before long.
8. Khalil Shakir (51%) – The Bills were throwing to him often on Thursday night, but the game was out of hand so early that Shakir wasn’t used much in the second half. 
9. Andrei Iosivas (94%) – He won’t catch 2 TDs every week and his value should decrease when Higgins comes back, but Iosivas is getting legitimate playing time and opportunities for the Bengals early in 2024.
10. Jalen McMillan (95%) – He didn’t score well vs Detroit, but I still like his place in this offense and he’ll only get better as the season moves on

Tight End:

1. Hunter Henry (90%) – It looked like the Patriots were specifically attacking linebacker coverage this week as opposed to making Henry a weekly featured player.  He’s #1 on this list simply because I didn’t love anyone else this week.
2. Jonnu Smith (89%) – I think Tua is going to miss a few weeks (we’ll see what happens).  Not only did Smith play well on Thursday night, but he can be a quick outlet for Skylar Thompson (if Thompson ends up filling in for Tua the next few weeks).
3. Taysom Hill (60%) – the dude gets a lot of rushing attempts.  He’s listed as a TE, but I’d sooner list him as a RB this season.  He’s going to get valuable touches, but he’ll lack consistency for your roster.
4. Foster Moreau (98%) – I had the other two Saints TEs on this list last week, but after taking a deeper dive into the snap counts for both weeks, it looks like Moreau is always on the field.  Johnson might get more red zone attempts and Hill might get more overall touches, but play time in a good offensive system matters.  Though it is worth noting he managed 0 points in a game where the saints scored more than 40 points.
5. Zach Ertz (94%) – He’s still “the” TE in Washington, though the passing offense might not be strong enough to support Ertz as a weekly start option.
6. Luke Schoonmaker (99%) – I’ve been waiting for Schoonmaker to show up for a year, but he finally did as starter Jake Ferguson was out and Dallas needed to pass often to make up a large deficit.  He played well enough to stash if you have space in a deep league.
7. Eric All Jr. (99%) – All had a good crop of targets considering it was only his second NFL game.  I don’t think he’ll ascend this season, but keep him on your radar.
8. Noah Fant (94%) – three targets vs the Patriots won’t cut it, but I still like his potential enough to list Fant for week 3

Defense:

1. LA Chargers (36% available) – They will play a low scoring Pittsburgh offense in week 3 and their schedule is largely easy this season.
2. Minnesota (86%) – they’re scoring well.  I’d have no problem snapping them up, though they do have a tough matchup vs the Texans in week 3.
3. Chicago (63.3% available) – They are in a good position to snag a few INTs vs Anthony Richardson and the Colts in week 3
4. Las Vegas (96%) – I don’t love them long term, but they are playing the Panthers in week 3.