Week 3 is in the books. I hope you were able to grab Dylan Sampson last week because he’s going to be tough to acquire on the waiver cycle. As a reminder, I expect Quinshon Judkins, who recently signed, to supplant Jerome Ford. Dylan Sampson will continue to be involved as a third down back and receiver.
Waiver Wire Strategy for Week 3
Top 5 Waiver Wire Targets – Week 3
Here are my Top fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 3:
- Quinshon Judkins – 57.2% rostered
- Trey Benson – 55.8% rostered
- Troy Franklin – 2.1% rostered
- Juwan Johnson – 48.2% rostered
- Ced Tillman – 46.9% rostered
- Daniel Jones – 21.2% rostered
Waiver Wire Pickups by Position
Quarterbacks
- Daniel Jones – 21.2% rostered – I ignored him after a strong week one performance against a Miami team that looked bad. And though Denver isn’t looking great, standing up to their pass rush in week 2 makes me a believer. Jones wouldn’t be the only first round bust to resurrect his career elsewhere (Mayfied and Darnold being two recent examples). Jones can run and he has excellent skill players.
- CJ Stroud – 62.2% rostered – he probably won’t be available in your league, but if he is, he should be on a roster. Things will start getting better for Houston’s offense after a tough start to the season.
- Trevor Lawrence – 36.5% rostered – Lawrence is throwing well, but the Jaguar receivers are dropping touchdowns (multiple in week 2). At some point, they will start catchign and Lawrence’s numbers will boost.
- Cam Ward – 19.2% rostered – Ward has had a tough schedule to open his career, but things will begin to ease up and Ward’s young receiver are beginning to come on as well.
- Jacob Browning – 0.1% rostered – When he filled in for Burrow a couple of years ago, he was a strong fantasy QB.
- Marcus Mariota – 0.1% rostered – If Jayden Daniels is hurt and you are desperate to find someone to start this week, Mariota should score very well. Washington will continue to allow him to pick kup yards on teh ground.
Running Backs
- Quinshon Judkins – 57.2% – there’s no question he’s the lead back moving forward
- Trey Benson – 55.8% rostered – It’s looking to me like Benson is taking over the starting job in Arizona.
- Bhayshul Tuten – 40.0% rostered – The trade of Tank Bigsby gives Tuten a path to the field. Don’t completely forget about fellor rookie LeQuint Allen though. Both got snaps in week 2.
- Jeremy McNichols – 0.1% rostered and/or Chris Rodriguez – 1.1% rostered – I like Croskey-Merrit too, but he’s not going to dominate workshare. Washington will continue to use at least two backs. With Ekeler out for the year, either McNichols or Rodriguez will contribute offensively. The smart money is on McNichols, though I think Rodriguez looked better in training camp.
- Kareem Hunt – 24.5% rostered – The Chiefs run game is disappointing. I’d rather have the guys above Hunt on this list, but at least you can count on consistent points from Hunt.
- Rachaad White – 47.6% rostered – Irving is clearly the best Tampa back, but White looked better on MNF. His quality pass blocking and sure hands will keep him on the field in Tampa.
- Dylan Sampson – 66.4% rostered – Frustratingly, Jerome Ford played the most snaps of all Cleveland backs. The future in Cleveland is Judkins playing first and second down with Sampson playing on third downs. Over the course of the season, I think that’s what we’ll see. But if you’re going to pick up Sampson, you’re going to have to be patient.
Wide Receivers
- Troy Franklin – 2.1% rostered – I’m dubious, but I can’t deny his talent. Don’t expect Franklin to outplay Courtland Sutton every week, especially on a Bronco team that spreads the ball around so much. But you also can’t ignore a 2nd year WR who looks like he’s ascending.
- Ced Tillman – 46.9% rostered – the Ravens mostly bottled the Browns up in week 2. Tillman managed to catch a lucky TD pass. The Browns will playing from behind a lot this year which will mean plenty of late game TD chances for Tillman.
- Donte Thornton Jr. – 12.2% rostered – he hasn’t started as fast as I thought he would, but he still looks good on the field. The Patriots and Chargers defenses are strong competition. Washington, the Raiders week 3 opponent, gives up deep plays. I’m curious to see what he does this week.
- Wan’Dale Robinson – 30.0% rostered – He will continue to have one on one coverage thanks to the presence of teammate Malik Nabers. And whether it’ll be Wilson or Dart throwing passes, Robinson will have a QB that can get him the ball.
- Hunter Renfrow – 1.7% rostered – He’s occupying the Panthers slot role that I thought had a lot of potential with Adam Thielen. The injury to Jalen Coker has given Renfrow a chance to play and he’s seizing it. I don’t think Canales can afford to pull Renfrow from the lineup, even when Coker returns to action.
- Dyami Brown – 1.8% rostered – I thought the Jaguars would line up Travis Hunter outside and give the slot role to Washington. Looks like I was wrong. Hunter is playing more snaps from the slot and Dyami Brown has been the clear starter outside. I’m not the biggest Brown enthusiast, but he’s drawing a ton of targets. If he can catch the TD passes Trevor Lawrence is gift wrapping for him, Brown will be a flex option this year.
- Kayshon Boutte 26.4% rostered – Boutte had a ton of targets in Week 3 and then only 1 target (a TD) in week 2. Frankly, I’d rather have seen more targets than a TD. All said, the Patriots offense will continue to evolve and I’m leaving Boutte on this list for at least another week.
Tight Ends
- Juwan Johnson – 48.2% rostered – 20 targets in two weeks. His snap percentage is in the high-90s. Johnson is not a fluke. Grab him.
- Harold Fanin Jr. – 27.7% rostered – I didn’t think he’d emerge until late this year or early next season. Fanin is playing Njoku out of the offense. Grab him.
- Brenton Strange – 26.6% rostered – His snap count percentage is very high, but Strange looks like the 4th or 5th option for Lawrence when on the field. Strange is a beast in the making, but I have questions whether this offense will reward a tight end consistently.
- Mike Gesicki – 2.4% rostered – just when i thougth Noah Fant had taken the TE job, Gesicki comes in and earns more snaps. I recall new Bengals QB, Browning, throwing a lot to his TEs a couple of years ago. This could bode will for Gesicki and Fant.
- Jake Tonges – 2.4% rostered – the 49ers also rotated in Luke Farrel at TE, but Tonges got most of the snaps and targets. He could be a band aid TE fill in for you until Kittle returns.
- Mason Taylor – 4.5% rostered – I thought he’d have an immeiate impact, but I was wrong about that. Still, Taylor has talent. The Jets need consistent pass catchers. I think there’s a good chance Fields will make a connection with Taylor. One year players can ignore him for now, but dynasty players should think about stashing him if they have the space.
Defenses (DST)
- LA Chargers (vs Denver) – 7% rostered 0 they are a season-long pickup. The injury to Mack is a concern, but this is a very good group and should continue to score well.
- Jacksonville (vs Houston) – 2% rostered – the Jaguar defense is playing great and Houston isn’t exaclty lighting the world on fire.
- New England (vs Pittsburgh) – 53.4% rostered – I’m not a fan of the matchup this week, but I think the Patriots are coming along well as a unit. Vrabel should have them consistently improving as well.
Final Thoughts
Week 3 is the perfect time to take risks on fantasy football sleepers and breakout candidates. Don’t waste valuable roster space on backups who won’t start—use the waiver wire to build depth and find the players who can become difference-makers by midseason.
Stay tuned each week for updated waiver wire targets, sleepers, and roster strategy tips. Let’s dominate this fantasy football season together.
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