Week 3 Waiver Wire Targets
Fantasy 9/18/22
Editor’s note: This page will be constantly updated throughout the day to reflect any new information from the games. It’s also geared toward 12-team PPR leagues unless otherwise noted. All players included are rostered in fewer than 40% of leagues, per FantasyPros’ rostership data.
Need waiver wire help in Week 3? These players have shown enough through the first two weeks of the NFL season to earn waiver consideration for your fantasy team(s).
Quarterback
Carson Wentz, WAS
Make fun of Wentz all you want, but the bottom line is he’s playing like a QB1. He’s scored just over 27 points in each of the first two games. Sure, he’ll have a couple of boneheaded mistakes here and there. Ultimately, a renewed receiving core and a hefty volume of passes seem to be keeping Wentz afloat. Rookie Jahan Dotson and veteran Curtis Samuel have done their fair share alongside Terry McLaurin. Wentz has thrown 40+ passes in each game. The Commanders also face the Eagles and Cowboys next. (Week 2 data to come in regards to each team’s passing defense.) Wentz is the top passing option if you need a new passer or just want some depth.
Jimmy Garoppolo, SF
Trey Lance’s devastating ankle injury will sadly sideline him for the season. In Lance’s relief, Garoppolo scored a formidable 16.7 point. In 10-team leagues, Jimmy G is best suited in free agency rather than on a roster. However, he finished as QB17 in total points and as QB18 on average last season. He’ll probably never wow you with high-volume passing or impressive rushing stats. Instead, he can be a serviceable backup. Garoppolo scored fewer than 10 points just twice in 2021, and he left one of those games early due to an injury. Consistency is a powerful trait to have in fantasy football. Having versatile weapons to throw to helps, too. Garoppolo emphatically checks both boxes. He’s also a prime streaming option for those of you who thrive off waivers.
Running Back
J.D. McKissic, WAS
McKissic once again proved to be the preferred pass-catching back in Washington. He played six fewer snaps than Antonio Gibson, yet he saw seven targets to Gibson’s four. That was tied for second-most on the team behind Curtis Samuel, who saw eight targets. The difference? McKissic caught all of his passes. His longest reception was 13 yards. McKissic’s clearly still the safety blanket in the Commanders’ passing offense. He should be picked up in all PPR leagues.
Jerick McKinnon, KC
The Chiefs’ backfield hasn’t exactly been a fantasy manager’s friend this season. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Isiah Pacheco, and McKinnon have all seen valuable looks through the first two weeks. However, McKinnon did see the most snaps among the group in Week 2. While he only saw two more than Edwards-Helaire, it does muddy the backfield enough to make McKinnon worthy of a roster spot. The two vets ran the same amount of routes as well. Again, averaging about eight points in two contests isn’t the most attractive reason to scoop up McKinnon, but being one of the main backs on an explosive offense could be. McKinnon only has value in PPR leagues for now.
Darrel Williams/Eno Benjamin, ARI
James Conner left Sunday’s game with an ankle injury, which is really the only reason Williams and Benjamin make this waiver wire column. They essentially split work once Conner left the game. Williams may have the upperhand since he saw all eight of Arizona’s goal-line runs. Prioritize him over Benjamin. Both players saw three targets each, though Benjamin was the only other running back (aside from Conner) to get targets in Week 1. Still, Williams’ clear grasp on short-yardage downs makes him more valuable than Benjamin. Based on the depth of the position, Benjamin isn’t a bad pickup either if you’re lacking backup running backs.
Wide Receiver
Corey Davis, NYJ
Aside from a touchdown, Davis didn’t have the greatest week on paper. Still, that touchdown did boost him to 16.3 points. It’s the second-straight week where Davis had over 13 fantasy points. On top of that, Davis did play the second-most snaps among all Jets wide receivers. He won’t be a priority pickup or play, but his production is worthy of a roster spot. We’ll see if that continues once Zach Wilson returns from his injury.
Noah Brown, DAL
The Dak Prescott injury shook up everything for the Cowboys. You know that. You also may know that Brown had himself a day. A week after scoring 11.1 points on nine targets, Brown scored 20.1 points on five targets and a touchdown. What you may not know is that Brown has clearly entrenched himself as Dallas’ WR2. He’s seen the second-most targets on the team (behind CeeDee Lamb) each week while running the second-most routes among team wideouts. Brown’s fantasy value will almost certainly be higher when Dak Prescott returns mid-season, but until then, he’s been good enough to earn a roster spot on fantasy lineups.
Tight End
Gerald Everett, LAC
Without Keenan Allen in Week 2, Everett saw 10 targets — third-most on the team — while scoring 13.1 fantasy points. Even if that volume dips upon Allen’s return, Everett can carve out a nice role in the Chargers’ passing offense. Everett was tied for the highest target share on the team in Week 1. Looking at the horrid depth of the tight end position in fantasy, it’s hard to find any better options than Everett on waivers. He could be sneakily entering TE1 territory, even if Justin Herbert misses time with his rib injury.
Logan Thomas, WAS
Don’t look now, but Washington’s offense is quietly becoming a haven for fantasy points. I’m only half kidding. Thomas didn’t look as limited as he did in Week 1 — he missed the final five games of last season with an injury and seemed to be on somewhat of a snap count. Thomas saw more action in Week 2 to the tune of 12.7 points. Look, tight ends on the waiver will never be the prettiest situation to sort through. You have to follow the points, and Thomas through two weeks has 20.2 of them in PPR formats. You could do worse than Thomas as your backup tight end if you choose to roster one.