Fantasy Football 2019 Week 3 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice

Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be owned in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the ownership percentage coming from Yahoo.com.

Quarterbacks

Matthew Stafford, Lions (34% Owned): Stafford is not a player I was high on entering the season, but who appears to be healthy and slinging the ball like he has done in the past at his best. He carved up the Cardinals, which is to be expected, and was efficient on fewer attempts vs. the Chargers, serving up a useful 245 yards and two scores (albeit with two interceptions also). Stafford may not have the upside of other elite options, but if you’ve been disappointed by guys like Cam Newton or Aaron Rodgers so far, Stafford’s upcoming schedule -- @Philadelphia, v. Kansas City, @ Green Bay – may be interesting.

Josh Allen, Bills (40% Owned): Allen’s best trait entering the season was what he offered as a runner, and so far he hasn’t disappointed. He’s scored rushing touchdowns in each of his first two weeks, handling business against the Jets and Giants on the road. Allen’s upside is limited by his undercooked passing skills – he hasn’t broken 255 passing yards or thrown for more than one touchdown yet in 2019 – but his floor is quite high because of his consistent rushing opportunities, especially in four-point passing TD formats.

Running Backs

Carlos Hyde, Texans (43% Owned): I get that no one is excited about Carlos Hyde, but in fantasy a player doesn’t have to be flashy to be useful. Yes, Hyde is flawed, but he rushed for 83 yards on 10 carries in Week 1, and followed up that performance with a heavy workload (20 carries) vs. the Jaguars. The defensive schedule softens a bit coming up -- @Los Angeles Chargers, v. Carolina, v. Atlanta – and with this type of volume, he’s going to end up scoring touchdowns. Duke Johnson is a more electric back, and Hyde’s upside is capped because of his non-involvement in the passing game, but he is in line for a 2018 Adrian Peterson-esque season.

Chris Thompson, Redskins (48% Owned): I spent the offseason saying Thompson could very well be the best pass-catcher on the Redskins. While that title is probably WR Terry McLaurin’s, I wasn’t far off. Thompson, finally healthy, has been targeted 18 times in two games, averaging 58 receiving yards and gaining 129 yards from scrimmage in total. He’s no workhorse, but Thompson is a viable deep-league FLEX, and a borderline RB2 in full-PPR formats. With his explosiveness, he has the capability of week-winning performances.

Jaylen Samuels, Steelers (35% Owned): Samuels is likely to be the most impactful waiver add of the week if James Conner’s knee injury knocks him out, although the impact is blunted by Ben Roethlisberger’s season-ending injury. Samuels is a dual threat, picking up 18 rushing yards on three carries last week and adding a 13-yard reception. He was highly efficient last season in limited work as well, but the hit the Steelers offense is about to take without Big Ben drops him from a very exciting add to simply a strong depth add. And remember, his value hinges on Conner’s status as well.

Peyton Barber, Buccaneers (47% Owned): Barber is not someone anybody wants to own, but this ownership percentage is pretty silly. After a weird Week 1, Barber registered 23 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown. That’s around the most he’ll do in any given week, but volume-wise he’s solid as a rock. Despite Ronald Jones’ impressive college resume, the Bucs simply don’t seem to have any faith in him and prefer to utilize the plodding Barber in big doses. Talent matters much less than opportunity in fantasy, and Barber is a pretty safe play in a pinch.

Frank Gore, Bills (8% Owned): Gore refuses to die from fantasy relevance. Devin Singletary has looked much more explosive and exciting so far this year, but he pulled up lame last week with a hamstring injury, opening the door for Gore to do old man Gore things. He put up 68 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries vs. the Giants, and has a juicy matchup against the Bengals in Buffalo’s home opener. If Singletary is ruled out, Gore will be a strong RB2. I can’t believe I’m saying that in 2019.

Jamaal Williams, Packers (7% Owned): Williams is definitely not a must-add, because he has very little standalone value while Aaron Jones is healthy, but he’s probably atop my list of handcuffs. Williams does have a small role already carved out due to Jones’ shortcomings as a pass blocker, and Green Bay will use him sporadically regardless of field position. That was evident by his 15-yard touchdown grab this week, in a game where Jones put up big numbers. All Jones owners should be rostering Williams, as he would be an immediate high-end RB2 if Jones got hurt. Everyone else in deeper leagues should at least consider adding Williams in the event that Jones, who is injury prone, gets hurt. In that scenario, Williams is, at bare minimum, an enticing trade sweetener.

Wide Receivers

Nelson Agholor, Eagles (16% Owned): Agholor is a short-term add, but he’s my favorite at the position if Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson both miss Week 3. Agholor was targeted 11 times on Sunday night with those two out, reeling in eight balls for 107 yards and a touchdown. It could’ve been much more too if he hadn’t dropped a wide-open pass that might’ve been his second TD. Agholor becomes waiver wire fodder once the main receivers are back, but if those guys are ruled out, he is easily a low-end WR2 or FLEX.

D.J. Chark, Jaguars (12% Owned): It appears the Jaguars’ WR pecking order is being forcefully taken over by Chark, a 2018 second-round pick who previously looked like a big fat bust. Chark has come out hot, scoring in back-to-back games and hanging 146 yards on the Chiefs in Week 1. Nick Foles’ broken collarbone would figure to dent Chark’s prospects, but he seems to have a pretty nice rapport with current starter Gardner Minshew, so he’s looking like a strong WR2 right now. But be a bit wary, as he has some tough matchups vs. the Titans and Broncos coming up.

A.J. Brown, Titans (24% Owned): Brown showed why he was such a high pick by the Titans in Week 1 when he turned three grabs into 100 yards, and Week 2 showcased his ability to scrape out something even with low target share. Brown’s upside is very limited because of Tennessee’s run-heavy offense, and Marcus Mariota’s shortcomings/injury risk. On the flip side, he has big-play potential, and eventually the Titans have to aspire to more than Delanie Walker being the team’s leader in targets, Walker is a fine tight end, but that’s no way to run an offense. Brown’s role will expand as the year goes on, and he looks like an impact player already.

Randall Cobb, Cowboys (24% Owned): So maybe Randall Cobb has some gas left in the tank after all. He struck for 69 yards and a score in Week 1, and while he only mustered 24 yards in Week 2, he saw six targets from Dak Prescott. He’s in line for plenty more targets for the next few weeks with Michael Gallup set for knee surgery. Cobb will be a bit inconsistent, but as the No. 2 receiver in this suddenly potent Dallas passing game, Cobb is well worth a mention in the FLEX conversation.

Chris Conley, Jaguars (4% Owned): Conley, lowkey, has been nearly as productive as Chark. He burned the Chiefs for 97 and a touchdown, and outperformed Chark vs. Houston this week in a tough matchup. There’s a few bad matchups coming up for Jacksonville, so Conley is probably a consideration for deep-leaguers only, but he’s seeing the type of work we expected for Dede Westbrook, who became very fantasy relevant last season.

Tight Ends

Noah Fant, Broncos (11% Owned): Fant is not great, but neither is the position as a whole. Unless you have Travis Kelce, Zach Ertz, George Kittle or Evan Engram right now, you’re just looking for targets. So far, Joe Flacco has targeted Fant nine times in two games, so his role in the offense stays the same, which is around five targets a week.