Fantasy Football 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

Ryan Tannehill, Titans (46% Owned): Tannehill has six passing touchdowns in two weeks, proving that 2019 was a breakout and not a fluke. The power of RB Derrick Henry forces defenses to dedicate all their resources to stopping the run, and it allows Tannehill to take advantage of the matchup advantages he has, even with top WR A.J. Brown out. TE Jonnu Smith is realizing his potential as a matchup nightmare, and former Top 10 Corey Davis is finally looking the part. With the dazed and confused Vikings next up on the slate, Tannehill is an easy start in Week 3, and is probably a QB1 moving forward when you also account for his rushing ability.

Gardner Minshew, Jaguars (32% Owned): If you strike out on Tannehill don’t fret, Minshew is the real deal. He threw for 399 yards on Sunday and another three touchdowns against the Titans along with 19 yards on four rushing attempts. Minshew has Miami, at Cincinnati and at Houston on the docket for the next three weeks, so he’ll be eminently playable.

Running Backs

Joshua Kelley, Chargers (39% Owned): Kelley headlines a week of RB pickups that is deep, but not particularly exciting. It’s clear that Kelley has stepped into the exact role vacated by Melvin Gordon, as he logged 23 carries last week vs. the Chiefs. Part of that is Los Angeles trying to control time of possession and limit their exposure to Patrick Mahomes and his gamma ray offense, but that’ll be the Chargers’ MO all year long with Tyrod Taylor/Justin Herbert at QB. Justin Jackson’s injuries have knocked him from any position of relevance, and with the committee established as Austin Ekeler and Kelley, you can safely play Kelley knowing he’ll get significant touches every week, as well as goal line opportunity.

Jerick McKinnon, 49ers (23% Owned): McKinnon has scored in back-to-back weeks, and looks like his old explosive self. Still, beware! He has seen fewer than 10 touches in both games, and touchdowns can be fluky. Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman look like they will miss games, so McKinnon’s usage will go up and warrant a few FAAB dollars. Don’t go crazy though, as McKinnon’s got no shelf life as a three-down lead back.

Frank Gore, Jets (14% Owned): Nobody besides Gore and Adam Gase is happy about it, but Gore has to be owned as long as Le’Veon Bell is out. The way players are going down, a RB getting 21 carries cannot be ignored. He ran for 63 yards against the 49ers, which is mediocre, but also respectable against a top defense. Things get a bit easier for the Jets at Indianapolis next week, and with a receiving corps in absolute shambles, Gore’s going to get a ton of work. It wouldn’t be shocking at all if he gets in the end zone in Week 3.

Dion Lewis, Giants (5% Owned): Dion Lewis is the next man up in the Giants’ backfield with Saquon Barkley done for the season, and while he won’t come remotely close to filling Barkley’s cleats, he is a solid runner who can play on all three downs. I don’t think Lewis will surpass RB2 status very often, but he’s in line for a ton of dump-off opportunities thanks to the Giants’ Swiss cheese offensive line. I think Lewis can be a surprising value in PPR and half-PPR formats, and should be a serviceable FLEX in most weeks going forward.

Darrell Henderson, Rams (31% Owned): Henderson stepped up once rookie Cam Akers got hurt, taking 12 carries and gaining 81 yards and scoring a touchdown, outperforming Malcolm Brown. This game makes Henderson rosterable, especially if Akers is going to miss games, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable plugging him into lineups just yet. This is more of a speculative add for the future; if you are in desperate need of playable options, focus on Gore, Lewis and Kelley.

Mike Davis, Panthers (2% Owned): Davis is in line for a lot of work if Christian McCaffery misses time. He only rushed once for one yard last week, but caught eight passes for 74 yards. CMC owners need to put in a bid for him, and the rest of us can throw a $0 or $1 bid out there just to see what happens. It’s all for naught if McCaffery suits up, because Davis will have no fantasy value in that scenario.

Wide Receivers

Corey Davis, Titans (42% Owned): Davis delivered again, catching three passes for 36 yards and a score. Tennessee is never going to be a high passing volume attack with Derrick Henry in the mix, but the efficiency of this passing offense is amazing. Davis is getting high-value targets, and was on the field for 81% of the snaps for the second straight week. He can give you duds once Brown returns, but until then he’s a borderline must-start, and he absolutely needs to be on more rosters. This guy was a former Top 10 pick with major talent, and he’s giving off huge DeVante Parker vibes.

Russell Gage, Falcons (21% Owned): Gage saw nine targets this week, and caught six for 46 yards and a score. This has to be taken seriously now, as the Falcons are looking like they’ll once again blow away the rest of the NFL in pass attempts. There’s so much for opposing defenses to worry about with this group of pass-catchers that Gage is a fourth or fifth priority, and should be getting tons of one-on-one action. This makes him ripe for targets, and a potentially rich source of red zone opportunities.

Allen Lazard, Packers (42% Owned): Lazard was disappointing against a Lions defense many expected Aaron Rodgers to take a blowtorch to, but it was the Aaron Jones show, which happens. Lazard remains Rodgers’ No. 2, and he was on the field for 84% of the snaps. In the recent past, the Packers’ WR2 hasn’t been a tremendously valuable position, but through two weeks this looks like a revitalized Rodgers. He’s not a must-start, but his ownership percentage is confusing to me, and I think now’s the time to pounce.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Packers (36% Owned): Valdes-Scantling is the flashier add in comparison to Lazard, and he’s getting the big-money, downfield  targets that fantasy owners crave. But he was also on the field just 63% of the snaps in Week 2, and near the goal line if the Packers bring in that extra TE, MVS will be watching as Lazard potentially gets targeted in the end zone. Both players can do damage if Rodgers is his old self, but I prefer Lazard’s constant presence on the field to Valdes-Scantling’s juicier, less frequent targets.

Golden Tate, Giants (36% Owned): The Giants’ offense is going to change with Saquon Barkley done for the year, and they’ll have to become a much more pass-heavy team. The offensive line is shaky to say the least, meaning Tate is going to morph into a target hound as he runs shorter routes from the slot. He had chemistry with Daniel Jones last season, and he surprisingly scored six touchdowns. I think Tate can do even better this season with Jones’ attempts arrow pointing way up. Sneaky, sneaky value here.

Jalen Reagor, Eagles (35% Owned): Another week, another game in which Reagor benefits from DeSean Jackson not grabbing hold of this receiving corps. The rookie caught all four of his targets for 41 yards, and was on the field for 85% of the snaps. Jackson drew five more targets than Reagor, but was actually on the field less (77%). These two players duplicate each other’s skill set in many ways, so it won’t be long before Reagor just replaces the elder D-Jax. He’s extremely cheap right now, so if you’re not wrecked with injuries, Reagor is a great stash.

Bryan Edwards, Raiders (13% Owned): Edwards didn’t do a ton Monday night (two receptions, 42 yards), but he sure does pass the eye test. Edwards’ two catches were both big gains, and he physically looks dominant, a la A.J. Brown. Henry Ruggs, a fellow rookie WR, is the real deal but these two definitely look like the Raiders’ best receivers. You can’t start Edwards now, but he’s a stash who will bloom later this season.

Tight Ends

Logan Thomas, Washington (32% Owned): Thomas didn’t get in the end zone this week, but he’s seen 17 targets in two weeks, second on the team only to stud WR Terry McLaurin. There’s a lot to not like here; Dwayne Haskins remains an ugly QB for fantasy value, he’s averaging fewer than five yards per target, but as long as Washington frequently targets him near the goal line, fantasy owners can wrangle back-end TE1 value out of him.

O.J. Howard, Buccaneers (30% Owned): A week after drawing six targets from Tom Brady and scoring a touchdown, Howard regressed to one catch for 11 yards. It’s frustrating, and the story of Howard’s career. With Rob Gronkowski around to potentially steal more work, I don’t want to trust Howard, but I also can’t ignore his talent potentially meshing with a Hall of Fame QB. I can’t recommend anyone start him with a straight face, but if you have a deep bench I don’t mind him as a stash pickup.

Tyler Eifert, Jaguars (10% Owned): Eifert in my lineup makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit, but he scored this week and drew six targets from Minshew, who I’m buying into. I wouldn’t do this unless I was desperate, but Eifert is playable in a Kyle Rudolph kind of way.