Football, by nature, is a small sample size sport. But we’re two weeks in now so, naturally, we have twice the data. And early on, our adds regarding fantasy football waiver wire for Week 3 might be the most important ones we make this season. There are some players we had hunches on that have confirmed via a second game that they should be our top targets to add off the waiver wire in Week 3. 

Game scripts can obviously still be all over the place but, luckily, we’ve got some percentages, some grades, and some observations leading into the week 3 waiver wire to help us make that judgment call. We’ll look at the top waiver wire quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends to add both for now and for long term upside!

2024 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 3 Top Targets

If this 2024 fantasy football waiver wire for Week 3 is your first time seeing this series, here’s a little idea of how we break it down. There are too many articles out there who don’t take into account YOUR team needs. Whether you just want the best player, you want someone to start now, or you are loaded and you want the best upside stashed, we have you covered. And we break it down like this.

• 2024 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 3: This is the current article where we focus on the best waiver wire picks for any format or team needs. Guys that can potentially be started now but also have season long upside
   
• 2024 Fantasy Football Streamers Week 3: These are players that are decent starts for Week 2 but might not have great long-term upside (perhaps it’s just a good matchup or the starter has a short-term injury, for instance)
   
• 2024 Fantasy Football Stashes Week 3: These are players that are very difficult to trust in a lineup right now. But we believe in the talent and the possibility of upside down the stretch. Every year there are certain rookies or backups that get a big opportunity and run with it at some point – like Trey McBride last year.

The 2024 fantasy football waiver wire for Week 3 you are currently looking at is free for everyone. The Week 3 waiver wire stashes and Week 3 waiver wire streamers articles are for Fantasy Alarm members only.  

If you aren’t a Fantasy Alarm member yet, you can not only get 40% off your annual membership if you sign up right now or 50% off your first month with promo code LETSGO, but we are offering a 7-day free trial RIGHT NOW! You can check out everything we have to offer this week and decide if it’s right for you!

P.S. At the very bottom of this article, I will update my Yin & Yang Tight End chart each week!

NFL Week 3 Waiver Wire Quarterbacks

Derek Carr, QB, New Orleans Saints, Yahoo: 20% | ESPN: 10% | Sleeper: 21%

If you needed a quarterback, hopefully you grabbed Baker Mayfield like we recommended last week. There still could be some shallow leagues where he is floating around. If not, you have a second chance at things here with Derek Carr. 

He’s still widely available in fantasy leagues despite being the QB2 in fantasy football through two weeks. And the crazy thing about it? The Saints are last in the league in pass attempts. It could get even better. Last year Brock Purdy was a great fantasy QB despite the 49ers being last in the league in pass attempts per Pro Football Focus. 

If that sounds familiar it’s because new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak brought a lot of elements of that offense to New Orleans with him including the use of a fullback and a lot of pre-snap motion. Even more important, Taysom Hill has only played 2 snaps at QB through two weeks and now he’s dealing with an injury. Derek Carr might actually be allowed to play his position. 

• Waiver Priority: Low Priority or free add
• FAAB: 5-10% (or more if he starts for you)

Sam Darnold, QB, Minnesota Vikings Yahoo: 13% | ESPN: 6% | Sleeper: 21%  

Darnold was also included in Week 2’s best waiver wire picks after he looked great against the New York Giants. He didn’t need to do much because it was an easy win, but he graded out well per Pro Football Focus. This week Darnold was asked to do a little more and he delivered, and he delivered with a win over the Minnesota Vikings. Darnold looks pretty comfortable in the Kevin O’Connell offense.

We got a scare from star wide receiver Justin Jefferson, but it turned out to just be a quad contusion. So, it shouldn’t be a long-term issue. The Vikings were without both T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison this weekend, so this offense hasn’t even reached its final form yet. Darnold could look even BETTER than he has already. 

• Waiver Priority: Low or Free Add
• FAAB: 0-5% (or more if he starts for you right away)

NFL Week 3 Waiver Wire Running Back

Rico Dowdle – Dallas Cowboys, Yahoo: 41% | ESPN: 38% | Sleeper: 50%

I know a lot of folks are looking at the Isiah Pacheco injury and formulating how to target that situation. But this isn’t really a “Jordan Mason handcuffed to Christian McCaffrey” situation. Check the Waivers and Stashes article for how we’re looking at the Chiefs backfield.

Here we are going to focus on the combination of short-term startability AND long-term upside. This isn’t a great week to spend up at RB on waivers if that is what you are looking for, but Rico Dowdle is your best bet. The Cowboys have split the backfield between Zeke Elliott and Rico Dowdle pretty much down the middle. 

Zeke is actually rostered in more leagues, but Dowdle technically got the “start” here on top of being more efficient with his touches. The Cowboys are at least an offense that can move the football and maybe Dowdle can claw away a bigger part of that job.   

• Waiver Priority: Low or free add
• FAAB: 0-5%

Bucky Irving – Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Yahoo: 34% | ESPN: 30% | Sleeper: 42%

Bucky Irving continues to split work with Rachaad White in an offense that we need to admit is actually really good. Baker Mayfield was a top 10 QB in fantasy last year while making the playoffs and he’s currently QB1 so far this year so I’m not sure what more he really needs to do before we admit this guy can play.

In an odd twist, Bucky Irving has been carving out more of his work running than he is catching passes despite being the top touted pass catching back out of the draft. And that’s one of his biggest appeals here as he’s showing us that he can handle the run game while we already know he has pass-catching chops. 

Todd Bowles says they are using the “hot hand” approach so maybe he can get hot. Not to mention, Rachaad White tweaked his groin this week and we don’t know how if that could hamper him or not. Regardless, Bucky is one of the better “handcuff plus” players. We said to add him for free last week in this article and he’s still available in many leagues. 

• Waiver Priority: Free Add or Late Priority
• FAAB: 0%

Antonio Gibson, RB, New England Patriots, Yahoo: 16% | ESPN: 32% | Sleeper: 25%

Antonio Gibson had been dealing with a hip injury coming into the season which left him limited early on. He’s still playing on a limited basis behind Rhamondre Stevenson, but he made the most of those touches this week with over 100 yards from scrimmage – 96 of which came on the ground.

He’s still more of a handcuff than he is a handcuff plus given how heavily Rhamondre is featured. But the Patriots depth chart is thin with the only other back being JaMycal Hasty (who has been dealing with his own health issues. Gibson could be worth a spot start and, if anything happens to Mondre, he could be a really nice piece.   

• Waiver Priority: Free Add
• FAAB: 0%

NFL Week 3 Waiver Wire Wide Receiver

Demarcus Robinson – Los Angeles Rams, Yahoo: 54% | ESPN: 42% | Sleeper: 44%

Last week with Puka Nacua out, Demarcus Robinson was in our Sleepers article. Now that Cooper Kupp is ALSO hurt and potentially an IR candidate, he is a straight up add in all leagues. 

He’s the best wide receiver that Matthew Stafford has. If you lost Nacua you should have already added Robinson but now everyone needs to strongly consider it. 

• Waiver Priority: First
• FAAB: 20-25%

Brandin Cooks – Dallas Cowboys, Yahoo: 42% | ESPN: 39% | Sleeper: 54%

We’re sticking by our guns that Brandin Cooks is the Cowboys receiving to own after CeeDee Lamb. And that hasn’t changed after one good game from Jalen Tolbert (though, in deeper leagues, Tolbert could be worth a look). 

We wrote about why we like Cooks in last week’s waiver article and not much has changed there so we still consider him the priority add if he’s available. Obviously, everyone already added Rashid Shaheed after we insisted on it for two straight weeks – he certainly won’t be available in leagues anymore. 

• Waiver Priority: Free or low priority
• FAAB: 5-10% 

Quentin Johnston – Los Angeles Chargers, Yahoo: 7% | ESPN: 7% | Sleeper: 16%

One of the hardest things to avoid in fantasy football is “take lock”. It can happen to anyone. And it can happen with both guys you like and ones you don’t. In this particular instance, we did not like Quentin Johnston pre-draft. We did not like how insanely inefficient he was despite getting to play a huge percentage of snaps with Justin Herbert last year. But that was last year. We can’t get hung up in the past.

This is an entirely new coaching staff. Johnston is no longer a rookie. And he’s clearly a focal point of this new offense. Last week he was second in routes with 25 to Joshua Palmer’s 28. This week he led the team in routes run and scored two touchdowns. Yes, it was against the Panthers so it could be a fluke. But we have to give ourselves a shot at upside. The Chargers still don’t know who their best pass-catcher is. 

• Waiver Priority: Free Add
• FAAB: $0

NFL Week 3 Waiver Tight End + Yin & Yang TE

Hunter Henry – New England Patriots, Yahoo: 24% | ESPN: 10% | Sleeper: 22%

Hunter Henry’s ownership actually went down from Week 1 to Week 2. But we really don’t feel bad for the folks that dropped him as we tried, in this very article, to explain why he was one of top stashes. In Week 1 he led all Patriots pass-catchers in snaps and routes. 

He did that again in Week 2 and this time it translated to big production. So far, he’s looking like the top pass-catcher on the team. As we said in our full write up on why Hunter Henry was a good pick this summer, Henry has always been good vs. man to man and in the red zone. He scored the second most TDs last year of any tight end in the league despite his team only throwing 16. 

Last year’s Patriots also didn’t call a single tight end screen the entire season while the new OC, Alex Van Pelt, ran an offense that called the second most in the league. This week Hunter Henry got one of those screens and took it for 35 yards. If you weren’t stashing him already, you have to grab him.

• Waiver Priority: Top Claim (if he goes directly into your lineup)
• FAAB: 10-15% (more if he goes directly into your lineup)

Zach Ertz – Washington Commanders, Yahoo: 8% | ESPN: 6% | Sleeper: 10%

If you are in a deeper league and are desperate for someone to start, it has to be Zach Ertz. With our Yin and Yang philosophy, you still need someone to start while we look for the breakout so that you don’t flat out lose games. We prefer Hunter Henry but starting Ertz right now while you stash high risk, high reward options like Greg Dulcich or Hayden Hurst is the way to do it.

Kliff Kingsbury loves Zach Ertz. He did with the Cardinals too. He loves throwing Ertz in a wide receiver spot (especially the slot) where he has run 72% of his routes so far this year. His aDot hasn’t been crazy high and he’s never been one to break tackles, but he offers a decent floor considering he’s top 10 for tight ends in both route participation and target share. 

• Waiver Priority: Free Add
• FAAB: 0-5%

Week 3 Yin & Yang Tight End

As promised, here are our updated Yin & Yang Tight End rankings going into Week 3. If you are not familiar with this strategy, the full write-up on it is available in our 2024 Fantasy Football Draft Guide. The short and sweet is that, if you don’t get an elite tight end, you roster two – someone “safe” to start early on (Yin) and the highest risk, highest reward option on the bench (Yang). 

As you can see, we separate who we consider a Standalone tight end option where we only care about their bye week vs. the situations where you should roster two. You can use your own judgment on that based on your league size and you can also roster two Yang tight ends if you want to play the high risk, high rewards game or two from the Yin side if you are super conservative. We’ll be updating this throughout the season.