Fantasy football waiver wire targets: NFL Week 3

Posted by Admin September 16, 2024 NFL

• Justin Fields remains the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ starter: As long as Fields keeps winning, he will likely remain the Steelers’ starting quarterback.

• Injuries highlight Week 2: Multiple top running backs, wide receivers and tight ends were either out with injury or suffered injuries this week, giving us several potential options off the waiver wire.

• Unlock your edge with a PFF+ subscription: Get full access to all of our in-season fantasy tools, including weekly rankings, WR/CB matchup charts, weekly projections, the Start-Sit Optimizer and more. Sign up now!

Estimated Reading Time: 24 minutes

With Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season nearly complete, here are the key players to target on the fantasy football waiver wire. Here, we’ll cover options for smaller and deeper leagues and also highlight the players to avoid.

Jump to a position group:

QB | RB | WR | TE

Quarterback

Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers (rostered in 31.2% of leagues on ESPN)

Fields is only QB20 on the season, but he is still the top quarterback on the waiver wire this week.

The fill-in signal-caller is 2-0, making it likely he will remain the starting quarterback for the team going forward. He has run the ball 22 times this season, which is the second most at the position, trailing only Jayden Daniels. His rushing production helped him become a top-six fantasy quarterback in 2022. Fields similarly finished second in rushing production last season.

Fields is also having his best season as a starter. His big-time throw rate is the highest it’s been, and his turnover-worthy throw rate is the lowest it’s been. His completion percentage is up 10 points from his career average, although his average depth of target is the same as last season.

The Steelers’ offense had multiple big plays negated by penalties this past week. That didn’t help any fantasy managers who started Fields, but it is a positive sign of what’s to come. Fields is here because he has a chance to return to that top-six level he maintained during his 2022 season, while the other quarterbacks are more so pocket passers who have only top-10 potential.

Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints (9.4%)

Carr has scored the second-most fantasy points among quarterbacks this season, despite having the 29th-most attempts — the fewest among quarterbacks to start in Weeks 1 and 2. His attempt total is so low because the Saints have scored too many points too early, forcing them to run throughout the second half of both games. Carr has averaged a ridiculous 11.4 yards per attempt and scored five touchdowns.

His high per-play numbers are bound to regress, but as the efficiency decreases, the amount of attempts will increase. Carr is on an eight-week stretch where he’s been a consistent fantasy starter. The Saints have a rough stretch of games in the short term, but once we get to November and December, they have one of the easiest schedules. Carr can be a dominant playoff force, just like he was last season.

Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks (16.2%)

Smith put up big numbers in the Seahawks’ Week 2 overtime victory, with 327 yards and a touchdown. He accomplished this without Kenneth Walker III to help the defense focus on the run game, and with Tyler Lockett and Noah Fant also showing up in the injury report and playing through their injuries.

Smith was QB5 in 2022. His PFF overall grade improved in 2023, but his passing volume declined, leading to fewer fantasy points. In Ryan Grubb’s offense, Smith’s passing volume is back up. He might not be an every-week fantasy starter, but he can be in the right matchup.

Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings (5.6%)

Darnold rounds out the trio of quarterbacks who currently rank in the top 10 of fantasy points but are widely available in fantasy leagues. Darnold is similar to Fields in that he’s playing much better with his new team. His completion percentage is similarly up by more than 10 points with a high average depth of target. His big-time play rate is much higher than in recent seasons, although his turnover-worthy play rate has remained at a similar level.

The Vikings’ receivers have played a big role in that, but Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison are injured. Darnold might not be the best short-term option because of that, but there should be plenty of weeks this season where he ranks among the top 10 quarterbacks in fantasy points.