Waiver Wire

Waiver Wire Pickups Week 3

By Will Holtz

Posted on September 19, 2023

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Waiver Wire Pickups Week 3

We had some major surprises in Week 1 which led to a massive waiver wire frenzy in Week 2 headlined by guys like Puka Nacua, Josh Kelley and Tyler Allgeier. This week, things are a little less crazy. Some of the guys we added last week turned out to be really good in their second week of action, leaving us with fewer boom performances to chase in free agency. However, there are still some guys in last week’s article that are still available in leagues and some others that should be added as their usage increases. Let’s kick off Week 3 with some sharp waiver wire claims.

Quarterback

Mac Jones (13% ESPN, 23% Yahoo)

Like most people, I was hands-off on Mac Jones and the New England Patriots passing attack during draft season. However, Jones seems to be making lemonade out of lemons and I’m here for it. He doesn’t have a clear WR1 to throw to, yet he’s the QB7 in fantasy points through Sunday night. Granted, we’ve had some stinkers from elite quarterbacks through two weeks so the numbers are a little skewed, but Jones is cooking in New England. This is a deeper add, but I think he can be even better once he’s in mid-season form and could produce enough to be considered as a spot starter for bye weeks and injuries.

Baker Mayfield (10% ESPN, 16% Yahoo)

Most of the weekly starters are rostered and there weren’t any boom weeks from the position that I can see being sustainable throughout the season. However, Baker Mayfield is someone who can provide a solid, consistent line for you after what he’s done over the last two weeks. This is definitely a suggestion for deeper leagues, but I like what I’m seeing from Mayfield. He’s doing everything he needs to do to lead the Buccaneers to wins and this is translating to fantasy points so far. First and foremost, Mayfield is getting the ball to his playmakers. Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have combined for an even 50% of the team targets for Tampa Bay which is great for Mayfield’s production. It seems simple and obvious, but simple and obvious is what Mayfield needs to be fantasy-relevant. His rushing attempts are also intriguing, seeing as he was fourth in carries among quarterbacks through Sunday night. He’s more of a deeper league pickup, but Baker Mayfield looks good through two weeks.

 

Running Back

 

Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams (61% ESPN, 62% Yahoo)

Look, he’s probably rostered in your league seeing as he was added in 57% of Yahoo leagues and 51% of ESPN leagues last week, but I can’t sit here and not include him one last time. If Kyren Williams is available, he needs to be on your roster for Week 3. Sean McVay and the Rams have seemingly shunned Cam Akers for the second straight year and are looking for real this time. He was a healthy scratch in Week 2 and it doesn’t look like he’ll play another snap for the Rams. This opened up a huge opportunity for Williams and he took advantage of it. Even against a tough 49ers defense, Williams was able to produce 100 total yards on 20 touches. What’s even more impressive was the 10 targets he saw, pacing the entire position last week. I think Williams will become the first bell-cow back for the Rams since Todd Gurley and he should be a locked and loaded starter in fantasy lineups for the remainder of the season.

Zack Moss (32% ESPN, 53% Yahoo)

If Jonathan Taylor isn’t going to play for the Colts this season, Zack Moss is going to be a great season-long addition for managers who have been bitten by the injury bug at running back already. He doesn’t play for a great team and isn’t the most exciting player to plug into your lineups, but volume is king in fantasy football and Moss should be getting all the work he can handle from here on out. He was the only running back to log a carry or see any targets for the Colts in Week 2 and it’s not often that a player with that kind of share in an offense is available on the waiver wire. Moss should be a solid FLEX option moving forward so long as his volume continues to stay where it’s at.

Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans (13% ESPN, 17% Yahoo)

If you have Derrick Henry on your roster, there is no reason why Tyjae Spears should not also be on your roster. Henry is 29 years old and is the most physical player at the most physical position in football; Having his handcuff is a must and it just so happens that Spears is one of the few elite handcuffs out there. He’s already seeing a solid share of the workload with a 45% snap share with Henry while his touches went from four in Week 1 to 10 in Week 2. His explosiveness and pass-catching ability remind me of what Tony Pollard was to Ezekiel Elliott in their first couple of years together. Tyjae Spears is extremely talented and should be stashed on your roster.

 

Wide Reciever

 

Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers (14% ESPN, 10% Yahoo)

It’s always a good idea to add rookie receivers early in the season (see Puka Nacua) and Jayden Reed could be the next young player everyone wants to stash. I’m really high on the Packers passing attack and I think Reed has the juice to make a season-long impact with his playmaking prowess. Quarterback Jordan Love is spreading the ball around, but Reed saw his targets increase from five to eight in Week 2 and found the endzone twice. Even with the potential return of Christian Watson soon, I’m in on Reed. He provides a different element than Watson at receiver and should not be fazed out of the rotation even when it’s at its full strength. Stash Reed with confidence in deeper leagues.

Tutu Atwell, Los Angeles Rams (32% ESPN, 25% Yahoo)

You can’t argue with targets and while Puka Nacua seems to be the king of that category for the Rams, Atwell isn’t a slouch by any means. In Week 1, Atwell caught six of his eight targets for 119 yards. In Week 2, he caught seven of his nine targets for 77 yards. If he can do all of this while Nacua is still producing at the insane rate that he is, imagine what Atwell can do once his teammate cools down a bit. What should be encouraging is that the 23-year-old pass catcher was the WR15 on the season in full-PPR leagues through Sunday’s slate despite not finding the endzone over that stretch. I have to say, I’m a sucker for positive touchdown regression. I suggest you get in on Atwell before he starts to find pay dirt to go along with his high target share.

Skyy Moore, Kansas City Chiefs (70% ESPN, 49% Yahoo)

Yes, adding a Kansas City Chiefs receiver is certainly a dart throw, but this is a dart worth throwing. Skyy Moore seems to be the big play guy for Patrick Mahomes which is one of the most valuable positions to be in for fantasy purposes. He’s likely big-play or touchdown-dependent as he’s only seen seven targets through two weeks, but that’s where we are at this point with the Chiefs receiving core. He was a highly touted prospect ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft and Kansas City spent a 2nd round pick on him. They like him, he showed some stuff last week with a couple of big plays and he has the potential to emerge as the WR1 for the Chiefs. Go add him as a high-ceiling bench stash if he’s still available in your league.

 

Tight End

Zach Ertz, Arizona Cardinals (47% ESPN, 10% Yahoo)

Volume is king in fantasy football and Zach Ertz has seen a lot of targets in the first two weeks of the season. In fact, he has the largest team target share among tight ends through Sunday’s slate of games and that’s enough to get me interested. As of Sunday, he’s the TE6 in full-PPR leagues without a single touchdown. As I stated before, I’m a believer in positive touchdown regression and it should come for Ertz. It’s also not a bad idea to have the player with the highest target share on a team that will be trailing in games for most of the season. What’s even more exciting is that he could get an upgrade at quarterback if Kyler Murray were to be activated from the IR at some point this season. It’s hard to get excited about the tight end position right now, but Ertz could provide a boost to fantasy teams that stream the position throughout the season.