Pigskin Pickups: The Top 10 Best Week 3 Waiver Wire Adds
1. Jonah Coleman — RB, Denver Broncos
The waiver-wire prize
This is what we want from a Week 3 waiver claim: a player whose opportunity changed dramatically because of less people in front of him.
Jonah Coleman barely played in Week 1. Then Denver’s backfield got hit by injuries, with J.K. Dobbins and R.J. Harvey both dealing with hamstring issues.
Coleman responded with 10 carries for 39 yards and a touchdown plus three catches for 19 yards in Week 2. He also played 25 offensive snaps, nine more than Tyler Badie.
If Dobbins and Harvey aren’t ready, Coleman could walk into Week 3 with legitimate RB2/FLEX potential.
And even if they return, Coleman has shown enough to potentially force his way into the rotation.
FAAB target: 12-17%
2. Denzel Boston — WR, Cleveland Browns
Two weeks. Two touchdowns. We’re listening.
Boston has scored the Browns’ only touchdown in each of their first two games.
Week 1: 46-yard touchdown.
Week 2: 5 catches, 95 yards and a touchdown on a team-high seven targets.
The rookie also broke multiple tackles on a 55-yard touchdown against Tampa Bay.
The quarterback situation in Cleveland isn’t exactly a fantasy buffet, so there are obvious limitations.
But Boston isn’t simply living off one fluky touchdown. He’s producing explosive plays and earning targets.
That’s enough to make him one of the more intriguing WR additions this week.
FAAB target: 8–15%
3. Adonai Mitchell — WR, New York Jets
Twelve targets. That’s the headline.
Mitchell followed a modest three-target debut with six catches on 12 targets for 63 yards against Green Bay.
Twelve targets.
That was the team high.
He also drew a long defensive pass-interference penalty on a deep shot, meaning the box score could have looked even better.
Mitchell is playing alongside Garrett Wilson, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If defenses spend their resources trying to contain Wilson, Mitchell can operate as the secondary target.
And his next two opponents are Detroit and Chicago, the 31st and 24th ranked pass defenses respectively.
That’s a couple of waiver-wire matchups worth circling.
FAAB target: 5–10%
4. Tyler Shough — QB, New Orleans Saints
We talked about Shough last week.
Apparently, he didn’t get the memo that we were supposed to stop talking about him.
Through two games, Shough has thrown for 662 yards and four touchdowns, while adding a rushing touchdown in Week 2. He has also topped 20 fantasy points in both games.
The Saints are playing quickly under Kellen Moore, and that means opportunity.
The Week 3 matchup with Las Vegas is also considerably more appealing than the Ravens matchup he just survived.
If you’re streaming quarterback, Shough is no longer a dart throw.
He’s becoming a weekly option.
FAAB target: 7-10%
5. Bryce Young — QB, Carolina Panthers
Here’s a sentence that probably would have sounded ridiculous six months ago:
Bryce Young is a legitimate fantasy quarterback pickup.
Through two weeks, Young has thrown for 648 yards, six touchdowns and one interception.
He has also posted passer ratings above 110 in each of his first two games.
The Week 3 matchup against Cleveland is middling, but the production has been too consistent to ignore.
Young is currently rostered in roughly one-third of ESPN leagues according to NFL.com’s Week 3 waiver report.
He’s particularly attractive for managers who drafted the quarterback position with the philosophy of “I’ll figure it out later.”
Later has arrived.
FAAB target: 7-10%
6. Dontayvion Wicks — WR, Philadelphia Eagles
Wicks is becoming the classic “the box score doesn’t tell the whole story” waiver candidate.
He has topped 70 receiving yards in both games:
- Week 1: 2-73-1
- Week 2: 5-74-0
He also played 90.9% of Philadelphia’s offensive snaps in Week 1 before dropping to 70.1% in Week 2.
The snap decline is worth monitoring.
But a receiver averaging 73.5 yards through two games in an offense this good deserves a roster spot.
FAAB target: 3–5%
7. Tre Tucker — WR, Las Vegas Raiders
This is where we exercise a little caution.
Tucker went nuclear against the Chargers:
5 catches, 119 yards and a touchdown on seven targets.
Great.
Fantastic.
Wonderful.
Now let’s remember that Tucker played only 58.7% of Las Vegas’ offensive snaps. The Raiders rotated several receivers, and Brock Bowers could return soon.
So we’re interested.
We’re just not backing the Brinks truck up to the Raiders’ facility.
FAAB target: 2–4%
8. Emanuel Wilson — RB, Seattle Seahawks
Here’s the definition of a waiver-wire running back:
21 carries.
Wilson took advantage of Jadarian Price leaving Sunday’s game with a chest injury and finished with 92 rushing yards on those 21 carries.
The key question is Price’s health.
If Price returns, Wilson’s value drops.
If Price misses time, Wilson suddenly becomes a very interesting volume play.
This is exactly the type of situation where you make the waiver claim before the injury report makes the situation obvious.
FAAB target: 4-7%
9. Kaleb Johnson — RB, Green Bay Packers
The Packers’ running-back depth chart currently resembles a committee designed by people who don’t particularly enjoy fantasy football.
Johnson, MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks are all involved.
But Johnson led Green Bay with 30 rushing yards on eight carries in Week 2 and played 16 snaps — the same number as Lloyd.
That’s not enough to start him.
It is enough to stash him.
If Johnson starts getting the early-down work, his value could rise quickly.
FAAB target: 2-4%
10. Rashod Bateman — WR, Baltimore Ravens
Bateman becomes interesting if Zay Flowers misses Week 3.
With Flowers sidelined in Week 2, Bateman led Baltimore receivers with:
7 catches, 88 yards, 1 touchdown and 9 targets.
That’s legitimate WR3/FLEX usage.
The problem is obvious: Flowers’ return would push Bateman back toward his usual inconsistent role.
So this is an injury-dependent pickup.
But if Flowers is ruled out again?
Bateman belongs in your lineup conversation.
FAAB target: 2–5%
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