Well we are done with the first week of 2024 action, so time to finetune your roster with our Week 3 Waiver Wire pickups.
We’re only two weeks into the 2024 season and already the injuries are piling up across the league. After re-aggravating an existing knee issue against the Lions in week one, Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua has officially been placed on the Injured Reserve, where he could be joined by teammate Cooper Kupp, who left Sunday’s game in Arizona in a walking boot after suffering a high ankle sprain. Isiah Pacheco fractured his fibula and looks to be out for at least six weeks, Deebo Samuel and A.J. Brown look set to miss a couple of games with calf and hamstring injuries, and of course Tua Tagovailoa is out indefinitely after another brutal concussion on Thursday Night Football at home to Buffalo.
Weeks two and three historically provide the best waiver wire value in fantasy football, so now is the time to splash the cash and take your shot on any free agent pickups you believe could have season long value – let’s take a look at some of the best long (and short) term solutions for your roster.
Rules for Selection & Order Priority
For a player to be considered to be added, they have to:
- Have an rostered % of 50% or under on ESPN
- Players below are listed by their roster %, not priority. Know your league settings. If there is a high-priority add, you’ll know.
Baker Mayfield (TB) 48.9% rostered
Still rostered in under 50% of leagues, still the QB1 on the season for fantasy. After a stellar week one performance at home to the Commanders, Baker didn’t exactly cook on the road in Detroit, more of a re-heat, or even a simmer. Mayfield threw for 104 fewer yards at Ford Field than he did on the opening day, and unsurprisingly couldn’t match his 4 touchdown heroics, finding the end zone just once – connecting with Chris Godwin on a 41-yard score mid-way through the 2nd quarter. Despite his drop in production, Makyfield was still efficient enough to finish as the QB6 on the week, thanks in part to 34-yards and a score on the ground. This Bucs offense looks legit, and as long as Mike Evans and the born-again Chris Godwin are healthy, Baker should be top-12 option at the position every week. Next up is the 0-2 Denver Broncos back at the Raymond James…there’s a great chance he’ll still be QB1 entering week 4, go grab him now while you can.
Derek Carr (NO) 11.7% rostered
If you think that rostering the No.1 overall quarterback after two weeks may be a little pricey on your FAAB, then why not go after the QB2 and save yourself a little cash. Unbelievably, Derek Carr of the New Orleans Saints sits right behind Baker Mayfield in the rankings so far this season, finishing as the QB6 in week one and QB2 in week two. Carr has found the end zone on three occasions in each of the opening pair of games (five passing touchdowns and one on the ground), guiding the Saints to a 2-0 start with a league leading 91 points scored. New Orleans will look to keep the momentum going as they welcome Philadelphia and their porous secondary to the Super Dome on Sunday afternoon. The Saints have scored on every drive so far this season – get a piece of this offense while you still can.
Also Consider – Geno Smith (SEA) 23.5% rostered, Sam Darnold (MIN) 8.4% rostered
If for some reason Jordan Mason is still available in your league, go grab him immediately. He is still only rostered in 52.4% of ESPN leagues and is a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 until CMC returns. He’s a full FAAB dump in all formats.
Samaje Perine/ Carson Steele/ Kareem Hunt 4.7%/ 3.6%/ 0.0% rostered
Isiah Pacheco looks set to miss at least the next six weeks with a fractured fibula, and as one of the few true workhorse backs in the league, whoever replaces him immediately has significant value for your rosters. That part of the equation is easy…trying to figure out exactly who that replacement will be is the hard part. Samaje Perine was signed during the pre-season to be the 3rd down back, and that’s likely to be what he is limited to going forward, with UDFA Carson Steele handling early down work. Steele saw 7 carries in the 26-25 victory over the Bengals on Sunday night, totalling 24-yards for his efforts – but he also fumbled, and it was a bad one. Trust in the rookie clearly isn’t high, as no sooner had Pacheco’s injury been confirmed, that the Chiefs announced they were hosting Kareem Hunt for a try-out. If Hunt has anything left in the tank, expect him to be signed and immediately slotted into this rotation. All three are a gamble, with Perine the safest bet to retain long-term value as the season goes on, especially in any form of PPR leagues. Oh, don’t forget about Clyde Edwards-Helaire who will be eligible to return from IR in week 5…what a mess.
Rico Dowdle (DAL) 38.8% rostered
I will save you some time here – if you don’t believe in Rico Dowdle, you can skip this part of the column each Tuesday, because until his roster percentage hit’s 50%, his name will be right here every.single.week. In the surprise week 2 loss to New Orleans, Dowdle saw more carries than Ezekiel Elliot, was more efficient on the ground than Ezekiel Elliot, had more targets than Ezekiel Elliot…and was just generally better than Ezekiel Elliot. Zeke is still a good running back, but at 29-years old and with over 2,000 career rushing opportunities, the reality of him being an every-down back just doesn’t exist. This will likely still continue to be a time-share for the foreseeable, but Dowdle should emerge as the primary running back for what is one of the best offenses in the National Football League. He’s still a stash for now, but does have weekly FLEX appeal.
Also Consider – Jaleen McLaughlin (DEN) 39.2% rostered, Bucky Irving (TB) 25.9% rostered, Ray Davis (BUF) 14.1% rostered & Braelon Allen (NYJ) 8.9% rostered.
DeMarcus Robinson (LAR) 28.0% rostered
With news of Puka Nacua’s injury, Robinson saw an 18% increase in ownership heading into week 2 – now that Cooper Kupp has also been sidelined with an injury (and potentially heading to the IR), expect Robinson to be a hot commodity when waivers run in week 3. The ninth-year veteran led the Rams in receiving yards against the Cardinals, which sounds great…unfortunately he did that with only 50-yards on two catches. It’s anyone’s guess just who will be the focal point of LA’s passing game – it may even be Kyren Williams – but Matthew Stafford is going to have to pass to someone, and Robinson is as good a bet as anyone in this receiver room. The Rams are 7.5 point underdogs heading into the home tilt with the 49ers – if they want to keep up with Brock Purdy and co, the Rams, and Matthew Stafford will need to be effective through the air. Robinson
Quentin Johnston (LAC) 6.2% rostered
It finally happened! After a tortuous rookie season, and a WR59 finish in week one of 2024, former first round pick Quentin Johnston was relevant for fantasy football. Johnston hauled in 5-of-6 targets from Justin Herbert for 51-yards and two touchdowns in the Chargers’ 26-3 win over the Carolina Panthers…woooooh! Ok, time to calm down and take stock, yes it was only the Panthers, but are we finally seeing the first-rounder that the Chargers thought they were getting exiting last year’s Draft…probably not – but he is definitely worth picking up and stashing on your bench for fantasy purposes. Johnston was an elite wideout at TCU, with many analysts having him at the top of their boards at the wide receiver position last April. He undoubtedly has the talent, and now might just be the time we get to see it.
Jalen Nailor (MIN) 0.6% rostered
The third-year receiver out of Michigan State made it back-to-back games with a receiving touchdown, as the Vikings moved to 2-0 following their shock victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday evening. Nailor’s relevance has mostly come through the injury to Jordan Addison, seeing his snap percentage jump to 93% from 47% in week one. Nailor could be in line for another week of multiple Sam Darnold targets, especially if Justin Jefferson’s quad injury has him entering the contest against the Texans at anything less than 100%. He figures to be a high-risk rental, but an excellent potential spot-start for WR needy fantasy teams.
Also Consider – Darnell Mooney (ATL) 39.7% rostered, Andrei Iosivas (CIN) 4.5% rostered.
Hunter Henry (NE) 18.1% rostered
Henry’s performance in the 23-20 loss at home to Seattle was reflective of just how things are going at the tight end position so far in 2024. Henry’s 8 catches for 109 scoreless yards were enough to see him finish up as the TE2 on the week, just behind George Kittle who happened to find the end zone. Tight end is a minefield this year so far, so if I don’t have one of the top guys, I am willing to stream anyone who is seeing a decent number of targets – Hunter Henry’s 15 ranks him T2 with Likely and McBride, behind only rookie sensation Brock Bowers (18). New England travel to New Jersey to take on the Jets this Thursday night – Henry is as good a bet as anyone to put up numbers for you in week 3 – if you’re disillusioned with your current TE, you could do worse than the Pats #1.
Mike Gesicki (CIN) 3.5% rostered
What a blast from the past this one is. After three seasons as a low-end TE1 in Miami, Gesicki fell off the face of the earth, finishing as TE22 in 2022, before a TE36 season last year in New England. The former AFC East man now calls Ohio home, and looks to be enjoying his new surroundings, as well as catching passes from Joe Burrow. After a pedestrian week 1 (let’s be honest, barely any TE’s were anything but), Gesicki exploded onto the stat sheet in week 2, corralling 7-of-9 targets from Burrow for 91 scoreless yards. Expect Gesicki to be used heavily in the continued absence of Tee Higgins, and even when the wideout does return, the former Dolphin has proven he still can be counted on in a pass-heavy offense.
Also Consider –
Colby Parkinson (LAR) 25.1% & Zach Ertz (WAS) 5.1% rostered
There you have it! Any questions, or want some more specific help for your league on who to drop, just reach out. Reach out on social media, you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Or jump into our Discord server. And checkout out rankings for each Week.
