We’re into Week 3, and the waiver wire already looks a lot different than it did a week ago. The early fantasy fireworks of Week 1 gave way to a quieter Week 2, and injuries started hitting some of the biggest names on the board.
Washington Commanders QB Jayden Daniels (elbow), New York Giants QB Jaxson Dart (knee) and Chicago Bears QB Caleb Williams (hamstring) all went down with multi-week setbacks, and that ripple effect doesn’t stop with the quarterbacks. It reaches the receivers, too, because somebody else has to throw them the ball now.
That’s why the waiver wire matters even when it’s imperfect. These players are available for a reason, sure, but fantasy managers can’t sit still while the roster around them starts to crack.
The goal is to stay ahead of the problems, not react after the damage is done. As I said last week, it helps to keep one or two roster spots flexible so you can chase a hot hand or take a swing on someone who looks ready to pop.
Here’s where the help is this week.
At quarterback, Tyler Shough of the New Orleans Saints is still available in 49% of Yahoo leagues, and he’s making people pay attention. He went from a big season at Louisville to a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, a move that drew plenty of skepticism.
Now he’s answering it. Through two games, Shough leads the NFL in passing yards with 662, and he gets a Week 3 home date with the Las Vegas Raiders, who have just two sacks through two games.
If he has time, he should keep rolling for a third straight week.
Bryce Young is another quarterback worth trusting right now. He was on the list last week and delivered again, pushing his completion rate to 63.9% in Week 2 after 62.2% in Week 1.
More importantly, he threw three touchdowns for the second straight game. The Panthers quarterback is starting to look like the player Carolina believed in when it made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
If you’re digging deeper because of injuries, Marcus Mariota is sitting there in Washington and owns just 0% of Yahoo leagues. The Commanders lost Jayden Daniels to a dislocated left elbow for the second straight season, and Mariota is at least a streaming answer.
In 2025, he played in 11 games, threw for 1,695 yards with 10 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, and added 297 rushing yards and a score. He’s not the most exciting option, but if you’re scrambling for a replacement, he’s in the conversation.
At running back, Emanuel Wilson has taken advantage of his shot in Seattle. He’s only 1% rostered, but in Week 2 against Arizona he handled 21 carries for 92 yards, good for 4.4 yards per attempt.
A lot of that work came after the game had already gotten out of hand, but the volume still jumps off the page. He had 21 of Seattle’s 40 rushing attempts, which works out to 52.5% of the team total.
Until Zach Charbonnet (knee) is back, this backfield remains fluid with rookie Jadarian Price, George Holani and Wilson all in the mix.
Jonah Coleman is another rookie making noise. The Denver Broncos back is rostered in 27% of leagues and took advantage of injuries to JK Dobbins and RJ Harvey in Week 2.
Against Jacksonville, he ran 10 times for a team-high 39 yards and a touchdown, then added three catches for 19 yards on three targets. He’s showing enough to make you wonder whether he can eventually jump at least one of the veterans ahead of him.
Alvin Kamara is still a name fantasy managers know well, but the usage tells a different story right now. He’s rostered in 29% of leagues, started the season on the shelf and sits behind Travis Etienne Jr. on the depth chart.
In his debut in Baltimore, Kamara had nine carries for 15 yards and also caught five passes. If the touches stay in the double digits, production should follow once he settles in.
Among receivers, Denzel Boston has been one of the more productive early pickups. He’s 32% owned in Yahoo leagues and already has two touchdowns in two NFL games.
Much of the offseason buzz centered on the Browns’ first-round pick, KC Concepcion, but Boston has been the more useful fantasy piece. He owns a 32% target share, and Cleveland would be smart to keep feeding him.
Dontayvion Wicks has kept building his case in Philadelphia. He opened with two catches for 73 yards and a touchdown in Week 1, then followed that up with five receptions for 74 yards against Tennessee.
In both games, he has drawn 18% of the target share. DeVonta Smith remains firmly in place, but Wicks has the experience and the flashes to keep rookie Makai Lemon at bay if this level of play holds.
Rashod Bateman’s role is tied to the health of Zay Flowers, and that makes him a name to watch. With Flowers out in Week 2 because of a hamstring injury, Bateman saw seven of his nine targets and finished with a 33% target share against the Saints. If Flowers is sidelined again in Week 3, Bateman could be lined up for a big one against a Cowboys pass defense that has been soft.
Adonai Mitchell is also drawing attention in New York. The Jets have started to look like a real NFL team, and Geno Smith is making the most of his second stint with Gang Green.
Mitchell saw 12 targets in Week 2, which accounted for one-third of the team’s total. Smith clearly trusts him, and Mitchell is taking advantage of the opportunity.
The only missing piece is finishing the play once he gets near the goal line.
At tight end, Oronde Gadsden II should be at the very top of the Week 3 priority list. He’s rostered in just 6% of leagues, but the situation in Los Angeles changed fast after David Njoku and Charlie Kolar were placed on the reserve/injured list following the Week 2 game.
Gadsden is the only healthy tight end on the roster, which puts him in line to be TE1 for the Chargers. That’s exactly the kind of opening fantasy managers should move on immediately.
Darren Waller is another tight end worth a look in Carolina. He had a touchdown wiped out by a flag in Week 1, then made up for it with two scores in Atlanta in Week 2. Bryce Young trusts him, and even though Waller has only five targets through two games, he’s clearly a real red-zone weapon for the Panthers.
In Other News...
Saints Lose First Tyler Shough-Jaxson Dart Test For One Frustrating Reason
The Saints were already preparing for a young quarterback challenge this week, but the matchup shifted when Jaxson Dart went down with a knee injury against the Rams. What had initially looked like an MCL sprain turned out to be more extensive after an MRI, and the Giants now appear headed toward a long absence for their rookie signal-caller.
For New Orleans, that means the first Tyler Shough-Jaxson Dart test will not happen after all, at least not in the form many expected. Dart is out for the upcoming game, and Jameis Winston is expected to start in his place, leaving the Saints to adjust to a different kind of opponent and a frustratingly altered version of the weeks quarterback storyline. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Already Made A Tough Call In Their Backfield Battle
Audric Estimes Saints stint hit a hard stop before he ever got the chance to settle into the backfield rotation. New Orleans waived the running back from injured reserve with an injury settlement after the thigh injury sidelined him, a move that both compensates him for time missed and clears the way for him to look for another landing spot once he is healthy.
For the Saints, it is another sign of how quickly the backfield picture has shifted around the injured list and the players who stayed available. Estime had been in the mix for playing time, but while he worked his way through recovery, others moved up the depth chart and carved out roles, leaving New Orleans to make a difficult roster decision with the season plan already taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Drew Brees Just Reframed That Strange Broncos Comeback Story
The odd little Broncos comeback idea got a lot clearer when Drew Brees addressed it on SiriusXMs Lets Go podcast. Brees said he was the one who reached out to former Broncos assistants Pete Carmichael and Joe Lombardi about the possibility of playing for Denver in the 2025 AFC Championship game, which is the kind of late-career twist that instantly gets attention around the league and in Saints circles alike.
Brees said he seriously considered the comeback, but his old injuries kept him from being able to follow through. The NFL has not commented on the matter, and nothing further came from the conversation, leaving the whole episode as one of those strange what-if stories that briefly surfaced, then slipped back into the background. [Read more 🡒]