The fantasy football waiver wire undoubtedly always looks a little drier after the post-Week 1 purge. However, this does not mean you can't find value every week.
The NFL is full of surprises throughout the season, and we as fantasy football managers must adapt to them.
Keeping track of injuries is a huge advantage in knowing who to target for the week ahead. In Week 2, we had some unfortunate injuries to prominent players.
Here are some of our favorite names that can step into a great role and others that deserve attention on the waiver wire.
We'll be consistently updating this list throughout this Sunday and through Week 3's kickoff windows to help improve your fantasy roster.
Roster percentages are mined from Yahoo Fantasy Sports league data.
Best fantasy waiver wire pickups for Week 3
NEW- Dyami Brown, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (1%)
Dyami Brown has been flying under the radar in the fantasy football community. Brown has been targeted third most behind Brian Thomas Jr and Travis Hunter, but that could change come Week 3.
BTJ is currently dealing with a wrist injury. The Jacksonville coaching staff claims that BTJ was dealing with this injury heading into Week 2. This could explain why he played such a strange game and was actively avoiding contact over the middle.
Hunter could take on the WR1 role, but Brown was actually targeted one more time than Hunter in Week 2. After Brown had 5 receptions for 57 yards and a touchdown, the Jags could look to use him more in the absence of BTJ.
Troy Franklin, WR, Denver Broncos (3%)
Bo Nix and Troy Franklin are familiar with each other; after all, they were teammates in college. The Oregon connection is finally starting to take shape in the NFL. In Week 1, Franklin was targeted 6 times and had a moderate fantasy finish (WR48).
However, in Week 2, we potentially saw Franklin break out and show the Broncos' coaching staff what he can do. He had 8 receptions on 9 targets from Nix. With this usage, Franklin had 89 yards and a touchdown, on what looked like a designed play for Franklin.
Troy Franklin finishes off the drive with a TD catch! 🏈 #DENvsIND pic.twitter.com/u0OkHbxGqP
— MiloX Sports NFL (@MiloXSportsNFL) September 14, 2025
Now in Week 3, the Broncos take on the Chargers in what should be a high-scoring game. Franklin should have plenty of opportunity to have another great fantasy outing.
Cedric Tillman, WR, Cleveland Browns (39% rostered)
It's become extremely clear that Joe Flacco loves throwing the ball to Cedric Tillman. In the first two weeks, Tillman has been targeted 15 times by Flacco, just one less than Jerry Jeudy.
However, Tillman has also found the end zone twice, once in each game, including a wild Week 2 TD plant:
HOW did this get through to Cedric Tillman?!
— NFL (@NFL) September 14, 2025
CLEvsBAL on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/lQvCLggzEe
The Browns don't seem like the team to ever be up by such a large margin, where they would lean on the run game. After all, Flacco has passed for 45 attempts in both Week 1 and Week 2.
Between the passing volume, game scripts, and target share, Tillman is a must-add for Week 3 in fantasy football. Cedric Tillman FAAB: 10%
Romeo Doubs, WR, Green Bay Packers (16%)
This is largely due to the Jayden Reed injury on TNF. Reed broke his collarbone against the Washington Commanders and will be out until November. The Packers will now turn to Romeo Doubs and Matthew Golden to hold down the WR position.
Golden is certainly the more exciting pick, but Jordan Love is simply more comfortable with Doubs. While it's important to acknowledge that Golden is a rookie, Doubs has outperformed him in both Week 1 and 2.
Doubs has been targeted 9 times as opposed to just 4 targets for Golden. Doubs has 5 catches for 96 yards and a touchdown, versus Golden with just 2 catches for 16 yards.
This is not to say Golden can't step into that WR1 role at some point from now until Reed's return. However, Doubs is widely available on waivers, and Golden is sitting at 82% rostered. Romeo Doubs FAAB: 10%
Wan'Dale Robinson, New York Giants (22%)
The Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants played potentially one of the greatest games of the 2025 season. Wan'Dale Robinson, like every WR in this game, had a monster fantasy football performance.
Robinson was targeted 10 times by Russel Wilson in Week 2, showing that the trust is there. He had 8 receptions for 142 yards and a touchdown. The craziest part is that Malik Nabers had an all-time performance as well, which shows that Robinson can carve his own role beside Nabers.
The Giants may change their QB soon, but who knows after such a great outing from Russell Wilson. Either way, Robinson needs to be rostered at a higher percent due to this massive upside. Wan'Dale Robinson FAAB: 10%
Zach Ertz, TE, Washington Commanders (56%)
The TE position gets ugly quickly. Usually, this means all the productive TEs are off the waivers, but for some reason, Zach Ertz is being disrespected.
Ertz is only rostered in 56% of fantasy leagues; this is far too low. Over the past two weeks, Ertz has been targeted 13 times by Jayden Daniels. He's had 9 catches for 90 and two touchdowns. In both Week 1 and Week 2, Ertz scored 10 or more fantasy points.
This is a fantastic production from this position, and yet, guys like Mark Andrews and Colston Loveland are more rostered than him. Ertz scored more points than those two TEs combined through these first two weeks.
If you are in need of a TE, and Ertz is sitting on the waivers in your league, he is a must grab for Week 3. Zach Ertz FAAB: 5%
Click for our full group of fantasy football weekly rankings.
Week 3 waiver wire streamers
Fantasy players should only spend a few dollars, maximum, on each of these temporary starters.
QB Fantasy Streaming Pickups
Russel Wilson, New York Giants (5%)
After the performance against the Dallas Cowboys, some managers may view Russell Wilson as a full-time fantasy starter. While you might not be there yet, he provides excellent upside against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 3 in what should be a great game script.
TE Fantasy Streaming Pickups
Theo Johnson, New York Giants (5%)
Similar to Wilson, Johnson should benefit from a good game script against Kansas City in Week 3. He \'s drawn 8 targets from Wilson in the first two weeks. In Week 2, Johnson caught 4 passes for 34 yards, which is far from a bad performance at the TE position.
Team Defense Fantasy Streaming Pickups
Atlanta Falcons (1%)
The Falcons get to take on the Carolina Panthers in Week 3. The Panthers' offense has not been productive and has been riddled with turnovers. The Falcons should be able to hold their own and provide a decent output.
Kicker Fantasy Streaming Pickups
Will Reichard, Minnesota Vikings (11%)
The Vikings have a decent enough offense to move the ball down the field. However, with a young QB in J.J. McCarthy, there will still be some growing pains in this offense that can result in stalled drives. This will lead Reichard to more FG attempts.
CATCH UP: Week 2 Fantasy Takeaways | Top Week 2 Fantasy Players
Week 3 Fantasy Waiver Wire stashes and watch list
Quarterback waiver pickups to stash
- Jake Browning, Cincinnati Bengals (0%)
- Mac Jones, San Francisco 49ers (3%)
- NEW- Carson Wentz, Minnesota Vikings (0%)
Both of these guys were given opportunities in Week 2 because of injuries to the starting QBs. On top of that, both guys had excellent fantasy performances with these opportunities.
Their future success obviously relies on the health of Joe Burrow and Brock Purdy; both look likely to miss at least another couple of weeks.
NEW- With J.J. McCarthy now confirmed to be out at least 2 weeks, Wentz will be the starting QB for the Vikings. With all the injuries to QBs, Wentz can offer a decent performance as he's surrounded by elite weapons,
Running Back waiver pickups to stash
- Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots (67%)
- Miles Sanders, Dallas Cowboys (2%)
- Bhayshul Tuten, Jacksonville Jaguars (55%)
- NEW- Kenneth Gainwell, Pittsburgh Steelers (8%)
The hype of TreVeyon Henderson killed Stevenson in draft season, but it's clear it's not Henderson's backfield quite yet. Sanders is not that good, but the Cowboys have a great offense, and Sanders will continue to stay relevant because of it.
Bhayshul Tuten is owned in a little over half of fantasy leagues. However, if he is available, there is no reason not to stash him. Tuten got 10 touches in Week 2 and made the most of them with a touchdown.
NEW- Gainwell has cemented himself as the RB2 in Pittsburgh. His receiving ability makes him valuable, especially in PPR leagues.
Wide Receiver waiver pickups to stash
- Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers (1%)
- Elic Ayomanor, Tennessee Titans (8%)
- Hunter Renfrow, Carolina Panthers (1%)
Neither Elic Ayomanor nor Dontayvion Wicks has cemented a role in their offense; however, they have room to create one. Both have had decent target shares, and Wicks, in particular, has a greater opportunity with Jayden Reed's injury.
NEW- Hunter Renfrow had a boom week; however, even without the pair of touchdowns, he was viable in PPR leagues. Renfrow was targeted 9 times and is an interesting name to stash in deeper leagues.
Tight End waiver pickups to stash
- Chig Okonkwo, Tennessee Titans (31%)
- Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals (5%)
- NEW- Ja'Tavion Sanders, Carolina Panthers (2%)
Both of these options have young or inexperienced QBs as the starter (barring Joe Burrow being OK). Sometimes, tight ends provide safe completions for these QBs who are looking for quick passes.
NEW- Sanders was targeted 9 and caught 7 of them for 54 yards. This was an excellent PPR performance, and he is someone to monitor going forward.