If you play fantasy football, you know that winning doesn’t happen at the draft. Here are our suggested waiver wire Week 3 pickups. Or, skip straight to the initial release of our model’s complete Week 3 projections.

The injuries are piling up quickly in the NFL and fantasy football lineups are taking a dramatic hit because of it. With players like Christian McCaffrey, Puka Nacua, Isiah Pacheco, Deebo Samuel and more all set to miss significant time, fantasy managers need to know where to turn next.

With that in mind, here are the top waiver wire pickups to consider as you’re putting in your claims going into Week 3.

Week 3 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups

Running Backs

Samaje Perine, Kansas City Chiefs

It’s wild to think that Samaje Perine was on the Denver Broncos roster just a few weeks ago, but now he’s set to be in the conversation to lead this Kansas City Chiefs backfield for the foreseeable future after a fibula injury to Isiah Pacheco.

Yes, we’ll see Carson Steele rotate in as the power back – and there’s also talk that Kareem Hunt may be on his way back for a reunion with the team – but Perine’s veteran experience will be key for a Chiefs offense that is simply looking to stay the course in Pacheco’s absence.

We shouldn’t go out of our way to acquire Perine from a free agent auction budget standpoint due to all the uncertainty, but he’s worth adding as a depth piece to see how this backfield shakes out in Week 3 and beyond.

Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys

The free agent waiver wire doesn’t exactly feature a ton of headline names that come with guaranteed volume, but Rico Dowdle is worth keeping an eye on due to the work that he saw in Week 2 in the Dallas Cowboys’ backfield.

While 12 touches certainly isn’t much to write home about, Dowdle’s work as a receiving option was particularly noteworthy, helping him to 9.9 fantasy points in PPR formats. He saw five targets against the New Orleans Saints and the competition in this backfield isn’t exactly fierce with Deuce Vaughn and Ezekiel Elliott at this stage of his career.

It’s unlikely to happen right away, but the path for Dowdle to take over this backfield and be the true workhorse is there as the season moves along. It’s up to him to see if he can step up and take the reins. He’s worth adding as a depth piece if you have the space.

Braelon Allen, New York Jets

Braelon Allen held a ton of intrigue coming into this past NFL Draft. He’s still incredibly young for a NFL RB and he has the size and speed combination to be a true threat at this level, but his lack of refinement in the finer aspects of the game prevented him from being a high draft pick this past April.

That lack of refinement didn’t seem to be very evident on the field this past week as he punched in a pair of touchdowns as he helped lead the New York Jets to a victory over the Tennessee Titans. While we certainly shouldn’t expect this type of performance each week from him as Breece Hall is still the unquestioned starter in this backfield, there’s a path for Allen to work his way into some standalone fantasy value as we move along.

Add in the built-in upside if something were to happen to Hall from an injury standpoint and Allen’s worth scooping up as a bench stash.

Carson Steele, Kansas City Chiefs

We’ve already talked about the Kansas City backfield and how Perine is in a solid position to carry the weight in Pacheco’s absence, but that doesn’t mean that Steele is going to be completely irrelevant.

Once Pacheco went down this past week, Steele was the main option to carry the workload in a tight contest against the Cincinnati Bengals. He’s emerged out of seemingly nowhere to be a viable RB for this offense, but ball security does need to be discussed for the rookie.

Steele had seven fumbles over the course of his three-year collegiate career and he already lost the football one time in seven carries this past week. He’s profiling as more of a fullback and short-yardage option than a full-on breakout RB, which means that he’s a bit of a risky pickup. Andy Reid could certainly surprise us and lean on Steele in Week 3 and beyond, but my bet is more with the reliability of Perine and his understanding of the position at this point of his career.

Wide Receivers

Demarcus Robinson, Los Angeles Rams

Well, we discussed Demarcus Robinson in last week’s waiver wire column and he was worth a speculative addition due to Puka Nacua’s injury and the fact that the No. 2 WR role in this potent Los Angeles Rams’ passing attack was possibly up for grabs.

Fast forward a week and Robinson may very well be the new No. 1 wideout for Matthew Stafford for the foreseeable future after Cooper Kupp suffered an ankle injury in Week 2 and seems to be on his way to joining Nacua on Injured Reserve.

This offense may be just so obliterated from an injury standpoint that it doesn’t lead to a ton of production from Robinson, but leaving a WR1 for a NFL roster out on your waiver wire isn’t good practice. He should be added and stowed on your bench through Week 3 – or rolled out as a Flex option – to see how he’s utilized in Kupp and Nacua’s absence.

Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns

We’re now through two weeks of the 2024 NFL season and Jerry Jeudy has two top 30 WR fantasy finishes under his belt in Half-PPR scoring formats. He has 14 targets from Deshaun Watson over that time frame, which is more than players like Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Mike Evans, and Cincinnati Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase.

He certainly has not been the model of consistency in years past, but the Cleveland offense is choosing to air it out with Watson and keep things closer to the line of scrimmage, which is good news for Jeudy from a fantasy standpoint.

You may have been burned by Jeudy in the past from a fantasy perspective, but it’s hard to argue with production. With all the key injuries happening right now, that production can’t be left for anyone else to snag off of the wire. He can be added and stashed away until we have enough evidence to suggest that he’s safe to start.

Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers

Did you know that Quentin Johnston is tied for the league lead in receiving touchdowns right now? After having crossed the end zone line just twice in 17 games last season, Johnston has already tied that mark through the first two contests and seems to have developed a solid chemistry with Justin Herbert in this new offense.

Should we immediately be ready to move past Johnston’s lackluster rookie season and plug him into our lineups next week as a top 24 WR? Absolutely not! However, his talent and athleticism made him a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and if he’s showing signs that he’s beginning to put it together at the NFL level, that’s worth scooping up and tucking away on your bench.

Tight Ends

Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

Did you know that Hunter Henry has more receiving yards through two games than Detroit Lions TE Sam LaPorta and Baltimore Ravens TE Mark Andrews combined? For that reason, he’s our TE2 in PPR formats this week.

In a New England Patriots offense that is yearning for reliable pass catchers, Henry has a legitimate chance to be the target leader for this team when it’s all said and done and that should have fantasy managers sprinting to go pick him up off of the waiver wire this week.

As we’ve seen the top options at the TE position do next to nothing to start this season, any production should be highly sought after. Henry’s near the top of waiver wire rankings for me this week.

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