After two weeks of real football, about the only thing that we were right about was that Josh Allen was going to be amazing, Lamar was going to have a stand-out year, and that Mahomes would create new weapons in Kansas City.
That’s pretty much it. So maybe you shouldn’t be listening to me. For instance, even though he’s too high rostered to make the list this week (63%), Tua is available in two of my leagues! He’s QB5 so far for the year, ahead of Mahomes and Herbert (who, we gotta talk about).
Wentz is QB4! He made the list last week, and just misses it this week at 52% owned!
That said, injury struck again at every position. The Trey Lance thing is just ugly, but that’s just the start of it. Justin Herbert may be able to play with just some rib cartilage separation going on, but how well? Dallas lost Dalton Schultz for a minute, James Conner went out for the Cardinals, and Jerry Jeudy is going to be day-to-day dealing with his own rib injuries.
Oh, and I want a pass on recommending Jameis last week! Not only was Alvin Kamara a game time scratch for ribs, but then it came out that Winston was dealing with a rib issue of his own!
I think I know what a future menu item is going to be!
That said, here are the waiver wire pick-ups to consider going into Week 3.
Only players owned in less than 50% of Yahoo! leagues make the list.
QBs
Jimmy Garoppolo – 6% owned
Say what you want to about Trey Lance, but the fact of the matter is we’re going to have to wait another year to see if the kid is for real, and now we may never know because that ankle looked nasty.
That said, is Jimmy G the best QB pick-up of the week…I’m going to say no. But if you were a Trey Lance owner, he has to feel like the safest bet. And he’s got reliable weapons still in Deebo Samuel, Brandon Ayiuk, and George Kittle (when he returns), so Jimmy G should be a safe play and probably an easy get unless you’re in a large league or Super Flex and everyone is gunning for all QBs.
That said, we’ve seen what his ceiling is, so he’s probably not going to be put you over the top come playoff time.
And let’s be honest, you’re probably looking at this because you did draft Lance to be your QB1, which means you were willing to gamble, so may I instead offer up…
Jared Goff – 23% owned
Jared Goff is QB9 so far this season, and he looks more comfortable than I’ve ever seen him. He’s a guy who’s been to a Super Bowl. He’s faced down the pressures of living in L.A. where they only care about football if you’re good and largely dislike you otherwise. And now he’s in Detroit, and he’s surrounded by weapons.
We can talk about the Sun God and what he’s doing at wide-out, but we should also talk about the intelligent way that the Lions are deploying both their backs in the running and pass game.
This might just be early season heroics or the Lions might be for real. Either way, Goff is putting up solid starting numbers that your fantasy team might be able to take advantage of. Then there’s another guy you might take a gamble on, and that’s…
Marcus Mariota — 11% owned
Mariota is QB13 so far on the season, and that’s without Kyle Pitts getting into the offense yet.
Atlanta is a scary team this season. It features cast-offs like Mariota, Cordarrelle Patterson, Damien Williams, as well as new blood like Pitts, Drake London, and Tyler Allgeier. They don’t know that they’re supposed to finish last in the NFC South and that this is a rebuilding year. That, or that rebuilding under Arthur Smith is moving along a lot faster than expected.
Drake London already looks like a star, and the Falcons arguably should have beaten the Saints Week One and held on strong against the Rams on the road in Week Two, showing that the Dirty Birds are down to play in a shootout.
And even better, Mariota already has 88 rushing yards so far this season for those of you who desire the extra points on the ground in your QB!
RBs
Raheem Mostert – 44% owned
This is a gamble as it seems like every season Mostert gets hurt right when I pick him up or once I start him, but maybe things are different this time. I only own him in 1 league, so it should mean everyone could benefit from an injury free season for Mostert!
That said, it looks like he might be the guy in Miami instead of Chase Edmonds, and it looks like that Miami machine is going to be for real. That means a lot of opportunity going forward, though playing with speedy receivers like Hill and Waddle, his speed isn’t as cool as it was.
Now who wants to see those three guys race the 100m dash against each other?
Eno Benjamin – 11% owned
I say this with the caveat that I don’t believe in the Cardinals. That said, I don’t know how bad this James Conner injury is, but it seems like if nothing else, it will probably be a thing that nags him the rest of the season unless he’s out for a good about of time.
The book is wide open on rookie Eno Benjamin, who has looked good in relief of Conner and seems to be the number 2 back over Darrel Williams.
Still, this is more a move if you’ve got Conner and you’ve yet to handcuff him. At this point, you probably should.
J.D. McKissic – 24% owned
Usually this is a late season waiver addition as McKissic tends to come on in the 2nd half of the season for the offense.
Now, this is only if you’re playing PPR, as McKissic’s value is more in the passing game, but if you need a guy in a hard to find consistent running back league, we’ve already mentioned that Wentz is QB4 so far this season. The Commanders like the Falcons are proving they’re going to be in games, and late down the stretch, McKissic’s value will only increase.
WRs
Jahan Dotson – 44% owned
Look, go get this guy. He could end up being the top of the rookie wideouts when it’s all said and done. And he’s playing for the aforementioned Commanders, who are down to be in shootouts every week!
Even if you don’t have a starting spot on your roster for him, he’s probably better than one of the guys riding your bench.
Garrett Wilson and Corey Davis — 24% and 14% owned
Another rookie with a big game last week…it’s really how much do you buy into Flacco. He looked like a depleted paint can in Week One, but then came out with real energy Week Two which I thought would come in Week One. So, I’m confused. I’ve been high on that Jets receiving corps with Elijah Moore and Corey Davis, and now with Wilson catching on. Davis has more receiving yards but Wilson has more TDs
But it’s the Jets!
And it’s waiver wire receivers, the notoriously flukiest of the bunch to try to figure out.
Still, could be worth a shot!
Joshua Palmer – 27% owned
I want to be high on Keenan Allen, but if you go and look at the pre-season rankings, I was the lowest on him. This felt like the year that the guard would begin to change and Mike Williams would take over. Of course, I didn’t want that to come with yet another Allen injury, but here we are.
That said, Palmer should get all the targets that Williams doesn’t. Of course, we also don’t know how well Herbert is going to be, but even if the Chargers have to go back-up to Chase Daniel (one of the better back-up QBs in the league), they should still be fine and in most games.
They just might not be winning them. But that doesn’t affect Palmer’s fantasy value with Allen out!
TEs
Logan Thomas – 15% owned
I’m not going to gush about the Commanders again. I can’t believe I have this much already.
Apparently I’m super high on Washington fantasy-wise this season. And they might even finish 2nd in the NFC East behind the Eagles.
Insane. But Logan Thomas is really good regardless.
Evan Engram – 21% owned
Look, we here in the Tailgate Kingdom have loved Evan Engram for a while now, as he’s saved our fantasy bacon in late game contests.
Like with McKissic, no reason to wait until the end of the season to grab a guy that could get you through the playoffs. And the relationship he’s building with T. Law, who looks much improved in Year Two, makes this waiver wire pick-up even easier.
And that’s it! Be sure to hit us up with your Week Three Match-up questions on Twitter @KingsTailgate, @TheTailgateKing, and @TheTailgateKid !