With Week three completed we see some waiver options that scream attention. With the Christian McCaffrey injury, we will now see managers scrambling to replace their top pick. Keep an eye on higher rostered players such as Zack Moss on your wires. I would sort your free agent pool by rostered and you’d be surprised who is there. This list is composed of most players under 50% on ESPN.
Running Backs
Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers, 11% rostered
The top pick in mostly all fantasy leagues went down with a hamstring injury and the early word on Christian McCaffrey is he’s out up to three weeks. He wasn’t placed on IR, but Chuba Hubbard is the top waiver claim this week. If you have CMC, you need to invest a lot in this right here. He had 11 carries for 52 yards, and three catches on five targets for 27 yards. He is the RB1 now until CMC is back.
Peyton Barber, Las Vegas Raiders, 7% rostered
I, like many others, thought Kenyan Drake was in line for a big workload with Josh Jacobs out. They gave him a good contract and all, right? Peyton Barber has taken this over. With Jacobs out, Barber is a clear RB1. 23 carries for 111 yards and a touchdown with three catches on five targets for 31 yards. He did it all, and while Jacobs is out, Barber is an every-week starter on the red-hot Raiders.
Giovani Bernard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 12% rostered
Gio Bernard is supposed to fill the James White role from New England. Sunday, he had 10 total targets and had nine catches for 51 yards and a touchdown. I wouldn’t expect this kind of workload every week, especially since Tampa was losing, but Bernard showed his pass-catching abilities once again.
Carlos Hyde, Jacksonville Jaguars, 14% rostered
Carlos Hyde is the clear backup to James Robinson who had a nice bounce-back game today. Hyde only had eight carries for 44 yards, but he’s someone to monitor especially if you roster Robinson. Urban Meyer seems set on giving him work, and he is cheap as of now.
Brandon Bolden, New England Patriots, 0% rostered
With James The white missing time now with an injury, Brandon Bolden could see his role increase. JJ Taylor is an option, but Bolden saw three catches for 23 yards and took three rushes. Bolden is someone to monitor in deeper leagues.
Larry Rountree, Los Angeles Chargers, 3% rostered
If you drafted Austin Ekeler, Larry Rountree needs to be on your roster. He is the backup running back in LA, even getting a goal-line carry on Sunday. He didn’t do much getting only four carries, but seeing him get a goal-line carry shows LA sees him as the backup to Ekeler, and to note, Justin Jackson had two carries for no yards.
Wide Receivers
Tim Patrick, Denver Broncos, 14% rostered
With Jerry Jeudy is down, and now KJ Hamler going down, Tim Patrick is beginning to gain more and more traction in fantasy. Against the Jets, Patrick had five catches on five targets for 98 yards. The Broncos have Courtland Sutton and Noah Fant, but Patrick has worked his way into one of the top three targets in Denver. He is turning into an every-week flex play.
Josh Gordon, Kansas City Chiefs, 6% rostered
Josh Gordon was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs, which is the perfect landing spot. If Gordon can stay out of trouble, the talented receiver has a chance to carve out a role in the high-powered offense. He might not do anything right away, but this is someone you may want to add if you have the room.
Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs, 51% rostered
The Chiefs are experiencing an unexpected losing skid. Mecole Hardman has been getting better and better each week of the season. Against the Chargers, he brought in three catches on four targets for 33 yards and a touchdown. Last week he had eight targets, and this week he had a touchdown. He is turning into the third option for Patrick Mahomes.
Bryan Edwards, Las Vegas Raiders, 14% rostered
Lookout for the undefeated Raiders! Bryan Edwards was a popular sleeper last season as a rookie and underperformed. Now, he is beginning to string along a nice stretch for the Raiders. Against Miami, he brought in three of five targets for 89 yards. He is becoming a reliable target for a surprise Raiders team, and worth a flier in deeper leagues.
Hunter Renfrow, Las Vegas Raiders, 11% rostered
Another Las Vegas Raider makes the list here, as the slot man Hunter Renfrow has been putting up solid weeks. Against Miami, he brought in five of six targets for 77 yards and a touchdown. Renfrow has put up double-digit fantasy points in a full point format every week and has seen 23 targets in three games.
Desean Jackson, Los Angeles Rams, 2% rostered
Desean Jackson had himself a breakout against the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He brought in three of five targets for 120 yards and a long 75-yard touchdown. He is battling Van Jefferson for the WR3 role in LA and did a good job of making a statement.
Terrace Marshall, Carolina Panthers, 15% rostered
The Carolina Panthers are one of the league's surprises this year as they are off to a 3-0 start. DJ Moore has been the WR1 for Carolina, but the big story is Robby Anderson has done nothing outside an easy touchdown against the Jets. Terrace Marshall hasn’t been putting up big weeks, but he’s getting targets. He brought in four of five targets for 48 yards against the Houston Texans. With Christian McCaffrey injured, it could open up more looks for the slot man Marshall.
Christian Kirk, Arizona Cardinals, 23% rostered
The big story was DeAndre Hopkins was highly questionable, and Rondale Moore was supposed to have a massive breakout game. Christian Kirk stepped up against Jacksonville and had himself a game. He brought in seven of eight targets for 104 yards. Over three weeks, he has had 17 targets on a team using four-receiver sets often. Kirk is gaining traction and should be looked at in deeper leagues.
AJ Green, Arizona Cardinals, 25% rostered
Another Arizona Cardinal makes the list in AJ Green. Green had a big game with five catches on six targets for 112 yards. He has seen 18 targets in three weeks and has put up double-digit fantasy points in back-to-back weeks. Health is always a concern for Green, but right now he has been consistent.
Sammy Watkins, Baltimore Ravens, 31% rostered
Sammy Watkins in the past performed week one and that was it. This season, he has been the WR1 for the Ravens. He saw seven targets and brought in four catches for 68 yards against the Lions. Watkins is a nice flier in deeper leagues as a WR3-4 play or flex, but he’s seeing the targets from Lamar Jackson (22 of them in three games).
Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens, 7% rostered
This is a pure stash pickup. Bateman is eligible to come off IR this coming week and would slot in as the WR2/3 for the Ravens. If you have the IR space or roster space, he is worth a speculative add.
Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots, 0% rostered
Kendrick Bourne came out of nowhere this week to have a great game. In a matchup where they trailed for most of the game, Mac Jones was throwing a bunch and targeted Bourne eight times. He brought in six of those targets for 96 yards and a touchdown. If he can do it consistently is the question, but if there’s chemistry with a rookie QB, odds are he will look that way often.
Curtis Samuel, Washington Football Team, 57% rostered
Curtis Samuel is back doing drills at practice and technically is eligible to be taken off IR this week. He may still miss more time, but if you have the IR spot available, he’s someone worth taking the flier on.
Collin Johnson, New York Giants, 0% rostered
With Sterling Sheppard and Darius Slayton suffering hamstring injuries, Collin Johnson stepped up Sunday for the Giants and brought in five catches on seven targets for 51 yards. Right now, depending on the length of the injury, Johnson could be staring at WR2 starting time for the Giants outside Kenny Golladay and rookie Kadarius Toney.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Tennessee Titans, 0% rostered
With AJ Brown leaving Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury, Ikhine stepped up in the role and caught all four of his targets for 53 yards and a touchdown. He is a pure deep add in leagues such as the Scott Fish Bowl, but if AJ Green misses time, which now he's considered week to week, he could elevate to a starting role against the New York Jets next week.
Tight Ends
Dan Arnold, Jacksonville Jaguars, 1% rostered
Dan Arnold was just sent from the Carolina Panthers to the Jacksonville Jaguars and will act as the top tight end on the offense. He hasn’t put up top-tier numbers in Carolina, but he is expected to get a lot of looks with rookie Trevor Lawrence.
Tyler Conklin, Minnesota Vikings, 3% rostered
Tyler Conklin, not Chris Herndon is the tight end to have in Minnesota. He brought in seven of eight targets for 70 yards and has 16 total targets on the season. Right now, he looks like the third or fourth option, but with the tight end position usually thin, he’s worth a look.
Dawson Knox, Buffalo Bills, 4% rostered
Dawson Knox has back-to-back weeks with a touchdown, after going for 49 yards on four catches. With Josh Allen throwing the ball, Knox is the last resort option, but he’s someone that could be added in a deeper format.
Gerald Everett, Seattle Seahawks, 11% rostered
Gerald Everett put up respectable fantasy numbers this past Sunday hauling in all five of his targets for 54 yards. While Everett has Russell Wilson throwing to him, he makes for an intriguing option.
Quarterbacks
Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers, 9% rostered
Even with Christian McCaffrey going down, Sam Darnold is turning into fantasy relevance. Darnold threw for 300 yards for the second straight game and had two rushing touchdowns. He has put up over 20 fantasy points three weeks in a row and is thriving without Adam Gase.
Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders, 50% rostered
Derek Carr has stunned the NFL, bringing the Raiders to 3-0. He has been very impressive this season and has thrown for over 400 yards once, and nearly topped 400 yards in his last two outings. He has six touchdowns on the year and is currently one of the top players in the league at his position. He now can be considered a starter in one quarterback league.
Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings, 33% rostered
Kirk Cousins is always a sneaky fantasy play. He has eight touchdowns this season and no interceptions. He has gone over 300 yards twice in three games and has been highly efficient. Cousins is a must-start in two-quarterback leagues and pushing starting consideration in one quarterback league.
For more options, or questions about these, you can reach me on Twitter @NMimi.