2024 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Week 3

2024 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Week 3

The second week of NFL games are in the books and it is time to attack the fantasy football waiver wire to get your roster prepared for Week 3 of the NFL season. Here are five of the top waiver wire additions you can make this week.

It should be noted that the Week 2 waiver wire was stronger than this week’s list. Those targets included Isaiah Likely , Jordan Mason , Tank Bigsby , Bucky Irving , and Justin Fields . Those players should still be under consideration for a claim if they are available in your league.

All waiver wire targets are owned in less than half of ESPN leagues. Players over that mark are not considered for this list.

Jalen Tolbert – 4%

The top fantasy football waiver wire priority heading into Week 3 of the NFL season is Dallas Cowboys receiver Jalen Tolbert . Tolbert is coming off a performance that saw him finish with six catches for 82 yards.

The Cowboys have one of the best receivers in the league with CeeDee Lamb , but there are plenty of opportunities for other players to carve out a role for themselves. At the moment, the team’s second-best offensive weapon, Jake Ferguson , is out with an injury. That leaves Tolbert battling with Brandin Cooks to become the team’s No. 2 pass catcher.

I do not hate the idea of adding Tolbert in the hopes that he can become an important piece of a quality offense. This team needs players to step up and make plays. If Tolbert can do that, he will be rewarded. If you can beat the curve and pick him up off waivers before that happens, your fantasy team will be in good shape.

I would not over-invest in Tolbert. This investment is strictly based on the upside. It could be a complete waste of time. It is far from a guarantee that he can craft an important role in Dallas. Nonetheless, he is worth holding on to your roster for a couple of games to see if he can grow into the number two receiver.

Hunter Henry – 10.3%

The next waiver wire addition is for players who are struggling with the tight end position. The position is an absolute wasteland. If you are struggling, New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry could be a useful waiver wire claim.

Hunter saw a large number of the Patriots’ Week 2 passing targets. The tight end finished with 12 targets for eight catches and 109 yards. That came in 29 team passing attempts.

I do not expect Henry to be a league-winning tight end; however, he is a plausible band-aid at the position. This team simply lacks playmakers in the passing game. That gives a veteran like Henry the chance to eat up targets. Similarly, New England is going to run the football and hopefully set up the play-action passing game. That is a blessing for the tight end. Especially, in the red zone.

I favor Henry to other waiver wire options at the tight end position. The second a tight end has a strong week they fly off the waiver wire. I doubt the same level of excitement will be present for Henry, but there is no reason he cannot be an option for a team in need of tight-end help. Ideally, he will not stay in the lineup for more than a few weeks.

Jauan Jennings – 1.5%

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings is a worthwhile waiver claim after several other 49ers offensive weapons were ruled out with injuries.

The 49ers are going to be without Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel for several weeks. McCaffrey has been placed on IR while Samuel is expected to miss multiple weeks .

San Francisco’s offense will be shaped around Jordan Mason , George Kittle , and Brandon Aiyuk for several games. The team should still be productive. That said, Jennings will have a chance to become fantasy-relevant.

Jennings is not an unknown commodity in San Francisco. This is a player who has seen consistent player time. It has not led to a lot of catches or yards, but the team will need that to change.

In simplest terms, the 49ers are good and Kyle Shanahan is a great play caller. That will lead to productive fantasy opinions. Jennings is slowly moving up the pecking order for touches. That should also result in him being on a popular fantasy football waiver wire claim.

Carson Steele – 1.9%, Kareem Hunt – 1.7%

The Kansas City Chiefs running back room is an absolute mess. Starting back Isaiah Pacheco is out with a broken fibula . That left Carson Steele and Samaje Perine as the top backs on the roster. That did not last long, however. The team eventually signed Kareem Hunt to add another piece to the roster.

Frankly, this situation is an absolute mess and I would not blame anyone for completely avoiding this Chiefs’ running back room while Pacheco is injured. That said, this offense is too good to completely ignore the position.

It is completely possible that the Chiefs’ running back can produce decent points based purely on red zone upside. If a player can become the red zone back, they are live to have a productive week at the drop of the hat.

In my opinion, the way to approach this backfield is to add Steele for immediate success and Hunt for long-term success. If you have injuries and simply need fantasy production. I’d go with Steele. I expect him to get touches while Hunt gets in shape and becomes comfortable in the offense. On the flip side, a team that is currently in a strong position could add Hunt in the hope that he can become the lead back during bye weeks or even the fantasy football playoffs.

Braelon Allen – 7.5%

The final waiver wire addition before Week 3 of the NFL season is New York Jets running back Braelon Allen .

Allen ended up having a strong Week 2 outing. The rookie running back finished with seven rushing attempts for 33 yards along with four targets for two receptions and 23 yards. Most importantly, he found the endzone twice.

To be completely honest, this will likely be Allen’s best game of the year as long as Breece Hall stays healthy. At the same time, it proved Allen will be a great fantasy option if the Jets lose their starting back.

Allen is a talented player and the Jets have already shown faith in the rookie. If Hall goes down, I expect Allen to produce at a high level. This makes him a great waiver wire addition for a roster that has room for a handcuff running back.

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