Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Pickups for Week 3 - Wednesday Update

We ended up with 27 names on the Week 2 waiver wire article, and I think especially the earlier ones more or less were spot-on calls. I think there's going to be a point where we see a handful of players who are worth spending the top priority claim or a bunch of FAAB on, but at least for now I'm going to stay relatively conservative.

Just a reminder that we'll update this article daily with a handful of new fantasy football waiver-wire pickups. As the injury report continues to get updated throughout the week there will always be more players who emerge who will certainly make a difference, but especially early in the season, just a practical understanding of certain data points, and especially the volume, can also make a critical difference. 

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For the audio and video component of the article, I also went through a fully developed list on the RotoWire YouTube channel that you can view below.

Tuesday Update: Carson Wentz, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks

Wednesday Update: Cam Akers, Christian Kirk, Tyrod Taylor

Quarterback

Jake Browning, Bengals - It's obviously frustrating to see one of the league's best quarterbacks go down, much less the reported three-plus months that Joe Burrow (toe) likely will be sidelined. If we're allowed any bit of optimism it's that Browning has been "ok-ish" as a fantasy asset when forced into the starting lineup. As a rookie in 2023, he tallied a touchdown in all seven starts in relief of an injured Burrow, throwing for more than 220 yards in five of them and finished with multi-touchdown games in all but two games. It's obviously not ideal given the draft ADP of Joe Cool, but Browning can and probably will need to be a top-20 fantasy QB week to week if Cincy has any hope of maintaining playoff status while Burrow is out. FAAB: 40 percent of budget in two-QB/superflex leagues. 0 percent in standard one-QB leagues

Daniel Jones, Colts - I kicked off the QB section talking about the situation that had the most dramatic change, but if you're in shallower QB leagues, the biggest fantasy impact is that Jones just might be ... really good. The kneejerk overreactions we had to the Saints last year still linger in my head, but for the 28-year-old to pass for more than 300 yards against this Broncos defense, I just don't think it's wise to wait for the fantasy downfall anymore. Both the Titans and Rams, Indy's next two opponents, are difficult matchups, but if Jones looked this good against unquestionably in my mind the toughest of the teams he'll face this year, then it might just be time to adjust expectations. FAAB: 2 percent of budget

Michael Penix, Falcons - Conventionally this should be most popular streaming candidate since Penix will go against a toothless Panthers defense. I'm not entirely convinced the second-year quarterback is just an automatic play, but the Sunday night win over the Vikings also wasn't a great fantasy representation either because Atlanta figured out early on they basically had to do nothing to beat J.J. McCarthy. FAAB: 2 percent if you need QB streamer (I'd rather risk it with Daniel Jones)

Carson Wentz, Vikings - Well, I jinxed the injury bit I guess. I suspect this section in particular is going to draw a lot of attention throughout the week, so I'll just address above that I'd rather stream Michael Penix > Daniel Jones > Jake Browning, but rest of season the Bengals youngster will have utility. Of the potential one-week fill ins, I have a ton of belief that Kevin O'Connell can make Wentz at least fantasy viable. I suspect Tyrod Taylor and Marcus Mariota could be added to the article in the coming days, but for now the new Minnesota starter is the next option in two-QB leagues. FAAB: 0 percent of budget

Tyrod Taylor, Jets - I'm including the new Jets starting quarterback just to illustrate how I'd rank the potential deep streaming options. I know it's in vogue to tease the veteran's abilities, but Taylor is at minimum a competent backup and probably could be a starting quarterback in this league if teams cared to be competitive. The lack of targets outside of Garrett Wilson is what complicates the fantasy aspect of this, and it's why I'd put him lower among the above group of hopefully one-week starters. FAAB: 0 percent of budget

Running Back

Kyle Monangai, Bears - It's another brutal week if you're in need of a consequential waiver-wire running back. I'm not entirely sure if that's just because the collective fantasy sphere is better at identifying diamonds in the rough, or if we just haven't seen enough injuries to shake up the hierarchy. Either way, Monangai is a repeat on this list from a couple weeks ago because he solidified his role as the backup to Swift, playing 27 snaps despite Roschon Johnson (foot) officially active for the Week 2 drubbing. I think the rookie from Rutgers specifically looks the part as a pass catcher, but I'd be surprised if he pushes out D'Andre Swift for more playing time if the veteran is healthy. FAAB: 0 percent of budget

Blake Corum, Rams - One of my favorites from last year who was comically never used, I suppose it's good that Corum has had 28 snaps as the backup running back to Kyren Williams, while 2025 fourth-round pick Jarquez Hunter hasn't sniffed the field. Corum saw a bit more work in the later stages of a game the Rams pretty comfortably controlled throughout the second half, so while I'd like to assume the coaching staff is ready to get the 2024 third-round pick more involved, I'm not holding my breath. FAAB: He should be rostered especially if you have Williams

Chris Rodriguez or Jeremy McNichols, Commanders - It might get lost in the waiver-wire mess given Washington played Thursday, but the season-ending Achilles tear for Austin Ekeler is going to create a dramatic outcome. The problem is I just don't know what it will be. The obvious call is that Jacory Croskey-Merritt will be the three-down back, and given I've been entirely wrong about that situation basically since the hype train started, I'm just defaulting to that inevitably happening. However, McNichols is quietly a really underrated pass-catching option out of the backfield, and I do think Washington initially kept the veteran on the roster for that purpose to spell Ekeler. With Ekeler out of the equation, I have to assume McNichols will see enough run to earn some fantasy viability in deeper PPR formats. Rodriguez is obviously a much more difficult part of this equation. The third-year back was once again a healthy inactive Week 2, which tells you all you need to know how the team views him. That said, players can get more opportunities to trickle their way when they perform on the field, and by default Rodriguez will be on the roster moving forward. FAAB: McNichols 1 percent if in need of a deeper FLEX, Rodriguez speculative pickup

Cam Akers, Vikings - That the 26-year-old makes the list after signing with the Vikings' practice squad earlier Wednesday tells you all you need to know about how uninspiring the running back options are right now. I don't really understand the purpose of Zavier Scott or why he even made Minnesota's roster to begin with, but I think it's telling the team quickly signed Akers when presented with a backfield where Scott could have a marginal role. To be clear, I anticipate Jordan Mason is going to receive effectively all of the workload, and heaven forbid he gets injured, Akers has proven time again he's horribly efficient as a main ballcarrier. But the people demand more running back waiver wire options! Beggars can't be choosers.

Wide Receiver

Troy Franklin, Broncos - Everyone assumed that for Bo Nix to make good on his top-10 QB ADP, a second target would need to emerge within this offense opposite Courtland Sutton. Through two weeks, it's unquestionably Franklin who seems poised for a breakout. A post-hype fantasy sleeper after experts incorrectly pushed the Oregon product as a rookie last season, Franklin has already had 15 targets through two weeks and more important for his fantasy longevity, has the advanced metrics to back up the emergence (57 percent target on routes run and more than five yards per route run). It's a small sample, but this isn't some volume bubble screener like Devaughn Vele from last season. FAAB: Similar budget to Kayshon Boutte from last week

Wan'Dale Robinson, Giants - One of my favorite best-ball targets throughout summer, Robinson always made fantasy sense as a slot target that probably would see volume for a team we expected to be bad this year. I did not expect the fourth-year wideout to be such a factor as a deep-ball specialist, and admittedly it's possible Dallas' defense is just going to yield those types of results more often than not. But 18 targets through two weeks is the type of volume that can make you at minimum a flex play. FAAB: 4 percent of budget

Dyami Brown, Jaguars - Another favorite of mine as a last-round best-ball target, Brown has quietly played 22 more snaps than Travis Hunter and pretty clearly seems to be the team's defacto No. 2 wideout. Watching that Jacksonville defense, I'd be surprised if Trevor Lawrence doesn't end up near the league's leader in pass attempts. And even in weeks where Hunter inevitably becomes the destructive force that people assumed he'd be coming out of college, Brown's still carved out enough of a niche to be a flex play in deeper leagues. FAAB: 0 percent of budget

Hunter Renfrow, Panthers - I feel relatively confident by the end of the year we'll consider both Arizona and Jacksonville to be team's in the bottom third in pass defense. It's also possible there will bs enough junk-time production by Bryce Young and company that we'll see Renfrow's 7-9-48-2 line enough times to warrant consideration in deeper leagues. Every receiver above the 29-year-old I'd rather roster instead, but until Jalen Coker (quadriceps) comes back into the mix, Renfrow definitely has utility in PPR leagues. FAAB: 0 percent of budget

Romeo Doubs or Dontayvion Wicks, Packers - Much like the Commanders running backs mentioned earlier, I think the fantasy utility of both Green Bay wide receivers isn't being discussed enough. Jordan Love spreads the ball around too much to have any one target become a hot waiver-wire pickup, but Doubs is clearly the quarterback's preferred target on money downs and Wicks at the moment has been catching every pass in site. I assume Matthew Golden will start to become a bigger factor in future weeks, but for now either of the aforementioned targets is in flex consideration against the Browns. FAAB: 1 percent of budget for Doubs, 0 percent for Wicks

Christian Kirk, Texans - I was in on the veteran pass catcher to start the season, but Kirk missed the past two weeks with a hamstring injury. The 28-year-old is practicing now and given how bad Houston's offense has looked in recent weeks, I have to imagine he's very much available on waivers. I don't know how the Texans rectify their offensive line issues, but I have to imagine being able to get the ball out quickly is a part of that equation. Kirk isn't necessarily that type of slot receiver, but Houston might just have to make do at this point. FAAB: 0 percent of budget

Tight End

Ja'Tavion Sanders, Panthers - A similar sort of profile to Hunter Renfrow, Sanders feels a little like Daniel Bellinger a few years back where the team is just going to be bad enough that there's expected volume week to week. Compared to the smorgasbord of waiver-wire targets like Juwan Johnson and Harold Fannin last week, I'm neutral to Sanders as a fantasy starter, but the Panthers tight end at minimum needs to be rostered in deeper formats. FAAB: 2 percent of budget