Week 3 Waivers
Injuries opened doors in Baltimore, Denver, and Houston, and two other guys are earning their spots on merit. Here are five to add for Week 3.
Yo! Real quick, before we get to the picks →
Novig users are 10x more likely to profit compared to competitors.
Same games, better odds, built only for sports.
New to Novig? Deposit $10, get $25.
Now, on to the picks…
WR: Rashod Bateman (BAL)
24% Rostered in ESPN leagues
With Baltimore's receiver room depleted, Bateman just showed he's the one soaking up the targets.
Caught 7-of-9 targets for 88 yards and a 22-yard touchdown in Week 2, and his nine targets led all Ravens pass-catchers.
Zay Flowers (hamstring) sat out and Ja'Kobi Lane (wrist) landed on injured reserve. OC Declan Doyle had said before the game that he wanted to get Bateman the ball more, and Week 2 delivered.
Next up is a Cowboys defense that gave up 14 combined catches to Malik Nabers and Isaiah Likely in Week 1 and still looks shaky after last year’s weak showing against fantasy wide receivers.
Flowers getting back to practice is a good sign for his Week 3 availability, so check the injury report before locking Bateman in. If Flowers sits again, Bateman has real WR3 upside.
RB: Jonah Coleman (DEN)
22% Rostered in ESPN leagues
Denver's backfield is banged up, and the rookie who filled the void looked like he belonged there.
Carried 10 times for 39 yards and a touchdown, and caught all three of his targets for 19 yards in the Broncos' 20-13 win over the Jaguars.
JK Dobbins left with a hamstring injury and RJ Harvey was inactive with his own hamstring issue, making Coleman the primary early-down back for OC Davis Webb. If both are out again in Week 3 against the Rams, he's a candidate for upwards of 20 touches.
Sean Payton has praised the fourth-round rookie's pass protection, and Coleman caught 31 passes for 354 yards and scored 15 touchdowns in college last year. Dobbins has missed significant time in multiple seasons, and a Dobbins absence makes Coleman immediately startable.
This is contingent on those hamstrings. If they linger, it's a volume play, and Coleman is the back Denver has already shown it will lean on.
TE: Dalton Schultz (HOU)
21% Rostered in ESPN leagues
When Houston's receiving room thinned out, Schultz became C.J. Stroud's security blanket, and the box score showed it.
Caught 12-of-14 targets for 140 yards against the Bengals in Week 2, with eight of those catches in the fourth quarter as Houston's main checkdown option while trailing.
Add his Week 1 line (4-of-8 for 35 yards on 52 of 79 snaps) and that's 22 targets in two games, with Nico Collins out (and questionable again) and Tank Dell still on IR.
Last season he ranked 6th among all TEs in targets (106), receptions (82), and receiving yards (777), yet scored only three touchdowns on 11 red-zone targets. The scoring has plenty of room to catch up with the volume.
Don't expect 14 targets every week, but that role, plus the $12.6 million extension Houston gave him in March, gives Schultz real TE1 appeal.
WR: Adonai Mitchell (NYJ)
17% Rostered in ESPN leagues
Mitchell led the Jets in targets in Week 2, and the way this offense is built, that should keep happening.
Saw 12 targets and finished with 6 catches for 63 yards against the Packers, playing 61 of 74 snaps and running a route on 41 of 50 dropbacks.
His big-play role is real. He drew a deep pass interference call in Week 2 and would have had another 40+ yard catch if not for an impressive play by the Green Bay defensive back. In Week 1 he caught a 40-yarder that set up a red-zone trip, and he ranked 6th in the NFL in average depth of target (14.9) last season.
The Jets' offensive line is getting no push, so the team will likely need to throw. Next up is a banged-up Lions secondary, and Detroit just got torched by Josh Allen’s passing game last Thursday.
He's boom-or-bust and the quarterback situation is shaky, but a downfield role with this much volume is exactly the dart throw the waiver wire is for. Stick around, because the last name on today's list is the most-rostered of the bunch, and he's earned it.
QB: Bryce Young (CAR)
34% Rostered in ESPN leagues
Two games in, Young looks like a different quarterback in year four, and the numbers back it up.
Completed 23-of-36 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns in the Panthers' 34-3 win over the Falcons, after throwing for 361 yards and three touchdowns and adding a rushing score in Week 1 against the Bears.
That's 648 passing yards on 73 attempts, about 8.9 yards per attempt. Last season he ranked 33rd in the league at 6.3.
The weapons are producing. Jalen Coker went 8-of-9 for 138 yards and two touchdowns in Week 1, Xavier Legette had a 55-yard catch before halftime in Week 2, and Darren Waller scored twice.
The passing volume may come down at some point, but Young is pushing the ball downfield with ease and moving up the QB2 ranks heading into his Week 3 date with the Browns.
That’s the list. Add these guys this week if you need to fill a hole in your lineup.
-Joe
P.S. you can get $100 after playing just $5 on NOVIG if you sign up using code HOLKASHOW