Waiver Wire Watch: Week 3 Fantasy Football Targets

Sep 18, 2017

Editor's Note: We're happy to have Brandon Niles on the Waiver Wire Watch this year. He'll work in conjunction with Senior Editor John Paulsen to compile the weekly list of pickups and generate recommended prices for FAAB leagues.

Here is a look at the top waiver wire pickups for Week 3. To be eligible for discussion, the player must be owned in 50% or fewer Yahoo leagues, though we’ll stretch the rules a bit for the RB position, which is usually very thin. We’ll also include suggested bid prices (with a $100 budget) for those leagues that use Free Agent Acquisition Budgets (FAAB). Of course, player value depends on league characteristics and team needs. Players are listed by position in order of importance. For extremely shallow or extremely deep leagues, be sure to review our Rest-of-Season Rankings (updated every Tuesday) to get an idea of how to value players not on this list.

Quarterbacks

Trevor Siemian, Denver Broncos ($2)

Siemian has seven touchdowns over the first two weeks of the season, making it hard to completely discount him. I’m not going to pay top dollar for him though when the Bills defense looks competent and he’s got the Raiders and a bye week coming up as well. Siemian looks more comfortable in the pocket than he did last year, so he’s worth rostering in large 2QB leagues.

Next up: @ Bills, Raiders, Bye

Jay Cutler, Miami Dolphins ($2)

Grab Cutler now while he’s still cheap. He’s not going to be your QB1 every week, but he’s going to be an excellent streaming option with the Jets and Saints next on the schedule. Cutler looked confident and in sync with his Miami weapons on Sunday, throwing for a modest 230 yards and a touchdown in a victory over the Chargers. That comfort should continue to grow, and the Jets just gave up three passing touchdowns in a thrashing by the Raiders.

Next up: @ Jets, Saints, Titans

Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams ($1)

Goff had 224 yards, a touchdown, and a pick in a loss to Washington last week, but he still looks much improved over his dismal rookie season, and the Rams offense is continuing to grow under new head coach Sean McVay. Goff has some deep streaming potential this week against the 49ers, who haven’t struggled defensively so far this season, but were a sieve last year, allowing 30 touchdown passes.

Next up: @ 49ers, @ Cowboys, Seahawks

Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars ($1)

Bortles looked terrible against the Titans, but he wound up with some garbage-time stats, which helped him get to 223 yards and a touchdown. He shouldn’t be active against the Ravens this week, but a Week 4 matchup against the Jets makes him a very interesting streaming option for those thinking two weeks ahead.

Next up: Ravens, @ Jets, @ Steelers

DeShone Kizer, Cleveland Browns ($1)

Kizer looked more like a rookie in his second start, throwing three interceptions and missing part of the game with a migraine against the Ravens. He still looks like he has some long-term talent though and he should be super cheap after such a poor showing. He faces the miserable Colts this week, who have allowed over 300 yards passing in consecutive games to Jared Goff and Carson Palmer. That makes him streamable in 2QB leagues.

Next up: @ Colts, Bengals, Jets

Jacoby Brissett, Indianapolis Colts ($1)

Brissett took over the starting job from Scott Tolzien against the Cardinals last week and he should keep it for as long as Andrew Luck is out. Brissett only had 216 yards and a pick in his first start as a Colt, but he took the team to overtime and showed a lot more playmaking ability than Tolzien did. I don’t love the long term outlook for Brissett, but if you’re streaming QB2 options, then he could be a cheap pickup with a nice game against the Browns this week.

Next up: Browns, @ Seahawks, 49ers

I’m not buying: I don’t expect big numbers in any given week from Joe Flacco, so I’m not giving him any consideration unless he has an excellent streaming matchup. With Sam Bradford’s knee status up in the air and a bad matchup against the Bucs this week anyway, I’m staying away from Minnesota quarterbacks. Brian Hoyer continues to disappoint and are not worth adding in any league formats.

Deep Stash Options: Mitch Trubisky should end up starting sooner rather than later and has some talent to work with in Chicago. Deshaun Watson looks like he has some playmaking ability, including his 49-yard touchdown run against the Bengals last week, but I’m still viewing him as a stash option until he looks more comfortable in the offense. Colin Kaepernick quietly accounted for 18 total touchdowns in 12 games last season for a horrible team. If someone gets hurt and he lands on a team with some talent around him, he could quickly become a steady QB option.