Waiver Wire Watch: Week 3 Targets

Sep 21, 2020

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

It’s never a good week when injuries are the story of an NFL Sunday. And for as long as I’ve been following and covering this sport, I don’t think I have seen a worse weekend than this one in terms of injuries. Saquon Barkley, Davante Adams, Jimmy Garoppolo, Raheem Mostert, Sterling Shepard, Tyrod Taylor, Cam Akers, Drew Lock, and Courtland Sutton all suffered injuries, some potentially season-ending. And this comes after Chris Godwin, A.J. Brown, Kenny Golladay, and George Kittle were all ruled out earlier in the week. Injuries are a part of a physical game like football, but this weekend was particularly gutting for so many great players and human beings.

With injuries come opportunities, so this week’s waiver wire watch is chock full of players who may see a wealth of new opportunities and playing time in the wake of some of these injuries. Updates will likely be made to this article throughout the week as we learn more about the various injuries and how long they may keep some of these fantasy stars out.

Recommendations are based on a PPR-scoring, four-point passing touchdown, 12-team league, with ownership percentages coming from Yahoo. I try to mention when a player is a better streaming play (short-term/one-week starter) versus a long-term addition. Free-agent acquisition budget (FAAB) suggestions are based on a $100 season-long budget. Lastly, the great John Paulsen will edit this article every week and adjust rankings and prices if necessary. Essentially, you’re getting two minds collaborating on this piece instead of one, so lucky you.

Chat w/ Alex Gelhar! We have an exciting new opportunity for 4for4 subscribers. Every Tuesday at either 12 p.m. or 5 p.m. ET I'll be hosting an hour-long AMA (ask me anything) in our Discord server, answering your waiver-wire and general fantasy football questions. Hit this link to join the server and get direct access to me and other actual perks. Learn more about Discord here.

Now, with that out of the way, here are some players to target heading into Week 3.

Quarterbacks

Ryan Tannehill, Titans
Gardner Minshew, Jaguars
Mitchell Trubisky, Bears
Kirk Cousins, Vikings
Justin Herbert, Chargers

Ryan Tannehill, Titans, 45% rostered ($5)

Tannehill has picked up in 2020 where he left off in 2019, playing smart, efficient football that’s also good for racking up fantasy points. He’s averaging 33.5 pass attempts per game through the first two contests (he averaged 27 per as a starter in 2019), with six touchdowns and zero interceptions. The yardage is mediocre (249, 239), but Tannehill is proving he can lead this offense and put up points, and he has already added 26 yards as a runner. He gets a great matchup next week traveling to face a Vikings defense that has been dominated for most of the eight quarters it has played. Tannehill may be better as a one-week fill-in, as his next two matchups after the Vikings are against the Steelers and Bills, two stout defenses.

Gardner Minshew, Jaguars, 32% rostered ($4)

Touted by 4for4 as a great early-season streaming option, Minshew has begun the year with back-to-back three-touchdown games, and could make it three straight against the Dolphins on Thursday night. Cam Newton ran over the Dolphins in Week 1, and Josh Allen lit them up through the air in Week 2 (417 yards, four touchdowns). Minshew looks incredibly comfortable in Jay Gruden’s offense and is playing good football. He’ll have a chance to start your fantasy week off hot against the hapless Dolphins on Thursday Night Football.

Mitchell Trubisky, Bears, 7% rostered ($3)

Trubisky had a terrific matchup in Week 2, so naturally, he turned it into just 13.2 fantasy points thanks to a meager 190 passing yards and two interceptions. Those in deeper leagues who streamed Trubisky may not need to look elsewhere in Week 3, as he has a date with the Atlanta Falcons, who are inspiring in the ways they’re finding to lose these days as they lost 40-39 to the Cowboys after being up 20-0. After Dak Presccott’s 39.8 fantasy points, the Falcons will be responsible for the QB1 performance in each of the first two weeks of the season. Trubisky seems like a longshot to make it three in a row, but the matchup is there for Trubisky to put up solid, startable numbers.

Kirk Cousins, Vikings, 34% rostered ($1)

Cousins was abysmal against the Colts in Week 2, but is still on the streaming radar in in Week 3 when he takes on the Titans. The Titans offense should be able to put up points on the Vikings, which puts Cousins in a pass-heavy game script, and the Titans defense can be beat through the air, as Gardner Minshew II threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns against Tennessee in Week 2. It might not feel the best, but those in a pinch could roll out Cousins and hope for more of what he put together in garbage time against the Packers in Week 1.

Justin Herbert, Chargers, 2% rostered ($1)

Tyrod Taylor suffered a chest injury before kickoff against the Chiefs, setting the stage for the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 draft, Herbert, to start under center. Herbert looked like a rookie at times, but also ran in a score and threw for another. The Chargers offense looked markedly better than in Week 1, so odds are this job is now Herbert’s to lose from here on out. The Chargers take on a Carolina defense that’s given up 30-plus points in each of the first two weeks of the season. Herbert is a much deeper play than the other quarterbacks listed here, but is in a decent spot to build upon his NFL debut and show the world why he was worthy of such a high pick.