Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Rankings & Pickups (Week 3)

Our analysts combine to provide rankings for weekly fantasy football waiver wire pickups to target. We’ll help you prioritize your bids for the week ahead. Check out our full expert consensus fantasy football waiver wire rankings and all of our fantasy football waiver wire advice for the week.

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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Rankings: Week 3

Note: Players chosen based upon having early-week consensus roster percent below 50%.

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups to Target

Carson Steele (KC): 2% rostered

• Next Opponents: @ATL, @LAC, NO
• True value: $7
• Desperate Need: $12
• Budget-minded: $4

Analysis: Isiah Pacheco reportedly has a fractured fibula and will miss extended time, leaving a humongous void in Andy Reid’s backfield. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is currently on the reserve/non-football illness list for post-traumatic stress disorder and will remain there through at least Week 4. Rookie fullback Carson Steele was given seven carries on Sunday for 24 yards. He lost a fumble, but it did not cause him to cede more work to Samaje Perine. Steele is now the only physical presence in this offense. He has serious short-yardage thumping power, but don’t go overboard adding a rookie fullback unless you’re desperate.

Samaje Perine (KC): 4% rostered

• Next Opponents: @ATL, @LAC, NO
• True value: $7
• Desperate Need: $12
• Budget-minded: $4

Analysis: The Chiefs are exciting. They have the best QB in the league and a couple of awesome playmakers in their receiving corps. Fantasy managers have long gone broke paying up for Kansas City RBs. Samaje Perine only touched the ball once Sunday in a close game after starter Isiah Pacheco went down with an ankle injury and rookie backup Carson Steele lost a fumble. It was a 3-yard reception late in the game and didn’t matter. I expect Perine to be a priority add in plenty of waiver articles, but I simply cannot endorse it.

Jerry Jeudy (CLE): 41% rostered

• Next Opponents: NYG, @LV, @WAS
• True value: $5
• Desperate Need: $8
• Budget-minded: $3

Analysis: Jeudy finished Week 1 as the WR33 in fantasy with a 17.8% target share, a 31.4% air-yard share and a 20% first-read share (per Fantasy Points Data). Among 78 qualifying wide receivers, he ranked 18th in separation and 21st in route win rate. He followed that up with 73 receiving yards (2.08 yards per route run) and a 17.7% target share. Jeudy looks like he could be the WR1 for this offense moving forward as Amari Cooper continues to stack silent games to open the 2024 season. Jeudy’s next three matchups are juicy and should place him in the WR3/flex conversation for fantasy lineups.

Demarcus Robinson (LAR): 42% rostered

• Next Opponents: SF, @CHI, GB
• True value: $5
• Desperate Need: $8
• Budget-minded: $3

Analysis: Robinson could be the Rams’ new WR1 moving forward. Cooper Kupp was spotted in a walking boot after the team’s Week 2 loss to the Cardinals. Kupp didn’t play in the second half. Robinson led the team with 50 receiving yards in Week 2 while playing 92% of the snaps with Matthew Stafford and drawing a 14.8% target share with 1.78 yards per route run (per PFF). Robinson has been quietly amazing on a per-route basis over the last two seasons. In Week 1, among 78 qualifying receivers, Robinson ranked 33rd in separation and 13th in route win rate (per Fantasy Points Data). These numbers check out, as he was also 18th in separation and 42nd in route win rate last year among 125 qualifying receivers. The upcoming matchups aren’t kind to Robinson, but the target volume should be there.

Check out all of our Week 3 fantasy football waiver wire advice