12 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Stashes Ahead of Week 3 (2024)

Last week’s edition of this column got off to a barnstormer with Baker Mayfield, JK Dobbins and Demarcus Robinson all seeing a notable uptick in their value for one reason or another. Results won’t always be that immediate but this is another strong week for targets, with several players looking wildy undervalued.

Each week this article looks at players you should grab and stash now, rather than waiting for their value to increase in the coming weeks. All players are rostered below 50% in Yahoo leagues.

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Waiver Wire Stashes

Geno Smith (QB – SEA): 34%

The Seahawks got off to a slow start against the Broncos but Geno Smith was able to get into gear as the game went on and finished as the QB9, thanks in part to a 34-yard rushing touchdown. Smith remarked he was feeling faster than he had in years. It’s fair to believe him after that rushing touchdown. The Ryan Grubb offense always felt like it had the potential to be fun. With games coming up against Miami, Detroit and the Giants, the Seahawks can continue to get better on offense.

Justin Fields (QB – PIT): 16%

Indeed, Justin Fields hasn’t been an accurate or reliable quarterback throughout his NFL career, taking too many sacks and holding onto the ball to the detriment of his offense. However, it’s also true Fields is one of the most dynamic runners in the NFL, particularly at the quarterback position. His rushing gives a far safer floor than he’d have otherwise. Fields finished Week 1 with the third-most rushing yards and while he didn’t throw a single touchdown and only managed 156 passing yards, his rushing returns helped him to a QB16 finish. If the Steelers can start to click in the passing game, Fields will be a good fantasy option for as long as he holds onto the job.

Blake Corum (RB – LAR): 46% Rostered

Zero offensive snaps aren’t an ideal way to start your NFL career, but De’Von Achane found a way to overcome that and there’s plenty of time for Blake Corum to do the same. The Rams’ offensive line is severely beaten up and has lost several starters already. In the Rams’ debut against the Lions, it made sense to stick with Kyren Williams, due to his proven work as a pass-protecter in this offense. Corum will have his opportunities and contingent value if anything happens to Williams. Corum is worth rostering for that reason alone.

Jaleel McLaughlin (RB – DEN): 36% Rostered

The Broncos spent the summer gassing up Javonte Williams at every opportunity, only for Jaleel McLaughlin to out-touch him 15 to nine in the first game of the season. Perhaps this was a game script thing with the Broncos struggling to keep up with the Seahawks, but if that’s the case, how many times will the Broncos find themselves in similar situations this year? Probably plenty. McLaughlin might not crack your lineups straight away, but the bye weeks are coming and he continues to have Sean Payton’s faith, which counts for a lot.

Bucky Irving (RB – TB): 30% Rostered

The knock on Rachaad White has always been his inefficiency with him ranking in the bottom third of rushing expected points added (EPA) in 2023, along with ranking 37th in rush yards after contact, 30th in rush yards before contact and 29th in big runs. What’s kept him fantasy relevant was the pass-catching and boasting the sixth-highest opportunity share among RBs (72%). Cut to 2024 and Bucky Irving gets touches immediately and averages 6.9 yards per carry compared to White’s 2.1. He cut White’s opportunity share down to 61%. Irving looks like he’ll have plenty of standalone value this year.

Tank Bigsby (RB – JAX): 27% Rostered

Sixteen months of the Jaguars talking Tank Bigsby up finally paid off in Week 1 with him averaging 6.1 yards per carry while Travis Etienne fumbled at the goal line and averaged 3.7 yards per carry. Ever since the start of the 2023 offseason, Doug Pederson has talked about finding a way to not wear Etienne out so much, and Bigsby has long been the guy they wanted to take that role. Bigsby might not look as good as he did last week every week, but Etienne has hardly been the healthiest running back, so stashing his backup is a worthwhile move.

Demarcus Robinson (WR – LAR): 27% Rostered

Demarcus Robinson was in this column last week. With Puka Nacua landing on injured reserve (IR), Robinson belongs this week as well. Before Week 11 in 2023, Robinson played only 5% of the snaps for the Rams as they gave Tutu Atwell an opportunity to make the role his. When Robinson eventually earned his shot from Week 12 onwards he averaged 80.7% of snaps. This in part is down to the Rams playing 3-WR sets at one of the highest rates in the league. Robinson had 13+ PPR points in all six of these games. Jordan Whittington picked up some hype in training camp and Tyler Johnson had some nice moments in Week 1, but Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay trust Robinson. He’ll likely have a decent role over the next few weeks.

Josh Downs (WR – IND): 22% Rostered

The Colts look slightly better at wide receiver with Alec Pierce flashing in Week 1 along with Adonai Mitchell almost connecting on two long targets from Anthony Richardson. Josh Downs was well on his way to a breakout campaign in 2023 until he got injured against the Patriots in Germany. He then struggled through the rest of the season. Camp reports suggested Downs was the clear No. 2 WR and potentially even overtaking Michael Pittman at times. The Colts are going to be a fun team this year and Downs warrants attention now before it costs you more later on.

Wan’Dale Robinson (WR – NYG): 15% Rostered

Having players from the Giants on your fantasy roster might not feel like a desirable choice right now, but Wan’Dale Robinson saw 11 targets in Week 1, predominantly playing from the slot, which is an area Daniel Jones has peppered with targets over the years. Malik Nabers potentially gets moved to the slot more as the season goes along, suiting his abilities more, but if Robinson continues to be Jones’ security blanket, he can be a potential PPR league winner.

Colby Parkinson (TE – LAR): 37% Rostered

With Puka Nacua’s injury, a lot of people are starting to pay attention to Colby Parkinson, who the Rams paid well this offseason, giving him a three-year, $22.5 million contract. Parkinson ranked ninth among tight ends in Week 1 for route participation (82.4%) and his five targets tied for fourth-most among the position. If the Rams pivot towards featuring the tight ends more without Nacua, Parkinson could be the one to roster.

Tucker Kraft (TE – GB): 4% rostered

The Packers quarterback situation is pretty miserable until Jordan Love returns, with Malik Willis certainly not the kind of quarterback we want to lean into for fantasy.

Tucker Kraft had a 78% route participation in Week 1 compared to Luke Musgrave‘s 25%, on the back of outperforming him in 2023. During Weeks 1-11, Musgrave dominated the Packers’ tight end work with a 70.3% snap share, which he turned into a 14% target share while Kraft languished with 31.1% of snaps and a total of 9.3 PPR points.

When Musgrave suffered a lacerated kidney and went on IR it opened the door for Kraft to see more opportunities and he seized it, playing 93% of snaps and averaging 10.5 PPR points per game for the rest of the season, making him the TE11 in that span. Kraft is the tight end to own here, even if you’re not able to start him immediately.

Las Vegas Raiders D/ST: 6% Rostered

You might not want to start the Raiders against two-time MVP Lamar Jackson this weekend, but the two games after that they face the Carolina Panthers and the Cleveland Browns. Those matchups are worth stashing them.