Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Stashes: WR & TE (Week 3)

The two positions featured in this article have been a bloodbath to start the NFL season. On the tight end side, David Njoku and Jake Ferguson are out with injuries, while half of the other theoretical TE1s by ADP have been huge disappointments.

Meanwhile, the WR position is falling apart. As of Monday, A.J. Brown, Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, and Deebo Samuel are all set to miss multiple weeks. Hollywood Brown is out for the season. Countless other highly drafted wide receivers have provided minimal production.

With all that in mind, it’s more important than ever to have quality options on your bench. Here are some players to stash for the long haul who could save your team down the stretch.

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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Stashes: Week 3

Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Stashes: Week 3

Adam Thielen (WR — CAR): 41.7% Rostered

In case you somehow missed it, the Panthers have benched Bryce Young, turning instead to the veteran Andy Dalton. It’s hard to overstate how much of an improvement this move will be. Young averaged -0.33 EPA per play through two weeks this season, as well as a completion percentage 15% below expected. In his most recent season with significant playing time, 2022, Dalton managed positive marks in both categories: +0.02 and 0.6% above expected. We saw Dalton’s impact in his lone start for Carolina last season: The Panthers scored 13 points more than their season average, and Thielen himself racked up 11 catches for 145 yards and a touchdown.

Of course, things aren’t the same as they were last year. Thielen, now 34, seemed to lose a step halfway through last season. Dalton is also a year older, two years removed from his underrated 2022 year in New Orleans. The Panthers have also added WR help, especially Diontae Johnson, who could steal the safety blanket role that Thielen played for Dalton last season. But that’s why this is a stash: Don’t add Thielen if you need someone to play this week, but he’s worth holding in case the Red Rifle can turn this offense around.

Bonus Panthers Pick: Rookie Xavier Legette, whom I featured in last week’s article, is also a valid stash if you want to bet on Dalton turning around this Panthers offense; he’s more of a long-term play than Thielen, as his role is still growing.

Demarcus Robinson (WR — LAR): 28.0% Rostered

This one doesn’t need much explanation. Robinson earned a spot on this list last week following the announcement that Puka Nacua was headed to the IR. With Cooper Kupp now set to miss multiple weeks, he just keeps climbing up the Rams’ depth chart.

Even with half of their O-line and both top wide receivers injured, Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay should keep this offense competent. Robinson, who had two catches for a team-high 50 yards on Sunday, should be the main beneficiary.

Bonus Rams Pick: In deeper leagues, Tyler Johnson (11.0% rostered) is also someone to consider, although this depleted Rams offense may not be able to support more than one fantasy-relevant WR.

Josh Downs (WR — IND): 16.3% Rostered

After a promising rookie season, Downs has missed the first two weeks of his sophomore year with a high ankle sprain. However, he reportedly had a real shot to play in Week 2, a very good sign for his ability to suit up in Week 3.

When he does take the field, Downs will find himself in an awkward position. As a low-ADOT, high-volume slot receiver, he’s not a good fit with an inaccurate, deep-ball QB like Richardson. But he’s still worth stashing, especially if you can sneak him onto an IR spot, just in case things click – maybe he’s the Tank Dell to Richardson’s C.J. Stroud.

Quentin Johnston (WR — LAC): 5.7% Rostered

When a former first-round pick leads his team in routes and scores two touchdowns on a 30% target share, it’s worth paying attention. It’s true that QJ’s rookie year was terrible, as he posted an abysmal 0.88 yards per route run. But he also just turned 23 years old – it’s not out of the question that he has taken a step forward. Especially with the rest of the Chargers’ WRs banged up, it’s worth adding Johnston in case this is the beginning of a breakout.

Fantasy Football Tight End Stashes: Week 3

Hunter Henry (TE — NE): 17.6% Rostered

This is now my third straight week featuring Henry in this section. Hopefully, now that he is the TE4 in total Half-PPR points, he will be added in enough leagues to not qualify for next week’s article.

After all, through the first two weeks, Henry easily leads the Patriots in routes, targets, receptions, and yards. His 27.5% target share ranks second to only Trey McBride among tight ends; Brock Bowers is the only other TE even above 20%. Coming off a 12-target, 109-yard game, Henry should absolutely be added in all formats. With the current state of the TE position, he’s not even a true stash: He can be started confidently as a TE1.

Colby Parkinson (TE — LAR): 25.6% Rostered

With Nacua out and Kupp missing a solid chunk of snaps, Parkinson’s Week 2 performance was underwhelming, as he caught just one of two targets for 12 yards. However, he also posted a 75.0% route participation rate, second on the team behind only Robinson. He’s worth holding for another week or two to see if he can get involved as the Rams deal with even more injuries.

Jonnu Smith (TE — MIA): 4.5% Rostered

When Smith first signed in Miami, it was a very interesting landing spot for fantasy purposes. Smith has always been an athletic freak for the TE position, and Mike McDaniel is the best in the league at giving fast guys the space and touches to shine. However, the Dolphins seemed to plan to use Smith as just one member of a TE committee. That was true in Week 1, as Smith ran just 17 routes on 44 Tua Tagovailoa dropbacks, the same number as Julian Hill and only two more than Durham Smythe.

However, that changed this week. These numbers should be taken with a grain of salt as the Dolphins pulled their starters early in a losing effort, but Smith actually led the whole team, let alone just tight ends, with 31 routes run. He made the most of those routes, too, catching six of a team-high eight targets for 53 yards. If McDaniel does decide to fully unleash him, Jonnu’s YAC ability in this offense could make him a fringe TE1 candidate.