Week 3 fantasy football waiver wire must-adds

There were plenty of letdowns and injuries to go around in Week 2 of the NFL season. Every Tuesday, we will dive into a handful of the top fantasy football pickups available that week and why they could be of value for fantasy owners looking to give their teams an extra boost.

Here are the top waiver-wire adds for Week 3:

1. Zack Moss, RB, Indianapolis Colts (Rostered in 29.5% of fantasy leagues)

Jonathan Taylor is expected to be cleared to return in two weeks, and if he does indeed suit up for the Colts again, Moss’ value obviously will take a hit. However, until Taylor is back on a Colts sideline, Moss is worth gambling on for a few weeks for any owners reeling from injuries to Nick Chubb, Saquon Barkley, David Montgomery or Jamaal Williams.

In his first action of 2023, Moss ran for 88 yards and a touchdown while averaging 4.9 yards per carry against the Houston Texans. Given it only took a game and a half for Anthony Richardson to get injured while trying to do everything himself, Moss should see 20 or more carries as long as he’s healthy and getting an RB1 workload. He could have decent upside for an owner looking for a starting running back or a solid flex option.

2. Roschon Johnson, RB, Chicago Bears (Rostered in 28.9% of fantasy leagues)

With Khalil Herbert only rushing for 62 yards through two games, Johnson could start seeing more than five carries per game if the Bears rushing attack keeps struggling. Although he’s only had nine carries this year, he’s averaged 5.8 yards per carry and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him eventually pass Herbert on the depth chart.

Johnson also has added value as a receiver, catching eight of nine targets for 45 yards through two games. The rookie could regularly start seeing 15 or more touches per game, especially if Chicago has to get creative with ways to help take some pressure off Justin Fields. While he’s not quite RB2 worthy right now, Johnson could be worth stashing on the bench just in case with the injuries to starting RBs piling up.

3. Sam Howell, QB, Washington Commanders (Rostered in 9.5% of fantasy leagues)

Howell came one yard shy of his first 300-yard game in Sunday’s 35-33 win over the Denver Broncos, but he completed nearly 70% of his passes with two touchdowns and zero turnovers. If he keeps throwing 35 times per game with his receiving core (Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Jahan Dotson), big numbers are sure to be the norm.

Though it’s only been two games, Howell has thrown for more yards (501) than Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow and Dak Prescott, he has a better passer rating (95.5) than Hurts, Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, and he has a better completion percentage (65.7) than Mahomes, Tua Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence. Howell could be a nice QB2 option and he’s definitely a great choice as a spot starter if desperate enough.

4. Jerome Ford, RB, Cleveland Browns (Rostered in 23% of fantasy leagues)

With Chubb expected to miss the rest of the season, Cleveland’s RB1 job appears to be Ford’s to lose. He averaged 6.6 yards per carry and rushed for over 100 yards in Monday’s loss to Pittsburgh, and he should see a high volume of carries as the Browns starter.

Cleveland has ranked in the top 10 in rushing attempts each of the last three seasons, so Ford should see a healthy dose of carries moving forward, especially with Deshaun Watson leaving much to be desired in the passing game. Ford has the potential to be a good RB2 option, but while he gets his feet wet, he might make more sense as a flex play or as an RB3.

5. Josh Reynolds, WR, Detroit Lions (Rostered in 4.4% of fantasy leagues)

With Jameson Williams out for four more games, Reynolds could be a sneaky good pickup for an owner looking for a third receiver or a spot starter at the flex position. Reynolds leads the Lions in touchdowns (two) and is second on the team in receiving yards (146) behind Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Reynolds also has the highest yards per catch (16.2) of any Lions player with five or more receptions. After an 80-yard, two-touchdown game in Week 2, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Reynolds explode and really take hold of Detroit’s No. 2 WR spot, at least until Williams comes back from his suspension. He could be worth adding for an owner needing a solid WR2 or a high-upside player at the flex.

6. Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Rostered in 15% of fantasy leagues)

Let the Mayfield apology tour begin. Through the first two weeks, the former No. 1 overall pick has shown he’s not a one-year fill-in for Caleb Williams or Drake Maye. He’s one of seven starting QBs without an interception through two games and he’s one of six QBs with a passer rating of 104.4 or higher.

As long as he keeps playing as he has, Mayfield has QB1 potential for owners waiting for Burrow to get his act together or ones needing to replace duds like Fields, Watson, Daniel Jones, Desmond Ridder or Bryce Young.

Honorable mentions:

Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams: Even without Cooper Kupp, Stafford has the second-most pass attempts (93) and third-most passing yards (641) in the NFL while throwing to Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell.

Matt Breida, RB, New York Giants: With Barkley nursing an injured ankle, Breida should get plenty of run as New York’s workhorse RB.

Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers: Reed has been Jordan Love’s most-targeted receiver (13), tying for the team lead in receptions (six) and touchdowns (two) and pacing the Packers in yards (85).

Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions: LaPorta has the second-most targets on the Lions (11) and he ranks fourth among all tight ends in yards (102) and fifth in receptions (10).

Hunter Henry, TE, New England Patriots: Henry is tied for the third-most targets (13) among all tight ends, and he’s one of just five TEs with 100 or more yards this year.