Week 3 fantasy football waiver wire must-adds

Two weeks into the NFL season and there are plenty of key players out with significant injuries, leaving many fantasy owners with important roster spots to fill.

Here are the top players who should be targeted on the waiver wire for Week 3:

1. Derek Carr, QB, New Orleans Saints (rostered in 9.9% of ESPN leagues)

Carr leads the NFL in touchdown passes (five) and is second in completion percentage (76.9) and the Saints have the No. 1 offense in the league, so why is he rostered in less than 10% of ESPN leagues? 

First-year offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is to thank for a lot of New Orleans’ offensive success and Carr’s mini-breakout, but let’s not forget Carr is a multi-time Pro Bowler. He has a solid supporting cast and he finally has an OC that knows how to play to his strengths. Carr should be a weekly QB1 going forward.

2. Carson Steele, RB, Kansas City Chiefs (rostered in 1.9% of ESPN leagues)

With Isiah Pacheco on injured reserve, it looks like Steele is the next man up. He had nine carries for 27 yards after Pacheco left last week’s game with an injury to his fibula. 

Though the Chiefs signed former rushing leader Kareem Hunt to their practice squad on Tuesday, he likely won’t be caught up to speed in time to be a significant contributor Sunday against the Falcons. Steele shouldn’t be counted on as a RB1 or RB2, but he could make sense as a flex play or as an emergency start for teams dealing with multiple injuries.

3. Demarcus Robinson, WR, Los Angeles Rams (rostered in 33.6% of ESPN leagues)

With goth Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua out for multiple weeks, their targets have to go somewhere. Robinson and Tyler Johnson will likely step into the Rams’ WR1 and WR2 spots, but Robinson seems like the better bet to see more targets.

The 29-year-old has eight seasons of NFL experience under his belt, and he’s had 50 or more targets in three of the last five seasons. He’s also the second-most targeted WR (11) on the Rams roster behind Kupp (27), which bodes well for his rapport with QB Matthew Stafford. Robinson could have some upside as a WR2 or flex play against San Francisco in Week 3.

4. Jauan Jennings, WR, San Francisco 49ers (rostered in 1.5% of ESPN leagues)

Speaking of San Francisco, the 49ers have their own injury issues to worry about with their WR corps after it was announced that Deebo Samuel would miss multiple weeks with a calf injury. Throw in the fact that Brandon Aiyuk has been basically irrelevant in the team’s first two games (six receptions, 10 targets, 71 yards), and it’s the perfect storm for Jennings to step up and take on a bigger role.

Even with both Samuel and Aiyuk in the lineup together, Jennings still has the third-most catches (seven) and yards (101) on the team behind Samuel (13, 164) and tight end George Kittle (11, 116). Look for Jennings to be a safety-net for Brock Purdy against the Rams if Aiyuk continues to be a non-factor. Jennings has solid upside as a WR2, at least for the next few weeks.

5. Mike Gesicki, TE, Cincinnati Bengals (rostered in 2.7% of ESPN leagues)

In Sunday’s 26-25 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Gesicki really established himself as top target for QB Joe Burrow. With no Tee Higgins (and Tyler Boyd now in Tennessee), Gesicki led the team with seven receptions on nine targets for 91 yards.

If Higgins can’t go again in Week 3, Gesicki should have another strong week. It’s clear he has a rapport with Burrow, who’ used to having at least three go-to options to throw to. Gesicki could be a legit TE1 option for some fantasy players looking to shake things up.