The Week 3 waiver wire is far less exciting than Week 2, but it is still an important part of the fantasy football season. With another week in the books, we have a better idea of who these players are.
Yet, it is still very early. We must balance possible overreactions with equally damaging underreactions that could lead to missing out on season-long contributors. With that in mind, let’s examine a couple of potential WR targets on the wire this week.
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Top WR Waiver Wire Targets in Week 3
More Waiver Wire Targets: QB/TEs | RBs
Tutu Atwell, Los Angeles Rams (25% Rostered)
Guess it’s time to respect Atwell. He’s now looked good two weeks in a row. He saw eight targets in Week 1 and nine in Week 2. He has 196 receiving yards on the season. That’s worth paying attention to.
Puka Nacua is the clear WR1. He’s essentially Cooper Kupp. When Kupp returns, it will probably be Atwell who takes the hit over Nacua. But that’s at least two weeks away. For now, Atwell has to be rostered.
FAAB Recommendation: 13-15%
Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers (10% Rostered)
Reed was my favorite late-round target in fantasy drafts this season. Given roster limitations, most fantasy managers were unable to stash him. Now is the time to make up for it.
Reed caught 4 of 8 targets for 37 yards and two touchdowns. Most importantly, the team is manufacturing touches for him.
MORE: Overall Week 3 Waiver Wire Rankings
Christian Watson is likely going to return next week, which could be an issue. However, it is only a matter of time before Reed overtakes Romeo Doubs as the team’s WR2. He’s worth a stash right now.
FAAB Recommendation: 8-10%
Josh Reynolds, Detroit Lions (11% Rostered)
It’s time to take the journeyman seriously. Reynolds followed up a 4-80 performance with a 5-66-2 line. With Amon-Ra St. Brown banged up, Reynolds could be even more of a priority in this passing attack.
Reynolds did this last year, too. He was useful for a hot minute before fading into obscurity. It could happen again. It probably will. But given his performance over the first two weeks, Reynolds has to be added.
FAAB Recommendation: 8-10%
Tank Dell, Houston Texans (5% Rostered)
C.J. Stroud had a nice game in a losing effort against the Indianapolis Colts. He consistently found Dell, whom he targeted a whopping 10 times. Dell caught seven passes for 72 yards and a touchdown.
It could be nothing, but fantasy managers do not have the luxury of waiting. Get the rookie on your roster and figure it out later.
FAAB Recommendation: 6-8%
Robert Woods, Houston Texans (9% Rostered)
For the second consecutive week, Woods saw a strong target share in this offense. He was targeted 10 times in Week 1 and nine times in Week 2.
Woods is not going to blow anyone away at this stage in his career. Spike weeks are not in his repertoire. But Woods can be a solid floor Flex play and possibly even a WR3 if the volume keeps up.
FAAB Recommendation: 4-6%
Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals (39% Rostered)
This is not a strong recommendation here. Boyd is who he is. You put him in your lineup and hope to get like 4-40. This week, Boyd caught 6 of 8 targets for 52 yards. He’s not exciting, but he won’t get you zero. If you need that, Boyd is your man.
FAAB Recommendation: 1-3%
Jalin Hyatt, New York Giants (12% Rostered)
This is easily the least urgent of the waiver wire targets. Hyatt only saw two targets on Sunday. But he caught both for 89 yards.
At some point, Hyatt’s role is going to grow. If you wait for it to happen, he’s going to be very expensive. If you can stash him ahead of time, you can smile as everyone else burns all of their FAAB on a guy you already have.
FAAB Recommendation: 0-5%
Which WRs Should You Roster in Fantasy Football?
Should You Roster Tutu Atwell or Juju Smith-Schuster?
By no means is Smith-Schuster old. Unfortunately, it appears his knee very much is. Although Smith-Schuster has declared his knee 100%, the preseason reports that it could “explode at any moment” cannot be ignored.
Smith-Schuster is still technically the New England Patriots WR2, but he ran 18 fewer routes than DeVante Parker and just one more than Kendrick Bourne. He saw six targets, which isn’t going to be enough to sustain fantasy value.
At this point, I would consider him the third most valuable Patriots wide receiver.
Atwell may be living on borrowed time until Kupp returns. Nacua is not going anywhere. At the same time, it’s hard to ignore Atwell’s usage and performance over the first two weeks. He saw eight targets in Week 1 and another nine in Week 2.
Atwell has somewhat quietly put together back-to-back games of 15+ fantasy points. He had 119 receiving yards in Week 1 and 77 of them in Week 2. I don’t think this is a fluke. Atwell is an every-week WR3, at least until Kupp returns.
Should You Roster Jayden Reed or Tyler Boyd?
Boyd is a savvy veteran. He’s reliable. He won’t get you zero. But we know who he is.
Reed is young and unproven. He’s also ascending. His role continues to increase. Before the season started, I said it was only a matter of time before he overtook what I believe to be an incredibly underwhelming Doubs as the Packers’ WR2.
MORE: Early Week 3 Waiver Wire Pickups
We have yet to see what the usage and target distribution look like with Watson on the field. Last week, Reed played just over half the snaps, well behind Doubs, and ran four fewer routes. However, he led the team in targets.
Reed is an explosive player. Even after Watson returns, Reed will maintain a role as the primary slot receiver.
I believe it is inevitable that he will become undeniable as the team’s WR2 by the second half of the season.
There is an upside with Reed that doesn’t exist with Boyd. Give me the rookie.