Fantasy Football Week 3 Rankings: Waiver-Wire Targets for Players on Injury List

It is Week 3 in the NFL and injuries have already adversely affected many a fantasy manager’s lineup.

With top quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers, Anthony Richardson, and Bryce Young on the sidelines early, and running backs JK Dobbins and Nick Chubb out for the season, there are plenty of teams scanning the waiver wire for players to help fill voids, even if only for a week or two.

Ahead of Sunday’s slate of high-stakes, early-season showdowns, here are players at every position that can help make up for points lost due to ill-timed injuries suffered by key stars.

The only thing more inept than the Pittsburgh Steelers offense here in 2023 is the Las Vegas Raiders defense, making Kenny Pickett a worthwhile waiver pickup for at least one week.

Opposing quarterbacks are completing 81.7 percent of their passes and have compiled a league-leading five touchdowns against the porous Raiders defense.

Most importantly, opposing quarterbacks have yet to throw an interception against that unit.

Pickett isn’t going to be the difference between scoring a Week Three win or suffering a potentially devastating defeat, but he will have the opportunity to turn in one of the best weeks of his season if he and the lethargic Steelers offense can take advantage of the many openings the Raiders are likely to present.

The second-year quarterback is (understandably) available in 73 percent of Yahoo leagues and 74 percent of ESPN leagues, meaning he should be relatively easy to acquire. He will be worth it for this one match-up, so do not drop a valuable asset.

Veterans Jared Goff, Matthew Stafford, and Andy Dalton all have favorable match-ups against suspect secondaries while Desmond Ridder could go off against a Lions secondary that was torched by Geno Smith and the Seahawks a week ago.

There is nothing about Edwards that will turn heads or drop jaws, but he does not have to be that kind of back for the Ravens to win, as evidenced by the first two weeks of the season.

Last week, Edwards battled for 65 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown.

This week, with uncertainty about the availability of Justice Hill due to a foot injury, there is reason to believe Edwards will be the lead back in an offense that loves to run the ball.

More opportunities, against a defense that will be keyed in on quarterback Lamar Jackson and stopping the duel threat that he is, may open up opportunities for Edwards to improve on his yardage total and potentially find the end zone more than once.

Based on how he plays Sunday, Edwards may be a back worth holding onto as the Ravens lean on the run game while the passing game evolves.

Edwards is rostered in 71 percent of Yahoo leagues and far fewer in ESPN with only 43 percent.

Nico Collins has been a revelation in Houston thus far in 2023, picking up some of the slack at the wide receiver position and establishing himself as one of the most exciting young players in the league.

Against the Colts, he stretched the field, catching seven balls for 146 yards and a touchdown. Against a Jacksonville defense in Week 3 that has given up a 66.2 completion percentage and 6.4 yards per catch, he will have his opportunities to continue establishing himself as one of the breakout performers of the year.

He is a big-play machine who can catch the deep ball and burn opposing defenders. Jacksonville has more talent on paper, but the combination of Collins and rookie quarterback CJ Stroud has a ton of potential and should have fans in Houston excited about what the future may hold for the Texans organization.

Tutu Atwell has been great for Los Angeles, if not overshadowed by rookie wideout Puka Nacua, while Josh Reynolds continues to benefit from his history with Jared Goff and should see plenty of targets against an iffy Falcons defense.

Sam LaPorta tallied five catches for 63 yards in Detroit’s loss to Seattle in Week 2 and will look to continue building trust and chemistry with Goff against a middle-of-the-pack Falcons defense.

Atlanta has conceded the 11th-most yards to the tight end position and LaPorta could feast on the squad, especially as it seeks to adequately cover Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds, and Jahmyr Gibbs.