2023 NFL fantasy football waiver wire, Week 3: RB Kyren Williams, TE Hunter Henry among top targets

ROSTERED: 41%

Listen, I’m not saying Love is Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers … yet. What I am saying is that he’s scored 20-plus fantasy points in each of the first two games of this new era in Green Bay. He’s thrown three touchdown passes in both games, and all without Christian Watson on the field due to a hamstring injury. The TDs are likely to regress a bit, but the rushing production also has room to swing up and compensate. He might just be a top-12 fantasy QB this season.

ROSTERED: 28%

“But wait … Stafford fell short of 15 fantasy points for a second straight game — why would I pick him up?” A fair question, hypothetical reader. Watch the tape. Stafford has looked exceptional so far this season. He hasn’t compiled 641 passing yards by accident. The only problem is that he’s come up short in the touchdown column (only one through two games). Ever heard of Cooper Kupp? Yeah, the Rams’ touchdown savant will be back. And then Puka Nacua, the league-leader in receptions, should be Stafford’s second target. I’m willing to roll Stafford out even before Kupp’s return, if needed, but he’s now a shockingly good bet for a QB1 season once his WR1 does return.

ROSTERED: 5%

Sometimes there’s a massive gap between NFL success and fantasy success. Stroud might be 2023’s best example of that reality at the quarterback position. The rookie has thrown 91 passes through two games. The only rookies to ever throw more through their first two contests were Kyler Murray and Joe Burrow. With that kind of volume, Stroud is startable in good matchups, such as his 31-20 loss to the Colts on Sunday, when he scored 21.46 fantasy points. There’s also potential in Week 3 against the Jaguars, who’ve allowed 20-plus fantasy points to both Anthony Richardson and Patrick Mahomes so far this season.

ROSTERED: 25%

Last week, Williams made this column on the merits of a surprising performance in his season opener, highlighted by a pair of rushing scores. Sadly, only a small percentage of you added the second-year back in advance of Week 2 … when he tallied 28 fantasy points in a 30-23 loss to the 49ers while logging 96 percent of Rams RB snaps — with Cam Akers a healthy scratch and apparent trade candidate. I’ll give it to you straight: I don’t see Akers playing another snap for the Rams this season. That makes Williams not only the top waiver target of the week, but it might also elevate him to a rest-of-season RB1. No lie. This offense is cooking without Cooper Kupp. When the star receiver returns, L.A.’s attack might be in consideration for one of the best in the league. I’ll take the apparent bell-cow back in that offense without hesitation. If you play in a league with FAAB, be prepared to bid the majority of your remaining budget.

ROSTERED: 48%

There’s still a chance Jonathan Taylor returns from the physically unable to perform list and takes his job back in Indy. A chance. The alternative (Taylor is traded, as he requested, or remains sidelined longer than expected) could mean big things for Moss, who staked a strong claim on the starting job during Indy’s Week 2 victory in Houston. And by “strong claim,” I mean he played every single RB snap for the Colts’ offense. Zero for Deon Jackson. Zero for Jake Funk. As for the production, we should take Moss’s 107 total yards on 22 touches with a Houston-sized grain of salt — the Texans defense is #NotGood. Still, the usage is extremely encouraging. Until Taylor returns, Moss is now an every-week consideration for a starting spot in lineups.

ROSTERED: 32%

Does this look familiar? If you read last week’s column, it should. Let’s start with the good news: Edwards scored 12.2 fantasy points on the back of a goal-line touchdown against the Bengals in the first quarter, and he averaged an impressive 6.2 yards per carry. The bad news? Justice Hill slightly out-snapped Edwards, 38-32, in a game the Ravens mostly led. I still prefer Edwards, especially since his Week 2 efficiency is indicative of legitimately elite numbers over the course of his career. I think he continues to earn more snaps and solidifies the RB1 role in Baltimore. If he does, that’ll solidify an RB2 role in fantasy. (Oh, and Hill can still be ‘stached in deeper leagues, just in case.)

ROSTERED: 0.1%

It never feels great seeing Breida’s name in the waiver column because it likely means Saquon Barkley is hurt. Indeed, the Giants’ star running back suffered an ankle injury in Sunday’s 31-28 comeback win over Arizona. Breida will be a less-than-inspiring RB3/flex option for any games that Barkley misses, but the volume will be there. If you’re the Barkley manager in your league, scoop up his backup with all haste.

ROSTERED: 0.2%

It’s also no fun seeing Ford’s name in this column, given what it means for stud running back Nick Chubb. Wishing Chubb a full recovery, but it won’t be this fantasy season. Therefore, we (and the Browns) are forced to turn to the next man up. Unless Cleveland signs someone (like, I don’t know, Kareem Hunt?), that man figures to be Ford, who received the first two touches after Chubb’s injury and scored on both (three-yard receiving TD and a two-point conversion, to boot). In just under three quarters as the lead back, Ford had 131 total yards — 69 of which came on one impressive run that came up about six inches short of the goal line. Despite being a late addition to this list, Ford should be near the top of your waiver priority, pending additions to the Dawg Pound depth chart.

ROSTERED: 43%

Collins and Robert Woods (2% rostered) made last week’s column, but saw little in the way of rostership bumps heading into Week 2. I expect that will change after Collins racked up 27.6 fantasy points against the Colts and Woods hit double-digit points for a second consecutive week. However, to further muddy the waters, rookie and preseason stud Tank Dell (3% rostered) broke out for seven catches, 72 yards and a TD on a team-high 10 targets Sunday. Woods and Dell are more fringe pickups — especially until we find out which is the true No. 2 on this team — but I think Collins is one of the must-adds of the week. Through Sunday, only three players have more air yards than Collins’ 279 this season: Tyreek Hill, Kendrick Bourne (say what?) and Tee Higgins. The next few names after Collins? Puka Nacua, Mike Evans and Justin Jefferson. I think you see where this is going. Collins is the (talented) top target for what may be the highest-volume passing offense in the NFL. He should be rostered in every league. 

ROSTERED: 2%

Through two weeks, Reynolds has 35.6 fantasy points. He is averaging 73 yards and a touchdown per game. There’s nearly no question that he’s the No. 2 to Amon-Ra St. Brown in the Lions’ prolific air attack, and it seems Jared Goff has more or less solidified himself as a legitimate franchise QB in Detroit — and more importantly, a fount of fantasy goodness. Reynolds will have down weeks, but I think he’s low-key become Discount Gabe Davis. And by discount, I don’t mean “less valuable” — I just mean you can get him on waivers in 98 percent of leagues. Go do it.

ROSTERED: 33%

The Week 2 fantasy box score doesn’t look great for Moore (7.1 fantasy points and only three catches), but a deeper dive reveals eight targets and several near-misses throughout the course of Monday’s game. Through two contests, Moore’s discouraging fantasy output and encouraging usage are at odds, but I expect the usage to win out moving forward. With no Nick Chubb, Moore might be the most dynamic piece of the Cleveland offense. He’s one of the few wide receivers you’ll see in this column who has true WR1 fantasy upside if things fall his way. Special note: Double-check for Moore after waivers run, as he is a possible drop candidate (but shouldn’t be).

ROSTERED: 6%

Last week, I highlighted Romeo Doubs in this section of the column. Dontayvion Wicks led the team in yards on Sunday in a 25-24 loss to Atlanta, and Christian Watson has yet to return. So why Reed? Well, the two touchdowns in Week 2 certainly don’t hurt. But more importantly, Reed led the team in targets (eight), drawing a look from Jordan Love on 47 percent of his routes. He was the 50th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft for a reason and might be the most explosive player on Green Bay’s offense. If Love keeps playing like he has, at least a couple of these Packers wideouts are likely to be valuable for fantasy the rest of the season. If you have a bench spot open, Reed is the type of player worth using it on.

ROSTERED: 53%

Henry is available in nearly half of NFL.com fantasy leagues heading into Week 3. That number figures to settle somewhere around 0.0 percent after waivers run this week. He scored (again) in prime time on Sunday and is one of a very small handful of tight ends with more than 100 receiving yards this season. In fact, a tight end putting up 50-plus yards and a TD in a game has only occurred three times thus far: Henry in Week 1, T.J. Hockenson in Week 2 … and Henry again against the Dolphins. Until further notice, Henry is unironically a top-five fantasy tight end. I would take Travis Kelce and Hockenson over him without question, and I’d probably take Mark Andrews with some question. That’s about it. You think I’m joking. I’m not. He’s in the Evan Engram–Darren Waller tier at this point. All we can do is shrug, click “Add” and hope he stays hot.

ROSTERED: 19%

What is this, 2018?! Well, no — if it were 2018, Ertz wouldn’t be available on the waiver wire. Instead, the Cardinals tight end is unrostered in more than 80 percent of NFL.com leagues. And yet — like he did in 2018 — Ertz currently leads all tight ends in targets this season (18). No one outside of Marquise Brown has shown any promise as a go-to receiving option in Arizona, leaving the 32-year-old Ertz to pick up a hefty workload. And in today’s tight end landscape, we can’t ask for much more than a hefty workload. Ertz should be added — and probably started.

ROSTERED: 1%

Thomas suffered a significant helmet-to-helmet hit from Broncos safety Kareem Jackson on Sunday, forcing the Commanders tight end out of the eventual 35-33 victory and likely into the concussion protocol this week. That said, Thomas somehow completed the catch on that play for a 4-yard touchdown. He also led Washington with eight targets in Week 1. Here’s hoping Thomas is cleared and healthy heading into Week 3. If so, he’s worth a long look at a position with very little to be optimistic about.

ROSTERED: 16%

Jacksonville’s defense has been rather impressive through two weeks — holding Kansas City to 17 points in a loss Sunday and logging three takeaways in each of its two games so far. But more importantly, in Week 3, the Jaguars draw the Texans and rookie QB C.J. Stroud, who have surrendered 10 fantasy points per game to D/STs so far this season. Remember earlier when I said Stroud was having some fantasy success, but not NFL success? Yeah, that’s good news for the Jacksonville crew. The Jags are a must-start next week, and they get the Falcons in Week 4.

ROSTERED: 6%

After a negative fantasy showing in Week 1, the Seahawks managed a pair of sacks, three takeaways and a touchdown in a 37-31 shootout win over the Lions on Sunday. Next Sunday, rookie QB Bryce Young and the Panthers offer all of that D/ST “upside” without the threat of 31 points scored. Pete Carroll’s crew has some talent — and Carolina’s offense does not. You could do worse for a streaming option this week.

ROSTERED: 2%

It’s becoming more and more believable that Deshaun Watson is simply not good at football following his long hiatus. He is tied for the most giveaways in the league, is top five in sacks taken and seems to make a dozen bad throws for every good one. On top of all that, the Browns are now without Nick Chubb — the foundation and linchpin of their offense. Their next opponent? The Tennessee Titans. I’d consider this defense one of the better streamers of the week.