We saw plenty of gaudy offensive performances this week that inflated fantasy point totals all across the board. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Patrick Mahomes continued making their very early-season MVP cases, while Matt Breida and Phillip Lindsay both staked their claim for a larger piece of their backfield’s pie. Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen proved that Minnesota can once again support two WR1s and no more questions linger about Travis Kelce‘s production with Kansas City’s new prolific quarterback. It wasn’t all fireworks and excitement, though. We witnessed Joe Mixon, LeSean McCoy, and Larry Fitzgerald suffer injuries this past week. Are the “next men up” in Cincinnati, Buffalo, and Arizona worth your attention? Also, which lesser-owned players made their argument for more touches or snaps during Week 2’s offensive explosion? Our featured experts share their thoughts on their favorite waiver pickups below and rank each widely unowned player with fantasy appeal as we head into Week 3. View your league’s top available players with My Playbook >> Featured Experts: Mike Tagliere – FantasyPros Bobby Sylvester – FantasyPros Jacob Gibbs – SportsLine Dan Harris – FantasyPros Jody Smith – FantasyPros *Ownership % derived from a consensus of Yahoo & ESPN leagues On a mobile device? Click here for rankings table >> Q1. How much are you willing to spend (FAAB %) on your favorite waiver wire target (or two) and why do you like him? Giovani Bernard (RB – CIN) “Bernard is what we save FAAB and the top waiver priority for. He may not be a starter the rest of the season, but three or four weeks of a workhorse is a rare opportunity. We saw Bernard in this role over a four-game stretch last year, and he finished as a top-10 fantasy running back in that time ahead of Alvin Kamara, Leonard Fournette, and Christian McCaffrey. I’d spend just shy of 30% of my FAAB to acquire a strong RB2 for the next few weeks.” – Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros) “If there’s an injury at the running back position, you’ll immediately look to his backup for production, especially if they’ve shown the ability to produce in the NFL. Giovani Bernard has shown that ability before, and there’s little competition on the roster for touches, outside of rookie Mark Walton, who is still very raw in his development. With Mixon being out two-to-four weeks, Bernard is someone worth spending 20 percent of your FAAB on.” – Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros) “I’d be willing to spend up to 35-40% of my FAAB on Giovani Bernard. His splits as Cincy’s sole RB are high-end RB2 type numbers, especially in PPR formats. You get a starting RB for 2-4 weeks, with the upside for more if there are any complications with Mixon’s knee.” – Jacob Gibbs (SportsLine) John Brown (WR – BAL) “Undoubtedly, Bernard will be a popular, and likely expensive commodity, but Brown has scored in back-to-back games to open the season and probably has more season-long value than Bernard, who will be relegated to a reduced role once Mixon returns in two-to-four weeks. Brown has a healthy 13 targets through two games and has been used downfield and in the red zone. He’s got WR3/flex value for the rest of the season and can be a sneaky under-the-radar add while others scramble for running backs. I’d spend up to 10-12 percent of my FAAB on him.” – Jody Smith (FantasyPros) Chris Godwin (WR – TB) “This isn’t a huge waiver wire week in my opinion, so I’d doubt I’d spend much more than 5% of my budget on anyone. That money, however, would be spent on Godwin, who is the clear top add for me off the waiver wire. He not only had a touchdown in both games, but he has caught eight of his 10 targets, showing an efficiency rate that suggests that he can do a lot even without a high volume of targets. DeSean Jackson’s presence limits his upside a bit, but with a home game on tap against a mediocre Steelers defense, he’s in play as a streamer for this week at least.” – Dan Harris (FantasyPros) Q2. For owners renting a D/ST in Week 3, what readily available option (under 40%) should they target and why? “It’s the Browns, who will be playing at home against the Jets on Thursday night. If you’d told someone that the Browns would play against Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees to start the year, but allowed just 42 points in the two games combined, what would you have said? They were crazy? With a young and upcoming defense, they were able to sack those two quarterbacks a combined 10 times in two games. Meanwhile, the Jets have allowed five sacks, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and one defensive touchdown through two games. Their left tackle Kelvin Beachum is going to have his hands full with Myles Garrett on primetime football.” – Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros) “The Cleveland Browns have executed failure to begin the season as well as any professional sports team, but the defense has been impressive. We know they’ve got the pieces, and when you throw in a matchup versus a young rookie QB who had interception issues even in college, I’ll buy the Browns D/ST all day as a top streamer for Week 3.” – Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros) “This is a gross week for streaming D/STs. I’d roll with Cleveland as home favorites against a rookie QB and hope Darnold throws a few picks.” – Jacob Gibbs (SportsLine) “The Browns have been a surprisingly effective D/ST unit thus far this season, but I’d target the other D/ST in Thursday’s game — the Jets. They dominated the Lions in Week 1, but they put up a surprisingly effective performance against the Dolphins, sacking Ryan Tannehill four times and recovering two fumbles. The Browns have allowed 10 sacks through two games already, and the Jets should be able to press him consistently. It’s a bit of a contrarian play, but I expect them to be a fine streaming option this week.” – Dan Harris (FantasyPros) “Nobody talks about the Miami Dolphins, but they are tied with the Jets for an NFL-high five interceptions and are at home against an Oakland offense that hasn’t been lighting up the scoreboard. The Raiders also must contend with flying cross-country for a 1:00 PM kickoff, which tends to be a difficult dynamic for West Coast teams.” – Jody Smith (FantasyPros) Thank you to the experts for naming their top waiver targets. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter if you’re not already doing so and check out our latest podcast below for more great advice. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | RSS<doc-sep>Each week I’ll list the best widely available free agents for fantasy football — I define “widely available” as being owned in around half of all ESPN or Yahoo leagues — and some guys who are probably better off in the free agent pool than collecting dust on your roster. Here’s my best bets off the waiver wire for Week 3: ADD RB Aaron Jones, Packers (ESPN: 46%; Yahoo: 61%): Jamaal Williams hasn’t done enough to be the primary ball carrier — 3.4 yards per carry simply doesn’t impress. It was clear Jones was the more talented running back a year ago. Advertisement RB Giovani Bernard, Bengals (ESPN: 39%; Yahoo: 28%): Joe Mixon will miss at least two weeks after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery. Bernard totaled 95-plus yards in three of his last five games last season while Mixon was banged up. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buccaneers (ESPN: 31%; Yahoo: 23%): Fine! Fitzpatrick is awesome in every way and faces a defense that just allowed six passing touchdowns and couldn’t even beat the Browns. All kidding aside, the Harvard grad isn’t giving this job back to Jameis Winston and he’s leading an offense loaded with weapons. TE O.J. Howard, Buccaneers (ESPN: 22%; Yahoo: 68%): Howard had six touchdowns his rookie season and he’s averaging 30 yards per reception through two weeks so far. He’s capable of being special. WR Quincy Enunwa, Jets (ESPN: 57%; Yahoo: 61%): We have a burgeoning PPR monster on our hands. A whopping 21 targets and 13 receptions proves he’s Sam Darnold’s safety blanket. Invest while you still can. BONUS: WR John Brown, Ravens (ESPN: 24%; Yahoo: 26%): Brown is averaging seven targets and has scored in each game. It’s enough to make him a solid flex option week-to-week with upside depending on the matchup. BONUS: RB Austin Ekeler, Chargers (ESPN: 43%; Yahoo: 45%): The Chargers offense could be good enough to enable Ekeler to be the most productive backup in fantasy. He has 224 total yards on 24 touches and a score in two games. BONUS: WR Antonio Callaway, Browns (ESPN: 4%; Yahoo: 7%): Talent has never been the issue with Callaway. It’s can he conduct himself properly off-the-field. Sound familiar? With Josh Gordon in New England, the rookie will start opposite of Jarvis Landry. DROP Advertisement QB Dak Prescott, Cowboys: It’s taken two weeks for me to lose my confidence in Prescott’s fantasy potential. The Cowboys’ offense is a mess and might only have enough juice to keep Ezekiel Elliott afloat. RB Duke Johnson, Jr., Browns: Only 35 total yards on 11 total touches the first two games. It’s clear Jarvis Landry has had an effect on Johnson’s role. Only consider keeping him in the deepest PPR leagues. WR Allen Hurns, Cowboys: Two receptions on only five targets for 29 yards over two games isn’t going to cut it. WR Jordy Nelson, Raiders: The former Packer great is owned in 80 percent of ESPN leagues and 70 percent of Yahoo leagues. His current production — five receptions for 53 yards — doesn’t warrant that type of commitment. Advertisement TE Greg Olsen, Panthers: Olsen missing only a month is the best-case scenario. It could be worse. There are tight ends available with higher upside. Advertisement<doc-sep>Finding the perfect addition to your team via the Fantasy football waiver wire can be the difference between winning your league and going home with nothing. And before you determine which players you should target entering Week 3, you'll want to see what SportsLine Fantasy analyst Pat Fitzmaurice has to say. A former 'Pro Football Weekly' editor and writer for over a decade, Fitzmaurice finished second in FantasyPros' 2017 rankings accuracy contest and received a 2017 Fantasy Sports Writers Association nomination for best football series. Now he has done an in-depth analysis of the best widely available free agents heading into Week 3. One player we can tell you he's targeting: Dolphins running back Frank Gore. "He isn't a sexy option, but Gore has had nine carries in each of the Dolphins' first two games and is averaging 4.8 yards per carry," Fitzmaurice told SportsLine. "A home game against the Raiders this week sets up well for Miami's inside running game since the Raiders are without injured 300-plus-pound run stuffers Justin Ellis and P.J. Hall." Another waiver-wire target he's all over entering Week 3: Jaguars receiver Dede Westbrook. "Never mind that Westbrook was having a mostly forgettable outing Sunday against the Patriots before springing a 61-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter that effectively put the game away," Fitzmaurice told SportsLine. "That's what Westbrook's speed can do, and as the No. 2 receiver in Jacksonville, he should get a sufficient number of opportunities to turn on those jets. So far, he has nine catches for 134 yards and a touchdown." Fitzmaurice is also eyeing a quarterback who "looks like a viable weekly QB play." Anyone who adds this player could hit it big. So which players should you target on the waiver wire before Week 3? And which free-agent quarterback could lead your team to Fantasy glory? Visit SportsLine now to see the best available free agents entering Week 3, all from an award-winning analyst who was ranked among the most accurate in the entire country.<doc-sep>
Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, owned in 23% of Yahoo leagues Ride the hot hand again until it turns super cold. Fitzy is on fire as he passed for four touchdowns and over 400 yards on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles mind you! This week he gets the Steelers defense that is giving up the sixth-most points to quarterbacks. Fitzy is your man, never forget that. Andy Dalton, owned in 27% of Yahoo leagues Here’s another guy who lit up a good defense, the Ravens, but Dalton shredded them for four touchdowns and 265 yards. He gets a tough Carolina Panthers defense this week but that Carolina secondary can be thrown on. A.J. Green is back which means so is the “Red Rifle”. Running Back Corey Clement, owned in 22% of Yahoo leagues Clement is another hot hand to ride for week three, he was a holdover from last week and scored 17 points against the Buccaneers. With Carson Wentz back in the fold, he may even see more targets, plus he’s good for one touchdown a game. Austin Ekeler, owned in 44% of Yahoo leagues He’s been a lifesaver for folks dealing with guys like Mark Ingram on suspension. Go pick him up while you still can as he’s outperformed projections in each of the last two weeks. Ekeler also has a very favorable matchup with a Rams team that’s giving up the ninth-most points to running backs. Wide Receiver Geronimo Allison, owned in 31% of Yahoo leagues He’s outperformed his projections in the last two weeks as well which is a product of being in an Aaron Rodgers offense. Allison caught all six targets in week two against a great Vikings secondary. This week, it’ll be tough again with the Redskins, on the road no less, but he’s got the best quarterback in football. Give him a chance. Phillip Dorsett, owned in 24% of Yahoo leagues The Patriots had a tough beatdown at the hands of the Jaguars but this week they should be happy to know they play the Lions. Bill Belichick loves to battle his proteges and he’ll get to face off with Matt Patricia. The Lions have struggled to contain or stop anything and have given up the ninth most points to receivers. Dorsett has the speed to really hurt the back end of Detroit’s defense. Tight End Charles Clay, owned in 22% of Yahoo leagues When facing a great defense like the Vikings, just take what they give you. One area that has been trouble for the Vikings defense is dealing with tight ends. Clay is a good bet this week against a Viking defense that gives up the eighth-most points to the position. Jesse James, owned in 10% of Yahoo leagues He has outperformed his projections in each of the last two weeks and gets a divisional matchup with the Ravens. Though the Ravens are middle of the pack in terms of covering tight ends, James catches everything thrown his way and will score you a touchdown on average. That’s more than you can say with most tight ends. Defense Dallas Cowboys, owned in 14% of Yahoo leagues Give the home team a shot because their defense is legit. Though they barely outplayed the projections in week one, they bounced back in a big way on Sunday Night Football against the Giants. They had six sacks, allowed only 13 points, and recovered a fumble. Guess what? They get the Seahawks up next with a banged up offensive line and receiving corps. Kicker Graham Gano, owned in 19% of Yahoo leagues Are you like most NFL teams and need a kicker? Gano is your guy with a matchup against the Bengals, who give up the third-most points to kickers.