Injuries and bloated expectations are already being seen as week 3 approaches in the NFL season.
Luckily, you still have the waiver wire to improve your fantasy football roster. Here’s the best options for the week 3 fantasy football waiver wire.
Fozzy Whittaker, RB, Carolina Panthers
You knew it was only a matter of time, but Jonathan Stewart succumbed to the injury bug in week 2 against San Francisco. In his place, Whittaker rushed for 100 yards and tacked on 31 receiving yards.
Carolina is going to run the football no matter who is in the backfield. That’s what makes Whittaker a valuable commodity off the waiver wire if Stewart continues to be injured.
Whittaker has already shown the ability to produce in the passing game in the past. Sunday’s results against the 49ers showed that he also can run a bit, too. The Panthers are frustrating for running backs because Cam Newton will garner many of the rushing touchdowns.
However, Whittaker still provides value if he’s the main running back. Pick him up now, especially with the knowledge that Stewart is injury-prone.
Jerick McKinnon, RB, Minnesota Vikings
Maybe it’s nothing. But the way Adrian Peterson left the week 2 game against Green Bay, it doesn’t appear to be a good sign for the veteran running back.
McKinnon was one of my top handcuff options for fantasy football owners based on the premise that Peterson could get injured. He’s an older running back who has plenty of tread on his tires.
But if Peterson has to miss some time, McKinnon is ready to step up in his place. McKinnon was there when Peterson was suspended for an entire season, playing the role of lead back. He’s been the understudy since then, but many who are close to the Minnesota situation, believe McKinnon can become a solid fill-in.
He offers the ability to catch balls out of the backfield and has plenty of open-field speed. The biggest concern is that he won’t get a lot of goal-line work, but you can’t pass up Minnesota’s main running back. The Vikings will still be focused primarily on the running game, making McKinnon a must-add this week.
Quincy Enunwa, WR, New York Jets
I’m not sure if there’s enough balls to go around in New York, but so far, Enunwa has been able to sneak his way into the offensive mix.
He has 14 targets during two games and he missed most of the second half of Thursday’s victory against Buffalo. He’s a big receiver who fills that void for the Jets, wince they don’t utilize a tight end.
So while Enunwa is the No. 3 option for New York with Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker as the top-two targets, Enunwa may still have value in the future based on his ability to be that tight end target for Ryan Fitzpatrick.
And what if Decker or Marshall are injured? The Jets continue to show the desire to throw the football and Enunwa is fitting into those plans.
He’s barely owned in fantasy football, and currently, he’s not a guaranteed consistent option for fantasy owners. However, he’s shown enough so far this season that he could become that type of receiver this season.
Mike Wallace, WR, Baltimore Ravens
I gave up on Wallace after a few years of little production. His targets had steadily declined since 2013 and he was a non-factor in Minnesota’s offense last season.
But his lack of production may have had more to do with his offense than his actual skill level. In the last few years, he’s been the deep threat on rosters that rarely go deep. His quarterbacks, Teddy Bridgewater and Ryan Tannehill, aren’t known for stretching defenses.
Joe Flacco, on the other hand, can do that as well as any quarterback in the NFL. And so far this season, Wallace is enjoying the new scenery.
He has three touchdowns already this season and has hauled in seven of 12 targets for 132 yards. Flacco is going to air it deep and Wallace fits in nicely, much like he did in Pittsburgh’s offense earlier in his career. Maybe this is a resurgence for Wallace.
Either way, his start to the season means he deserves at least a bench spot on your fantasy roster.
