Early Waiver Wire Favorites - Week 3
A lot of Sunday surprises in week 3! Calvin Ridley became the first rookie to catch 3 TD passes in one game since Odell Beckham. Josh Allen and the Bills, coming off of 2 ugly losses, beat the breaks off the Vikings in Minnesota. Christian McCaffrey ran for 184 yards. The Bears and Dolphins sit atop their respective divisions. And while it almost definitely won’t happen, it’s fun to think about how Patrick Mahomes is on pace to throw nearly 70 TD passes. While that’s a lot of big weeks, we’re going to focus on some smaller names, specifically guys owned in less than 10% of leagues.
Ryan Tannehill – QB, Miami Dolphins
Owned in 7.8% of leagues
Tannehill threw for 289 yards and 3 TD’s against the Raiders on Sunday and now has his team at 3-0 and leading the AFC East. He’s thrown for at least 2 TD’s in every game so far and has thrown for 230+ yards in 2 of the 3. He could be a popular waiver target for those that lost Jimmy Garoppolo this week.
Dallas Goedert – TE, Philadelphia Eagles
Owned in 1.9% of leagues
In Carson Wentz’s first game back, Goedert caught 7 passes on 7 targets for 73 yards and a TD. Likely to be a popular waiver target after Sunday’s game, Goedert can add great value if week 3’s game is indicative of how Carson Wentz will try to get him involved in the offense.
Wendell Smallwood – RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Owned in 4.2% of leagues
Smallwood carried the ball 10 times for 56 yards and a TD and caught 3 passes for 35 yards in Sunday’s win against the Colts. He was on the field for 30% of the snaps when just Sproles was out, so he still has some opportunity to produce even if one of Ajayi or Sproles are still healthy. While they’re out, he’s the RB2 and it’s clear that the Eagles trust him to produce.
Baker Mayfield – QB, Cleveland Browns
Owned in 6.8% of leagues
The #1 overall pick finally got his chance on Thursday, and he absolutely delivered, bringing the Browns their first win since Christmas Eve 2016. He threw for over 200 yards and caught a pass from Jarvis Landry for a 2-point conversion. He put up 10 fantasy points while only playing half of a game, and has good value facing Oakland next week, a defense that has allowed an average of 18 fantasy PPG so far this year.
Jakeem Grant – WR, Miami Dolphins
Owned in .9% of leagues
Definitely a deeper league target, Grant caught only 2 passes on Sunday, but he made the most of them, amassing 70 yards and 2 TD’s. He clearly possesses a whole lot of big play potential, and this production is going to lead to an increase in opportunity as part of an offense averaging 25 PPG this year.