NFL Photos | NFL Photography Gallery | NFL.com
Waiver Wire
Week 3 fantasy football waiver wire
The waiver wire is one of the most important keys to finding success in the world of fantasy football. The great Michael Fabiano used to write this column, but has since passed it off to me. So I'll do my best to help you manage the waiver wire to scoop up the players who can help bring you fantasy glory each and every week. And if you play in a deeper, or highly competitive league, and all 10 of these players are already owned, be sure to check out my weekly deep dive waiver wire column, which drops on Mondays, for some high-upside players to aim for heading into Week 3. For instance, if you're wondering why Matt Jones and David Johnson aren't listed here, well, they'll be there, don't you worry. For now, let's get to the big ones.

We don't yet know the extent of Eddie Lacy's ankle injury, but however severe it puts James Starks at the top of the waiver-wire target list. Starks has acquitted himself well as Lacy's backup, and has been with the team since 2010, so he knows the offense. He isn't as talented as Lacy, but gets the added benefit of playing in an offense run by Aaron Rodgers. If Lacy misses any time, Starks is on the RB2 radar, meaning he needs to be rostered in all formats this week.

This will probably be the last week Williams appears in this list, as he's now owned in over 55 percent of NFL.com leagues. However, I felt it necessary to remind those owners who HADN'T picked him up yet to go out and do so. Even though Tony Romo is going to miss serious time with a broken clavicle, it was Brandon Weeden who hooked up with Williams for a touchdown against the Eagles in Week 2. If Williams is miraculously still on the waiver wire in your league this week, change that immediately.

Gillmore has been one of my favorite deep sleeper candidates all offseason, so I was thrilled to see him have a breakout game against the Raiders in Week 2. The Ravens finally took advantage of the 6-foot-6 Gillmore's massive frame targeting him six times -- which he turned into five catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Gillmore is the starting tight end for the Ravens while Maxx Williams develops, and until the team discovers a true No. 2 option in the passing game he will see a decent amount of volume. He's a nice option to stash on your bench or stream at tight end when the matchup permits.

Johnson, another one of my favorite offseason sleepers, has really shown up well to start the year. Johnson has found the end zone two weeks in a row, and has seen a steady amount of targets each week from Philip Rivers. It warms my heart to see his ownership percentage jump around 18 points from Week 1 to Week 2. Hopefully, now that he's made splashy plays two weeks in a row, more people will take notice.

The return of LeGarrette Blount was somehow overshadowed by the 5-foot-8 Dion Lewis, who notched over 100 total yards for the second straight week. The specter of #Belitricks always lurk in the New England backfield, but if you need encouragement for picking up Lewis, know that he's lost two fumbles in two games (normally a one-way ticket to the bench), yet still continued to see a healthy amount of work in both weeks. He seems to be as close to a sure thing as there is in the Patriots' backfield, and he has become a weekly flex option even in standard leagues.

Old reliable Heath Miller just keeps getting it done for the Steelers, and he could keep getting it done for your fantasy squad as well. Last week, he saw a lot of targets and turned that into a solid week yardage wise. This week, he saw only two targets, but converted both for 15 yards and a touchdown and a 2-point conversion. While he's not going to be a name that strikes fear into the hearts of your fantasy opponents, he should continue to give you reliable production. Scoop him up if he's free, which he is in almost 70 percent of NFL.com leagues.

Despite throwing three turnovers, Taylor's performance in Week 2 was the perfect example of why running quarterbacks are a fantasy football cheat code. He rushed for a touchdown and 43 yards to go with three touchdown passes and 243 yards. All told, he finished with 25.98 fantasy points in a losing effort against a defense that traditionally preys on young, inexperienced quarterbacks. Tyrod is the future of the Bills offense, and should hopefully improve with more game and practice reps. Grab him is he's available and you're worried about your quarterback (looking at you, Sam Bradford owners).

It feels strange talking this glowingly about Dalton, but the proof is in the pudding. So far in 2015, he's completed over 68 percent of his passes with five touchdowns, zero interceptions and 483 yards. Considering he hasn't played cake defenses, and just got his first game at home, this is an impressive run for Dalton so far. He's definitely worth adding in standard leagues as a matchup-based, or streaming QB option. In Week 3 he takes on the Ravens, who were just torched by Derek Carr and the Raiders.

OK, OK, we get it. You're having a breaout year, Eric! For those who were skeptical that Ebron's Week 1 performance was an aberration, he doubled down in Week 2, garnering 10 targets which he turned into 43 yards and a touchdown. Stafford is dinged up, which could hurt Ebron's immediate fantasy ceiling, but the fact of the matter remains he is being targeted a TON in this offense and needs to be on more than just five percent of NFL.com fantasy teams.

Speaking of tight ends garnering a ton of targets, I'm baffled that Reed barely saw an uptick in his ownership percentage after last week. He caught all six of his targets in Week 2 for 82 yards, and while he didn't find the end zone, he looks set to be a consistent week-to-week scorer at the tight end position. Go and grab him for some rock-solid production for your tight end spot, or even a flex play if you already have a stud tight end.