2024 NFL fantasy football waiver wire, Week 3: Derek Carr, Carson Steele among top targets

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Laissez les bons temps rouler! Blistering a bad Panthers defense is one thing. Slaying the Cowboys’ highly touted D is a different matter. Carr has done both during his first two weeks in the Klint Kubiak offense. In fact, he’s been playing like an elite quarterback since late in the 2023 campaign. He leads all QBs with 17 pass TDs since Week 15 of last season. No other QB has 15-plus pass TDs in that span. I know the full body of work over Carr's career tells the story of a passer who does not belong in the upper crust, but with multiple QB1s injured right now, the Saints signal-caller is at least a streaming option against the Eagles for managers looking to fill a void at the position.

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He’s not playing at Derek Carr’s level, but Darnold is clearly benefiting from his fresh start in Minnesota. He’s Carr Lite right now, which is still pretty good. Darnold has thrown two TD passes and an INT in each of his first two games. The interesting thing to me is he’s torching defenses when they blitz him (8-for-8, 207 pass yards, 25.9 yards per attempt, 3 TDs, 0 INTs). That’s not something he was known for in any of his previous career stops. Darnold is at least a fantasy backup option to consider entering a Week 3 matchup with the Texans, assuming Justin Jefferson is indeed OK after sustaining an injury on Sunday.

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Is Geno back (again)? He threw for 327 yards -- second-most in a single game by any QB this season through Sunday -- and a TD against a Patriots defense that shut down Joe Burrow a week earlier. Seattle’s offensive line is an area of concern, but when given a respectable amount of time to survey the field, Smith is showing us he can be lights out. Geno completed 13 of his 17 passes for 184 yards and a TD when he had 2.5-plus seconds to throw in Week 2, per Next Gen Stats. He doesn’t have a great matchup in Week 3 against Miami, which has yet to allow a 200-yard passer this season, but he’s in the conversation as a fantasy QB2. 

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Chandler is the clear RB2 in Minnesota behind Aaron Jones, but it was Chandler who led the team with 10 carries for 82 yards (8.2 a pop) against a stout 49ers defense on Sunday. Given Jones’ history with durability issues (the 29-year-old back has missed at least two games in three of the past four seasons), Chandler could prove to be a valuable stash down the road. 

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The Dallas backfield is a bit of a hot mess from a fantasy perspective, with Dowdle and Ezekiel Elliott basically sharing the workload in a 50/50 split. I’m not suggesting Dowdle is worth a start with the Ravens defense awaiting the Cowboys in Week 3, but he’s seeing enough touches in a potentially high-scoring offense to warrant roster consideration, especially in deeper leagues. 

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Gibson is only seeing a quarter of the snaps each week as the clear backup to Rhamondre Stevenson, but he made the most of his chances in Week 2, leading the team with 96 rushing yards on 11 carries (8.7 per) against a frisky Seahawks defense. The Patriots are going to pound the rock (third-most rushing attempts in the league through Sunday) in Year 1 under Jerod Mayo, which helps make Gibson a fine stash candidate in deep leagues.

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With Isiah Pacheco suffering a fractured fibula on Sunday, the Chiefs have a massive void to fill at running back. Folks will be sprinting to the wire to pick up Steele, an undrafted rookie out of UCLA. We don’t know exactly how the workload will be divvied up, but Perine has been the top alternative to Pacheco on passing downs, while Steele has nine carries to Perine’s zero. The snaps could be split, but it's hard to not be intrigued with preseason hero Steele, although another fumble could mean a quick hook from Andy Reid. In case they don't have the answer already on the roster, the Chiefs are at least considering other options. Fantasy managers should be aware Kansas City is bringing in free agent Kareem Hunt for a visit on Tuesday. Hunt, originally a draft pick of the Chiefs in 2017, spent the past five seasons with the Browns, but went unsigned this offseason after averaging a career-low three yards per carry in 15 games with Cleveland in 2023. He did run for a career-high nine TDs last season, so he could become an appealing option in goal-line situations if the Chiefs decide to sign him.

UPDATE: The Chiefs are signing Hunt to their practice squad, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported on Tuesday.

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Kyle Shanahan dropped some big news Monday, announcing Deebo Samuel suffered a calf strain and will be out for multiple weeks. It’s going to be a team effort to try to replace what the dynamic Samuel brings to the San Francisco offense -- no one can fill the void alone -- but the most obvious beneficiary is Jennings. He’s played about half the offensive snaps through two games, posting seven catches for 101 yards on nine targets, with 47 routes run. When Samuel missed a couple games last season, Jennings saw a big increase in playing time and was the 49ers’ most targeted player in one of the contests. He didn’t see any targets in the second of the two games. I don’t know if we’ll see a repeat of those highs and lows, but Jennings should certainly be getting a large share of the snaps as long as Samuel is out. He’s worth picking up, especially in deeper leagues, with a matchup against the beleaguered Rams defense up next.

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It’s hard to be bullish about any Browns receivers at the moment, given the state of the team’s offense, but Jeudy is the WR29 in fantasy through Week 2. He’s been Cleveland’s de facto WR1 (eight catches for 98 yards and a TD) with Amari Cooper off to an extremely slow start, and draws a favorable matchup against the Giants in Week 3. I’d proceed with caution, but Jeudy is at least a flex option in deeper leagues.

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Folks had written off the 2023 first-round pick after a disappointing rookie season. People might have turned away a little too soon. Johnston led the Chargers in routes (19), targets (6), receptions (5), receiving yards (51) and TD catches (2) in Week 2. Now, he faces a much tougher matchup in Week 3, going against the Steelers’ defense, and the status of QB Justin Herbert is worth monitoring after he “got rolled up” on in the win over the Panthers. I’m not ready to recommend Johnston as a fantasy starter in Week 3, but stashing him now could pay off down the road.

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After a very quiet Week 1 for the Falcons' offense, Mooney exploded for 88 yards and a TD on three catches in a comeback win over the Eagles. He made the three longest plays of the game for Atlanta, scoring after shaking off a defender on a 41-yarder and catching deep throws from Kirk Cousins for 26 and 21 yards. He now leads the team in routes (57) and receiving yards (103). I'm not going to expect three chunk-yardage plays a week from Mooney, but it's clear Cousins is more than willing to look his way. Let's not forget Mooney was the fantasy WR22 in 2021, and this is the best offense he's ever played in. He's put himself back on the radar as a flex option in deep leagues.

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Big-play Pierce was at it again, leading the Colts with five catches for 56 yards and a TD in Week 2. He’s now scored a TD in consecutive games for the first time in his career. As I wrote last week, the return of Josh Downs would be a threat to Pierce’s opportunities, and it could come in Week 3. (Downs practiced in full late last week, but didn't play on Sunday.) Pierce led all Indianapolis receivers with 53 snaps (95% of offensive plays) in Green Bay, though, and clearly has established some trust with QB Anthony Richardson. I would hate for you to miss out if the third-year receiver stays hot. Then again, Downs is a worthy add if he is active in Week 3.

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Another Rams injury at wide receiver, another reason to include Robinson in the waiver-wire conversation. He led the team with 50 receiving yards in Week 2 with Puka Nacua out and Cooper Kupp leaving the game late in the second quarter after suffering an ankle injury. Nacua is potentially several weeks away from returning, while Kupp’s prognosis is not yet clear. If Kupp is also going to miss extended time, then Tyler Johnson, Jordan Whittington and Tutu Atwell become a lot more relevant to fantasy managers, but Robinson is still the top Rams receiver to target on the wire. He’s posted 40-plus receiving yards in eight of his late nine games dating back to last season (including playoffs) and played the most snaps of any Los Angeles receiver in Week 2.

UPDATE: Rams coach Sean McVay announced on Monday that Kupp will miss an "extended period of time" with his injury and is a candidate for injured reserve. With that news, Johnson is now worth a look in deep leagues, and Whittington and Atwell are players to watch as McVay tries to jumpstart his offense without his top two receivers.

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The Saints’ offense is one of the biggest surprises of the young season. So, it makes plenty of sense for fantasy managers to be targeting the team’s leading receiver. He made four grabs for 96 yards and a TD against Dallas, with the score coming on a 70-yard bomb. He’s now scored on a catch of 50-plus yards in each of the first two weeks and has five TD grabs of 50-plus yards since entering the league in 2022 (second-most in the NFL over that span). We probably can’t count on a gargantuan play every week, but Shaheed leads New Orleans in targets (9), yards (169) and TD receptions (2). He’s at worst a flex option.

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In Week 1, Brandin Cooks was the top non-CeeDee Lamb option at wide receiver for Dak Prescott. In Week 2, it was Tolbert’s turn. He was targeted nine times against the Saints, making six grabs for 82 yards. It was the best game of the third-year veteran’s career, by far. Remember, Tolbert was a top-100 draft pick out of South Alabama in 2022, so the Cowboys have been waiting for a game like this from him. It’s going to be frustrating for fantasy managers if Dak goes back and forth between Cooks and Tolbert every week, but Tolbert played the most snaps of any Cowboys receiver in Week 2. If he’s going to be a third-year breakout, better to be too early than too late to add him, especially if your roster isn’t looking so hot at receiver.

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Gesicki is the most-targeted player on the Bengals’ roster heading into Week 3. Yes, I’m also stunned it’s not Ja’Marr Chase, but no, Joe Burrow has thrown Gesicki’s way more (13 to 11). The tight end also leads the team in air yards with 94, per Next Gen Stats. He’s coming off his most productive game in three years after making seven catches for 91 yards against the Chiefs. He shares time with three other tight ends in Cincinnati, but he’s no worse than a fantasy TE2 and will be a TE1 if he can maintain his current pace. We saw him deliver those types of seasons back in his days with the Dolphins, so the potential is legit.

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Henry was once a must-own tight end in fantasy leagues, but those days ended when the Patriots offense plummeted to basement-level production in recent years. Could a resurgence be brewing in his ninth NFL season? He was targeted a team-high 12 times on Sunday, the most of any tight end in Week 2, and became the first New England TE with 100-plus receiving yards in a game since Rob Gronkowski in Week 14 of the 2018 season (which happened to be the Miami Miracle game). Henry’s ceiling might not be particularly high, but he’s going to be worth rostering if he continues to see high volume.

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If the Tampa Bay D/ST is available in your league, now is the time to put in a claim. The Bucs’ stingy defense gets a home date with the anemic Denver offense in Week 3. Todd Bowles had a successful plan to knock Lions QB Jared Goff off his game in Week 2, and I expect he’ll have his group ready to continue rookie QB Bo Nix’s rude welcome to the NFL on Sunday.

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Los Angeles has allowed only one touchdown in the first eight quarters of the 2024 season, stifling the likes of the Raiders and Panthers so far. In Week 3 the Chargers visit the Steelers, who are off to a 2-0 start. Pittsburgh is winning with defense, though, with only one offensive TD through two games. If you want to ride with the Bolts D for one more week (before they face the Chiefs in Week 4), I would not hate it.

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The Packers' defense bounced back from a shaky Week 1 with a much better showing against the Colts, and now they draw the gift that keeps on giving to fantasy defenses -- Titans QB Will Levis. He’s turned the ball over five times in the first two games and Tennessee is averaging just 17 points per contest. The ceiling is high for the Green Bay D in Week 3.

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The Raiders draw the Panthers, who have the worst offense in the league (13 points through two games), in Week 3, with the offensively challenged Browns (25 points) and Broncos (26) up next on the schedule. Las Vegas is a defense to stream and potentially hold for the next few weeks, given the favorable matchups. Maxx Crosby and Co. figure to do their share of damage.