2025 NFL fantasy football waiver wire, Week 3: RB Bhayshul Tuten, WR Wan'Dale Robinson top targets

Our fantasy cup runneth over. After the first week of the 2025 NFL season wasn't particularly generous when it came to producing enticing waiver wire options, the developments of Week 2 have provided a much more robust crop of potential pickups.

Here are my suggestions for Week 3, starting with my top 15 players to prioritize on the waiver wire, regardless of position.

The only rule here: Players must be rostered in less than 60 percent of NFL.com leagues to be eligible for the list.

And now, here are my top five waiver priorities by position:

QUARTERBACKS

Takeaways:

• Trevor Lawrence and Kyler Murray didn't go off against the Panthers' defense in the first two weeks, but my gut tells me Carolina's luck is about to run out. Michael Penix Jr. threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns against Dave Canales' historically bad defense in Week 18 last season, and a similar output is within reach against an improved -- but still far from good -- Panthers D.
• I'm not yet sure what to make of C.J. Stroud or his Week 3 opponent, the Jaguars, in 2025 -- the results have not been great, clearly -- so proceed with some caution here. I do know that Stroud has torched Jacksonville to the tune of 67.9 percent completions, 1,171 yards (292.8 per) and 7:0 TD-to-INT ratio in four career games, though.
• I'm as surprised as anyone that I'm including Mac Jones on this list, but things get weird sometimes. Filling in for the injured Brock Purdy, Mac was the fantasy QB8 of Week 2. Purdy is likely to miss at least another week, which means Kyle Shanahan gets another chance to work with the player he might have wanted in the 2021 NFL Draft all along. San Francisco has an inviting matchup at home against a Cardinals defense that just allowed Bryce Young to throw for 328 yards and three TDs on a day when he aired it out 55 times.
• The Joe Burrow injury throws a wrench into quite a few folks' fantasy strategies, obviously. I don't recommend starting Burrow's replacement, Jake Browning, on the road against the Vikings defense in Week 3, but it looks like he's going to be the QB1 for the foreseeable future in a Bengals offense loaded with skill-position talent. Let's not forget Browning completed 71.5 percent of his passes during a seven-game starting stint in place of Burrow back in 2023. He averaged 266.9 passing yards per game with a TD-to-INT ratio of 11:7 in that span. Browning could be a streaming option down the road in the right matchup.
• I can't deny Russell Wilson was impressive on Sunday, throwing for a whopping 450 yards against the Cowboys, but with a game against an angry 0-2 Chiefs teams up next, I'm not going to recommend here. We might see him go back to being the guy who threw for 168 yards in Week 1.

RUNNING BACKS

Takeaways:

• If you didn't take the prevailing waiver wire advice and snag Bhayshul Tuten last week, this will probably be your last chance to get him. In the Jaguars' first game since trading Tank Bigsby to the Eagles, Tuten posted 74 yards from scrimmage (42 rushing, 32 receiving) and a TD on 10 touches (7.4 per). Jacksonville has a tougher matchup against the Texans in Week 3, but the upside is too high to pass up if you're looking for a flex play or handcuff for Jags starter Travis Etienne Jr.
• When the Falcons build a lead, they're going to pound the rock. We saw them do so on Sunday night, and Tyler Allgeier played a big role, rushing 16 times for 76 yards and a TD as the backup to Bijan Robinson. It won't surprise me if things play out similarly when Atlanta visits the 0-2 Panthers in Week 3.
• Three of Blake Corum's five carries on Sunday came in the red zone, including his 1-yard TD. He's the player to handcuff if you roster Kyren Williams. Corum might even be worth an add if you play in a deep league and have a screaming need at running back.
• It doesn't appear that Kenneth Gainwell's hold on the RB2 job in Pittsburgh is in any danger. Committing costly mistakes on special teams won't endear rookie Kaleb Johnson to the coaching staff.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Takeaways:

• He's baaaaack. Wan'Dale Robinson was a regular in this space last season, and we should probably get used to seeing him here again because he's averaging 19.9 fantasy points per game through Week 2. The fourth-year pro leads the league with 107 yards on throws of 20-plus air yards, per Next Gen Stats. He ranks sixth in receiving yards (197) and is tied for seventh in receptions (14). I don't expect him to maintain that pace for long, but he'd still provide a potential flex option in deeper leagues even if the production slows a bit against the Chiefs in Week 3.
• Is the Troy Franklin breakout underway? He led Denver in routes (27), targets (9), catches (8) and receiving yards (89) against the Colts on Sunday. Also, he caught a 3-yard TD pass from his Broncos and Oregon teammate Bo Nix. Those are top-10 fantasy WR numbers. I'm not ready to say we should expect that output from him on a weekly basis, but he's worth rostering in deep leagues.
• With Jayden Reed suffering a collarbone fracture in Green Bay's Week 2 win, I'm giving Romeo Doubs a slight edge over Dontayvion Wicks on the waiver wire, but both Packers receivers could see an uptick with the team shorthanded at the position (Christian Watson is still sidelined, too). Doubs is tied for the team lead in routes (41) and ranks second in targets (9), receiving yards (96) and TD catches (1). The Packers don't have the most daunting defenses standing in their way with the Browns and Cowboys up next, although both games are on the road.

TIGHT ENDS

Takeaways:

• Juwan Johnson leads all tight ends in routes (74) and targets (20) entering Week 3. As long as the Saints' Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau are out with injuries, Johnson has TE1 upside in fantasy, even if he did drop a couple passes on Sunday.
• Harold Fannin Jr.'s Week 2 wasn't quite as big as his NFL debut, but the rookie tight end still tied for the team lead with five catches (on five targets) for 48 yards. We might have to temper our expectations after the hype train took off with a head of steam, but he's still no worse than a TE2 with the potential to go off at any time in a Browns offense that leads the league with 93 pass attempts.
• While Isaiah Likely did not play in the Ravens' first two games, it appears the tight end is getting closer to returning from his foot injury. Last week, head coach John Harbaugh said he was "encouraged" by the progress he's seen from the fourth-year player. Harbaugh has set a high bar for Likely, and I have to imagine he would like to see more out of the tight end position than the two catches for 7 yards Mark Andrews has produced so far this season. Get in on Likely before your fellow fantasy managers catch on.

DEFENSES

Takeaways:

• The Packers have held the Lions and Commanders -- two of the league's most explosive offenses last season -- to 31 points combined in the last two weeks, which makes me wonder what Green Bay will do to the Joe Flacco-led Browns in Week 3 coming off nine days of rest. Get on board while you still can.
• With a game against the lowly Saints up next, there's a case to be made that the Seahawks are the defense to pick up this week. I'm a little more enamored with the Micah Parsons Project at the moment, but Seattle is tied for the No. 2 fantasy defense this season (the Packers are tied for seventh) and should be able to keep Spencer Rattler and Co. relatively quiet.
• The Falcons' defense was dominant in Week 2, ruining J.J. McCarthy's first home start. Atlanta racked up 21 fantasy points, sacking McCarthy six times and forcing four turnovers. In Week 3, the Dirty Birds draw the Panthers, who have allowed the opposing defense to score 10-plus fantasy points in each of the first two weeks of this season. Raheem Morris' defense might not repeat its outburst against Minnesota, but there's a lot to like here if you're streaming D/ST -- although Falcons CB1 A.J. Terrell's hamstring injury is worth monitoring.