Welcome to our third Waiver Wire article at Fantasy In Frames for the 2023 fantasy football season!
The NFL rolls on after another exhilarating week.
It is worth noting that the options presented this week may not provide as much long-term value as the waiver additions after week 1, as demonstrated by the performances of Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams. It may be shrewd to limit FAAB spending this week with the potential of greater opportunities to come as the season progresses.
Let’s get your teams ready for the week ahead with some potential waiver selections with roster ownership under 50%.
Here are my recommendations for your Fantasy Football Waiver Wire for Week 3 (2023)
Matthew Stafford – 31% (must be below 50%)
Coming into the year, there were obvious questions and concerns over Stafford’s health and ability to produce once Kupp’s injury surfaced. His young receivers, however, have stepped up to the plate and allowed Stafford to hit the 300-yard mark in each of his last two games. After two weeks, he stands third in passing yards, only behind Tagovailoa and Cousins.
His passing volume has been remarkably high over the first two games, with Stafford throwing 93 times. Only Mac Jones has more attempts so far this year, with 96. The defensive inexperience means the Rams will likely need to continue to throw at a high rate.
Russell Wilson – 49% (must be below 50%)
Russ might be cooking. Which version of Russell Wilson we would get in 2023 was one of the biggest mysteries going into the year. After a quiet week 1, Wilson exploded in week 2, throwing for 308 yards and two touchdowns, adding a further 56 yards on the ground from six carries.
Whether this production is reliable remains to be seen, but with Sean Payton at the helm, plus the emergence of Marvin Mims and the return of Jerry Jeudy, it may be worth betting on. He now faces Miami in a game he’ll likely have to throw to keep up, and then a beatable Chicago defense.
Sam Howell – 21% (must be below 50%)
Howell has provided solid fantasy production in the season’s opening two weeks. With excellent weapons around him, the former fifth-round pick has had a relatively high passing volume, which has resulted in 501 passing yards, the tenth-highest in the league at the time of writing.
One area which we are yet to truly see is Howell’s rushing ability. In the first two weeks, Howell has only rushed four times, yet in college rushed for over 800 yards and 11 touchdowns in his final year.
Matt Breida – 3% (must be below 50%)
Breida’s fantasy value largely revolves around starter Saquon Barkley’s health. And after Barkley exited the game on Sunday with an ankle injury, Breida was the next man up, rushing once for five yards.
While this week’s matchup against the 49ers is tremendously tough and possibly one to avoid, at the time of writing, the severity of Barkley’s injury remains unclear. But for as long as he remains out, Breida should be seen as the starter, and should provide a stable floor.
Zack Moss – 56% (must be below 50%)
Okay I’m cheating a little here as Moss is slightly over the threshold on Sleeper, but remains below on other platforms. The former Bills running back clearly demonstrated his role as the number one back on Sunday rushing for 88 yards and a touchdown with a further 19 yards from four receptions. This three down role should give us plenty of comfort for the next couple of weeks while Taylor remains out.
It is also worth noting that no other Colts running back had a rushing attempt on Sunday. With Richardson now in concussion protocol, Moss will likely be relied upon even further should he miss the next game. With Jonathan Taylor out for the next two games, Moss provides fantasy managers with a solid floor going forwards.
Tyjae Spears – 26% (must be below 50%)
With potential running back additions few and far between this week, one player to consider is Tyjae Spears. The rookie remains firmly behind Derrick Henry in the Tennessee backfield but has been efficient with his limited work after showing plenty of flashes in the preseason.
Spears rushed for 49 yards on Sunday from eight attempts and adding a further six yards through the air. Given his ability in passing situations, we may see his role develop as the season progresses and he is an injury away from being the waiver wire addition.
Tutu Atwell – 32 % (must be below 50%)
While Puka Nacua will rightly grab the headlines after another stellar performance, Tutu Atwell provided another solid stat line of 7-77 from nine targets. This means the former second-round pick has seen an impressive 17 targets across the first two weeks of the season.
Atwell has subsequently turned this usage into significant yardage, amassing an impressive 196 yards, seventh most in the NFL. While Cooper Kupp remains out, Atwell is a solid flex option in an offense that has seen Stafford throw 93 times across the first two games, the second-highest figure in the league.
Josh Reynolds – 21% (must be below 50%)
With Jameson Williams suspended it was clear another Lions pass catcher would need to step up alongside Amon-Ra St.Brown if this offense was going to hit the heights we expected. Through the first two weeks it is evident that Josh Reynolds is the clear WR2, drawing in 13 targets. This equates to a 19.7% target share so far this year, with only St.Brown seeing more with 16 targets.
His resulting yardage is, in fact, not too far away from St. Brown, accumulating 146 yards in total. The resulting fantasy production, meanwhile, took a step up in week 2 with two touchdowns. With this usage in a high-flying offense, he can be relied upon going forward while Williams remains on the sidelines.
Jayden Reed – 19% (must be below 50%)
With both Aaron Jones and Christian Watson on the sidelines against the Falcons, Jayden Reed displayed why the Packers have had so much faith in the rookie. Reed was targeted eight times on Sunday, catching four for 37 yards and two touchdowns. He has seen 13 targets over his first two weeks in the league.
The immediate usage in the offense is extremely encouraging and should provide us with some comfort he will remain involved, even when Watson returns. Given his start, there is no reason why Reed cannot prove to be the WR2 as the season progresses.
Hunter Henry – 47% (must be below 50%)
Henry was mentioned as a potential waiver addition last week but remains below the 50% threshold, albeit I’m sure not for much longer. He currently stands as the TE2 after scoring more than 16 PPR points in each of the last two weeks.
Henry’s fantasy output has been buoyed by scoring a touchdown in each of the last two weeks but underlying usage has also been promising. He has seen at least six targets in each of the last two weeks, turning that into more than 50 yards in each game.
Cade Otton – 5% (must be below 50%)
After a fairly quiet first week Otton saw a significant uptick in targets in week 2, reeling in all six of his targets for 41 yards. Only Evans and Godwin received more targets on Sunday, both with eight. This equates to a promising 17.6% target share for Otton.
Another promising statistic is that Otton has played on almost all offensive snaps for the Buccaneers over the last two weeks. After the elite tight ends, being on the field and seeing targets are what we should be looking for, and Otton could provide further value going forward.
Tyler Conklin – 8% (must be below 50%)
Tyler Conklin had a quiet first game of the season, seeing just one reception from one target. His production then improved considerably on Sunday, seeing six targets, which he turned into five receptions for 50 yards.
Conklin was the second most targeted Jets player, with a 22.2% target share. While very few pass catchers on the New York Jets outside of Garrett Wilson possess much interest for fantasy, Conklin may provide somewhat of a floor going forward.
Kansas City Chiefs – 21% (must be below 50%)
In what was supposed to be a high-scoring game between two high-profile offenses, the Kansas City defense limited Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars to just 9 points. The return of Chris Jones helped the team to register four sacks and a fumble recovery.
For anyone streaming defenses, the Chiefs should be a priority given they will now face the Chicago Bears. The Bears allowed the Buccaneers six sacks, a forced fumble and two interceptions on Sunday.
Jacksonville Jaguars – 12% (must be below 50%)
On the other side, Jacksonville limited Mahomes and company to just 17 points. The defense forced turnovers, mirroring the opening week production against the Colts.
The defense now faces another rookie in the Texans’ CJ Stroud. After two solid performances in the opening two games, the Jaguars look set for another solid performance at home, and should be in consideration for streaming.
New England Patriots – 48% (must be below 50%)
The Patriots defense has had a tough start to the season with two of the most prolific offenses in the league in the Eagles and Dolphins. They still managed to produce three sacks and a fumble recovery in week 1 and an interception against Tagovailoa in week 2.
They now face a much easier test in the Zach Wilson-led division rivals the New York Jets. Wilson threw three interceptions in his start against Dallas. Expect Wilson to be akin to Sam Darnold seeing Patriots-shaped ghosts.
