Week 3 Waiver Wire: Must-Add Players
The hosts break down Week 2 injury fallout (Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Saquon Barkley, Dallas Goddard, Nico Collins, Zay Flowers, Charlie Kolar/David Njoku) and how it reshapes the Week 3 waiver wire. They then run a position-by-position 'showdown' picking the top adds at RB, WR, TE, QB and defense, mixing in NFL trivia between segments.
This episode is a post-injury-carnage waiver wire triage: after a brutal Week 2 that knocked out Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Saquon Barkley, Nico Collins, and Dallas Goddard among others, hosts Danny Heifetz, Danny Kaelin (DK), and Craig Horlbeck rank the best adds at every position. Their throughline is that roster uncertainty this week is unusually high — several teams have genuinely muddled backfields and receiver rooms — so speculative adds and situational streamers matter more than usual.
The arguments
Caleb Williams' injury is good news dressed as bad news. The hosts open by noting Williams avoided any major injury despite the scary cart-off, and while Ben Johnson said he could miss time, Chicago hasn't ruled him out for Monday Night Football against the Eagles. Heifetz and DK treat this as a non-story for fantasy beyond needing a one-to-two-week QB stream.
Jonah Coleman is the top running back add, but Tank Bigsby is the correct 1-week priority if Saquon Barkley's MRI comes back bad. DK leads with Coleman given his 39 yards on 10 carries and 42% snap share with both RJ Harvey (hamstring/groin) and J.K. Dobbins (hamstring) banged up. Craig counters that Bigsby is the higher-priority claim conditional on Saquon's MRI, since Philadelphia's Monday-night slot could leave managers guessing all Sunday; all three agree you should roster Bigsby regardless if you own Barkley, extending the same handcuff logic to Mike Washington Jr. (behind Ashton Jeanty) and Elijah/Emmitt Johnson (behind Kenneth Walker).
The Saints backfield is a genuine mess, and the hosts split on how to read it. Travis Etienne was outtouched by Alvin Kamara 10-2 in the first half despite Etienne's big free-agent contract, and Kendre Miller and undrafted CJ Donaldson are also stealing work. Craig argues Etienne is a strong buy-low because his drafters are already panicking and the Saints' fast pace (Etienne is 9th in the league in raw snaps) makes the timeshare worth betting on; DK is more cautious, noting Kamara still played well and could retain real season-long value, especially with New Orleans's line now missing LT Kelvin Banks for a minimum 10 weeks.
Caleb Johnson could be the best season-long stash on the board despite Green Bay's line falling apart. DK flags that Johnson looked better than Marshawn Lloyd late in Sunday's game and started overtime, and Green Bay's upcoming schedule (Falcons, Bucs, Bears, Cowboys, Lions) offers real spots to run. The catch, voiced by both hosts, is Green Bay used all eight active offensive linemen against the Commanders and are down to five healthy starters, undercutting confidence in any Packers rushing production, especially for a Thursday-night decision this week.
Denzel Boston is the clear top receiver add, but Dontavion Wicks jumped into contention live on-air when news broke that Dallas Goddard has an MCL sprain. DK and Craig both praised Boston's 93% snap share, route-running lead, and back-to-back touchdown games, calling him a plausible top-20 real-life redraft pick despite the Cleveland offense's overall struggles. When Schefter's Goddard news landed mid-taping, Heifetz pivoted to Wicks as a near-equal add given the Eagles' history of receivers exploding when one of the top three (A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Goddard) is out; DK still favored Boston overall on talent, but called the gap "closer" after the news.
Dalton Schultz is this week's clearest tight end add, with Pat Freiermuth as the fallback and Rondale Gadsden a late-breaking third option. DK cites Schultz's 12 targets/140 yards with Nico Collins out, expecting continued volume if Collins sits again. Heifetz counters with Freiermuth as a streaming option purely because Pittsburgh faces Cincinnati, the same defense that inflated Schultz's line, and Rodgers has publicly wanted more targets to tight ends. Mid-show, news broke that both David Njoku (fibula, IR) and Charlie Kolar (forearm, IR) are out for the Chargers, instantly validating DK's speculative call on Rondale Gadsden as a viable streaming option behind Freiermuth.
Streaming quarterbacks and defenses have clear tiers this week. Bryce Young and Tyler Shough are the top two streamers regardless of matchup given Carolina's and New Orleans's play volume; if both are gone, the hosts prefer Tyson Bagent or Geno Smith (Detroit's secondary is decimated) over Marcus Mariota against Seattle. On defense, both hosts flag the Vikings (vs. Tampa Bay/Baker Mayfield's turnover-prone offense) and Chiefs (vs. Miami) as likely available and clear must-adds, with Packers, Giants, and Panthers defenses as secondary options depending on matchup and injury news.
What it means for your roster
- Add Jonah Coleman now as the top season-long RB claim; add Tank Bigsby immediately if Saquon Barkley's MRI is bad, and grab him regardless as a Barkley handcuff.
- Claim Travis Etienne as a buy-low trade target if your league mate is panicking, per Craig's read on Saints pace/snap share — but treat Kamara as still startable given his 14-touch workload.
- Stash Caleb Johnson for season-long upside given Green Bay's favorable upcoming schedule, but don't start him for the Thursday-night game against Atlanta given the O-line chaos.
- Priority-add Denzel Boston at receiver; if he's gone, take Dontavion Wicks given the fresh Goddard MCL news, and next-tier options are A.D. Mitchell (vs. a shredded Lions secondary) and Rashad Bateman if Zay Flowers sits.
- Add Dalton Schultz first at tight end; use Pat Freiermuth as a streaming play specifically against Cincinnati; grab Rondale Gadsden immediately given the Njoku/Kolar IR moves.
- Stream Bryce Young or Tyler Shough if you're missing Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels; avoid Marcus Mariota versus Seattle; claim the Vikings or Chiefs defense if either is sitting on your league's waiver wire.
“This is without a doubt the best trivia we've ever done.” — Danny Heifetz
Players in this episode
→ Suffered a stinger/possible neck or shoulder issue and needed an MRI after the game; status uncertain heading into Monday night.
→ Initially feared to have a serious injury, but tests showed no major structural damage; Ben Johnson expects him to miss some time, possibly just a week or two.
→ Despite being outplayed by Kamara, hosts call him a buy-low given his snap counts are actually top-10 in the league and the Saints are running a ton of plays.
↑ With both Charlie Kolar and David Njoku landing on IR, Gadsden is a high-upside add given he produced well in limited chances last year.
↑ Ranked the second must-start streaming QB thanks to the Saints running the most plays in the NFL.
↑ Named the top TE add after a 12-target, 140-yard game with Nico Collins out; CJ Stroud trusts him and he could keep seeing volume with Collins sidelined.
↑ Named the top RB add of the week after scoring a TD, playing 42% of snaps, and benefiting from RJ Harvey's injury and Dobbins' uncertain hamstring.
→ Out-touched Travis Etienne 10-2 in the first half; still viewed as a viable, serviceable player given the Saints' fast-paced offense.
↑ Called the clear top QB streamer, playing at a top-2 fantasy level regardless of matchup.
↑ Must-add if Saquon Barkley is out, and a good handcuff regardless since he'd complicate opponents' lineup decisions.
↑ The clear top WR add with 93% snap share, most routes on the team, and back-to-back touchdown games; hosts call him a real-life top-20 redraft talent.
↑ Racked up 12 targets and back-to-back solid games; with the Jets facing a depleted Lions secondary next, hosts think he could post a big game and is a multi-week stream.
↑ Looked good running downhill and started overtime; could be the Packers' season-long starter, though the offensive line is decimated and Thursday timing is a concern.
↑ Must-add if Zay Flowers is out, as he's essentially the last healthy true receiver left for Baltimore with Tez Walker and Jacoby Lane also out.
↑ With Dallas Goddard out (MCL sprain), Wicks is expected to see more targets alongside DeVonta Smith and is the top receiver add after Boston.
↑ Suggested as a solid third streaming option given upcoming matchups against weak Lions, Bears, and Browns defenses.
↑ Second choice at TE this week; Aaron Rodgers reportedly wants more tight end targets, and Pittsburgh faces Cincinnati, a defense that got torched by tight ends last year.
↑ Since coming out of retirement he's scored 8 touchdowns in about 12 games despite limited target volume, essentially a red-zone specialist.
↓ Set to start for Washington but hosts want to avoid him this week given a tough matchup against Seattle.