Week 3 Waiver Wire: MUST ADD Players, Injury Replacements & Streamers (09/22 Fantasy Football Podcast)
Jamey and Dave break down Week 3 waiver priorities across every position, driven by a wave of QB and RB injuries (Caleb Williams, Jaden Daniels, Jackson Dart, Saquon Barkley, J.K. Dobbins, R.J. Harvey) that make roster building tricky since many injuries look short-term. They highlight Jonah Coleman, Bryce Young, Dalton Schultz and Denzel Boston as top adds, then dig into shallow and deep-league options, injury notes, and DST/kicker streams before recapping the Rams' blowout win over the Giants.
This Week 3 waiver wire episode from Fantasy Football Today centers on a roster crunch created by simultaneous quarterback injuries (Jackson Dart, Caleb Williams, Jaden Daniels) and murky running back situations in Denver, Philadelphia, and Seattle. Hosts Jamie and Dave spend most of the show separating players worth spending real FAAB on from short-term matchup plays, while repeatedly flagging how little clarity there is on Dobbins, Harvey, Barkley, and Price ahead of Sunday.
The arguments
Jonah Coleman is the top overall priority, but his ceiling is capped as long as Denver's backfield is healthy. Jamie and Dave both rank him first, citing his strong performance against a tough Jacksonville run defense and involvement in the passing game, but Dave warns that Sean Payton's history of spreading work around means Coleman won't be a true bell cow unless both Dobbins and Harvey are out. Dave later cites data showing Harvey succeeded on 56% of his carries inside the five last year, which could cap Coleman's goal-line work even in a committee.
Bryce Young deserves priority only for managers in a true quarterback emergency, not as a universal top-three add. Jamie is high on him given 20+ fantasy points in seven of his last ten games and chemistry with Jalen Coker, arguing there's real breakout signal. Dave pushes back that with three managers per league now needing a quarterback, Young shouldn't be a priority claim unless your own situation is dire, since backup options like Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota have comparable statistical upside from recent seasons.
Dalton Schultz's monster usage is partly a product of unsustainable game script, but the underlying opportunity is real. Jamie challenges the value, noting 45% of his targets in Week 2 came in the fourth quarter while Houston trailed, and questions whether Stroud's early-season pass volume holds up. Dave and Jamie agree the opportunity persists regardless — with Nico Collins possibly out and a favorable Colts matchup up next — making Schultz the consensus top tight end add.
Shallow-league values differ sharply from deep-league ones, and hosts flagged separate tiers. For shallower leagues, Josh Downs (buoyed by Alec Pierce's injury and a looming Keenan Allen suspension risk) and Tyler Shough were the headline gets, alongside Rashad White as a passing-down complement to Jacory Croskey-Merritt. For deeper leagues, Dave pointed to Jacoby Brissett, Adonai Mitchell, Rashad Bateman, and deep tight ends like Terrence Ferguson, Aranda Gadsden, and Pat Freiermuth.
Terrence Ferguson is a stronger add than previously ranked deep tight ends, contingent entirely on Puka Nacua's absence. Dave made the case after Ferguson posted a 72% route rate and nine targets in Nacua's absence, a sharp jump from his 45% route rate in Week 1 when Nacua played. Both hosts agreed to prioritize Ferguson over Gadsden and Freiermuth only as long as Nacua remains out, then pivot off him once Nacua returns.
FAAB spending should stay modest league-wide this week except for situational need. Dave capped most bids at 10%, maybe 15% for Coleman's upside, while Jamie admitted he'd go as high as 20-30% on Bryce Young only if his own quarterback room was empty. Both agreed this isn't a "break the bank" week given how many of these situations (Dobbins, Harvey, Barkley) could resolve as quickly as they emerged.
What it means for your roster
- Priority claim: Jonah Coleman, but treat him as a stash/upside play (10-15% FAAB) rather than a guaranteed starter unless Dobbins and Harvey are both ruled out.
- Streaming tight end: Dalton Schultz is the clear top add regardless of Nico Collins' status; buy in even if you dial back Week 2 volume expectations.
- Quarterback need only: Add Bryce Young if your own QB2 situation is dire; otherwise let one of the three desperate managers in your league take him and grab Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota instead.
- Deep-league stash: Terrence Ferguson is worth a claim now while Puka Nacua is out, but be ready to cut bait once Nacua returns to full health.
- Shallow-league priority: If Josh Downs is available in your league, he's the top shallow-league add given Alec Pierce's injury and Keenan Allen's suspension risk.
- Bench/streamer for Week 3: Stream the Chiefs defense against Miami's Malik Willis-led offense, and consider Jacoby Brissett or Geno Smith as one-week emergency starters given favorable matchups.
“There's three managers in every league looking for a quarterback right now.” — Jamie
Players in this episode
→ Dealing with a stinger with no clear update yet; his potential absence directly impacts Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley's waiver value this week.
↓ Popped his shoulder out and back in during Monday's game, managing just one catch for one yard; hosts have some short-term concern about his health but no long-term worry if he's near 100%.
↓ Suffered a sprained MCL injury early in Monday's loss to the Rams, clouding the Giants' QB situation for upcoming easier matchups.
→ Had a huge game in Puka Nakua's absence, but hosts view this as a sell-high window given uncertainty about his role once Nakua returns.
→ Also dealing with a hamstring injury; hosts noted his strong career goal-line success rate (56% inside the 5) suggests he could remain the default short-yardage back even if Coleman gets more overall work.
→ Dealing with a hamstring injury but expected to play in some capacity Week 3; hosts noted his long history of injuries makes him unreliable long-term even if healthy now.
↑ Opportunity for expanded role with David Njoku and Charlie Kolar both on IR; hosts view him as a strong streaming option, though skeptical of the Chargers offense overall.
↑ Set to return and start this week at Tampa Bay after injury, viewed as the No. 2 QB waiver target behind Bryce Young.
↑ Coming off a monster game with 22 targets in two weeks, though hosts questioned whether his production is inflated by unexpected trailing game scripts; still viewed as a top-10 TE especially if Nico Collins remains out.
↑ Named the top shallow-league receiver add after posting 7 catches for 72 yards on 9 targets, benefiting further from Alec Pierce's injury and a possible Keenan Allen suspension.
↑ Backup to Kenneth Walker III who looked good on limited snaps; team reportedly wants to give him more work, making him a long-term stash even though Walker still projects for 20+ touches.
↑ Top overall waiver priority; must-start if both Dobbins and Harvey are out, but Sean Payton's committee approach caps his ceiling long-term, and Harvey's strong goal-line history could limit Coleman's touchdown upside.
↑ Bounced back with a strong Week 2 showing as a key receiving-down back; recommended as the top shallow-league RB pickup this week over even Jonah Coleman for immediate need.
↑ Playing at an elite level (20+ fantasy points in 7 of his last 10 games) and viewed as a must-add for any QB-needy team given the wave of QB injuries around the league.
↑ Broke out with a 72% route rate and nine targets while Puka Nakua was out; hosts argue he should be prioritized over other TE streamers as long as Nakua remains sidelined.
↑ Named a top waiver RB target if Saquon Barkley (stinger) sits, though Will Shipley is expected to cut into his workload as a passing-down complement.
↑ Full-time player with 94-97% route rates in each game and seven targets in Week 2; hosts believe he has staying power as Cleveland's clear No. 1 or 2 receiver as long as Deshaun Watson plays well.
↑ Seattle's clear backup after Jadarian Price left with a shoulder/chest injury; coming off 21 carries, he's a top waiver target against a Washington defense hosts view as vulnerable.
→ Streamed for his historically strong performance against the Bengals (14.6 PPR points average over 10 career games), a favorable Week 3 matchup.
↑ Nearly scored a long touchdown and is viewed as a strong short-term deep-league add given Nico Collins' potential continued absence and a favorable Colts matchup.