5 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Stashes to Add NOW Before Week 3 (Ep. 2223)
Lucas Wencl runs down five widely-available waiver stashes to grab before Week 3, built around contingent injury/opportunity upside: Malachi Fields behind an injured Malik Nabers, Darren Waller's red-zone role in Carolina, Pat Bryant's sneaky snap count in Denver, Deamon Claiborne amid Vikings backfield injuries, and Buccaneers rookie Ted Hurst's target volume. The core argument is to get ahead of your league mates and stash these low-cost, high-upside pieces before a breakout game makes them unaffordable.
This episode is a straight waiver-wire targeting list ahead of Week 3, with host Lucas Wentzel walking through five low-rostered players (all sitting at 24% or less) who could be one injury, snap-count trend, or role shift away from real fantasy relevance. The through-line is opportunity cost: rather than reacting after a breakout game, Wentzel argues managers should be stashing these names now while they're still cheap and available.
The arguments
Malachi Fields is the direct beneficiary if Malik Nabors' shoulder injury lingers. Wentzel cites Nabors' unusual dislocation mechanism (no collision, just a bad angle on a contested route) and references sports-medicine analyst Deepak Shona's point that shoulder instability shrinks catch radius and route diversity, drawing a parallel to how Andy Reid limited Xavier Worthy's route tree after a similar injury. Fields already has 72% and 81% snap shares and is one of two receivers league-wide with 10+ targets but a sub-70% catchable-target rate, meaning the volume is there even if Jameis Winston's accuracy hasn't caught up yet.
Darren Waller is a streamable, touchdown-dependent tight end as long as Bryce Young keeps playing well. Wentzel points to Waller's track record of scoring in bunches early in stints (four touchdowns on 10 catches in three games with Miami last year, eight scores in 11 games since returning) and notes his snap share is climbing as he shakes off missing camp and preseason after signing in August. The explicit framing is that this isn't a target-share play like Harold Fannin — it's a red-zone/touchdown-equity bet, with Week 4 vs. Detroit flagged as a plausible shootout that boosts his scoring odds.
Pat Bryant's snap and route counts suggest he could chip into Courtland Sutton's role, not Jalen Waddle's. Wentzel isolates Bryant's Week 2 usage (41 snaps, ahead of Waddle; 24 routes, two more than Waddle) despite a zero-catch box score, then contrasts it with Sutton's inefficient 9 targets for only 36 yards through two games. The comp is built on similar size (6'4"/6'2", similar weight) and shared role as a physical red-zone perimeter target, with the caveat that Bryant needs to simmer on a bench spot rather than start immediately.
DeMond Claiborne is now the only fully healthy running back in a Vikings backfield unraveling in real time. Wentzel recaps his own prior call that Aaron Jones would get run into the ground early, which happened — Jones exited Week 2 with a knee injury and is questionable for Week 3, and the presumptive next-man-up, DJ Dallas, also came out banged up with a toe issue. He frames Claiborne as a near-zero-cost stash: worst case he's droppable, best case a couple of "splash carries" turn into a real workload if Jordan Mason's return timeline slips.
Tedd Hurst is outproducing Jalen McMillan for early-down/X-receiver work in Tampa Bay. Wentzel notes McMillan played just 7 snaps and ran 2 routes in his Week 2 return from injury, while Hurst played 48 snaps, ran 26 routes, and led the team with 7 targets (though only 2 catches for 27 yards). He leans on Hurst's pre-draft George Pickens comparisons and physical profile (6'3", 79-inch wingspan) and flags an upcoming stretch against Minnesota, Green Bay, and Dallas as favorable for a breakout before hurst becomes unrosterable.
What it means for your roster
- Add Malachi Fields now if Nabors' shoulder is lingering in your league — priority stash given his existing 70-80% snap share and target volume, independent of Jameis Winston's accuracy.
- Grab Darren Waller as a streaming/touchdown-equity tight end, especially useful in Week 4 against Detroit; don't expect target volume, just score-dependent upside.
- Stash Pat Bryant on your bench, not your lineup — monitor whether he keeps out-snapping Waddle and specifically watch Courtland Sutton's target efficiency for signs of a role handoff.
- Speculatively add DeMond Claiborne given his zero-cost, high-ceiling profile — the entire Vikings backfield behind him (Jones, Dallas) is currently banged up, making him the only healthy body in the room.
- Prioritize Tedd Hurst over McMillan-dependent bets in Tampa Bay, and get in before his likely breakout against Minnesota/Green Bay/Dallas — Wentzel's explicit warning is that post-breakout, he'll be unavailable.
“As soon as Hurst logs one big game this year, it's going to be too late.” — Lucas Wencl
Players in this episode
↓ Dislocated his right shoulder without a major collision; logged limited practice, and per an orthopedic analyst his catch radius could shrink significantly with continued instability risk, similar to Xavier Worthy's 2025 shoulder injury.
→ Playing the more lucrative Z-role in the Buccaneers offense ahead of Ted Hurst, who is locked into the sacrificial X-role.
→ Had a big Week 2 (8 catches, 138 yards) and still gets the buzz, but Pat Bryant actually out-snapped and out-routed him that week.
↓ Has 9 targets through two games but only 36 yards total, raising the question of whether the 31-year-old could be phased out for younger, similarly-built Pat Bryant.
↓ Came out of last week's game with a knee injury and is questionable for Week 3 after seeing heavy usage.
→ Currently on IR, but his eventual return timeline is relevant to how much runway Deamon Claiborne could get in the interim.
↓ Missed Week 1 with a lingering knee injury and played just 7 snaps/2 routes in his Week 2 return, opening the door for Ted Hurst to take over the X-receiver role.
→ Rostered in 16% of leagues; had 6 targets/4 catches in Week 1 but a goose egg in Week 2, though he played 41 snaps and ran 24 routes (more than Jalen Waddle) and could eventually chip into Courtland Sutton's role.
↑ Rostered in only 7% of leagues; is now the only fully healthy Vikings RB after Aaron Jones (questionable, knee) and DJ Dallas (toe) both got banged up, making him a low-risk, high-upside stash.
↑ Rostered in only 7% of leagues; played 48 snaps, ran 26 routes, and earned a team-high 7 targets in Week 2 while Jalen McMillan was limited, drawing George Pickens comps and facing a favorable upcoming schedule.
↑ Rostered in 24% of leagues; playing 72-81% of snaps and one of two WRs with 10+ targets but sub-70% catchable target rate, positioning him as next man up if Malik Nabers' shoulder injury lingers.
↑ Rostered in 23% of leagues; scored twice in Week 2 after a called-back TD in Week 1, has 8 TDs in his last 11 games since returning to the NFL, and his snap share is growing as he gets up to speed after signing in August.
↓ Was next man up when Aaron Jones exited last week but also came out banged up with a toe injury.