Maybe you’ve lost one of your star players to injury? Or maybe your team has just had a rough start to the season and is in need of some re-investment. Whatever it might be, it makes sense to get ahead of your competition and utilise the waiver wire. These are the players you should be targeting ahead of Week 3.
Running back
Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins – This time last week it looked like Chase Edmonds was locked in as the Dolphins’ RB1. That all seemed to change this weekend, as Mostert took over the backfield. He accounted for 11 of the team’s 18 carries and had a career-high 25 routes run. The Miami backfield remains volatile, but Mostert is a potentially high reward waiver pickup.
Eno Benjamin – James Conner left in the third quarter after suffering an ankle injury, giving Benjamin more opportunities out of the backfield. He split time with Darrel Williams, but the numbers were still encouraging. He earned eight carries, in addition to running 22 routes and making three catches. Benjamin is worth stashing in the event Conner misses time.
Mark Ingram, New Orleans Saints – It’s not often that I’d recommend targeting a 32-year-old running back on waivers, but Ingram is a little different. The Saints clearly still view him as their RB2 behind Alvin Kamara and he played well again when given the chance this week, earning 60 yards on 10 carries. With Kamara’s injury issues he’s worth a stash.
Wide receiver
Noah Brown, Dallas Cowboys – With Michael Gallup still out injured, Brown has taken on a bigger role in the Cowboys’ offense this season. He also clearly benefits from a strong connection with Cooper Rush, who targeted him five times this weekend against the Bengals. With Rush under center for the next few weeks at least, we could see Brown continue to earn a respectable number of targets.
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants – Shepard is the longest tenured New York Giant and he’s still playing an important role in their offense. This week he played the second most snaps of any skill position player and ran the second most routes. He also led the team with 10 targets. This is an unpredictable offense, but Shepard could well develop into their WR1 as the year progresses.
Greg Dortsch, Arizona Cardinals – With Rondale Moore out, Dortsch has stepped into the role of slot receiver for the Cardinals. He didn’t feature as heavily in Week 2, but he still ran 42 routes, the fourth most amongst Arizona’s skill position players. Dortsch has now scored double digit fantasy points in both games and with the way this offense works he should get plenty of opportunities in the coming weeks.
Tight end
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets – The Jets signed a pair of tight ends over the offseason and drafted Jeremy Ruckert. The question was always about how their roles would shape out. After two weeks it looks like Conklin is the Jets’ TE1. He has earned 12 targets so far this season and played every single offensive snap in Week 2. Conklin ran 40 routes, with no other Jets tight end running more than six.
Evan Engram, Jacksonville Jaguars – I’ve been all in on Engram since the offseason and so far, that looks like a smart move. He has already comfortably established himself as the Jaguars’ leading tight end. He played the third most snaps amongst Jacksonville’s skill position players against the Colts and accounted for 69.4% of their tight end routes. Engram also led the team with eight targets.
Logan Thomas, Washington Commanders – Thomas had a limited role in Week 1 as he was recovering from a knee injury. He was back to normal in Week 2 and looks to be the Commanders’ leading tight end. Thomas ran 32 routes against Detroit, by far the most at the position. He has also had 11 targets in two games.
Quarterback
Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers – Early reports suggest that Trey Lance suffered a “significant ankle injury” that is likely to sideline him for the rest of the season. That puts Garoppolo back under center and he’s well worth a claim on waivers. Garoppolo presents a much higher floor than most other backups and has shown he can operate comfortably within this offense.
