Another week and another waiver wire pickups period for you to attack to help improve your fantasy football teams. Being two weeks into the 2021 NFL season, more and more target shares and snap counts are known for all offensive players, helping paint a clearer picture of who you should and should not target moving forward.
This week’s waiver wire pickup targets have either put together two back-to-back solid weeks, or finally were able to break out in Week 2 to finally justify using a roster spot on them. As is the case with all of these waiver wire pickup lists, all noted players are going to be rostered on less than 50% of all fantasy football teams on ESPN.
*Watch NFL games LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Week 3 Waiver Wire Pickups
10. Cordarrelle Patterson – RB
Atlanta Falcons
7.7% Rostered
If you were to take a quick look at the running back depth chart for the Atlanta Falcons, you would see that long-time journeyman turned starter Mike Davis heads the group, with former WR Cordarrelle Patterson leading the way as his main backup. But with Davis having struggled this season so far, Patterson has been given a chance to take over a larger portion of ATL’s backfield shares, creating an intriguing lottery ticket as one of your waiver wire pickups.
All that Patterson has done is take advantage of an increased snap share, having scored his first two touchdowns of the year this past week against Tampa Bay. As the Falcons will be playing from behind in most games this year and with Patterson’s receiving abilities his strongest trait, he could be looked to as a low-floor FLEX option, even for rosters without Davis.
9. Derek Carr – QB
Las Vegas Raiders
16.5% Rostered
What do you get when you combine 817 passing yards and 4 touchdowns on an AFC team that is in one of the league’s toughest divisions?
You get Derek Carr and an over-achieving Las Vegas Raiders squad starting out 2-0 and ready for more.
For Carr, he has always been criminally underrated for fantasy football purposes, but this season could be a turning point for his usage. Having gotten through the two toughest defenses this year in BAL and PIT and having produced two solid games, Carr could very well become one of fantasy’s best waiver wire QB options for the rest of the season.
8. Latavius Murray – RB
Baltimore Ravens
50.1% Rostered
Yes, technically speaking, having Latavius Murray on this waiver wire pickups list is not following the roster percentage stipulations – but having him sit just over the threshold at 50.1% makes him likely to be available in your leagues.
For Murray, he was let go from his cushy RB2 role with the Saints and joined the Baltimore Ravens after injuries took down both J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards with season-ending injuries. With Ty’Son Williams holding the starting role, Murray holds solid flex value, especially with the kind of role he has been given in the run-heavy BAL offense.
Having scored two TDs on the ground on 19 carries for the first two games, Murray is going to be incorporated into BAL’s game plan, and if Williams shows signs of wearing down, Murray is the next in line and immediately would see a good bump in work.
7. Kirk Cousins – QB
Minnesota Vikings
24.5% Rostered
As the second of three QBs on this list, Kirk Cousins has produced two turnover-free contests so far for the Vikings, throwing five scores during that same period of time. With Dalvin Cook running all over opponents so far, Cousins has been able to find Justin Jefferson, upstart K.J. Osgood, and Adam Thielen.
Even on a run-oriented offensive attack, Cousins has produced a solid start to the year – and with Seattle, Cleveland, Detroit, and Carolina next up, he could be a sneaky QB1/2 play.
6. Zach Pascal
Indianapolis Colts
13.8% Rostered
Even with Michael Pittman Jr. having solidified himself as WR1 for the Colts, Zach Pascal has risen into the WR2 role with his 11 targets and 9 receptions, 3 of which have gone for scores so far.
Carson Wentz is fighting ankle injuries that may muddy his outlook for the next few weeks, but Pascal can still thrive in an IND offense that will turn to Jonathan Taylor to take some weight off his shoulders if Jacob Eason was needed to become the starter. Pascal can still hold a large enough role in this offense, even if he ends up becoming more of a FLEX/WR3 option for the time being.
5. Darius Slayton – WR
New York Giants
3.4% Rostered
Overall team record does not necessarily dictate fantasy football production – just take a look at NYG’s Daniel Jones. But what has been even more surprising for Jones is that he has been supporting two wideouts the most – Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton.
While Shepard has produced two standout games and was likely drafted in your leagues, Slayton is the lesser-known name of the two, but has still commanded a solid slice of the offensive target share pie.
13 targets have turned into 6 receptions, over 110 yards, and a score for a struggling Giants offense that needs to get Saquon Barkley back on track, and a Week 3 home matchup against the Falcons looks to be another solid opportunity for this team.
4. Darnell Mooney – WR
Chicago Bears
49.3% Rostered
A hot off-season target many fantasy football outlets talked up, Darnell Mooney has held true to the off-season talk for the Chicago Bears. 15 targets across the first two games, mostly coming from Andy Dalton, means that he has an established role in this offense, even with QB uncertainty.
Allen Robinson is still the top target in this offense, but Mooney’s speed and athleticism play well into an offense that can become desperate to throw the ball when they face a deficit, making for an intriguing fantasy football play as one of your waiver wire pickups.
3. Tony Pollard – RB
Dallas Cowboys
38.6% Rostered
Somehow, someway, the Dallas Cowboys have decided that Ezekiel Elliott is not deserving of an RB1 workload, instead giving valuable work to his backup, Tony Pollard. And all that Pollard has done so far this season is average over 11 touches per game, including 16 touches for 140 yards and a score in Week 2.
Zeke still is going to be the starter for DAL and will earn the majority of touches, but with the kind of efficiency Pollard has demonstrated so far, he could very well become a double-digit factor for the DAL high-powered offense – and he should be one of the most sought-after RB options on your waiver wire this week.
2. Rondale Moore – WR
Arizona Cardinals
19.3% Rostered
When looking at this year’s rookie WR class, Rondale Moore was not seen as one of the likeliest producers right out of the gate – yet his spot as the fourth option for the Cardinals has resulted in WR2 outputs.
13 targets turned into almost 200 yards and one score so far this year, and Moore looks to have a big-time fan in his corner in QB Kyler Murray. The Cardinals boast one of the league’s stronger passing offenses, which helps boost Moore’s values and should help continue to help support a strong floor for him. As long as the Cardinals continue to play like they are, Moore will still hold WR2/3 value and intriguing waiver wire pickup, especially if Kliff Kingsbury continues to work Moore into the game plan as he has so far.
1. Justin Fields – QB
Chicago Bears
48.5% Rostered
With Andy Dalton suffering an injury early in Week 2, it was finally time to see how much the Chicago Bears love Justin Fields – and it's safe to say it's a lot.
Given essentially the full offense to work with, Fields showed a lot of poise for a rookie stepping into his first meaningful action in the NFL, going through reads, and making plays (even if he did show his learning curve). With Fields leading the way for the Bears (at least for the temporary future), they are giving themselves the best shot at winning, which is pretty much all Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace have to hold onto for the sake of their jobs.
As the Bears progress closer to the time where Fields takes over the starting job, picking him up now can help you grab a solid QB option for later in the season – and in a pinch, reliant on the injury report if Dalton is ready to go for Week 3, Fields could even be a spot starter for you if need be. Fantasy football is all about riding the trends and finding them before everyone else, so getting out ahead of Fields being named the starter will help you get an upstart QB option with a rushing upside that can help improve your roster's depth.
Follow Us
Subscribe