Well, well - here we are. Stuck somewhere between recovering from the Week 2 games, and looking forward to Week 3 and scouring the waiver wire to improve our teams. Did your team get hit with the injury bug? Are you flying high and crushing your leagues after two weeks?

Either way, we are here to analyze the waiver wire for Week 3 with a focus on upgrading our wide receivers. Below I discuss breakout performers and overlooked wide receivers (PPR and standard leagues), to assist in making roster tweaks. As I'm sure you already know, our running waiver wire pickups and adds list is updated every day, for all positions, so be sure to check that out as well.

Sifting through your league's waiver wire is something that you should be doing consistently, but we're here to help highlight some specific favorites of ours at RotoBaller headquarters. Some of the wide receivers discussed below are already widely owned, but those in shallow leagues may still have an opportunity to add them to your rosters. Let's get to it

 

Top Wide Receivers for Week 3 Waiver Wire

Donte Moncrief (WR, IND) - 61% owned

Don’t panic on the Colts. They have played the two hardest games they’ll have all season, and from here on out their schedule gets awful cushy. Andrew Luck has been dealing with injured and/or aging weapons, and it appears he’s recognized that Donte Moncrief might be his most reliable option (as long as T.Y. Hilton is banged-up anyway). After finding the end zone in Week 1, Moncrief legitimately broke out against a very good Jets secondary in Week 2 to the tune of 122 yards and a score on seven catches (and 11 targets).

Andre Johnson has been disappointing so far, due in part to a lack of chemistry with Andrew Luck. It also doesn’t help that he is just too old to light defenses up like he used to, and the Colts know it. With Phillip Dorsett failing to impress through two weeks, Moncrief has established himself as the 2B to Andre Johnson’s 2A, and his stock is only going to go up from here. When at his best, Luck can definitely make fantasy stars out of multiple receivers, and with T.Y. Hilton dealing with a potentially nagging injury I wouldn’t be shocked if Moncrief is the top producer in Week 3. This is your last chance as he's only 61% owned, so get those waiver claims and FAAB bids in.

Michael Crabtree (WR, OAK) - 22% owned

Michael Crabtree had a dynamite Week 2, torching the Ravens for 111 yards and a score on nine catches. He had a ridiculous 16 targets, which was five more than assumed top receiver Amari Cooper (who still finished with 109 yards and a score on seven receptions). Derek Carr looked fantastic, and if he can continue to improve there might be two fantasy-relevant wide receivers in Oakland for the first time in… maybe ever? I want to say ever.

Oakland ranked fourth in average pass attempts per game in 2014, and they’re in the top five again through two games in 2015. This kind of volume is hard to ignore. With Amari Cooper widely recognized as Derek Carr’s top weapon, there has been room for Crabtree to work with. He is just three seasons removed from a 1,105-yard, nine-touchdown season with the 49ers, and at age 28 he is certainly not on the decline.

I like his chances to become a FLEX option in that offense, particularly with a semi-viable running game for defenses to worry about (courtesy of Latavius Murray). Two games is still a small sample size, but if Derek Carr can manage that kind of production against the Ravens capable defense, this offense might be hidden fantasy gold. I want to own a chunk of it, and Crabtree is well worth a stash.

Travis Benjamin (WR, CLE) - 15% owned

Travis Benjamin has three touchdowns on only six catches through two games, and is clearly the top deep threat in Cleveland. His lack of targets (only four in Week 2) is what’s discouraging, although that could be due largely in part to the fact that it’s a low-volume passing offense. Johnny Manziel only threw 15 total passes, and against the Raiders sieve-like run defense I don’t see them abandoning that plan.

That being said, Benjamin is a really solid home run pick. He also returns punts, and always has a shot to break one off for a touchdown with his combination of speed and agility. You have to believe in the chemistry that he’s developed with Johnny Manziel on the deep ball, as it seems Manziel is looking for him on most passing downs. Basically you’re rolling the dice on the upside by adding him. He’s more of a standard league add than a PPR add due to his lack of receptions, but if you’ve got a bench player worth dropping or an injury then Benjamin could be the ultimate lottery ticket.

Others Wide Receivers To Consider: Eddie Royal - 58% owned, Leonard Hankerson - 4% owned, Cecil Shorts - 10% owned, Rishard Matthews - 1% owned, Kamar Aiken - 1% owned

 

Deeper League Wide Receivers for Week 3 Waiver Wire

Ty Montgomery (WR, GB) - 10% owned

This season the Green Bay Packer receiving depth will be tested. With Jordy Nelson already on season-ending IR, his replacement Davante Adams went down with an ankle injury in Week 2 as well. The good news is, the injury doesn't seem to be serious as Adams did return in the game. The bad news is, that when he returned he did not look the same and struggled to get separation. When Adams was out of the game, Ty Montgomery stepped in and took on a bigger role (25 snaps in Week 2, one snap in Week 1).

With this opportunity Montgomery, had a decent game hauling in four catches (on four targets) with 37 yards. While these numbers don't blow up the scoreboard, it's clear that Montgomery will be the next man up for the Packers if Adams were to miss any time. At this point, there is no additional injury information on Adams - so targeting Montgomery would be best for deeper PPR leagues. If Adams does not play this week, then Montgomery would be a cheap DFS option and FLEX play for PPR owners. Keep monitoring the health status of Adams this week, because this season the Chiefs have given up the most fantasy points to opposing WRs.

Others Wide Receivers To Consider: Darrius Heyward-Bey - 1% owned, Aaron Dobson - 0% owned, Ted Ginn - 2% owned, Willie Snead - 0% owned

 

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