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Andy's must-have fantasy football bench stashes and waiver-wire sleepers ahead of Week 3 (2024). He picks high-upside NFL players to stash on your fantasy teams.
Mastering the waiver wire is a crucial skill that can lead you to a fantasy football championship. It's not just about strategically placing your FAAB budget on specific players but also about knowing when to stash players. This dual strategy keeps you engaged and focused on your ultimate goal of winning a fantasy championship.
As the season progresses, injuries occur or rookies begin to break out. Many of these NFL players are often drafted but dropped after the first handful of weeks due to impatient league managers. This article will pinpoint which players we’d want to stash on our bench as fantasy football waiver-wire pickups to power us down the stretch.
Earlier in the season, we examined some must-have handcuffs and upside players who already showcased their upside in the opening weeks, such as Isaiah Likely, Jordan Mason, and Quentin Johnston. This week, we will discuss some more rookies and a few veteran players who could eventually grow into starting roles and who you should consider stashing before Week 3 kicks off. All players will be below a 50% Yahoo! roster percentage.
Editor's Note: Find sleeper picks, undervalued ADPs, and draft targets to help you dominate your fantasy football drafts. Try our free who to draft tool for personalized recommendations.
Cam Akers, RB, Houston Texans
15% rostered
Joe Mixon (ankle) left Sunday’s game early but returned later due to an ankle injury. However, the Texans began to lower his workload and instead gave opportunities to Dare Ogunbowale and Cam Akers due to the unknown extent of the injury.
While No. 2 running back Dameon Pierce (hamstring) did not suit up, fantasy managers should expect him to reclaim the backup role on the offense.
However, with Pierce out and Mixon missing time, Cam Akers saw an increase in attempts and is worth stashing on your bench. On Sunday night, the former Ram saw seven carries to Ogunbowale’s two. The latter was deployed as a pass-catching back, targeted twice while Akers saw one.
On the ground, Akers ran for 32 yards but did surrender a costly fumble later in the game. The veteran looked strong in the preseason and earned a spot on the final roster.
Prior to the costly fumble, Cam Akers looked REALLY good behind that Houston O-line 👀
Assuming Mixon has to miss week 3 (that’s my prediction), Akers should be a top waiver claim 🍿pic.twitter.com/mGvEraK5GG
— FANTASY UMPIRE (@FantasyUmpire) September 16, 2024
Fantasy managers should not expect to put Akers in their lineup anytime soon. Still, if Mixon’s and Pierce’s injuries continue to linger and affect their play, Akers could eventually have a serviceable role on this offense.
Your league mates may have run to grab Pierce on Tuesday. Check to see if Akers is still available; he could become the clear backup in a matter of weeks.
Update: Both Mixon and Pierce did noy return to practice on Friday. This could push Akers up the depth chart much sooner than expected making him a high-upside priority stash.
Kendre Miller, RB, New Orleans Saints
8% rostered
The former third-round pick is not eligible to return until Week 5 but could have a significant role later in the season.
The New Orleans Saints offense has been one of the most surprising observations of the new season, scoring an eye-catching 91 points through the first two weeks.
Alvin Kamara has been the lead running back, seeing almost double the snaps compared to the current No. 2 on the depth chart, Jamaal Williams.
Even though Miller did not impress last season (156 yards on 41 carries), given this offensive unit's drastic turnaround, he could be in a much better situation when he returns in Week 5.
For now, he is a viable stash in deeper formats and could become a priority add in a few weeks.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
5% rostered
Even if your league mates beat you to Carson Steele and Samaje Perine on Tuesday, there is still a flier worth taking on in the Kansas City backfield, especially if you have an open IR spot on your roster.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire (illness) can return to game action in Week 5, and he may find himself in a more significant role than expected when he is activated.
On Sunday, lead running back Isiah Pacheco (fibula) was diagnosed with a fractured fibula and will miss at least six-to-eight weeks of game action. This moved newly acquired Samaje Perine and rookie Carson Steele to the top of the depth chart.
However, Edwards-Helaire could make a case to return as the No. 1 running back. Steele saw the most attempts when Pacheco left Sunday’s game but had a costly fumble that almost cost the Chiefs the game. Perine was brought in later into camp and has yet to see many snaps.
This situation is worth closely monitoring as this backfield is currently quite ambiguous. If you have an open IR spot, you can do much worse than stashing a potential lead back in a high-octane offense.
Note: The Chiefs signed Kareem Hunt to their practice squad on Tuesday. The former Chief has certainly not been as productive since he left Kansas City, and could need time to get in game shape.
Ray Davis, RB, Buffalo Bills
15% rostered
The rookie running back saw an uptick in work in the second week, as he carried the ball nine times (compared to three in the opening week). While much of this was due to the game script, it is still worth noting that the Bills turned to the rookie to run out the clock instead of their proven option in James Cook.
In addition, Davis out-snapped Ty Johnson last week, which he did not do in the season opener.
Davis may only get looks when the Bills are in the driver’s seat in games. However, the depth chart is beginning to shape out. The Kentucky product is growing into the clear No. 2 running back role, while Johnson is only deployed in pass-catching scenarios.
Other RB stashes: (Bucky Irving TB, Blake Corum LAR, D'Onta Foreman CLE)
Noah Brown, WR, Washington Commanders
1% rostered
The Commanders still lack a proven No. 2 pass-catching option, and Noah Brown made his case for that role in their Week 2 victory over the New York Giants.
Brown made his Commander debut on Sunday and logged only 20 snaps which was less than Dyami Brown, Luke McCaffrey, and Olamide Zaccheaus. However, in that limited sample size, Brown caught all three of his targets for 56 yards, which led all receivers, and was only second to tight end Zach Ertz.
Noah Brown looked very good in his debut.
🏈 3 targets, 3 catches, 54 Yds
🏈 34-Yd reception set up GW FG.
🏈 Made diving catch on in-breaker.
🏈 He was the most open WR consistently.pic.twitter.com/Q39X5QUmlU— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) September 15, 2024
It was promising to see Brown be utilized while only getting his feet wet in the Washington offense. He has big-play ability and is worth stashing, especially in deep 3WR leagues.
Jalen Tolbert, WR, Dallas Cowboys
6% rostered
The 25-year-old had a career day in Week 2, catching six of his nine targets for 82 yards. He played in a majority of the offense snaps (56), which was almost in lock-step with CeeDee Lamb (54) and Brandin Cooks (54).
However, unlike in the season opener, when Cooks shined as the No. 2, Tolbert had the role this past weekend, which is a promising sign as the veteran caught just two passes.
Both Cooks and Toblert will continue to operate as the No. 2/No. 3 wideouts behind Lamb, but if Tolbert continues to see ample targets, he could emerge as a solid WR3 down the stretch this season.
Jalen McMillan, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5% rostered
Check your waiver wire for McMillian, as many frustrated managers may have cut ties with him on Tuesday after catching just one pass in Week 2. The rookie also caught only one pass in his NFL debut but found the end zone on it, raising him to become a relevant waiver-wire target.
However, given his drop in production, this may be a great time to swoop in and stash the upside wideout. Once again, in Week 2, the Washington product saw an equal amount of snaps as Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
Given the success of the Tampa Bay offense early on this season, McMillian is an excellent upside stash play that could be a league-winner down the stretch as he begins to see more targets.
Other WR stashes (Ja'Lynn Polk NE, Roman Wilson PIT, Jordan Whittington LAR, Luke McCaffrey WAS)
Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers
4% rostered
Kraft has now played in most tight end snaps over Luke Musgrave (108-to-44) over the past two weeks and has solidified himself as the clear starter in Green Bay.
However, his fantasy production does not reflect this, as he caught just two passes in both games for a combined 53 yards.
While the Packers leaned heavily on the run game in Week 2 and should continue to do so with Malik Willis as the QB, this is an excellent opportunity to take advantage of your league mates and stash a potential TE1.
After two weeks
Tucker Kraft is averaging 11.8 Yards after catch/per reception.
That number is second-best in the NFL among all pass catchers.
Per @NextGenStats pic.twitter.com/4hR2HF4iDu
— Jacob Morley (@JacobMorley) September 17, 2024
Once Jordan Love returns, he could pick up right where he left off late last season as one of the highest-scoring units in football. If you lack production at tight end, stash Kraft on your bench and reap the benefits later this season.
Other TE stashes (Ben Sinnott WAS)
Tyler Huntley, QB, Miami Dolphins
1% rostered
With Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) recovering from a concussion, Skylar Thompson is expected to lead the Miami offense. Earlier this week, the Dolphins signed Tyler Huntley from the Baltimore practice squad to serve as the backup. However, there may be a QB competition in Miami very soon.
Thompson started a few games down the stretch in the 2022 NFL season and averaged 158.7 passing yards in that sample, with only two touchdown passes.
Huntley also had a stretch in 2022 when he served as the starter (in Baltimore). While he averaged only 131.6 passing yards, he showcased his rushing ability by tallying at least 30 yards on the ground twice in a five-game stint.
In Superflex leagues, getting ahead of your league mates is vital, especially when it comes to a potential starting quarterback. Huntley is worth a stash and could become the starter quite soon, especially if Thompson struggles early on and Tagovailoa is not eligible to return until Week 8 at the earliest.
Other QB stashes (Drake Maye NE, Gardner Minshew II LVR)
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