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Mike's top Week 3 college fantasy football team offense and defense waiver wire streamers - OFF, DEF pickups, streamers and starts for 2026. Target these fantasy CFB streaming options with strong matchups.
We had fewer FBS teams playing FCS opponents last week. That is a continuing trend. Only 18 teams play FCS teams this week. Of those, most of them aren't worth taking the chance with.
West Virginia and Nebraska both had good weeks last week, but the other three offenses highlighted here only put up between 12 and 14 points. Honestly, we're looking for more. The Virginia Tech and South Carolina defenses dominated last week and were great streamers. Baylor was solid. Penn State and Washington weren't great. We're still looking for more than 10 points from matchups like that.
Waivers for Week 3 open tomorrow. It can be difficult to drop an offense or a defense after two games, but this is what the back of your bench is for. We'll highlight some team offense and team defense adds for Week 3 in college fantasy football. Teams featured are 25% rostered or lower on Yahoo! leagues. Unlike last week, I'm going to put these in order of the best claims, not based on roster percentage. The best options aren't always the ones that are on the most rosters.
Waiver Wire Adds Week 3 - Team Offense
Nebraska OFF
5% rostered
Nebraska's offense has been consistent over the first two weeks in methodical wins over MAC teams. Now they draw FCS North Dakota. The Cornhuskers have scored seven touchdowns in each of the first two games and topped 500 yards of offense.
On top of that, they have only turned the ball over once. Anthony Colandrea became the first Nebraska player to win Big Ten Player of the Week since 2016 in Week 2. He should be in the running again in Week 3.
QB Anthony Colandrea is the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week.
The Nebraska senior completed 20/24 passes for 224 yards & a career-high 4 TDs in Saturday’s 56-7 win over Bowling Green.
The Husker has accounted for 8 total TDs through two games.
This is his first B1G honor. pic.twitter.com/VzYcd7PAOc
— randysilvertv (@randysilvertv) September 14, 2026
Make sure you get on this offense for some good streaming before the Big Ten schedule kicks in.
Missouri OFF
3% rostered
What Missouri isn't making in touchdowns, they are making up for in yards. The Tigers put up over 550 yards of offense in the opener and still put up 450 in the Border War.
Troy is only allowing 19 points per game and a shade under 300 yards. They played Sam Houston, one of the worst FBS teams, and Alabama State, an FCS team. Austin Simmons and Missouri should tee off here.
Austin Simmons looked VERY impressive last night, displaying the ability to make every throw and to take care of the football
Mizzou fans should be excited that they’ve found their QB1 pic.twitter.com/fkkMhNoXlr
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) September 12, 2026
Illinois OFF
2% rostered
The Illini offense is being largely ignored (for good reason). They struggled against UAB, and settled for field goals (and turnovers) against Duke. On top of that, they lost the game, therefore losing more points.
Southern Illinois has given up an average of 23 points in three games against FCS teams. The Illini should be able to break 40 again here. When the ground game is working, the offense looks solid. They couldn't run on Duke, but they can here.
Iowa OFF
0% rostered
I know...Iowa doesn't score points. They did score 40 on Northern Illinois in the opener. They should hit that mark against Northern Iowa as well.
The Hawkeyes aren't going to break a slate or anything, but they'll pile up yards on the ground. 20 fantasy points is within reach in this game for possibly the only time this season for Iowa.
Minnesota OFF
0% rostered
This is another offense that will be ignored this week after a rough showing against Mississippi State last week. Akron was gouged in Week 1 by Wake Forest. The Minnesota offense should still be better than Wake's.
Minnesota should dominate on the ground, much like Iowa, and churn out some good yardage totals. It's not conducive to a ton of points, but the yards and win will help the fantasy score.
Other offenses to consider:
Iowa State vs. Bowling Green, Arizona vs. Northern Illinois, California vs. Wagner.
Waiver Wire Adds Week 3 - Team Defense
USC DEF
5% rostered
The Trojans gave up a 30-point spot last week to Louisiana. Louisiana! They gave up points in Week 0 to San Jose as well. Using the USC defense is still not for the faint of heart, even with Gary Patterson there.
The good news is that USC dominated Fresno on the lines. They got sacks and forced turnovers. As bad as Rutgers has looked this year, I'm willing to take the risk.
We all saw what UMass did to Rutgers, right? KJ Duff worries me, but as long as the Trojans can keep him out of the end zone, this can be a successful stream.
Baylor DEF
0% rostered
I know that Louisiana Tech held on against LSU for a while. They likely will against Baylor too. What has me using Baylor anyway is the peripheral stats.
Baylor has nine sacks, three interceptions, and a fumble recovery in the first two games. Five of those sacks and all of the interceptions were against Auburn. They can force the Bulldogs into mistakes as well.
Penn State DEF
9% rostered
#PSU LB Tony Rojas has outstanding play speed, but showed off his coverage instincts with an interception and downhill trigger in the run game vs. Temple. Felt like he was in on every negative play. Think he's got the talent and athleticism to go inside the top 100 in the draft pic.twitter.com/cjCPsc7jPB
— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) September 13, 2026
I'll jump on Penn State again. Buffalo nearly lost to Albany and did lose to Florida International. The Bulls have four turnovers in two games. Most of the damage has been done on the ground, but what will Buffalo do when they can't run on the Penn State front?
Penn State has three sacks, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery so far. We would like to see the offense get going to put some pressure on the opposing offense, but there is still an avenue to fantasy success here.
Penn State has allowed just nine points in two games. We should be able to get 12-15 fantasy points here. That's not bad for a streaming option.
Washington DEF
1% rostered
Washington's offense has struggled, but the defense has been legit. The Huskies have six sacks, five interceptions, and a fumble recovery already.
Eastern Washington has scored some points at the FCS level this year, but they are still 1-2. This offense isn't like it was a few years ago. Washington can dominate here.
Iowa State DEF
0% rostered
Iowa State held tough against Iowa because...it's ¡El Assico! That game has a reputation to uphold, and it did once again. Iowa was held to under 100 yards in the second half, but won the field position battle.
That's not to take away what Iowa State's defense did in the opener. The Cyclones put up six sacks and forced three turnovers. We may not be able to expect that against Bowling Green...or can we?
The Falcons have scored 20 points in two games. One of those was a loss to FCS Tarleton State. The Falcons have more turnovers than touchdowns and are averaging 266 yards per game.
If the same defense shows up as the one against Iowa, the Cyclones can give us a lot of points for a fantasy defense.
Other defenses to consider:
Central Florida vs. Georgia State, Minnesota vs. Akron, Nebraska vs. North Dakota.
