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John's fantasy football WR waiver wire pickups for Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season. Free agent wide receivers to add, stream, and stash off waivers.
Week 2 was quite interesting from a "Jesus Christ, I have so many injured receivers on my fantasy football rosters, I really hope some guys break out this week so I can add them off waivers and hope they save me from certain doom" perspective. There were a few surprise performances.
A few big games from players not rostered in the majority of fantasy leagues are sure to make fantasy managers target those players on waivers. They may be pleasantly surprised to see such a long list of names to choose from as we have for Week 3.
So which wideouts should you target with your waiver wire priority for pickups for Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season? Let's dive in.
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Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens
24% rostered
Bateman had an excellent day in Week 2 after being completely blanked in Week 1. He went from 0.0 PPR fantasy points in his first contest to 21.8 in Week 2 by catching seven of his nine targets for 88 yards and a touchdown. The absence of Ravens WR1 Zay Flowers (hamstring) drove much of this production.
It's unclear yet whether Flowers will play in Week 3, but it seems like they may give him more time to rest, considering how persistent and nagging hamstring ailments can be. That means Bateman will likely serve as the fill-in WR3 in Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys.
JULIAN BLACKMON CALLS GAME WITH THE INT 😱 pic.twitter.com/cmhTtgYBrm
— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026
But his most notable play came near the end, when he appeared to give up on a deep route that Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson threw for him. That resulted in an interception, which sealed the win for the opposing New Orleans Saints.
Still, he should have a substantial role in Week 3 and should be added in all leagues, just in case Flowers doesn't return for a few games. Bateman should be startable until Flowers is back.
Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders
30% rostered
The Raiders don't have any flashy names at wide receiver, and their best pass-catcher is tight end Brock Bowers (knee), who's out with a knee injury, so it wasn't entirely clear which of Las Vegas' wideouts would break out first this season. We have the answer to that question now.
Tucker detonated against the hapless Los Angeles Chargers for five catches on seven targets, which gained him 119 yards and a touchdown. Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak is one of the best offensive minds in the game, and his systems tend to feature highly productive quarterbacks and explosive receivers.
Kirk Cousins with a rocket to Tre Tucker for a Raiders TD 🚀
LVvsLAC on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/YztxEx5znr— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026
Tucker is a speedster and decent route-runner, which is more than can be said about the team's other wideouts. Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins has now thrown six touchdown passes in two games, meaning there's good upside for this team's top WR moving forward.
Tucker should be treated as that top player. He may not be a world-beater in fantasy football, but he should be rostered in all leagues starting in Week 3.
Denzel Boston, Cleveland Browns
42% rostered
The Cleveland Browns offense wasn't thought to be capable of producing any good fantasy football players by many analysts. However, improbably, the rookie Boston has 154 yards and two receiving touchdowns on seven catches through two games of the 2026 season.
Boston has played well as a big, physical deep threat, averaging 22 yards per reception this year. Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson struggled in Week 2, but put together a better performance the following game. Boston was the main beneficiary.
Rookie Denzel Boston goes 55 yards for the TD!
CLEvsTB on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/nmkRtJNhIv— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026
He showed impressive ability after the catch on his long touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2, and was a big reason Cleveland came out on top in the shocking upset. He's earned a decent-sized role in this offense, and they'll likely continue to target him at a high rate in the coming weeks.
This offense might have some upside after all, and one of its rookie receivers should be a good pickup.
Adonai Mitchell, New York Jets
13% rostered
Mitchell continues to serve as the WR2 for the Jets. He was targeted a whopping 12 times in a Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers, catching six of those passes for 63 yards. After just three targets in Week 1, it was a big step up in volume for the former Indianapolis Colt.
Mitchell's mental gaffes from previous seasons appear to be behind him, and the targets should keep coming his way as long as he doesn't fumble the ball before reaching the goal line on a long touchdown play.
Geno and Adonai Mitchell connect for a big play
NYJvsTEN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/5p8rLXItYS— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026
Mitchell was actually targeted more than Jets WR1 Garrett Wilson, which at least reinforces Mitchell's status as the clear WR2. Next week, the Jets face the Detroit Lions, who have one of the most depleted secondaries in the NFL due to injuries. Mitchell should be added in all leagues.
Kalif Raymond, Chicago Bears
12% rostered
Raymond perplexingly continues to look like the best wide receiver on the Chicago Bears' roster. Offseason debates centering on the Bears' No. 1 pass-catcher raged for months -- it was either Luther Burden III, Rome Odunze, or Colston Loveland that would have a monster season this year and take over as the primary passing game target.
Caleb Williams evades the sack and finds Kalif Raymond
MINvsCHI on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/w3vdBCjNwP— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026
Yet it's been Raymond outproducing all of them so far, with 120 receiving yards to Odunze's 95, Burden's 94, and tight end Colston Loveland's three (yes, three) receiving yards on the season. Raymond played with Bears head coach Ben Johnson as a member of the Lions previously, so the two could already have familiarity that has led to this many targets.
He's an intriguing add in 14-team leagues.
Deeper Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Pickups
Keenan Allen, Indianapolis Colts
22% rostered
Allen is 34 years old, and while he's not the world-beater he once was, he's one of the most experienced route-runners in the league today. It looks like Colts WR1 Alec Pierce (heel) will miss time, since he re-aggravated a heel issue he struggled through in the offseason.
The dilemma here is whether Allen will step into a mostly full-time role in 2WR sets, or formations where there are two tight ends and two receivers on the field. The ideal players for 2WR sets are typically bigger and more physical, because teams run more out of those formations, which leads defenses to send more pressure or crowd the line of scrimmage.
Refs ruled that the Colts were short of the 1st down on this play. Colts have challenged the ruling on the field pic.twitter.com/BiQTjOSVa6
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) September 21, 2026
All of this to say that, despite the injury and the good play of slot receiver Josh Downs, Old Man Allen could see the field enough to get to that coveted eight or so targets per game. Blocking is incredibly important on a team that has RB Jonathan Taylor, one of the best in the league.
Allen can be stashed in deeper leagues.
Malik Washington, Miami Dolphins
34% rostered
Washington appears to be emerging as the WR1 for the Dolphins, whatever that means from a fantasy perspective. Miami's quarterback, Malik Willis, has struggled through two starts, though he at least seems willing to sling it, even in case of injury.
Willis only attempted 23 and 27 passes in his first two games, meaning he's a low-volume passer. That, in turn, means it's harder for receivers to make a flash. In situations like these, you hope that one player emerges due to heavy volume.
Malik Washington with the catch and run for 30 yards 🏃
MIAvsLV on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/4CfJDgQTgy— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026
The injury to fellow Dolphins wideout Caleb Douglas (ankle) could mean Washington gets more targets for a game or two. He should be picked up in all leagues as (speculatively) Miami's most productive pass-catcher.
Germie Bernard, Pittsburgh Steelers
7% rostered
With WR Michael Pittman Jr. (foot) absent from the field in Week 2, Bernard actually out-targeted everyone else on the roster, hauling in four of those eight targets for 35 yards. He's especially relevant on teams that don't have an elite front five.
Bernard didn't gain much positive yardage, but could step into a role similar to Pittman's while he's gone. The Steelers don't have a great passing offense in quarterback Aaron Rodgers' (alleged) last year in the league.
Intercepted by the rookie, Gabe Jacas 👏
PITvsNE on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/NyZpSDtNEK— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026
There's a solid chance that Bernard will just be a depth piece in the near future. He bobbled a pass after trying to catch it, leading to a back-breaking interception. He may need more time to work on his hands and situational awareness, and he'll have plenty of it. He was a mid-round draft pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
That makes him just a bench stash and depth piece for now. When Pittman comes back fully healthy, Bernard won't be worth rostering outside of very deep or dynasty leagues. Still, eight targets is pretty impressive for a rookie, and he should carve out a bigger role for himself by late this season.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
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Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.
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Popular Waiver Wire Searches. Curious to see some tough waiver wire decisions for 2025? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Pickup? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for Rashod Bateman, Denzel Boston, Tre Tucker, and Kalif Raymond:
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