Week 3 Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Football Pickups Include Jonah Coleman, Tank Bigsby, Emanuel Wilson, Keon Coleman, Rashod Bateman, Tre Tucker, Oronde Gadsden, more

September 21, 2026

Fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season. Top free agent options to add off waivers, and our rankings will help you prioritize.

Hey RotoBallers, if you are starting the season (0-2) or on the way there, it's no time to panic or give up. At RotoBaller HQ, we are back with more waiver wire advice to help your fantasy teams and strengthen your rosters with our fantasy football waiver wire rankings before Week 3 of 2026. We prioritized which players to add off the waiver ahead of Week 3. 

Several players still have low ownership percentages but could make an impact or will have a bigger role now due to injuries. Is Jonah Coleman Denver's RB1 with both J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey dealing with injuries? Does Emanuel Wilson become a must-add after Seahawks rookie RB Jadarian Price suffered a chest injury on Sunday? Is Denzel Boston Cleveland's No. 1 wide receiver after catching five of seven targets for 95 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's upset win over the Buccaneers?

Our Week 3 fantasy football waiver wire rankings will help answer these questions and many more -- they've been a staple on RotoBaller for years, bringing readers a quick-hit list of the top 75 fantasy football player names to consider as free agent pickups. For those new to this article series, RotoBaller's lead NFL analyst Nick Mariano brings you these waiver wire rankings in priority order. Good luck on waivers!

Who To Pick Up Before Fantasy Football Week 3?

Waiver wire pickup options, including how to prioritize them for your league, depending on the league size. Quarterbacks and Defenses (D/ST) are grouped at the bottom of the list:

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlooks

Top names include Ryan Flournoy, Rashod Bateman, Oronde Gadsden, Tre Tucker, and others. We recap why these players rostered under 55% in Yahoo! leagues should be on your waiver wire radar before Week 3:

Ryan Flournoy, WR, Cowboys

Week 3 Waiver Wire Ranking: 36

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy was targeted six times in his team's win over the Washington Commanders. He caught five of those passes for 23 yards, totaling 7.3 PPR fantasy points. It's becoming increasingly clear he won't have much of a role in this offense this season -- while he could have a game here and there with a few big catches or a touchdown, he's at best the third option in this passing attack. He out-targeted tight end Jake Ferguson, but the latter scored two touchdowns in the match.

Flournoy would be set to step into a much bigger role if either of Dallas' top-2 wideouts, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, were to get injured. As long as those two are healthy, Flournoy's ceiling is heavily capped. He's a dynasty stash and potential waiver wire target depending on the health of Pickens and Lamb, but for now, he belongs on benches or on waivers for Week 3, when Dallas faces the Baltimore Ravens.

Rashod Bateman, WR, Ravens

Week 3 Waiver Wire Ranking: 17

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman caught seven of nine targets for 88 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 24-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints. Bateman was a "name to watch and keep an eye on to emerge" in the absence of star wideout Zay Flowers, who missed Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport. The Ravens expect to be without Flowers this week, Rapoport reports, but should have him back next week in Brazil against the Cowboys.

Bateman bounced back after having one target in the opener with no catches and was quarterback Lamar Jackson's main target in Sunday's loss to the Saints. With Flowers expected to be back in Week 3, Bateman's role in Baltimore's offense takes a hit, but is still worth adding in most leagues. The 26-year-old is ranked 17th in the latest RotoBaller waiver wire rankings for Week 3 and is worth the add if you need help at wide receiver.

Oronde Gadsden, TE, Chargers

Week 3 Waiver Wire Ranking: 22

Los Angeles Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden caught his two targets for 18 yards and one touchdown in Sunday's devastating 26-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. The 23-year-old salvages his outing by catching Justin Herbert's lone passing touchdown. However, Gadsden could see a slight bump in his fantasy value if David Njoku (knee) and Charlie Kolar (forearm) miss time. Both tight ends left the game early with their injuries and did not return.

Monitor the severity of Njoku's and Kolar's injuries over the next few days. Through two games, Gadsden has caught all four of his targets for 50 yards and one touchdown. Gadsden has had a slow start to his sophomore campaign due to limited targets in a crowded offense. Gadsden and the Chargers will head on the road for the first time this season to face the Buffalo Bills in Week 3.

Tre Tucker, WR, Raiders

Week 3 Waiver Wire Ranking: 11

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker caught five of his seven targets for 119 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Chargers. The highlight of his game was a 40-yard touchdown catch that broke a scoreless tie early in the second quarter. Tucker stepped up as one of Kirk Cousins' favorite targets with Brock Bowers (knee) sidelined, ultimately leading the team in catches and receiving yards.

This performance was all the more impressive when you consider that Tucker played just 58% of the offensive snaps, down 13 percentage points from Week 1. It's too early to tell if Tucker will remain a productive fantasy starter when Bowers presumably returns to the lineup in Week 3 against the Saints. For now, he's a low-end WR3/flex with a high ceiling but low floor.

Jonah Coleman, RB, Broncos

Week 3 Waiver Wire Ranking: 1

Denver Broncos running back Jonah Coleman saw an expanded role in the backfield in Week 2. Fellow back RJ Harvey (hamstring) was inactive this weekend, which gave Coleman a chance to step up and prove himself. Coleman did a nice job filling in during Sunday's win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The rookie back rushed 10 times for 39 yards and found the end zone for the first time in his career.

Coleman also secured all three of his targets for 19 yards in the victory. J.K. Dobbins (hamstring) was forced to exit this game in the second half due to an injury. Coleman might find himself as the lead back heading into the Week 3 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. The 23-year-old is going to be a popular waiver wire addition after this weekend.

Running Backs - Week 3 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Wide Receivers - Week 3 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Tight Ends - Week 3 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Quarterbacks - Week 3 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 3:

Defenses (D/ST) - Week 3 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 3:

Week 3 Waiver Wire Articles

After diving into the Week 3 rankings, read about some other free waiver wire resources available at RotoBaller:

• Week 3 waiver wire pickups (all positions)
• Week 3 FAAB waiver wire bids
• Week 3 running back waiver wire pickups
• Week 3 wide receiver waiver wire pickups
• Week 3 tight end waiver wire pickups
• Week 3 quarterback waiver wire pickups
• Week 3 defense (D/ST) streamers and pickups
• Week 3 kicker streamers and pickups

Each week, our NFL team puts out a complete array of fantasy football waiver wire articles to complement our slick Who Should I Pickup? Waiver wire player comparison tool. Bookmark it!

In addition, be on the lookout for our other waiver wire articles all season long. We will be releasing weekly waiver wire articles for each position, FAAB bidding recommendations, streamers, and more. Stay tuned!

Who Should I Pickup Tool

Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:

Who Should I Pickup for Week 3?

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Who Should I Pickup? Some common 2026 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like Jonah Coleman, Denzel Boston, Rashod Bateman, Oronde Gadsden, Ryan Flournou, Emanuel Wilson, Emmett Johnson, Keenan Allen, Darren Waller, Kalif Raymond, and Mack Hollins. But not to worry, we are here to help make these waiver wire decisions and build winning teams in 2026. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups in 2026. Our free Who Should I Pickup? tool will help make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to pick up... all free! Make the right decisions.

2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Jonah Coleman, Denzel Boston, Rashod Bateman, Oronde Gadsden, Ryan Flournou, Emanuel Wilson, Emmett Johnson, Keenan Allen, Darren Waller, Kalif Raymond, and Mack Hollins. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy football waiver wire pickups.

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.

Recent Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2026. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!

How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.

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 results and recommendations.

Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup

Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for Jonah Coleman, Denzel Boston, Rashod Bateman, Oronde Gadsden, Ryan Flournou, Emanuel Wilson, Emmett Johnson, Keenan Allen, Darren Waller, Kalif Raymond, and Mack Hollins.:

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