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Who Should I Drop for Week 3? Fantasy Football outlooks for Jonathon Brooks, Alec Pierce, Makai Lemon, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Michael Mayer, Kenny Gainwell, Jaxson Dart, Zach Charbonnet, Jordyn Tyson.
Who Should I Drop? Who Should I Keep? Some of the most common Week 3 fantasy football cut candidates involve players like Jonathon Brooks, Alec Pierce, Makai Lemon, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Michael Mayer, Kenny Gainwell, Jaxson Dart, Zach Charbonnet, and Jordyn Tyson. However, don't worry, we are here to help you make the right waiver wire decisions and winning moves for Week 3. Once you decide who to drop, find your optimal fantasy football pickups for Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Pickup? tool helps make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to add... all free!
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Fantasy Football Drop Candidates
Read about fantasy football players to consider dropping for Week 3:
Jonathon Brooks, RB, Carolina Panthers
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Carolina Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks (core) is set to undergo core muscle surgery, which will place him on the injured reserve. Per Rapoport, the young running back is expected to miss at least six weeks, but should be able to contribute down the stretch. This is a tough blow for Brooks, who has dealt with many serious injuries throughout his career.
He joined the Panthers in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft but has appeared in only five regular-season games in his career, two of them being this season. In Week 1, Brooks took only four carries but made a splash in the receiving game, catching one pass for 48 yards.
In Week 2, Brooks took only five carries before exiting early. With Brooks now in line to miss nearly half of the season, Chuba Hubbard should operate as the clear workhorse and carry weekly RB2 upside given his projected workload. For the time being, the young RB should only be stashed in deeper 12+ team leagues with IR spots.
Alec Pierce, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (heel) is being placed on injured reserve after aggravating his surgically repaired left heel, head coach Shane Steichen said Wednesday, according to James Boyd. Pierce will miss at least four games while he rehabs the injury. Steichen said the Colts are hopeful Pierce can return at some point this season, but there is no firm timetable.
Pierce underwent surgery on the ankle/heel in March and missed most of the offseason before returning ahead of Week 1. He caught five passes for 72 yards across the first two games before aggravating the injury Sunday night against Kansas City. Given his unknown timeline, managers should only stash Pierce in formats with IR spots.
Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald said that running back Zach Charbonnet (knee) will not return to practice this week, per Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune. Charbonnet is currently on the Physically Unable to Perform list as he recovers from a torn ACL and is not eligible to return until Week 5. However, he is now eligible to begin practicing with the team as he ramps up toward a potential return.
While certainly not definitive, Charbonnet's lack of practice participation may signal that he's unlikely to come off the PUP list when first eligible. Without Charbonnet, Seattle has relied on running backs Jadarian Price (shoulder), Emanuel Wilson, and George Holani so far in 2026. Charbonnet recorded 730 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns across 16 games in 2025 and could take over the team's RB1 role upon his return.
He could be worth stashing in an IR spot where possible, but fantasy managers should be aware that Charbonnet may not return until midseason.
Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants
New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart (knee) is expected to have knee surgery that will lead to a full recovery but end his 2026 season, sources told the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo. Dart has been soliciting opinions on the injury. His ACL is intact, but surgery is still coming.
The 23-year-old dual-threat signal-caller took an ugly hit to his knee on the first offensive drive in Monday night's loss to the Los Angeles Rams and immediately came out of the game. Dart reportedly lobbied to return to the game, but the Giants were not having any of it.
The initial report was that the Giants believed that Dart suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee. Either way, with his season coming to an end early in the 2026 season, fantasy managers in redraft leagues can drop Dart and replace him with another signal-caller. It is a devastating blow for the G-Men in head coach John Harbaugh's first season with the team.
Veteran Jameis Winston will take over the offense going forward. He has a big arm and is not afraid to take shots down the field with a WR corps that has some weapons, but the loss of Dart will be a big downgrade for New York's offense for the rest of the season.
Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer has filled in for Brock Bowers (knee) without doing much to force his way into fantasy lineups. Mayer caught six passes for 32 yards in Week 1, then followed with three receptions for 23 yards against the Chargers, giving him nine catches for 55 yards through two games. The bigger issue is Bowers' return.
Head coach Klint Kubiak said Monday that Bowers will practice this week after missing the first two games, and he had already returned to a limited practice last Friday. If Bowers sits again, Mayer can still be used as a short-term streamer against New Orleans.
If Bowers is cleared, Mayer becomes much harder to hold outside deeper formats. RotoBaller's Week 3 tight end waiver article still lists Mayer among the options to add, but its cut list also has him as a drop in most leagues. That split makes sense. Mayer's value right now depends almost entirely on whether Bowers needs another week.
If Bowers is cleared to return, Mayer is a safe cut in all 12-team leagues.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire instead? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here.
Week 3 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on finding replacements for specific players like Dalton Schultz, Emanuel Wilson, Denzel Boston, Bryce Young.
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's name. In the second box, search for the second player's 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.
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 Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup
Once you decide who to drop, find your optimal fantasy football waiver wire replacements. Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for Week 3 for Dalton Schultz, Emanuel Wilson, Denzel Boston, Bryce Young:
More Waiver Wire Analysis
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