Weekend Waiver Wire Rankings for Week 3: Fantasy Football Pickups for Emmett Johnson, Terrance Ferguson, Adonai Mitchell, Braelon Allen, Rashod Bateman, Ryan Flournoy, more

September 26, 2026

Updated weekend fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season. Top fantasy football free agents and streamers to add off waivers including Emmett Johnson, Ryan Flournoy, Rashod Bateman, Terrance Ferguson, and Adonai Mitchell.

While most fantasy leagues have already run their waiver wires, fantasy managers should be scouting the waiver wire for any potential pickups to help out in Week 3 or to add a high-upside bench stash. At RotoBaller HQ, we have updated our waiver wire rankings to account for the latest injuries and news. In this article, you will find the top 85 waiver wire rankings to help you prioritize who to pick up in Week 3.

As injury updates come in throughout the week and roster percentages increase as players are picked up, we adjust our waiver wire rankings, and you can find those below.

These Week 3 waiver wire rankings are updated by Nick Mariano, RotoBaller's lead fantasy football analyst and forecaster. If you're not familiar, he brings you his weekly waiver wire rankings and priority adds for the top 85 options to consider across positions and league sizes. Good luck in Week 3!

Who To Pick Up for Fantasy Football Week 3?

Quarterbacks (QB) and Defenses (D/ST) are grouped together at the bottom of the list:

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlooks

Emmett Johnson, RB, Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said that rookie running back Emmett Johnson will continue to be more involved in the team's offense as the season progresses, per Soren Petro of Sports Radio 810 WHB. Johnson has been extremely efficient on a limited workload through the first two games of his NFL career, recording 103 scrimmage yards on 14 touches. The Chiefs have leaned heavily on RB1 Kenneth Walker so far, and Walker has recorded 369 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 56 touches.

As long as Walker remains healthy, it may be difficult for Johnson to provide consistent production for fantasy managers. Still, the Chiefs appear happy with Johnson's progress and could find ways to get him more involved going forward. Heading into Week 3, Johnson profiles as a high-upside handcuff running back option with some season-long standalone upside.

Ryan Flournoy, WR, Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy saw the team's third-highest target share in Sunday's win over the Commanders. Although he's not a plug-and-play starter, he is worthy of waiver consideration as a long-term stash. Through two weeks, the third-year player has turned 11 targets into 45 receiving yards, but should either CeeDee Lamb or George Pickens miss time, Flournoy could step into an important role in an offense that looks to have gotten back on track after a disappointing season-opener.

Flournoy topped 100 yards twice in 2025, once in an early-season game missed by Lamb, and again in Week 14 when Lamb was limited to a 46% snap share. As an injury fill-in, Flournoy boasts a potential week-winning ceiling and is worth a low-priority claim in deeper leagues.

Adonai Mitchell, WR, Jets

New York Jets wide receiver Adonai Mitchell (finger) was listed as a limited practice participant on Thursday due to a finger injury, per Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. Mitchell was not listed on the injury report Wednesday, which could indicate he suffered the finger injury during practice. The 23-year-old has been productive through New York's first two games of 2026, recording nine catches for 123 yards on 15 targets.

Mitchell has a favorable matchup on paper in Week 3 against the Detroit Lions, but it appears that the third-year wideout's status for Sunday could be in question. The Jets will already be without rookie wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (ankle), who was placed on Injured Reserve after Week 1 with an ankle injury. If Mitchell is sidelined against Detroit, star Jets wideout Garrett Wilson and rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq could be in line for sizable target shares in Week 3.

Rashod Bateman, WR, Ravens

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman finally got something going Sunday, catching seven of nine targets for 88 yards and a touchdown against New Orleans. Zay Flowers (hamstring) being out obviously helped, but Bateman did more than fall into a few extra looks. He played 54 of Baltimore's 58 offensive snaps and led the team in both targets and receiving yards after being held without a catch in Week 1. Flowers is expected back against Dallas, so fantasy managers should not count on another nine-target game right away.

That is what keeps Bateman out of the priority-add group this week. Ja'Kobi Lane (wrist) is still on injured reserve, though, and Bateman should continue to have a regular role in the offense. He is worth picking up in 12-team leagues if receiver depth is needed, but for now he makes more sense as a bench stash than someone who needs to go directly into the lineup.

Terrance Ferguson, TE, Rams

After being limited with an ankle injury on Wednesday, Los Angeles Rams second-year tight end Terrance Ferguson (ankle) was listed as a full participant in practice on Thursday, according to Sarah Barshop of ESPN. Not only does Ferguson look ready to play on Sunday night in Week 3 on the road against the Denver Broncos, but fellow TE Colby Parkins (knee) could be out after missing the first two practices of the week. Additionally, star receiver Puka Nacua (groin) has not practiced this week and will miss his second straight game with a groin injury he suffered in practice last week.

The 23-year-old Ferguson, a second-rounder last year out of Oregon, saw much more involvement in the Rams' offense in Monday night's victory over the New York Giants with Nacua out, catching six of nine targets for 54 yards and his first touchdown of the season. Despite a tough matchup this weekend against the Broncos, Ferguson will be in play again as a tight end streamer by fantasy managers if Nacua misses another contest.

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

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

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

Who Should I Pickup Tool

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

Who Should I Pickup for Week 3?

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Popular Searches

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Who Should I Pickup? Some common 2026 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like Emmett Johnson, Ryan Flournoy, Adonai Mitchell, Rashod Bateman, Terrance Ferguson, Braelon Allen, Tank Bigsby, Malik Washington, Kalif Raymond, Zach Ertz, DeeJay Dallas, Demond Claiborne, and Alvin Kamara. 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: Denzel Boston, Mack Hollins, Antonio Williams, Braelon Allen, Demond Claiborne, Rashid Shaheed, Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel, Kendre Miller, Tre' Harris. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy football waiver wire pickups.

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. First, enter the player names 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 that 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 2026? 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 Emmett Johnson, Ryan Flournoy, Adonai Mitchell, Rashod Bateman, Terrance Ferguson, Braelon Allen, Tank Bigsby, Malik Washington, Kalif Raymond, Zach Ertz, DeeJay Dallas, Demond Claiborne, and Alvin Kamara:

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