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Who Should I Pickup for Week 3? Fantasy Football waiver wire outlooks for Terrance Ferguson, Emmett Johnson, Rashod Bateman, Kaelon Black, Oronde Gadsden, Tank Bigsby, Darren Waller, Kayshon Boutte.
Who Should I Pickup? Some of the most common Week 3 fantasy football waiver wire decisions involve players like Terrance Ferguson, Emmett Johnson, Rashod Bateman, Kaelon Black, Oronde Gadsden, Tank Bigsby, Darren Waller, and Kayshon Boutte. However, don't worry, we are here to help you make these waiver wire decisions and make winning moves for Week 3. Add your optimal fantasy football pickups for Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season. 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 add... all free! Get your winning waiver wire pickups set.
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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlooks
Below are some fantasy football waiver wire outlooks written by our NFL team here at RotoBaller, bringing you their fantasy football analysis and advice on which players to consider adding off waivers in Week 3:
Tank Bigsby, Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles running back Tank Bigsby (abdomen) was listed as a limited participant in practice on Friday after he was held out of Thursday's session, according to the team. Running back Will Shipley (foot) followed the same path after suffering a foot injury in the Week 2 win over the Tennessee Titans. Bigsby had a bigger role this past Sunday after Saquon Barkley left to be evaluated for a stinger.
The 25-year-old carried the ball 13 times for 33 yards and scored his first rushing touchdown of the 2026 season. Bigsby also caught both of his targets for five yards through the air. Fantasy managers who scooped Bigsby up off the waiver wire this week were hoping that he might be the Eagles' starting back on Monday night in Week 3 against the Chicago Bears with Barkley injured, but Barkley has upgraded to a full practice and is set to be active.
In the season-opening win over the division-rival Washington Commanders, Bigsby only saw one carry for three yards. He will not have standalone fantasy value if he is active on Monday, but he is still one of the best upside handcuff options at the position in fantasy.
Emmett Johnson, Kansas City 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, it appears as though the Chiefs are 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.
Darren Waller, Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers tight end Darren Waller has shown a strong connection with Bryce Young in his first two games with the Panthers, making an immediate impact after joining the team in August. He didn't play in the preseason, but when the games started to count, he became a prime option for Carolina in the red zone. Waller had a short touchdown called back due to a penalty in Week 1, but he found the end zone twice in Week 2.
The 34-year-old caught all five of his targets for 61 yards in his two games and will continue to be a go-to option in the red zone due to his ability to win contested catches. He only played 35% of the team's snaps in Week 1 and 44% of the snaps in Week 2, so there is also the potential for more growth in other areas of the field as he settles into the team's offense.
Waller is definitely a tight end on the rise and is a pickup to consider in all formats if you need tight end help. This week, he and the Panthers visit the Browns in Cleveland.
Oronde Gadsden, Los Angeles Chargers
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said that tight end Oronde Gadsden "had a very good week" and is "ready to step up" in Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday with both Charlie Kolar (forearm) and David Njoku (leg) out, according to Alex Insdorf. Harbaugh added that he thinks Gadsden has improved as a blocker. The 23-year-old should have been one of the more intriguing tight end pickups off the waiver wire after both Kolar and Njoku were injured in the team's Week 2 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Njoku is on Injured Reserve, and Kolar could miss several weeks with his injury. Gadsden only had two catches for 18 yards on Sunday against the Raiders, but he did manage to find the end zone for his first touchdown of the 2026 season.
The Bills have been vulnerable against tight ends early this season, so this could be the perfect storm for Gadsden to be an excellent streamer at the TE position. As a rookie last year, Gadsden caught 49 of his 69 targets for 664 yards and three touchdowns in 15 regular-season games.
Kaelon Black, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers running back Kaelon Black remains a strong Week 3 waiver target despite a quieter showing against Miami. Black carried seven times for 25 yards after handling 14 carries for 65 yards in the opener, and he played roughly one-third of the offensive snaps Sunday. Christian McCaffrey remains the clear lead back and handled both goal-line touchdowns, so Black's standalone value is still somewhat dependent on game script.
Even so, San Francisco has given the rookie 21 carries through two games, which is enough to make his role worth taking seriously.
RotoBaller currently recommends adding Black in 10-team leagues and deeper, viewing him as one of fantasy's better handcuffs with some standalone appeal. He does not need to be forced into lineups every week, but the combination of regular rushing work and the upside he would carry if McCaffrey missed time makes Black a worthwhile waiver add rather than a bench-only lottery ticket.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pick up off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here.
2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Terrance Ferguson, Emmett Johnson, Rashod Bateman, Kaelon Black, Oronde Gadsden, Tank Bigsby, Darren Waller, Kayshon Boutte. 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'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
Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for Terrance Ferguson, Emmett Johnson, Rashod Bateman, Kaelon Black, Oronde Gadsden, Tank Bigsby, Darren Waller, Kayshon Boutte:
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