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Kyle's must-have fantasy football bench stashes and waiver wire sleepers ahead of Week 3 (2023). He picks high-upside NFL players to stash on your fantasy teams.
Hey now, welcome to the Week 3 Weekend Waiver Wire Series, where we look at high-upside stashed before Sunday's games. just because this week's waivers have already run in your league it doesn't mean there isn't a diamond in the rough out there to be found! Given the ever-present injury bug in the NFL, snagging that fantasy-relevant gem off the waiver wire before anyone else is the kind of move that ends up bearing fantasy gold and helps you stay ahead of your league mates.
As mentioned in last week's article, one guy who spent most of the 2022 season available on waivers everywhere who ended up dominating the important part of the fantasy season was Kansas City Chiefs RB Jerick McKinnon. McKinnon dominated fantasy playoffs and won people leagues after he nailed in the coffin on opponents as the overall RB1 in Weeks 14-15 and was the RB7 in Week 17. While we aren't looking to shell out all of our FAAB on the players listed below, if we are in deeper leagues with ample roster space, these are players we shouldn't mind stashing away on our roster just in case the right situations break their way.
If some of these names seem like long shots, that is the point of the article. Most of the players listed in this column each week are going to be available on waivers. The point isn't to give you the obvious names, but rather the ones flying under the radar who could have fantasy value later in the season. Even if you don't pick these players up it's important to know their names and to keep them in the back of your mind. Now let's dive in, shall we?
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Weekend Waiver Wire Stashes Before Week 3
Zach Evans, (RB) Los Angeles Rams
1% rostered
This one may come as a bit of a surprise, but Evans has talent. He was inactive for Week 2, but the 6th-round rookie from Ole Miss does have some potential league-winning upside. Evans originally enrolled at TCU before losing his job to Kendre Miller and transferred to Ole Miss. He was the No. 2 RB recruit in the 2020 class only to Bijan Robinson and finished his college career with 4.21 yards after contact with a 49.1% breakaway run rate per PFF. Evans put up 2,200 yards from scrimmage and 19 TDs without a full workload. The bad news? He may have fallen in the 2023 NFL Draft due to potential character concerns and has a similar personality to former Rams RB Cam Akers, who was just traded to Minnesota.
We have seen how much more functional the Rams offense looks through 2 games this season. Vintage Matthew Stafford is back, the offensive line has looked better, and they will suddenly feature a potent WR corps with rookie Puka Nacua, Tutu Atwell, and star Cooper Kupp once he returns from injured reserve. Kyren Williams is a capable RB, but doesn't quite have that homerun speed. With Cam Akers now with the Vikings, there is a chance for Evans to start creeping up on the depth chart behind Williams and Ronnie Rivers. You likely can't roster Evans right now outside of super deep formats, but he is a name worth knowing just in case he does start getting on the field. The Rams are back.
De'Von Achane, (RB), Miami Dolphins
28% rostered
Achane hasn't done much through two weeks and RB Raheem Mostert has looked great, but there's a reason Miami drafted Achane in the 3rd Round of the 2023 NFL Draft despite having other needs. He had the fastest 40 yard dash time of all running backs at 4.32! He's absolute lightning and was a track star at Texas A&M as well. For now, this Miami offense looks to be a high-powered juggernaut with HC Mike McDaniel calling plays and QB Tua Tagovailoa playing lights out. RB Jeff Wilson Jr. will likely return from injured reserve in Week 5, but Achane has a chance to carve out a meaningful role for himself if he gets on the field enough.
Sam Howell, (QB), Washington Commanders
15% rostered
Someone who remains on this list for the second-straight week, Howell had another impressive performance against the Broncos in Week 2. So far on the season he's finished as the QB11 and QB14. While this isn't great outside of Superflex formats, it's encouraging to see that Howell is proving he belongs in this league.
The Commanders have a tough stretch with the Bills and Eagles coming up, but they face the horrific Bears defense in Week 5. If Howell can hang in there and prove his mettle over the next two games, watch out.
Tyjae Spears, (RB) Tennessee Titans
18% rostered
After having a solid college career at Tulane, there were some doubts raised about Spears during the 2023 NFL Draft process after it was revealed there was no cartilage left in one of his knees. However, that didn't completely stop him as he was taken by the Titans in the 3rd Round - 81st overall. While it's still clear that Derrick Henry is the Titans RB1 and likely will be unless he were to miss time, Spears has been playing a good amount as a rookie: 45 percent of the offensive snaps through two weeks to be precise.
Spears is a solid receiver out of the backfield and has potential stand-alone value outside of Henry. So far he's had just 14 touches through 2 games, but it's clear that the Titans value him and don't want Henry seeing such a massive workload all season. The Titans offense needs to get better during the year in order for Spears to be worth starting in any formats right now, but he is a player worth rostering in deeper leagues should his playing time continue to improve.
Matthew Stafford, (QB) Los Angeles Rams
40% rostered
Alright, alright. I know, it's Matthew Stafford. Super Bowl champion, but the reality is he's not being rostered (along with a lot of Rams offensive players) in fantasy as he should be. While they are 1-1, it's pretty clear that the high-powered offenses of Rams past under Sean McVay are back. After last year's 5-12 debacle things were looking bleak during the summer of 2023, but it's pretty clear that the offseason re-energized McVay along with Stafford, who has gone over 300 yards passing in each of the last two weeks.
The Rams offense will get even better once WR Cooper Kupp returns from injured reserve, which many are hoping will be around Week 5. While it's not a given that Stafford is available on your league's waiver wire, the 40 percent mark is usually our cutoff point for this article, so if it seems like long-shot players are being recommended to you here (outside of Stafford), that's the point of it. Vintage Matthew Stafford is back and the Rams are moving the ball. If he's somehow available on waivers be sure to grab him immediately.
Jake Ferguson, (TE) Dallas Cowboys
29% rostered
While he hasn't exactly been great for fantasy, Ferguson currently leads the whole NFL with 8 red zone targets through 2 games (per Fantasy Points). The Cowboys' defense has been absolutely stifling, which hasn't allowed their offense to do a whole lot (because it didn't need to). WR CeeDee Lamb is the alpha in this offense, but nobody has yet stepped up to be the No. 2 pass catcher thus far. Ferguson didn't do much in Week 1, but saw a TD pass in Week 2, and as mentioned above he is seeing plenty of red zone targets and appears to be an early favorite of QB Dak Prescott.
With how potent the Dallas defense is, it could hurt their offense this year as far as fantasy goes, but we have seen players like TE Dalton Schultz thrive in the Cowboys offense in the past. Is it reasonable to expect more from Ferguson? He likely can't be rostered right now outside the deepest of formats unless you are really hurting at tight end, but he's on the short list of guys to go if you're in a pinch. Keep an eye on this one to see if Ferguson's usage improves.
Chuba Hubbard, (RB) Carolina Panthers
22% rostered
Hubbard finds himself on this list for another week, and his roster ownership across fantasy formats has risen from 17 to 22 percent over the last week. The Panthers offense hasn't been great for fantasy as they currently sit at 0-2, but Hubbard saw 5 targets in Week 2. He's still the clear RB2 on the Panthers' depth chart behind Miles Sanders, so there's no need to go crazy just yet, but it's easy to see from watching the games that Hubbard has talent.
As mentioned in last week's article: Hubbard once rushed for 2,000 yards in a season in college at Oklahoma State and is still just 24 years old. The gap between him and Sanders isn't all that great.
Rashee Rice, (WR) Kansas City Chiefs
18% rostered
A player who was dropped in a lot of leagues after a disappointing Week 2, Rice had just 2 targets finishing with 2 receptions for 20 yards. Unfortunately, the Chiefs defense looks like the real deal and is third-best in points allowed through 2 weeks. The defense absolutely smothered the potent Jaguars offense and held them to just 9 points. No Chiefs WR has over 5 targets in a game through the first 2 weeks and the RB room is an absolute mess. Hard to imagine that we'd get to a point where Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were the only players you could confidently start for fantasy in an Andy Reid offense, but here we are. Is it possible the Chiefs change gears a little bit this year and become more of a defensive-minded team?
We can't completely be out on the Chiefs skill players right now due to the reality that when Patrick Mahomes is on his A-game there is no better QB in the league. If another WR should step up and start earning targets and playing more on a consistent basis they would be a great fantasy play, but as of now, no one has done so. Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney loom in the background, but it was hard not to like what we saw from Rice this preseason and he is a bigger WR who can play on the outside. Don't give up on this offense for fantasy just yet.
Wan'Dale Robinson, (WR), New York Giants
2% rostered
A player who flashed a little bit in 2022 before going down with a torn ACL, Robinson joins an absolutely crowded WR room in New York. Thus far the Giants are 1-2 to start the season and it's hard to have much confidence in their offense right now, but let's not forget who they've played: the Cowboys in Week 1 and the 49ers in Week 3 on TNF, 2 of the best defenses in the entire NFL. Brian Daboll has shown himself to be a more than capable play-caller and offensive innovator, so we can't raise the white flag on the Giants just yet.
Robinson isn't worth picking up right now, but he was a 2nd Round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft after an electric career at Kentucky. He is a converted running back with elite speed who has the chance to go the distance on any given touch. Robinson had 4 receptions for 21 yards in Week 3 and played just 22 percent of the snaps, hardly exciting.
This Giants WR room is going to be an avoid for fantasy purposes until it works its way out, but given how tough their schedule has been early on, don't write them off just yet. If someone were to establish themselves as the clear-cut No. 1 WR in this offense they could be great for fantasy. It's clear the coaching staff likes Robinson.
Jayden Reed, (WR), Green Bay Packers
19% rostered
We don't know for sure exactly how much Reed will play once the Packers WR1 Christian Watson returns from his hamstring injury, but we do know that Reed has looked good so far even as a rookie. Reed has earned 13 targets through 2 games and finished with 8 receptions for 37 yards and 2 TDs in Week 2, putting him as the WR16 on the week in half PPR formats. So far Packers QB Jordan Love has looked more than capable and there is reason to be optimistic about the Packers' offense thus far.
They draw the Saints this week, but afterward get some great matchups against the Lions and Raiders. It's still hard to predict just how the Packers' pass-catching corps shakes out with Watson, Romeo Doubs, Reed, and rookie TE Luke Musgrave all in the fold, but if Jordan Love continues to look good then grabbing pieces of the Packers' pass pass-catchers will bear fruit for fantasy this year.
I hope you enjoyed these picks. Remember that it's a long season and it's best to be patient and wait for some of these situations to unfold. By being proactive and prepared ahead of your league mates you can save that valuable FAAB for later in the season when you might really need it! Feel free to follow me on Twitter for more waiver and player analysis throughout the season!
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