Waiver Wire Watchlist for Fantasy Football Week 3

September 25, 2026

Kipp's fantasy football waiver wire watchlist before Week 3 of 2026. You should keep an eye on these emerging players and consider them waiver wire stashes.

Welcome to Week 3 of our fantasy football waiver wire watchlist for the 2026 NFL season. Each week, we will do our best to point you in the direction of the five best running backs or wide receivers to claim for your squad in order to help your season-long depth and potentially your starting roster.

All players listed in this article are rostered in less than 50% of fantasy football leagues, meaning that they are available more often than not. Therefore, some of the guys on this list may be lesser-known, but that does not mean they cannot have an impact for your squad in future weeks.

As this article is published each and every Friday, this list should be helpful for additions in the current week as well as ones to consider for the following week. With that being said, here are five players still on the majority of waiver wires who could help you make significant strides in your fantasy football league. Good luck on the waiver wire and happy hunting!

Week 3 Waiver Wire Running Backs

Tank Bigsby, Philadelphia Eagles - 33% rostered

While I am not sure that Bigsby will have an immediate impact on your roster, he should certainly be rostered in the event that Saquon Barkley suffers an injury. That is exactly what happened this week at Tennessee, when Barkley exited for some time with an early stinger.

While Barkley will likely return this week, it is uncertain if he will be 100%, and this could open the door for more work for Bigsby. Last week, at Tennessee, Bigsby filled in admirably, carrying the ball 13 times for 33 rushing yards and one touchdown. He also hauled in two receptions on two targets for five receiving yards.

Bigsby is still rostered in less than 50% of leagues and makes for a solid addition if you need running back depth, or especially if you have Saquon currently rostered.

Tank Bigsby evens it up with an @Eagles TD

PHIvsTEN on FOX/FOX One
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— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026

Emanuel Wilson, Seattle Seahawks - 12% rostered

Emanuel Wilson looked great last week against the Arizona Cardinals when he filled in for Jadarian Price, who suffered a chest injury. While X-rays came back negative for Price, it may not be a bad idea to stash Wilson for the time being. George Holani would also be in consideration here, but the performance from Wilson cannot be denied.

Last week, Wilson carried the ball 21 times for 92 rushing yards, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. While the game was a blowout against Arizona, it is interesting to me that Wilson outpaced Holani 28 to 17 in terms of snaps and 21 to eight in terms of carries. Holani also averaged just 3.6 yards per carry.

The Seahawks backfield is now murkier than it was heading into the season, with Zach Charbonnet on the PUP list. It was thought that Price would handle the large majority of the workload with Holani serving as his backup, but the workload last week by Wilson, and his subsequent success, may change the pecking order.

I would rather have the hot hand in Wilson on my bench heading into Week 3, and if Price is unable to go, Wilson could be in line for another large workload against the Washington Commanders. Even if Price is able to go, Wilson could serve as a nice handcuff until Charbonnet is ready to return, if not longer.

More RB Options:

• George Holani, Seattle Seahawks - 7% rostered
• Woody Marks, Houston Texans - 50% rostered

Week 3 Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

 Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens - 22% rostered

Full disclosure, I thought that Mark Andrews and not Bateman would be the biggest beneficiary of Zay Flowers missing the Week 2 contest against the New Orleans Saints. I was wrong, as Bateman hauled in seven of nine targets for 88 receiving yards and a touchdown.

While Flowers is likely to return next week against the Dallas Cowboys, Bateman's production last week could still move him up the pecking order in this Ravens' passing attack. Bateman has been around the Ravens' offense since 2021, and while he had a down year in 2025, he did haul in 45 receptions for 756 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 2024.

I am not suggesting Bateman will overtake Flowers or Andrews by any means, but he could be a nice fill-in for bye weeks coming up if you need additional depth at the wide receiver position. Also, if for some reason Flowers is not able to return next week, Bateman could be in for another big game against the Cowboys' secondary.

Lamar Jackson 🎯 Rashod Bateman for the TD

NOvsBAL on CBS/Paramount+
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— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026

 Dontayvion Wicks, Philadelphia Eagles - 35% rostered

I guess it is time we start taking Wicks seriously in this Eagles' passing attack. He has now seen a total of 10 targets through the first two weeks of the season and has turned those targets into seven receptions for 147 receiving yards and one touchdown.

He now has 70+ receiving yards in each of his first two games with the Eagles, which is a bit surprising on one hand, but also not that surprising given his deep-threat ability. Wicks is also being targeted on over 32% of his routes, so the utilization rate here looks pretty good as well.

With the departure of A.J. Brown in the offseason, many of us wondered what the pecking order would look like in this passing offense behind DeVonta Smith. As it stands now, Wicks appears to be that guy, as he has seen 95 snaps across the first two weeks, compared to Makai Lemon's 82 snaps.

Whether or not this trend will continue is yet to be determined, but the Eagles have to be pleased with Wicks' production thus far, and there is no reason to believe that Jalen Hurts will not continue targeting him while he is having this type of success.

Jalen Hurts and Dontayvion Wicks with a big gain on 3rd and 12

PHIvsTEN on FOX/FOX One
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— NFL (@NFL) September 20, 2026

Adonai Mitchell, New York Jets - 27% rostered

The New York Jets have entered 2026 as an extremely feisty team. In Week 1, they beat the Titans on the road and then followed that up with a near-win at home against the Green Bay Packers. Geno Smith and the Jets' passing offense have looked surprisingly decent as well, and Adonai Mitchell has been a big part of that success.

Through two weeks, Mitchell has racked up nine receptions on 15 targets for 123 receiving yards. In Week 2, Mitchell really stood out, as he saw a whopping 12 targets, hauling in six of them for 63 receiving yards. Whether this trend continues is yet to be determined, but the 12 targets are definitely worth pointing out, and the fact that he also saw three productive targets in Week 1 is reassuring.

Mitchell is second on the team in snap distribution among wide receivers, behind only Garrett Wilson, which is also promising. While Isaiah Williams is only six snaps behind Mitchell, he has seen just seven targets through the first two games. It is hard to imagine Geno Smith abandoning Mitchell after such a strong start.

Mitchell makes for a nice depth addition to your roster with the potential to turn into a weekly play. While I consider a weekly play at flex to be his ceiling, he can certainly fill in for bye weeks coming up if his targets continue to warrant it.

Geno and Adonai Mitchell connect for a big play

NYJvsTEN on CBS/Paramount+
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— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026

More WR Options:

• Denzel Boston, Cleveland Browns - 48% rostered
• Antonio Williams, Washington Commanders - 11% rostered

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