Key Takeaways
- NFL players, including Cooper Kupp and Christian McCaffrey, are facing significant injuries that could impact their seasons.
- Fantasy managers with injured players should readily look to the waiver wire to replace lost production.
- Streaming, waiver wire and FAAB advice for all offensive positions in fantasy for Week 3 of the NFL season.
The biggest story around the 
NFL through two weeks has been the volume of injuries that have afflicted some of the sport’s biggest stars.
Jordan Love left his game against the Eagles with an injury that could keep him out for weeks, if not months. Christian McCaffrey was placed on IR with a calf and Achilles injury. Tua Tagovailoa was concussed again on Thursday Night Football this week, putting his NFL future in jeopardy. Running backs Isaiah Pacheco and Joe Mixon are set to miss time with lower body injuries. Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua are out for the foreseeable future for the 
Los Angeles Rams. And on and on the list goes.
If you roster one or more of the players currently on IR, it may feel like the season is spiraling out of control already. Fear not, though, fellow fantasy managers. When one door closes, another is bound to open.
All of these injuries mean that playing time, and more importantly, touches, will be afforded to other players who may be ubiquitously available in fantasy leagues.
Below, we’ll offer waiver and FAAB advice for every offensive position in fantasy (not kickers and defenses – if you stream these positions, it’s best to bid low and hunt for easy matchups) for Week 3 of the 2024 NFL season.
Every player listed below is rostered in less than 50% of fantasy leagues following Week 1. Note that we’ll be using FantasyPros’ consensus rostering metric to determine which players fit that criteria.
All FAAB suggestions are based on a $1,000 limit across the entire season.
Quarterbacks
QB Sam Darnold, 
Minnesota Vikings
- 13% roster rate
- 34.5 PPR Fantasy Points (through Week 2)
- Next Opponent: Houston Texans
- FAAB Recommendation ($1,000 budget): $25
Sam Darnold is on a heater to begin the 2024 season, posting a 2-0 record against the 
New York Giants and 
San Francisco 49ers in his first few weeks as the Vikings’ starter.
Darnold has completed 72.0% of his passes for 472 yards and four touchdowns (and two interceptions), adding 35 yards on the ground for good measure. However, those stats are inflated from playing against the hapless Giants, as well as a 97-yard bomb to Justin Jefferson.
Fantasy managers in deep leagues that need a replacement for Tagovailoa can go after Darnold as a budget-friendly option, though drawing the 
Houston Texans, 
Green Bay Packers, and 
New York Jets over the next few weeks isn’t exactly an inviting schedule. Plus, Jefferson, as well as Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson, are projected to miss at least next week due to injury, leaving Darnold with precious few weapons to throw to.
QB Derek Carr, 
New Orleans Saints
- 19% roster rate
- 43.1 PPR Fantasy Points (through Week 2)
- Next Opponent: Philadelphia Eagles
- FAAB Recommendation ($1,000 budget): $55
Here’s what yours truly said last week about the two quarterbacks we’re recommending for Week 3:
“Derek Carr is far from an inspiring name, especially given that he draws the mighty Dallas Cowboys’ defense next week, but it’s either him or Sam Darnold versus the 49ers in terms of veteran quarterbacks coming off a strong Week 1 performance.”
Turns out either quarterback would’ve been an excellent option this past week, though it’s Derek Carr who projects as the much better quarterback moving forward for the season, hence the 5% FAAB budget recommendation.
Carr set an NFL record by leading 15 consecutive scoring drives to begin the season. As a whole, the Saints are averaging 45.5 points through the first two games of the season.
Carr has a 76.9% completion rate this season while throwing for 443 yards and a five-to-one touchdown to interception ratio. His passer rating is an astonishing 142.4 through two weeks. As long as offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak continues scheming Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed open, Carr can be viewed as a mid-range QB2 with sneaky QB1 value in good matchups.
MORE RECOMMENDATIONS: QB Justin Fields, 
Pittsburgh Steelers (v.s. 
Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3) ; QB Gardner Minshew, 
Las Vegas Raiders (v.s. 
Carolina Panthers)
Running Backs
Samaje Perine, 
Kansas City Chiefs
- 4% roster rate
- 3.3 PPR Fantasy Points (through Week 2)
- Next Opponent: Atlanta Falcons
- FAAB Recommendation ($1,000 budget): $100
Samaje Perine will duel with Clyde Edwards-Helaire (who is currently on the reserve/non-football illness list until Week 4) and rookie Carson Steele for carries after Isaiah Pacheco was placed on IR, though the veteran back should be the favorite to draw the heavy workload in the coming weeks.
Perine has garnered over 100 touches for three separate teams throughout his career, and brings more to the table as a pass-blocker and receiver than his backfield competition. In terms of getting valuable snaps in a great offense, it’s hard to find
That being said, Perine only got one touch after Pacheco went down last week. Steele got seven carries, though he lost a crucial fumble and is only a short-yardage back. Head coach Andy Reid has shown a willingness to use backfield committees before, and it’s possible no one emerges as the clear leader in Kansas City.
Still, Pacheco is going to be out for almost two months. If you’re going to invest in a Chiefs running back that’s not him, Perine is the guy.
RB Antonio Gibson, 
New England Patriots
- 16% roster rate
- 13.1 PPR Fantasy Points (through Week 2)
- Next Opponent: New York Jets
- FAAB Recommendation ($1,000 budget): $40
Patriots’ RB1 Rhamondre Stevenson is off to a scintillating start this year, posting 201 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 46 carries through two games. Clearly, Jerod Mayo intends to play bully ball as the head coach of the franchise.
While Stevenson isn’t going to be available in any leagues, his running mate Antonio Gibson is widely available. The former 
Washington Commanders running back posted 103 scrimmage yards on 12 touches in the team’s Week 2 overtime loss to the 
Seattle Seahawks, and he should continue drawing a favorable workload as the team tries to manage Stevenson’s touches in the early part of the season.
This isn’t a particularly good offense, but Gibson is an explosive player who has caught 36+ passes in each season of his career. He has more value in PPR leagues, but as long as Jacoby Brissett is piloting the Patriots, Gibson is an excellent handcuff with standalone flex value.
MORE RECOMMENDATIONS: RB Carson Steele, Kansas City Chiefs (v.s. 
Atlanta Falcons) ; RB Rico Dowdle, 
Dallas Cowboys (v.s. 
Baltimore Ravens) ; RB Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams (v.s. San Francisco 49ers)
Wide Receiver
WR Demarcus Robinson, Los Angeles Rams
- 42% roster rate
- 15.2 PPR Fantasy Points (through Week 2)
- Next Opponent: San Francisco 49ers
- FAAB Recommendation ($1,000 budget): $75
With the aforementioned injuries to Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, quarterback Matthew Stafford needs someone to throw to. Enter: Demarcus Robinson.
Robinson led the Rams with 50 receiving yards while playing 92% of the offense’s snaps. The downside is his next set of cornerback matchups as L.A.’s WR1 ( Charvarius Ward, Jaylon Johnson, Jaire Alexander), but fantasy managers should buy Robinson purely on the promise of the amount of targets he should receive while Nacua and Kupp are on the mend.
Exactly how much of your budget you choose to spend on a receiver who has never had more than 466 receiving yards in a season is up to risk tolerance, but there’s no doubt that the touches will be there for Robinson.
WR Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers
- 7% roster rate
- 28.9 PPR Fantasy Points (through Week 2)
- Next Opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers
- FAAB Recommendation ($1,000 budget): $90
If you want a full breakdown of why Quentin Johnston is the receiver to invest in on the Chargers, you can check that out here. TLDR: he’s becoming Justin Herbert‘s favorite target.
Johnston was a first-round pick just one year ago, but he had a difficult rookie season, struggling with drops and frequent miscommunications with Herbert. He eventually fell out of favor, losing snaps and playing time even after Mike Williams was lost for the season due to a torn ACL.
It turns out all Johnston needed was a new regime to help him get things turned around. Johnston finished last week’s game as the Chargers’ leading receiver in all categories, recording five receptions for 51 yards and two touchdowns. The Carolina Panthers aren’t exactly tough competition, but Johnston is playing over 70% of the offense’s snaps so far this season.
With little in the way of competition in the Chargers’ receiver room (Joshua Palmer and Ladd McConkey are his main threats for targets), Johnston should be a priority add for managers in need of a receiver this week. Bidding more than 10% of your budget may be a little irresponsible, but it’s hard not to get excited about his prospects for the rest of the season.
MORE RECOMMENDATIONS: WR Jalen Tolbert, Dallas Cowboys (v.s. Baltimore Ravens) ; WR Alec Pierce, 
Indianapolis Colts (v.s. 
Chicago Bears) ; WR Jahan Dotson, 
Philadelphia Eagles (v.s. New Orleans Saints)
Tight Ends
TE Hunter Henry, New England Patriots
- 24% roster rate
- 22.7 PPR Fantasy Points (through Week 2)
- Next Opponent: New York Jets
- FAAB Recommendation ($1,000 budget): $45
Listen, I’m not happy about recommending two Patriots offensive players in the same week, but it’s hard to ignore what Hunter Henry just did against the Seahawks.
The tight end received a career-high 12 targets and turned them into eight receptions and 109 receiving yards. He was Jacoby Brissett’s favorite receiver by a country mile.
Don’t go crazy bidding on a tight end who had only two catches for 18 yards in Week 1, but if Henry is available in your league, he could be a solid sleeper with TE1 potential if Brissett keeps looking his way.
TE Mike Gesicki, 
Cincinnati Bengals
- 4% roster rate
- 20.9 PPR Fantasy Points (through Week 2)
- Next Opponent: Washington Commanders
- FAAB Recommendation ($1,000 budget): $25
Mike Gesicki has long been a tantalizing target in fantasy football, though he’s rarely turned his potential into points.
That may be changing in Cincinnati, as Gesicki just turned in a seven reception, 91 yard masterclass against the defending champions. He received a monstrous 25% target share in Week 2, clearly becoming Joe Burrow‘s second favorite target (after Ja’Marr Chase) with Tee Higgins still sitting out.
He is in a timeshare with Drew Sample, Erick All Jr., and Tanner Hudson, and he only played 47% of the team’s snaps against the Chiefs. He’s still the most prolific receiver of that bunch by a lot, and his rapidly improving connection with Burrow portends a healthy fantasy future.
MORE RECOMMENDATIONS: TE Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders (v.s. Cincinnati Bengals) ; TE Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams (v.s. San Francisco 49ers)
All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference and all fantasy data courtesy of FantasyPros unless stated otherwise.
