Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups, Week 3: Jonah Coleman, Tank Bigsby among top targets to add

Every Monday during the season, Justin Boone breaks down the recommended waiver-wire pickups.

Roster percentages are generated from Yahoo leagues. Free-Agent Budget (FAB) amounts are based on a $100 salary cap. Only players rostered in less than 50% of leagues are considered.

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Key injuries to consider

• Caleb Williams (hamstring)

• Demarcus Robinson (ankle)

Pickups by position

Top-10 overall pickups for Week 3

1. Jonah Coleman, RB, Broncos

2. Denzel Boston, WR, Browns

4. Emanuel Wilson, RB, Seahawks

5. Bryce Young, QB, Panthers

6. Oronde Gadsden, TE, Chargers

7. Emmett Johnson, RB, Chiefs

9. Rashod Bateman, WR, Ravens

Quarterbacks

Bryce Young, Panthers

If you’ve been reading this column, you’re going to recognize a lot of the names featured this week. Young was my top QB add heading into Week 2, after an outstanding fantasy performance in the opener and he followed it up with another three-touchdown effort on Sunday. 

The 25-year-old former first overall pick is the second-highest scoring fantasy quarterback through two games, behind only Josh Allen, with only Monday Night Football left to be played. 

Jalen Coker has formed a strong receiver tandem with Tetairoa McMillan and Darren Waller is emerging as a dangerous red-zone weapon for the Panthers. The veteran tight end scored two touchdowns against the Falcons and had another called back on a penalty in Week 1. 

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There’s no reason to think this party will stop anytime soon, with the Browns and Lions next up on the schedule for Carolina. Consider Young a borderline low-end QB1 for those matchups. 

Kyler Murray is 56% rostered but would be the No. 1 QB add, if available. 

Streaming options

• Tyler Shough vs. LV (48% rostered)

Risky streaming options

• C.J. Stroud at IND (38% rostered)

• Malik Willis vs. KC (36% rostered)

Risky streaming options (if starter is out)

• Marcus Mariota vs. SEA (0% rostered)

Risky streaming options (if healthy)

• Michael Penix Jr. at GB (3% rostered)

Desperation streaming options

• Kirk Cousins at NO (5% rostered)

• Daniel Jones vs. HOU (21% rostered)

• Jacoby Brissett at SF (8% rostered)

• Deshaun Watson vs. CAR (2% rostered)

• Aaron Rodgers vs. CIN (10% rostered)

• Cam Ward at NYG (10% rostered)

Desperation streaming options (if starter is out)

• Tyson Bagent vs. PHI (0% rostered)

• Drew Lock at WAS (3% rostered)

Injury stashes

• Sam Darnold (27% rostered)

Deep stashes

• Fernando Mendoza (8% rostered)

Running Backs

Jonah Coleman, Broncos

Encouraging people to draft Coleman in the late rounds was my mission throughout the summer and I reserved room to write about him in each of the first two waiver wire columns this season. 

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Stashing Coleman was speculative, since he was technically the Broncos’ No. 3 back behind J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey. However, given Dobbins’ injury history (missed time in all six of his NFL campaigns) it seemed almost inevitable that a path would be cleared at some point this season. The coaching staff and beat writers also strongly suggested that Coleman was the direct Dobbins’ replacement, not Harvey. 

Even with all that in mind, I certainly didn’t expect to see Coleman’s opportunity arrive in Week 2. With Harvey sidelined due to a hamstring injury, the rookie had a chance to see the field more on Sunday. Then, Dobbins suffered a hamstring injury of his own, which paved the way for Coleman to help lead the Broncos to victory with 58 scrimmage yards and a score on 13 touches. 

While we wait for updates on both injury statuses, this is your last chance to pick up Coleman… and you’re going to have to spend a significant amount of your budget to do it. Don’t worry, he’ll be worth it. Dobbins hasn’t looked particularly good this season prior to getting hurt and Sean Payton raved about Coleman throughout the preseason. He might just take this job and not give it back, with Harvey eventually returning to his pass-catcher-plus role, when healthy. 

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Tank Bigsby, Eagles

Bigsby has been one of the better one-injury away backups to have on your bench, but that became even more important on Sunday when Saquon Barkley suffered a stinger and missed a large portion of the game. Bigsby took advantage, posting 38 yards and a touchdown in the win over the Titans. 

Though Barkley is headed for an early-week MRI, the initial reports seem optimistic that this won’t be a serious issue. 

Regardless, Bigsby needs to be rostered. If Barkley were to miss a game, Bigsby would step in as the Eagles’ lead back and a potential fantasy RB2, with Will Shipley operating as a pass-catching option.  

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Emanuel Wilson, Seahawks

Wilson is also seeing value inflated due to a starter getting banged up. Rookie Jadarian Price is dealing with a chest injury that caused him to miss time in the late stages of Sunday’s game. 

Just like Barkley, Price is going to get evaluated over the next couple days, but the early reports suggest this isn’t anything major. 

With Price missing time, Wilson leapfrogged George Holani and took over as the early-down back for the Seahawks. The result was a solid 92 yards on 21 carries. 

If Price is unable to suit up for Week 3, Wilson would be a borderline low-end RB2 for fantasy in a matchup where Seattle is 6.5-point favorites over the Commanders. Keep in mind, Zach Charbonnet is expected to return in October, so the runway is short for Wilson. 

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Kaelon Black is 56% rostered but would be the No. 4 RB add behind Coleman, Bigsby and Wilson, if available. 

Tyler Allegeier is 51% rostered but would be the No. 5 RB add behind Coleman, Bigsby, Wilson and Black, if available. 

Zach Charbonnet is 51% rostered but can be added as an IR stash, if available. 

Best one-injury away backup RBs to stash

• Emmett Johnson (27% rostered)

• Mike Washington (43% rostered)

• Brian Robinson (23% rostered) 

Flex options

• Tyjae Spears at NYG (33% rostered)

• Braelon Allen at DET (16% rostered)

• Woody Marks at IND (50% rostered)

• Alvin Kamara vs. LV (29% rostered)

Risky flex options

• Keaton Mitchell at BUF (34% rostered)

• Devin Singletary vs. TEN (11% rostered)

Risky flex options (if starter is out)

• George Holani at WAS (8% rostered)

• Will Shipley at CHI (0% rostered)

Dart-throw flex options

• Samaje Perine at PIT (4% rostered)

• Justice Hill at DAL (3% rostered)

• Chris Brooks vs. ATL (4% rostered)

Dart-throw flex options (if starter is out)

• Tyler Badie vs. LAR (0% rostered)

Upside stashes to roster

• Kaleb Johnson (4% rostered)

• Demond Claiborne at TB (1% rostered)

• Najee Harris (5% rostered)

Deep stashes

• Seth McGowan (2% rostered)

• Emari Demercado (2% rostered)

• Ollie Gordon (1% rostered)

• Raheim Sanders (1% rostered)

Upside rookie stashes

• Nicholas Singleton (2% rostered)

• Kaytron Allen (2% rostered)

Injured-reserve stashes

• James Conner (8% rostered)

Wide Receivers

Denzel Boston, Browns

The more things change, the more they look the same — and the top of the receiver section is identical to last week. 

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Perhaps it was concerns about the Browns’ quarterback situation that kept managers from being more aggressive in adding Boston, but all the signs were there. 

The second-rounder led Browns wideouts in snaps by a wide margin in Week 1, running a route on 97% of their dropbacks. He caught four passes for 59 yards and a 46-yard touchdown in his debut.

In Week 2, he picked up where he left off with a 94% route share and an even bigger stat line of 5-95-1 on seven targets. 

As I said last week, we have a long way to go before having faith in a Deshaun Watson-led passing game, but fantasy managers need to pay attention to what Boston is doing. He’s an absolute must-add and a potential fantasy WR3/flex with upside moving forward. 

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Tre Tucker, Raiders

I’m hesitant to invest in a big Tucker game because we’ve seen this before with the speedy wideout. During his career, Tucker has popped up for a sizable stat line once or twice per season, before falling back to earth in the rest of his games. 

Keep that in mind if you’re planning to chase Tucker’s five-catch, 119-yard, one-touchdown result from Week 2. 

With Brock Bowers likely to return next week, Tucker’s volume will be even more sporadic. He still has value as a splash-week WR4/flex option, just don’t let your expectations run wild thinking this will be a weekly occurrence. 

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Rashod Bateman, Ravens

Bateman filled the void left by the absences of Zay Flowers (hamstring) and Ja’Kobi Lane (wrist), putting up seven catches, 88 yards and a touchdown versus the Saints. 

Much like Tucker, I don’t expect this to become the new norm for Bateman, but we might see another strong fantasy start out of him in Week 3 if Flowers remains on the sidelines. 

With the Ravens traveling to Brazil to take on the Cowboys and concerns about the quality of the field already making headlines, Baltimore would be foolish to risk re-injury to their star wideout. If Flowers sits, Bateman will be a WR3/flex option with a much higher ceiling for one more week.  

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Devaughn Vele is 51% rostered but would be the No. 2 WR add behind Boston, if available. 

Jordyn Tyson is 53% rostered but can be added as an IR stash, if available. 

WR4/flex options

• Dontayvion Wicks at CHI (28% rostered)

• Adonai Mitchell at DET (16% rostered)

Flex options

• Khalil Shakir vs. LAC (46% rostered)

• Malik Washington vs. KC (14% rostered)

Flex options (if starter is out)

• Keenan Allen vs. HOU (24% rostered)

Risky flex options (if healthy)

• Caleb Douglas vs. KC (40% rostered)

Risky flex options (if starter is out)

• Chris Bell vs. KC (6% rostered)

• Keon Coleman vs. LAC (2% rostered)

• Xavier Hutchinson at IND (5% rostered)

Dart-throw flex options

• Pat Bryant vs. LAR (10% rostered)

• Malachi Fields vs. TEN (12% rostered)

• Rashid Shaheed at WAS (40% rostered)

• Mack Hollins at JAX (4% rostered)

• Kalif Raymond vs. PHI (9% rostered)

• Tre’ Harris at BUF (5% rostered)

• Jalen McMillan vs. MIN (11% rostered)

• Jahan Dotson at GB (1% rostered)

• Jalen Nailor at NO (14% rostered)

Dart-throw flex options (if starter is out)

• Joshua Palmer vs. LAC (1% rostered)

• Germie Bernard vs. CIN (1% rostered)

• Kayshon Boutte at IND (29% rostered)

• Jaylin Noel at IND (3% rostered)

• Devontez Walker at DAL (0% rostered)

• Roman Wilson vs. CIN (0% rostered)

Upside rookie stashes 

• Antonio Williams (14% rostered)

• Cyrus Allen (4% rostered)

• Ted Hurst III (1% rostered)

Tight Ends

Oronde Gadsden, Chargers

Gadsden starting the season buried on the depth chart behind David Njoku and Charlie Kolar was a strange development after the flashes we witnessed from him as a rookie. 

However, the fantasy landscape is always evolving and Gadsden is on the verge of getting another significant opportunity after Njoku (knee) was carted off and Kolar (forearm) was seen in a sling. 

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Meanwhile, Gadsden found the end zone versus the Raiders, which brought back memories of his breakout month in 2025, when he posted 7-68-0, 7-164-1, 5-77-1, and 5-68-0 from Week 6 to Week 9. 

While I doubt he reaches that level of production, Gadsden is back in the conversation as a TE2 streamer with TE1 upside in a Chargers offense that could use a spark. 

Dalton Schultz is 56% rostered but would be the No. 1 TE add, if available. 

Hunter Henry is 56% rostered but would be the No. 2 TE add behind Schultz, if available. 

Streaming options

• Kenyon Sadiq at DET (18% rostered)

• Darren Waller at CLE (2% rostered)

• Pat Freiermuth vs. CIN (13% rostered)

• T.J. Hockenson at TB (30% rostered)

Risky streaming options

• Terrance Ferguson at DEN (18% rostered)

Risky streaming options (if healthy)

• Chig Okonkwo vs. SEA (25% rostered)

Dart-throw streaming options

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• AJ Barner at WAS (14% rostered)

• Cade Otton vs. MIN (3% rostered)

• Evan Engram vs. LAR (4% rostered)

• Mike Gesicki at PIT (10% rostered)

• Greg Dulcich vs. KC (8% rostered)

• Gunnar Helm at NYG (2% rostered)

Week 3 streamers

Defenses

Favorable upcoming schedules: Chiefs (34% rostered), Bills (14% rostered), Saints (1% rostered)

Kickers

Drop candidates

Here are some players you can consider cutting from your roster to free up room on your bench for this week’s top waiver wire adds. 

Quarterbacks: Baker Mayfield, Malik Willis

Running Backs: Rico Dowdle, Kenny Gainwell, Chris Rodriguez Jr.

Wide Receivers: Marvin Harrison Jr., Courtland Sutton, Jayden Reed

Tight Ends: Brenton Strange, Michael Mayer

• Mayfield was unable to top 13 points in either of the first two games against the Bengals and Browns. Now, he’ll have to take on Brian Flores’ Vikings defense. Better days will come eventually, but he’s just a bye-week replacement QB2. 

• The idea that Gainwell would be a weekly flex option, while also offering one-injury away upside has not materialized. He’s managed just 33 scrimmage yards on 11 touches through the first two games. If he’s still on your roster, it’s just as a stash in case Bucky Irving gets hurt at some point. 

• Rodriguez is a limited player with no role in the passing game. Similar to Gainwell, he has just 36 yards on 12 carries. Even if Bhayshul Tuten were sidelined, Rodriguez would max out as a TD-or-bust RB3 for fantasy. 

• It’s not happening for Harrison in Arizona. After hauling in just one catch for 33 yards on three targets in the opener, he failed to record a reception in Week 2 with only one pass thrown in his direction. The only chance for fantasy redemption might be in a fresh start with a new organization.