One of the best feelings in Fantasy Football is when the waiver wire columns hit on Tuesday and the top option is already on your roster. Whether it's the right backup running back, the week's top streaming option, or a young player coming into his own, beating the waiver wire is an underrated skill. And it's exactly what I'll aim to help you do with this article each Friday.
Below you'll find four players each in four categories; future streamers, rookie stashes, backup running backs, and deep league stashes. For the first three categories I am looking for guys rostered in 65% of leagues or less. For the deep league stashes I'll target guys rostered in fewer than 10% of leagues that I haven't mentioned yet.
Week 3 streamers
QB Matthew Stafford (43%)
Stafford looked like his old self in Week 1, throwing for 334 yards and averaging 8.8 yards per attempt. In Week 3 he's in Cincinnati on Monday Night Football against a questionable Bengals secondary. He should be a top 15 QB.
TE Jake Ferguson (48%)
The Cardinals figure to be one of the worst defenses in the NFL and Dak Prescott has always had a soft spot for his tight end. Ferguson had five red-zone targets in Week 1 and I like him as a streamer this week. I'll like him even more next week against Arizona.
DST Jacksonville Jaguars (49%)
Jacksonville is at home in Week 3 against C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans. In Week 1, Stroud threw 44 passes and was sacked five times. A rookie dropping back that often is a recipe for a huge day for the opposing defense.
K Riley Patterson (63%)
Patterson will be at home, indoors, and his team will be favored against the Atlanta Falcons. Those are the three things I look for in a streamer. The fact that he plays on a very good offense is just one more bonus.
Rookie stashes
Luke Musgrave (50%)
Musgrave had an impressive debut and could very well be a top-two option in this passing game with the injury concerns surrounding Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs.
Nathaniel Dell (24%)
With Noah Brown going on IR, I would expect Dell to see a bigger role as soon as Week 2. He is one of the shiftiest receivers in the league and he can flat out fly as well. If everything goes right, he has enormous potential.
Rashee Rice (28%)
It's a bit of a mystery why Rice wasn't more involved in the second half of Week 1. While I fully expect Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney to get another shot in Week 2, Rice could absolutely emerge as the most exciting non-Kelce option in this passing game.
Jayden Reed (22%)
The case for Reed is similar for the case for Musgrave, but unfortunately he's not a tight end so he'll need a bigger splash to get to starter status.
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Backup running backs
Tyjae Spears (52%)
Spears, another rookie, was heavily involved in the Titans offense in Week 1, and in the right game script he could actually be a flex option. If 29-year-old Derrick Henry breaks down? Spears could be a weekly top-15 running back.
Chuba Hubbard (37%)
It was alarming how good Hubbard looked in Week 1. He is a deep flex now, and has major upside if Miles Sanders gets hurt in a Panthers offense that looks very running back heavy.
Sean Tucker (15%)
I'm not so sure Tucker isn't a better runner than Rachaad White right now. If he makes that obvious to the coaches, he could take early downs away from White by midseason. The only reasons he fell so far in the NFL Draft was injury concerns. He can play.
Zamir White (11%)
Josh McDaniels seems set on a one-back system in Las Vegas and Zamir White is the next man up behind Josh Jacobs.
Deep-league stashes
Clayton Tune (2%)
This is for deeper two quarterback leagues, but I sure hope the Cardinals don't stick With Joshua Dobbs much longer. Let's see what the rookie Tune can do.
Rico Dowdle (5%)
Tony Pollard set a lifetime high in touches last season, and ended the year with a major leg injury. He has a higher injury risk than advertised and Dowdle is the clear RB2 right now, no matter how exciting Deuce Vaughn is.
Wan'Dale Robinson (9%)
The Giants are desperate for anything at wide receiver right now. No one on the roster has more upside than Robinson when he gets healthy. Robinson fits perfectly in the slot role where Sterling Shepard has thrived in the past, and he could do more after the catch than Shepard.
Justyn Ross (8%)
The debut was unimpressive for Ross, but it's not like there is anyone in front of him on the depth chart who is impressing. Ross had a lot of rust to shake off after all those year impacted by injuries. He still has immense upside if it all clicks.