Two weeks of NFL action are officially in the books, but this didn’t come without a good amount of injuries. Seemingly every team lost at least one important playmaker, which means the wide receiver waiver wire should be busier than ever. Looking around the league shows that players like Michael Pittman and Keelan Cole offer the best chance of positive performance moving forward.
Note that in order to be eligible for this list, the player needed to be available in at least 50% of ESPN leagues. Obviously, there is some variation from league to league, so make sure you peruse all available players before making your claims. There could be better players out there that didn’t qualify for this list.
Week 3 Waiver Pickups: Running Backs – Tight End – Quarterback
Michael Pittman, Keelan Cole Highlight Fantasy Football Week 3 Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups
Michael Pittman
Parris Campbell missed his rookie season to injury but broke out in a big way last week. However, he suffered yet another injury, leaving a gaping hole on the wide receiver depth chart. This opens the door for second-round rookie wide receiver Michael Pittman. Pittman, a USC product, is a fantastic talent that has a favorable skill set for Philip Rivers. With Rivers struggling to develop a connection with T.Y. Hilton, Pittman could turn into the top option in the passing game as soon as next week. Pittman might not be the safest bet on this list, but he definitely has the highest ceiling.
Keelan Cole
No, it’s not 2017. Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Keelan Cole has awoken from his two-year slumber and is sneakily turning into a solid fantasy football option. Last week, the former undrafted free agent recorded six receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown on seven targets. One week earlier, he recorded five receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown on five targets.
Gardner Minshew looks like the real deal, and Jacksonville doesn’t have many threats in the passing game. Cole could easily turn into the second-best receiving option, which will carry some flex value for a team with a good quarterback and an atrocious defense.
Larry Fitzgerald
Can you believe that Larry Fitzgerald is only rostered in 37% of ESPN leagues? The one-time great is not the player he used to be, but he still carries plenty of fantasy value in deeper leagues. Fitzgerald is the second-best receiving option in a high-scoring offense and should be rostered in every league format. In Week 2, the future Hall of Famer recorded seven receptions for 50 yards on seven touchdowns. This production isn’t much on its own, but his involvement in the offense bodes well for his future. The targets ensure a safe floor and Arizona’s potent passing attack means that he has a decent shot of finding the endzone each and every week.
Deep Leagues: Isaiah Ford
Ryan Fitzpatrick has a gift for bringing out the best in his wide receivers. He targets the position at one of the highest rates in the league, and this years’ benefactor appears to be Isaiah Ford. In Week 2, Ford faced off against a great Buffalo Bills secondary and finished the night with seven receptions for 76 yards on nine targets. The numbers weren’t quite as great in Week 1, but it’s worth noting he still received five targets. He could become an important part of this passing attack and is worth a pickup in deeper leagues.
Week 3 Waiver Pickups: Running Backs – Tight End – Quarterback
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