Two weeks of NFL action are in the books, which means it’s time for owners everywhere to scour the waiver wire for the best Week 3 running back claims. Looking around the league shows that players like Rondale Moore and Jamison Crowder have the best chance of positive production in the coming weeks.
Note that, in order to qualify for this list, the player needed to be available in roughly 50% of leagues. Depending on the size of your league, there could be better options on the wire.
Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Claims
Cordarrelle Patterson, Sony Michel Highlight Fantasy Football Week 3 Running Back Waiver Wire Claims
Cordarrelle Patterson
A wide receiver by trade, Cordarrelle Patterson has transformed into the co-starter for the Atlanta Falcons. Splitting snaps with Mike Davis, the former first-round pick finished his night with a combined 69 yards and two touchdowns on 12 touches. This backfield split should continue through the rest of the season, as Atlanta doesn’t have any other running backs of note on the roster (no, Wayne Gallman doesn’t count).
While he may lack RB1 upside, he’s a great flex play that should carry value throughout the remainder of the season. Targets are king in fantasy football, especially in PPR leagues, and Patterson is clearly the best pass-catching “running back” on the roster.
Cordarrelle Patterson has some of the cleanest cutbacks in the league. pic.twitter.com/pSTNCpgH1r
— Eric Robinson (@_Eric_Robinson) September 19, 2021
Sony Michel
This article comes out on Sunday night, so I do not know the severity of Darrell Henderson’s injury. The running back suffered a rib injury late in Week 2’s contest and did not return. If he’s going to miss a significant amount of time, then Sony Michel should be the top running back waiver wire add of Week 3.
The Los Angeles Rams have a great offensive, fantastic run blocking, and no real competition behind Michel. He has legitimate RB1 upside as long as he’s all alone in this backfield and, if he plays well enough, could earn the full-time starting role even when Henderson is healthy again. Sean McVay loves using a bellcow running back when he has a guy capable of handling that type of workload, and Michel is clearly more talented than Jake Funt and Xavier Jones.
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J.D. McKissic
Unfortunately for Antonio Gibson owners, J.D. McKissic is not going anywhere. Gibson is still going to be the better fantasy asset, but McKissic will still carry some standalone value in PPR leagues. During Thursday night’s action, the veteran running back took all of the work in the two-minute drill and saw the vast majority of snaps during clear passing situations. With Taylor Heinicke actually looking like a competent starter, McKissic could be a decent flex play in deeper leagues.
Heinicke. McKissic. 56 YARDS!
📺: #NYGvsWAS on NFL Networkpic.twitter.com/k17YdWCQJP
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) September 17, 2021
Whichever 49ers Running Back Is Healthy
There is nothing more dangerous than playing running back for the San Francisco 49ers. After losing Raheem Mostert in Week 1, the team lost Elijah Mitchell, JaMycal Hasty, and Trey Sermon during various points of Week 2’s action. Mitchell returned to the field, so he’ll probably be good to go for Week 3, but we don’t know that for sure. Either way, just monitor the injury situation and put in a claim for whichever running back is healthy next week.
Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Claims
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