Early Fantasy Football Waiver Wire For Week 3: Bryce Young, Adonai Mitchell & More

Well … it’s safe to say that Week 2 did NOT have the same fireworks as Week 1. Pending MNF, offensive touchdowns were down drastically:

Week 1: 90 offensive TDs.

Week 2 so far: 57.

Games	Rush TD	Rec TD	Total	Per game
Week 1	16	37	53	90	5.62
Week 2	15	19	43	62	4.13

While the scores were lower across the board, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some hidden gems on the waiver wire. In a strange way, I like many of the names this week MORE than last week, even though they scored a lot less fantasy points. The usage doesn’t lie … these are the guys you need to look out for on your waivers ahead of Week 3.

Early Week 3 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire

Quarterback

Bryce Young | CAR

Last week, Bryce Young put up 37 points against the Chicago Bears. I was hesitant to get out over my skis because we’ve seen Young have hot weeks before, but struggle to stay consistent.

Something about 2026 feels different.

After another massive performance in Week 2 where he led Carolina to a 34-3 victory over the Falcons, Young finds himself in some pretty insane company:

324.5 passing yards / game (2nd)
6 total passing touchdowns (T-1st)
0.31 EPA / dropback (7th)

If I’m struggling at QB, I would view Bryce as a strong add. In Week, 3 he’ll get the Cleveland Browns, followed by the Detroit Lions in Week 4. It’s going to become increasingly difficult to keep Young out of the backend QB1 conversation if he keeps this up.

Marcus Mariota | WAS

With Jayden Daniels going down with a brutal reinjury of his left elbow, I’d expect to see Mariota at the helm for an extended period of time.

Mariota has been a more than serviceable starter when Daniels has missed time in the past. Last season in his seven starts without Daniels, he averaged 17.4 FPPG. This would have put him as the QB14 last year.

Mariota probably wouldn’t be someone I’d be looking to start in 1QB formats, but he needs to be a top priority in superflex leagues.

Running Back

Jonah Coleman | DEN

I’d expect Jonah Coleman to be looked at as the No. 1 waiver wire pickup heading into Week 3 in most leagues, and I tend to agree. While he was widely drafted this offseason, Fantasy Life’s waiver wire tool says he’s currently available in 59% of leagues.

Coleman was the primary beneficiary after J.K. Dobbins left the game early with a hamstring injury, carrying the ball 10 times for 39 yards and a touchdown, along with 3 receptions for 19 yards.

Coleman’s an intriguing prospect from the 2026 rookie class, coming out with a 42.6 CUPPS Score—roughly 70th percentile going back to 2014. This is the type of profile I’m inclined to bet big on off the waivers, as there’s a real chance he takes over the 1A role in this backfield long-term if Dobbins and/or Harvey miss time.

Emanuel Wilson | SEA

Don’t ask me why, but the Seattle Seahawks have insisted on using Emanuel Wilson as their primary short-yardage and goal-line back so far in 2026. Through 2 games:

Wilson: 7 RZ carries (5/7 inside the 10, 4/7 inside the 5)
Price: 4 RZ carries (2/4 inside the 10, 1/4 inside the 5)

When Price exited late with a chest injury, this backfield was nearly all Wilson. When it was all said and done, this is how Seattle’s Week 2 backfield work shook out:

Wilson: 21 carries / 92 rush yd / 20.5 expected fantasy points (RB5 pending MNF)
Price: 13 carries / 53 rush yd / 1 rec / 8 rec yd / 12.1 expected fantasy points (RB21)
Holani: 4 carries / 13 rush yd / 1 rec / 2 rec yd / 8.4 expected fantasy points (RB32)

If Price were to miss time going forward, Wilson would immediately slot in as a low-end RB2 at worst. Even if he’s healthy, I think Wilson could serve as a viable low-end flex option in deep leagues.

Kaleb Johnson | GB

It’s looking like Kaleb Johnson is making strides toward taking the 1A role from MarShawn Lloyd in this Green Bay Packers backfield.

After Lloyd’s fumble late in the game, he didn’t see another carry. Fumbling issues were a major issue for Lloyd in college:

2.8% fumble rate (3rd worst of any RB since 2014)
48.0 avg. PFF hands/fumble grade (4th worst)

The Packers are clearly frustrated with Lloyd’s ball-security issues, and there’s a real shot we’re looking at Johnson taking the majority of the reps in this backfield going forward.

Even outside of the fumble issues, Johnson was one of my favorite late-round targets this past offseason simply because I like his prospect profile more than Lloyd’s, and neither of them had much of an NFL track record to work with. Comparing the two prospect profiles below, Johnson came in as a 74th percentile RB prospect, while Lloyd was 53rd percentile:

The main thing Lloyd had going for him coming into 2026 was being the incumbent in Green Bay. With the Packers now 1-1 after barely scraping out a win against the New York Jets, clearly searching for changes in this backfield, I think that edge has evaporated.

Johnson is a must-add going into Week 3, and depending on the news we hear about Dobbins/Harvey over the next day or two, he may need to be prioritized over Coleman.

Wide Receiver

Adonai Mitchell | NYJ

Don’t look now, but the New York Jets might just be a competent football team in 2026. And with rookie first rounder Omar Cooper on IR, the unquestioned WR2 here is Adonai Mitchell.

AD Mitchell is an interesting character. He’s always looked like an absolutely awesome target earner on a per-route basis. Going back to his rookie season:

2024: 0.25 TPRR (14th among all WRs)
2025: 0.23 TPRR (23rd)

Through two weeks he’s right on track to continue this efficiency, averaging 0.23 TPRR once again. Week 2 was especially encouraging, as he led the Jets in multiple areas:

12 targets (1st)
32.4% tgt share (1st)
63 rec yd (T-1st)

Not only was he the most utilized Jets WR, but his utilization stood out across all receivers in Week 2. Mitchell had 18.9 expected fantasy points, putting him as the WR8 on the week (pending MNF).

If you’re looking for WR help, AD Mitchell feels like a great value-add off the waivers heading into Week 3.

Denzel Boston | CLE

Rookie wide receivers flashing early in their first NFL action are the type of waiver wire pickups I want to pursue the most aggressively, and Denzel Boston is no exception.

Both Cleveland rookie WRs—Concepcion and Boston—have shown promise through the first two weeks, but Boston’s role has felt more like a “real” wide receiver thus far. Through two weeks:

59.5% Air Yards (1st among ALL WRs)
2.44 YPRR (WR23)
10.7 xFP (WR35)

Coming out of Washington this past draft, Boston was an 81st percentile WR in my model.

I’ve been extremely impressed with what I’ve seen so far. Although the Browns offense is not going to look as good all the time as it did in Week 2, the underlying usage was trending in a way that I feel really benefits Boston.

In Week 1, he had an average depth of route (ADOR) of 13.6, and an absolutely absurd ADOT of 29. This is essentially the boom/bust deep-threat role that we don’t love for fantasy—particularly in the Cleveland Browns offense. In Week 2, we saw a major shift toward more dependable production—his ADOR dropped from 13.6 to 10.9 and his ADOT down to 9.4.

If this usage trend holds for Boston, I feel really solid about what his upside could look like down the stretch this year. He’s my priority WR pickup going into Week 3.

Tight End

Dalton Schultz | HOU

With Nico Collins sidelined, Dalton Schultz quickly proved that he was the passcatcher to start in week 2:

12 targets (1st among all TEs in week 2)
140 rec yards (1st)
28.3 tgt share (3rd)
0.28 TPRR (3rd)
3.04 YPRR (2nd)

Even with Nico healthy in Week 1, Schultz was second on the team with 7 targets!

Dalton Schultz needs to be rostered in every league. I’m not sure what it is that keeps people from ranking him as a backend TE1 every week, but he just continues to show us that he’s more than just a boom/bust, touchdown-dependent tight end. He’s a real target-earner with both a solid floor AND a high ceiling.