Waiver Wire Week 3: Reviewing Top Pickups and Drops Likely Available

Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season is fast approaching.

For fantasy football managers, that means the roster-churning portion of the campaign is here.

Between the unfortunately mounting injury issues and roles coming clearer into focus, fantasy folks are figuring out who's worth adding and who can be let go. We'll examine the five most added and dropped skill-position players as of Tuesday night, then spotlight a pair of players worth picking and another pair you can discard (excluding Nick Chubb, who is obviously someone to drop after suffering a season-ending injury Monday night).

Most Added, Dropped

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GLENDALE, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 17: Tight end Zach Ertz #86 of the Arizona Cardinals makes a reception against the New York Giants during the second half of the NFL game at State Farm Stadium on September 17, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. The Giants defeated the Cardinals 31-28. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Most Added

1. Jerome Ford, RB, Cleveland Browns

2. Kareem Hunt, RB, Free Agent

3. Josh Reynolds, WR, Detroit Lions

4. Zach Ertz, TE, Arizona Cardinals

5. Tony Jones Jr., RB, New Orleans Saints

Most Dropped

1. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

2. Joshua Kelley, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

3. Cam Akers, RB, Los Angeles Rams

4. Jamaal Williams, RB, New Orleans Saints

5. Allen Robinson II, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers

Add: Jerome Ford, RB, Cleveland Browns

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PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - SEPTEMBER 18: Jerome Ford #34 of the Cleveland Browns celebrates after scoring a touchdown reception against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium on September 18, 2023 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Injuries are objectively awful, but they're a factor in the fantasy world, just like they are in real life. We have to react to them, so we are with this recommendation, as Ford appears the leading candidate to take over Cleveland's now Nick Chubb-less backfield.

To be clear, Ford is guaranteed nothing at the moment. Cleveland worked out former Browns running back Kareem Hunt on Tuesday and will have other options, like, say, trading for the very available Cam Akers (more on him later).

For now, though, Ford is the top target and could wind up being the rare featured back plucked from the waiver wire. He replaced Chubb on Monday and finished with 106 rushing yards, 25 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Drop: Cam Akers, RB, Los Angeles Rams

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 10: Cam Akers #3 of the Los Angeles Rams runs the ball during the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on September 10, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. The Los Angeles Rams won 30-13. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Week 1 felt like a nightmare for Akers. While he found his way into the end zone, that only did so much to salvage a truly disastrous day, as he managed an awful 29 rushing yards on 22 attempts.

Turns out, his Week was even worse, as he wound up being a healthy scratch. Now, the Rams are "headed" toward trading the 2020 second-round pick, head coach Sean McVay told reporters.

You could argue Akers may wind up in a more favorable spot after all of this, but that hope isn't high enough to keep him around. He is a non-factor in the passing game, and his rushing output has never amounted to much. He has averaged fewer than 50 rushing yards per game for his career and has 11 total scores on 387 touches.

Add: Tutu Atwell, WR, Los Angeles Rams

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SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 10: Tutu Atwell #5 of the Los Angeles Rams warms up before the game \H at Lumen Field on September 10, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. The Los Angeles Rams won 30-13. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)

Between Akers' absence, Cooper Kupp's injury, Puka Nacua's fiery-hot start and Kyren Williams' emergence, there have been a ton of talking points with this Rams team. Maybe that's why fantasy folks keep sleeping on Atwell.

The speedy wideout is rostered in an unforgivably low 25 percent of Yahoo leagues. That needs to change yesterday.

His 196 receiving yards are eighth-most in the NFL, and none of this start feels fluky. He isn't benefiting from one monster effort, as he's posted at least six receptions and 77 receiving yards in each of his first two outings. Plus, he's been absurdly reliable, hauling in 13 of the 17 passes sent his way. If he remains this consistent, he could easily maintain fantasy-relevance even after Kupp makes it back from injured reserve.

Drop: Jamaal Williams, RB, New Orleans Saints

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CHARLOTTE, NC - SEPTEMBER 18: Jamaal Williams #21 of the New Orleans Saints runs the ball during a football game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina on Sep 18, 2023. (Photo by David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

This is Williams' seventh NFL season, and he has essentially been fantasy-relevant in one. That was last season, when he scored a wholly unsustainable 17 rushing touchdowns—or four more than he'd tallied over the five previous seasons combined.

Wagering on anything close to a repeat performance was always a long shot at best, but it looks like Williams may not have much utility of any kind this season.

His Saints' tenure was off to a wildly inefficient start (81 yards on 29 touches), and now he's set to miss time with a hamstring injury. Whenever he returns, this backfield may be too crowded for him to make an impact, as third-round rookie Kendre Miller could debut this week, which is also when Alvin Kamara will finish his three-game suspension for violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy.