Fantasy Football Week 3: Must-Add Waiver Wire Studs

Fantasy football owners can extinguish memories of a poor draft in Week 3 if they target the right replacements on the waiver wire.

Several players who weren’t even drafted in the vast majority of leagues have done more than enough in the first two weeks of the 2013 NFL season to earn a roster spot—if not a starting roster spot—on fantasy teams. Here are four players who owners should add if they’re still a free agent in their league.

4. WR DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans

Through two weeks, the play of the Texans' first-round pick in this year’s draft would suggest the team has finally found a respectable wide receiver to start across from Andre Johnson. Hopkins already entered Week 2 owned in 48 percent of Yahoo! Sports leagues after catching five balls for 66 yards in his regular-season debut.

He trumped those numbers by a large margin against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, finishing with seven receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown. If Hopkins isn’t owned in your league, you should jump on that.

3. RB James Starks, Green Bay Packers

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Lori Nickel has reported that a concussion forced Packers running back Eddie Lacy to the sidelines against the Washington Redskins.

Even if he’s healthy enough to play in Week 3, Mike McCarthy would have to consider starting Starks over him.

Starks rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown on 6.6 yards per carry. No one rushed for more yards than him through Sunday’s 1 p.m. ET set of games. Considering that Lacy also only compiled 41 yards on the ground in Week 1, fantasy owners should sign Starks without hesitation, given that he's owned in just 7 percent of Yahoo! Sports leagues.

2. WR Eddie Royal, San Diego Chargers

Royal has a nose for the end zone. He only caught three receptions for 24 yards in Week 1, but two were touchdowns.

That shouldn’t have been enough to persuade fantasy owners to sign him. Two other Chargers finished the game with more receiving yards than him. On Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, though, he did more than find pay dirt.

Royal, who’s owned in only 17 percent of Yahoo! Sports leagues, finished Week 2 with seven receptions for 90 yards and three touchdowns. Part of his breakout performance had to do with Malcom Floyd being carried off on a stretcher in the middle of the game. However, it’s still clear that Royal has emerged as Philip Rivers’ favorite red-zone target.

1. QB Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins

If Tannehill starts throwing touchdowns, he’d be worthy of starting weekly on fantasy teams. He’s only thrown one in each of the past two weeks. His yardage numbers, however, should still make the 84 percent of Yahoo! Sports leagues that he isn’t owned in add him immediately.

After throwing for 272 yards against the Cleveland Browns, he amassed 319 on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. Tannehill is definitely worth a roster spot and the 25-year-old has flashed the potential to be a spot starter for fantasy teams this year.

David Daniels is a breaking news writer at Bleacher Report and news editor at Wade-O Radio.