Jonah Coleman and the Best Week 3 Fantasy Football Waiver-Wire Pickups

We are two weeks into the 2026 NFL season and it's starting to become clear how the coinciding fantasy football campaign will shake out.

Week 2's results allowed managers to sniff out whether some of the Week 1 breakout performances legitimate or simply unsustainable, flash-in-the-pain production. With Week 3 on the horizon, managers can capitalize on emerging trends by playing the waiver wire and turning over the bottom of their rosters.

Injuries to several prominent players have opened the door for previously overlooked backups to step into starring roles, while a handful of young players are leveraging strong early performances to establish themselves as legitimate fantasy weapons.

With that in mind, here are some of the best waiver-wire pickups you can make for Week 3.

Suggestions are available in approximately half or more of all Yahoo! Sports leagues. Fantasy points and rankings courtesy of FantasyPros' PPR data. Suggested free-agent acquisition budget (FAAB) bids are based on a $100 dollar starting budget.

Quarterback

AP Photo

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young

Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (32 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $2-4

After another impressive performance in Week 2, Young is establishing himself as a must-start fantasy quarterback. The Carolina signal-caller alleviated concerns that his Week 1 performance was a fluke by putting up 24.1 fantasy points in a statement 34-3 win over the rival Atlanta Falcons.

Young's outing came on the heels of an explosive 32.4-point showing. His combined 56.5 fantasy points over the first two weeks have him ranking as a top-five performer at the QB position.

While it's far from guaranteed that Young will continue putting up stellar numbers consistently over the course of the long season, his production has become impossible to ignore. He has another plus matchup on tap in Week 3, facing a Cleveland Browns defense that has allowed 19.1 points per game to opposing passers in 2026.

If your quarterback went down with injury or hasn't delivered the expected results to open the year, don't shy away from picking up Young and plugging him in as your starter.

Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints (48 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $2-4

Shough is proving to be the real deal in the Big Easy. He parlayed a strong finish to the 2025 campaign into a hot start for 2026 and now ranks inside the top-eight for point scorers at the quarterback position through two weeks of play.

Although his production tailed off slightly after a 25.2-point outburst in the opener, Shough still tallied 22.4 points on a cool 27-of-34 passing for 252 yards and a touchdown. He also added 23 yards and a score on nine totes, using his dual-threat talents to lead the Saints to a 24-17 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

Given his consistency as a passer, ability to pick up points on the ground and upside in head coach Kellen Moore's system, Shough is worth rostering in nearly every fantasy format. Barring a collapse, he's a shoo-in to finish as a top-12 QB in 2026.

Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons (4 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $0-1

The Falcons' abysmal start to the season hit a new low during the team's blowout defeat to the rival Panthers. Given the team's struggles with Cooper Rush under center, it won't be long before Penix is thrust back into the starting lineup.

Although he's still recovering from a major knee injury suffered late last season, Penix is trending towards a return for Week 3. He's far-and-away Atlanta's best hope to turn the season around and will get ample opportunity to jump-start the NFL's worst passing attack.

While he's a risky start in his first game back, Penix is worth stashing in deeper formats and could provide a much-needed jolt at the QB position for desperate managers.

Running Back

AP Photo

Denver Broncos running back Jonah Coleman

Jonah Coleman, Denver Broncos (26 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $15-25

Coleman's status as a preseason sleeper looked to be in jeopardy after he failed to log a single offensive touch in his NFL debut. Things changed drastically in Week 2, however, as the fourth-round rookie picked up 58 yards and a touchdown on the first 13 touches of his career.

With fellow Broncos rushers RJ Harvey and J.K. Dobbins now both dealing with hamstring injuries, Coleman and special teamer Tyler Badie are the only healthy backs left on Denver's roster. While Badie did get a trio of touches in Sunday's 20-13 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Coleman is the clear leader of the platoon with Harvey and Dobbins sidelined.

Even if Dobbins and/or Harvey can give it a go when the Broncos take on the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3, Coleman seems to have done enough to carve out a key role in the team's backfield rotation. He should only gain more playing time and touches as the season wears on.

Any manager who needs RB help or is simply looking to bolster their depth should make Coleman their top waiver-wire target ahead of Week 3. He can be started as a borderline RB2 if both Dobbins and Harvey are out and still retains flex appeal if one or both of his platoonmates are available.

Tank Bigsby, Philadelphia Eagles (29 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $4-7

Philadelphia's shrewd acquisition of Bigsby early last season may pay off in a big way if starting running back Saquon Barkley misses some time. The feature back suffered a stinger early in Week 2, and while he returned to action in the second half, isn't guaranteed to be ready for the team's upcoming clash with the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.

Will Shipley saw the slight majority of snaps during Barkley's first-half absence, but Bigsby was far and away the more productive player and earned nearly double the volume of his fellow backup. Bigsby finished the game with 11.8 fantasy points after putting up 37 yards and a touchdown on 15 touches, while Shipley only mustered 4.9 points stemming from his 29 yards on nine touches.

Bigsby has consistently faired well whenever he's been green lit for expanded opportunities by the Eagles. Last year, he exploded for 104 yards on nine carries in Week 8 and posted a top-10 weekly finish in his lone start—a Week 18 showing in which he amassed 106 yards and a score on 17 touches.

While Bigsby won't be worth inserting into a lineup outside deeper formats if Barkley is suiting up, he's a great speculative add and can be comfortably deployed if Barkley is out versus the Rams.

Emmanuel Wilson, Seattle Seahawks (1 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $2-4

Despite accumulating more critical injuries in Week 2, Seattle's offense still managed to dominate in a 31-7 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. The ground attack, which saw five different Seahawks log at least one carry and cumulatively put up 162 yards and a touchdown on 40 totes, thrived even after the loss of running back Jadarian Price.

With Price exiting with a shoulder injury, Wilson became the focal point of Seattle's relentless rushing attack. He finished the game with a respectable 92 yards on 21 carries and showed that he can be an impact player when called upon after totaling just three yards on two carries in Week 1.

Don't invest too heavily in acquiring Wilson, as Price doesn't seem to have suffered a serious injury and should return to the field in short order. George Holani remains the preferred third-down back in head coach Klint Kubiak's system and the return of Zach Charbonnet figures to remove any fantasy value Wilson still has left at that point.

Still, Wilson has some value as the clearcut handcuff to Price and can be fired up as a decent fill-in starter in any game the prized rookie misses until Charbonnet comes off the IR.

Wide Receiver

AP Photo

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Denzel Boston

Denzel Boston, Cleveland Browns (31 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $9-14

In the span of just two weeks, Boston has gone from an overlooked first-year wideout in an underwhelming offense to a player who should be rostered in nearly every fantasy league.

Boston, Cleveland's pick at No. 39 overall in the 2026 draft, opened his career on an intriguing note by catching two of his four targets for 59 yards and a touchdown. He remained off the fantasy radar due to the low volume and his score coming during garbage time in a blowout loss, but his latest performance was too impressive to ignore.

The rookie helped Cleveland pick up a 23-19 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by posting a 5/95/1 line on seven targets. That uptick in volume and the production coming during meaningful minutes makes Boston a valid waiver target going into Week 3.

With Boston emerging as the top wideout in Cleveland's offense—he leads the team in targets over the first two games—and facing a distinct lack of competition for looks, fantasy managers should make a run at the rookie before he blows up against a vulnerable Carolina Panthers secondary in Week 3.

Adonai Mitchell, New York Jets (16 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $3-6

Mitchell has oozed potential throughout his two-plus seasons in the NFL, but the 2024 second-round draft pick is finally beginning to reach that lofty ceiling.

After joining the Jets at last year's trade deadline, the benefits of having a full offseason to learn the offense and build chemistry with his teammates has been on display. Mitchell has found his footing as the team's No. 2 wideout, picking up 123 yards on six catches over the first two weeks of the campaign.

While Mitchell's performance in the opener was efficient (3/60/0 on three targets), he benefitted from a heavy amount of volume in Week 2. The receiver reeled in six of his team-high 12 targets for 63 yards to tally 12.3 fantasy points and his first top-30 finish of the campaign.

Garrett Wilson remains Gang Green's unquestioned No. 1 target, but this offense should be able to support two fantasy-relevant receivers in 2026. Mitchell has plug-and-play potential for Week 3 when his side takes on a suspect Detroit Lions defense.

Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills (47 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $3-6

The Buffalo Bills' offense is off to a hot start under head coach Joe Brady, with a stellar passing attack leading the way to two consecutive victories. MVP candidate Josh Allen has been spraying the ball around—seven players have logged at least three targets on the year—but Shakir is once again looking like his preferred target when its time to pick up tough yardage and move the chains.

Shakir has only recorded a modest seven catches and 88 receiving yards over the first first two weeks, but 12 targets in that span—second on the team behind tight end Dalton Kincaid—suggest better days are coming.

Even if Shakir isn't putting up matchup-winning numbers, his possession role in Buffalo's offense gives him one of the safest floors of any receiver. He's the perfect player to keep on your bench and deploy as a flex option when bye weeks and injuries sideline your usual starters.

With key offseason pickup DJ Moore suffering a shoulder injury this past week, Shakir could see an uptick in targets starting on Sunday when the team hosts the Los Angeles Chargers.

Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders (29 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $1-3

The Raiders' 2-0 start has been one of the biggest surprises of the 2026 season. Tucker was a driving force behind the team's most recent victory, putting up a fantastic 5/119/1 receiving line in a 26-14 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Tucker's performance represented a major improvement over his quiet (2/27/0) showing in the opener. His 22.9 fantasy points were good for a top-10 weekly finish, only the third of his NFL career. While Tucker hasn't been much of a fantasy asset in recent seasons, his role as Vegas' No. 1 wideout and the promising play of quarterback Kirk Cousins makes him an interesting pickup.

He'll be a risky start in Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints, but a second consecutive big outing will make Tucker a hot waiver commodity. Get ahead of the potential rush and stash the wideout now if you can afford the roster spot.

Tight End

AP Photo

Carolina Panthers tight end Darren Waller

Darren Waller, Carolina Panthers (2 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $1-3

It's another tough week for tight end-needy fantasy managers, but Waller could be an answer for those who don't mind rolling the dice on one of the most boom-or-bust players at the position.

Despite logging just three targets in Carolina's 34-3 win over the Atlanta Falcons, Waller put up 18.3 fantasy points and posted a top-10 finish. The 34-year-old tallied a hyper-efficient 33 yards and a pair of touchdowns on his three catches.

While there is obviously plenty of scoring-based upside with Waller, there's also a good chance he tanks your chances of winning.  Waller isn't a big part of the Panthers gameplan—he's played less than half of the offensive snaps—and isn't going to move the needle if he doesn't reach the end zone, evidenced by his 4.8-point showing in a two-catch, 28-yard Week 1 performance.

If you can't find a more stable option via trade, Waller can work as a high-risk, high-reward streaming target for Week 3.

Oronde Gadsden II, Los Angeles Chargers (6 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $1-3

Gadsden's Week 2 numbers may not jump off the page, but a series of injuries have led the second-year tight end to reappear on the fantasy radar for the first time since his breakout rookie season.

While Gadsden only logged two catches and two targets for the second consecutive week, his offensive snap count shot up significantly after both David Njoku and Charlie Kolar were injured during a 26-14 defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders. Gadsden's first touchdown of the year helped him secure a top-15 finish and more TE1-tier numbers could be on the horizon if he remains L.A.'s lone healthy option at the position.

Njoku looks like he'll be out a stretch after being carted off with a knee injury, while Kolar was spotted with his arm in a sling. Gadsden is poised play large number of snaps when the Bolts face the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, making him a decent dart throw for managers needing immediate assistance at TE.

Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers (13 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $1-3

Freiermuth came back down to earth this week after opening the year as the TE6, but there's still enough value here to warrant a waiver-wire claim for Week 3.

Aaron Rodgers clearly trusts his veteran tight end, sending five targets his way in each of the first two games. While Freiermuth only converted those looks into four catches and 32 receiving yards during an underwhelming showing against the New England Patriots, he displayed his upside in Week 1 with a 5/46/1 line. He'll have a chance to not only match those marks, but also vastly surpass them when he squares off with the Cincinnati Bengals this week.

The Bengals conceded a league-high average of 14.1 points to opposing tight ends in 2025 and aren't looking any better this year after getting torched by Dalton Schultz (12/140/0 on 14 targets) in Week 2. Freiermuth was the TE3 in his first matchup with Cincy last year—going off for 111 yards and two touchdowns—and has real potential to light this defense up again in 2026.