Fantasy Football Week 3 Cheat Sheet: Waiver-Wire Rankings and Flex Projections

As we prepare for Week 3 in fantasy football, nearly everybody out there has to go to the waiver wire.

Even if you are 2-0, what are you going to do if you have Tony Romo as your quarterback or Dez Bryant as your No. 1 receiver?

If you had Bryant, you almost certainly went to the waiver wire after Week 1, but unless you hit a home run with your selection, you are probably right there once again.

The Packers have gotten off to a 2-0 start and finally got some revenge on the Seattle Seahawks. However, they lost running back Eddie Lacy, and so did fantasy owners who used a top-four pick on him. The waiver wire beckons.

Here we offer our projections for the best waiver-wire pickups heading into Week 3, as well as flex projections.

Position	Player	Team	Week 3 Opponent
QB	Brandon Weeden	Dallas	Atlanta
QB	Johnny Manziel	Cleveland	Oakland
QB	Derek Carr	Oakland	Cleveland
QB	Tyrod Taylor	Buffalo	Miami
RB	James Starks	Green Bay	Kansas City
RB	Knile Davis	Kansas City	Green Bay
RB	Matt Jones	Washington	N.Y. Giants
RB	David Johnson	Arizona	San Francisco
WR	Allen Robinson	Jacksonville	New England
WR	Stevie Johnson	San Diego	Minnesota
WR	Aaron Dobson	New England	Jacksonville
WR	Travis Benjamin	Cleveland	Oakland
TE	Eric Ebron	Detroit	Denver
TE	Crockett Gilmore	Baltimore	Cincinnati
TE	Scott Chandler	New England	Jacksonville

Quarterback Brandon Weeden, Dallas Cowboys

With Romo down and out for several weeks, the focus will be on Brandon Weeden to keep the Cowboys afloat in his absence. Weeden certainly got off to a sharp start, as he completed all seven of his pass attempts against the Philadelphia Eagles and was sharp in his ability to read the defense.

Weeden will make his share of mistakes, but the Cowboys will have to depend on him because they are not likely to get a great lift from the running game. They will need Weeden to throw the ball accurately when he goes downfield to Terrance Williams and tight end Jason Witten.

Weeden has solid tools to work with, and he should be high on your waiver-wire list.

Running Back James Starks, Green Bay Packers

Lacy is a brilliant and bruising weapon, but his ankle injury against Seattle forced him out of the lineup. While nobody wants to lose a stud like Lacy for any length of time, the Packers have an excellent weapon in James Starks to take his place on a temporary basis.

Starks gained 97 yards on 22 carries against the Seahawks, so that should give him confidence if he is in the starting lineup against the Kansas City Chiefs Monday night. Head coach Mike McCarthy has no reason to rush Lacy back at any point because Starks can bowl over tacklers with the best of them.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Wide Receiver Stevie Johnson, San Diego Chargers

Stevie Johnson had a lost year with the San Francisco 49ers in 2014, but he is beginning to find himself with the Chargers and quarterback Philip Rivers.

Rivers targeted Johnson six times in the Week 2 loss at Cincinnati, and Johnson caught five of those passes. He is a big-play receiver with a flare, and the Chargers are going to use him to make key plays. Now is the time to jump on him.

Tight End Eric Ebron, Detroit Lions

Eric Ebron was supposed to do big things for the Detroit Lions as a rookie, but he never got into the flow of the offense and disappointed in his 2014 season as he caught 25 passes for 248 yards and one touchdown.

Ebron has looked much better through the first two weeks of the 2015 season. He caught four passes for 53 yards and a score in Week 1 versus San Diego, and followed that up by catching five passes for 43 yards and another touchdown in Week 2 at Minnesota.

Ebron's targets and catches are likely to go up from this point forward now that quarterback Matthew Stafford knows he can make big plays. He is a huge target with strong hands and has the ability to turn upfield after he makes the catch.

Postion	Player	Team
RB	Marshawn Lynch	Seattle
TE	Rob Gronkowski	New England
WR	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh
WR	Julio Jones	Atlanta
RB	Le'Veon Bell	Pittsburgh
RB	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City
WR	Odell Beckham Jr.	N.Y. Giants
TE	Travis Kelce	Kansas City
WR	Calvin Johnson	Detroit
RB	Adrian Peterson	Minnesota