Fantasy Football Week 3 Waiver-Wire Must-Adds

Fantasy football managers received bad news on quarterback injuries this week.

Ben Roethlisberger will undergo season-ending elbow surgery, and Drew Brees will miss six weeks with a torn ligament in his thumb, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. On a brighter note, two rookie wideouts reached the end zone for the first time, and both have significant upside.

If you're preparing to scramble for a replacement QB, consider a signal-caller who can add points with his legs. Most leagues won't have a high-end pocket passer available.

Coaching staffs can shift running back workloads at any time, but one ball-carrier doubled his rush attempts between the first two weeks and took 20 handoffs Sunday. Yet he's still on 57 percent of Yahoo waiver wires.

Every week, wide receivers put up big numbers, but four deserve your attention going into Week 3.

We'll go through seven must-add players who are owned in fewer than 60 percent of Yahoo leagues as of Monday at 6 a.m. ET. 

Still can't figure out your fantasy football lineup for the week? Check out Your Fantasy Fire Drill with Matt Camp, and he'll solve your problems live. Submit your questions and tune in every Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET, only on the B/R app.

QB Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills (40 Percent Owned)

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Josh Allen will have an opportunity to rack up points against the Cincinnati Bengals' questionable defense in Week 3—a unit that allowed 572 total yards to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

More importantly, Allen has improved his accuracy, completing 64.2 percent of his passes compared to 52.8 percent last season. He's formed a solid rapport with John Brown and Cole Beasley, which gives the Buffalo Bills a spark in the aerial attack.

Allen has recorded 250-plus yards with a rushing touchdown in consecutive outings to start the year. If you're looking to replace Ben Roethlisberger or Drew Brees, pick up the Bills signal-caller. He can salvage subpar passing production with some points as a ball-carrier.

In a revamped passing attack, Allen can stick to rosters for the remainder of the season as a solid play in favorable matchups similar to his Week 3 game with the Bengals.

Free-Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB): $10

RB Carlos Hyde, Houston Texans (43 Percent Owned)

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Carlos Hyde isn't a flashy pickup, but he's trending in the right direction in terms of rush attempts. The sixth-year veteran recorded 20 carries for 90 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Fellow tailback Duke Johnson Jr. only registered six totes for 31 yards, which included a 19-yard run.

The Houston Texans sent a conditional fourth-round pick to the Cleveland Browns for Johnson, but he's taken a backseat to Hyde on the ground—outrushed 30-15 in total carries through two weeks.

This offense comes and goes with quarterback Deshaun Watson, but the lead ball-carrier could fill in some gaps and provide flex value.

While handling the majority of the workload out of the backfield, Hyde has been productive with his carries, averaging 5.8 yards per rush attempt. After the Texans' Week 2 victory over the Jaguars, who Hyde played for last season, he praised Houston's offensive system, per the Houston Chronicle's Jenny Dial Creech.

"I love it because it's downhill," Hyde said. "I get to get my shoulders square and go forward and that's part of my game because I am a big back and when I get my shoulders squared up and get downhill and it's a lot easier to break tackles that way."

The Texans have fed Hyde the ball, and he's comfortable within the offense—two reasons to pick him up now.

FAAB: $10

RB Frank Gore, Buffalo Bills (8 Percent Owned)

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Don't let running back Frank Gore's date of birth trick you into overlooking his contributions to the Bills offense at 36 years old. He's the lead ball-carrier with 30 rush attempts for 88 yards and a touchdown. That's not an impressive average, but the coaching staff seems comfortable relying on him.

Rookie third-rounder Devin Singletary has 10 rush attempts for 127 yards and a touchdown. He's clearly a more explosive tailback with upside, but the Florida Atlantic product's volume out of the backfield caps his value.

Singletary went down with a hamstring injury toward the end of Sunday's game. Head coach Sean McDermott may have clarity on the running back's ailment in the near future.

"I don’t know anything further at this point," McDermott told reporters. "We'll evaluate him and know a little bit more in the next couple of days."

Whether Singletary misses time or not, Gore will have a role in the ground attack. For now, he'll see more opportunities to rack up yards and score touchdowns than Singletary, who has a third of the 15th-year veteran's rushing workload.

FAAB: $5

WR Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers (14 Percent Owned)

Gary Landers/Associated Press

We may have witnessed a change in the guard at wide receiver in San Francisco. Dante Pettis threw a 16-yard pass to running back Raheem Mostert, but he didn't see a single target as a pass-catcher Sunday.

After a quiet season opener, logging three catches for 17 yards and a two-point conversion, rookie second-rounder Deebo Samuel secured five receptions for 87 yards and a score against the Bengals. He led the team in targets (seven), which means something as a first-year player.

In two contests, Pettis has one target for one catch and seven yards; he's faded in the passing offense, giving room for Samuel to take on a solid role. The South Carolina product lists second on the team in targets (10), receptions (eight) and yards (104).

Like Pettis last year, Samuel will try to carve out a decent role as a Day 2 pick fresh out of college. He could have better results if quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo stays healthy and develops within head coach Kyle Shanahan's system.

FAAB: $10

WR DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks (49 Percent Owned)

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Unlike Samuel, barring injury, DK Metcalf doesn't have a strong shot at becoming the No. 1 wide receiver in an offense this year. Tyler Lockett would have to miss time to create more opportunities for the rookie out of Ole Miss.

Nonetheless, quarterback Russell Wilson has targeted Metcalf 13 times in two weeks. The first-year wideout has converted those looks into seven receptions for 150 yards and a score. He has one fewer target than Lockett.

Metcalf's early involvement and production in the passing game should encourage managers to pick him while other wideouts garner attention for bigger Week 2 performances. In the long run, you can probably acquire the 21-year-old for a cheaper dollar amount and watch him grow in the Seahawks offense.

After Seattle's win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Wilson called Metcalf a "star." Managers should take action before everyone else notices his rising stock.

FAAB: $15

WR Demarcus Robinson, Kansas City Chiefs (6 Percent Owned)

Ben Margot/Associated Press

The Kansas City Chiefs had an explosive second quarter against the Oakland Raiders, scoring 28 points. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes tossed two touchdown passes to Demarcus Robinson, who became the sword that repeatedly cut through the Silver and Black's defense.

Robinson finished with 172 receiving yards to go along with his two scores. Because of his gaudy stat line, plenty of managers will take a chance at acquiring him off the waiver wire this week.

The Raiders have one of the worst defenses in the league, especially without rookie first-round safety Johnathan Abram. Robinson may not duplicate Sunday's performance against another unit, but he could carve out a solid role while wideout Tyreek Hill recovers from a clavicle injury.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Hill could miss four to six weeks, which gives Robinson a decent window to produce in the two-time All-Pro's absence.

The Chiefs selected Mecole Hardman in the second round of this year's draft; managers shouldn't be surprised if the rookie and Robinson battle for the third-most targets behind tight end Travis Kelce and wideout Sammy Watkins. Still, the fourth-year veteran may have taken his first step into a bigger role.

FAAB: $10

WR DJ Chark Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars

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Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles will miss significant time with a broken collarbone, but his absence hasn't affected DJ Chark Jr.'s push for a breakout sophomore campaign. He's registered 11 receptions for 201 yards and two touchdowns with Gardner Minshew II under center for most of two games.

During the offseason, Foles' rapport with wideout Chris Conley grabbed headlines. With the starting signal-caller out, Minshew seems to have a solid connection with Chark, who leads the team in targets (13).

Known for his big-play ability out of LSU, averaging 20.5 yards per catch, Chark could provide the same impact with the Jaguars going forward. Marqise Lee isn't 100 percent after tearing his ACL last year, and his gradual recovery will allow Chark to see increased looks.

Despite Minshew's inexperience, managers should take a flier on Chark, who's ninth leaguewide in receiving yards with an 84.6 catch rate.

FAAB: $5