Fantasy Football Week 3 Rankings: Waiver-Wire Targets for Players on Injury List

Week 3 of the 2019 NFL season belongs to the backups.

Between a rash of injuries and a changing of the guard in New York, a slew of former clipboard-holders will be taking snaps.

What does that mean for the fantasy football world? We will find out soon enough, but at the very least, it's a reminder of how prominent a role unpredictability plays in this realm.

The injury bug has affected players at every position, so after we lay out our top-10 rankings at each skill spot, we will break down some of the latest injury reports and identify a waiver-wire replacement—available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo Sports leagues, per Fantasy Pros—for each.

Week 3 Top-10 PPR Rankings

Quarterbacks

1. Patrick Mahomes, KC (vs. BAL)

2. Dak Prescott, DAL (vs. MIA)

3. Lamar Jackson, BAL (at KC)

4. Tom Brady, NE (vs. NYJ)

5. Deshaun Watson, HOU (at LAC)

6. Josh Allen, BUF (vs. CIN)

7. Aaron Rodgers, GB (vs. DEN)

8. Russell Wilson, SEA (vs. NO)

9. Carson Wentz, PHI (vs. DET)

10. Jameis Winston, TB (vs. NYG)

Running Backs

1. Ezekiel Elliott, DAL (vs. MIA)

2. Christian McCaffrey, CAR (at ARI)

3. Saquon Barkley, NYG (at TB)

4. Dalvin Cook, MIN (vs. OAK)

5. David Johnson, ARI (vs. CAR)

6. Alvin Kamara, NO (at SEA)

7. Nick Chubb, CLE (vs. LAR)

8. Austin Ekeler, LAC (vs. HOU)

9. Chris Carson, SEA (vs. NO)

10. Le'Veon Bell, NYJ (at NE)

Wide Receivers

1. DeAndre Hopkins, HOU (at LAC)

2. Julio Jones, ATL (at IND)

3. Odell Beckham Jr., CLE (vs. LAR)

4. Michael Thomas, NO (at SEA)

5. Keenan Allen, LAC (vs. HOU)

6. Davante Adams, GB (vs. DEN)

7. Amari Cooper, DAL (vs. MIA)

8. JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT (at SF)

9. Mike Evans, TB (vs. NYG)

10. Sammy Watkins, KC (vs. BAL)

Tight Ends

1. Travis Kelce, KC (vs. BAL)

2. George Kittle, SF (vs. PIT)

3. Zach Ertz, PHI (vs. DET)

4. Evan Engram, NYG (at TB)

5. Mark Andrews, BAL (at KC)

6. Darren Waller, OAK (at MIN)

7. Greg Olsen, CAR (at ARI)

8. Vance McDonald, PIT (at SF)

9. O.J. Howard, TB (vs. NYG)

10. Jared Cook, NO (at SEA)

Injury Reports and Top Pickups

Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers (Out)

Assuming you drafted Cam Newton to be your starter—given his average draft position of 10th among quarterbacks, per Fantasy Football Calculator, you almost certainly did—seeing him ruled out with a foot injury might feel disastrous.

Honestly, this is far from a worst-case scenario.

There are no questions about his status, no need for any start-him-or-sit-him debates after two uneven weeks to open the season. If a week of rest gets him closer to being himself, this could be a good thing, even if it denies him the chance to exploit a generous Arizona Cardinals defense.

Waiver-Wire Target: Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions (50 Percent Owned)

Looking for sizzle? Try somewhere else. A 2019 Matthew Stafford recommendation feels like suggesting someone paint their house white. This is as boring as it gets.

But there's a reason white houses dot seemingly every block. Boring is functional, and Stafford should at least be that in Week 3.

There's a chance, though, he's something much greater. He already has a 300-yard, three-touchdown performance under his belt, numbers both Case Keenum and Matt Ryan posted against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Devin Singletary, RB, Buffalo Bills (Out)

So you found a sleeper in Devin Singletary and watched him total 155 scrimmage yards over the first two games, only to discover he'll miss Week 3 with the same hamstring injury that prematurely ended his Sunday, huh?

Sorry, folks, but no one ever said fantasy football is fair.

Besides, it's better to focus on the good things life has to offer: the changing colors of autumn, the robust taste of apple cider and the fact that you already discovered one of this season's most explosive rookies.

Waiver-Wire Target: Frank Gore, RB, Buffalo Bills (41 Percent Owned)

You know what the big bummer for Singletary fans is? The fact that he can't go against a Cincinnati Bengals defense that just found itself on the wrong end of a 259-yard, 6.2-yards-per-carry, two-touchdown day for the San Francisco 49ers rushers.

Good thing his teammate Frank Gore can and has a good chance of sitting unclaimed on your waiver wire. The 36-year-old running back isn't the most dynamic option around, but he is Buffalo's leader in carries (by 13), and he does have one of their four rushing scores this season.

No one—not even the blatantly tanking Miami Dolphins—has surrendered more fantasy points to opposing running backs this season than Cincinnati, per Yahoo Sports. Gore could feast Sunday.

DeSean Jackson, WR, Philadelphia Eagles (Out)

Deep threats always have some boom or bust to their production, but DeSean Jackson booms more than most.

Week 1 was a testament to that. Philly's speedster hauled in eight of his 10 targets for 154 yards and two touchdowns.

But a groin injury knocked him out early in Week 2, and his absence will last at least another week. Considering the Eagles have a short turnaround with the Thursday game in Week 4, fantasy owners might need more than a one-week replacement plan.

Waiver-Wire Target: James Washington, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (26 Percent Owned)

How many receivers can claim to have a connection with an NFL quarterback making his first career start? Surely not many, but James Washington is a member of that exclusive club.

Why? Because he spent four straight seasons alongside Ben Roethlisberger's replacement, Mason Rudolph, at Oklahoma State, for whom Washington hauled in 226 passes for 4,474 yards and 39 touchdowns. The Steelers spent the 60th overall pick of the 2018 draft on Washington, and while he was rarely involved as a rookie (16 catches, one score), this could be his breakout.

Washington had sleeper potential before the season started, but Donte Moncrief usurped him on the pecking order. That seems to be correcting itself, as the veteran was only targeted once in Week 2, and after he bobbled the pass, it was intercepted.

In other words, momentum might have shifted in Washington's favor without the quarterback change. Having Rudolph under center only increases Washington's odds of stealing some of Sunday's spotlight.