Waiver Wire Week 3: Reviewing Top Pickups and Drops Likely Available

As was the case a year ago, Week 2 of the 2020 NFL season brought with it several notable fantasy-relevant injuries. While last year's brutal Week 2 featured injuries to quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees, this year's edition had several key injuries at the running back position.

Saquon Barkley is out for the year with a torn ACL. Christian McCaffrey is going to miss time with knee and ankle issues, and Raheem Mostert is expected to miss at least Week 3 with an MCL sprain. Additionally, the San Francisco 49ers could be without backup Tevin Coleman.

With players like Michael Thomas, Courtland Sutton, George Kittle and Drew Lock also injured, there's a very real chance you're scrambling for fantasy reinforcements heading into Week 3.

Let's take a look at the top waiver-wire targets and drop candidates for the week.

Adds

Gardner Minshew II, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars

Darrell Henderson, RB, Los Angeles Rams

N'Keal Harry, WR, New England Patriots

KJ Hamler, WR, Denver Broncos

Jerick Mckinnon, RB, San Francisco 49ers

Drew Sample, TE, Cincinnati Bengals

Jalen Reagor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

Mike Davis, RB, Carolina Panthers

Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

Dion Lewis, RB, New York Giants

Devonta Freeman, RB, Free Agent

Drops

Drew Lock, QB, Denver Broncos

Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos

Parris Campbell, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Rob Gronkowski, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cameron Brate, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jack Doyle, TE, Indianapolis Colts

Justin Jackson, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

Add: Dion Lewis, RB, New York Giants

Charles Rex Arbogast/Associated Press

If you're a manager moving Barkley to IR, Dion Lewis is a top waiver-wire target for you. The talented receiving back only has 21 rushing yards, 36 receiving yards and one touchdown on the season, but his immediate workload is likely to see a significant increase with Barkley out.

Lewis is only rostered in six percent of Yahoo leagues and one percent of ESPN leagues.

The caveat here is that Lewis may not remain the top back in New York. According to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, the Giants are kicking the tires on free agent DeVonta Freeman, who could soon take the starting role if signed:

Consider Lewis a temporary flex option and one-for-one roster replacement for Barkley. However, keep an eye on Freeman and consider putting in a waiver claim for him now if you have the roster space to do so.

Add: N'Keal Harry, WR, New England Patriots

Stew Milne/Associated Press

As a rookie, N'Keal Harry was a complete afterthought in the New England Patriots offense. This may have had a little something to do with Tom Brady's preference for veteran pass-catchers. With Cam Newton under center instead of Brady, he's started to work his way into a notable role.

In Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, Harry caught eight passes for 72 yards. He now has 13 catches on the season and appears to be a player on the rise.

"If he keeps on working, I think he's going to be a really good football player," fellow wideout Julian Edelman told WEEI.

The caveat with Harry is that there will likely be weeks where the Patriots and Newton rely more heavily on the rushing attack than the pass. Still, he should be a solid flex option moving forward, and he's rostered in just 26 percent of Yahoo leagues and 40 percent of ESPN leagues.

Drop: Rob Gronkowski and Cameron Brate, TEs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers first signed Brady in the offseason, plenty of fantasy managers likely believed that it would mean a boost for the team's tight ends. When the Bucs then traded for Rob Gronkowski, it gave the illusion that three tight ends from Tampa might be viable draft targets.

After two weeks, it's looking like the tight end position just isn't going to be a focal point in the Buccaneers passing attack. O.J. Howard leads all Buccaneers tight ends with a mere 47 yards and a touchdown on five receptions.

While Howard's modest stat line might seem like the result of a logjam at the position, it's not. Gronkowski has just two receptions for 11 yards, while Brate has yet to log a catch.

In fact, Brate has only been targeted once in two games.

Barring an injury to Howard, it's safe to drop both Gronkowski and Brate in all formats, and seeking a replacement for Howard wouldn't be the worst idea either.

Yahoo and ESPN roster percentages from FantasyPros.