Week 3 Top Waiver Adds: Quarterback and Tight End Featuring C.J. Stroud, Hunter Henry, and Much More!
Welcome to Week 3. As expected, Week 2 became a little less wild than Week 1 as teams got their sea legs underneath them, but we still saw a few surprising things across the league. And with surprises, comes the opportunity to find an advantage on the waiver wire.
Half (very unscientific measure) of the battle for being successful in fantasy football is making sure you work the waiver wire. And you can never start working the waiver wire too early -- even after two weeks of the season.
With running backs and wide receivers coming in a separate article, let's take a look at the quarterbacks and tight ends you should be scooping off the waiver wire.
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Quarterback
(ownership percentages are based on ESPN leagues)
C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans (7.4 percent)
Stroud went into his second NFL game with a questionable tag due to a shoulder injury, but he showed no ill effects in throwing for for 384 yards and two touchdowns against the Colts. While we should take this all with a grain of salt because the Colts are horrible, a 384-yard game is a big deal regardless of the context. Stroud was missing four offensive line starters, but was still able to continue building a strong rapport with Nico Collins and Tank Dell -- both of whom had touchdown catches. With matchups against the Jaguars and Falcons as two of his next three games, Stroud could start creeping into the weekly starter conversation.
Sam Howell, Washington Commanders (9.4 percent)
Howell had a slow start to the Commanders' win against the Broncos, but he helped the team roar back to a comeback win in throwing for 299 yards and two touchdowns. That's back-to-back games with at least 15 fantasy points, which is a promising sign for both the Commanders and for fantasy owners looking for an under-the-radar pickup. Howell has two tough matchups coming up against the Bills and the Eagles, but things get a little easier after that with a (on paper) great matchup against the Bears in Week 5. While he's more of a stash option for now, Howell is worth an add if you're struggling at quarterback.
Joshua Dobbs, Arizona Cardinals (0.8 percent)
Let's reserve this pickup for deeper leagues, but Joshua Dobbs has planted himself on the fantasy radar for now. He's currently QB4 on the week heading into Monday night's matchups as he threw for 228 yards with a passing touchdown while adding 41 rushing yards and a rushing score against the Giants. Things get a lot tougher with matchups against the 49ers and Cowboys on the horizon, but Dobbs is definitely worth an add in deeper fantasy leagues -- even if it's just as an insurance plan.
Honorable mention: Desmond Ridder, Baker Mayfield
Tight End
(ownership percentages are based on ESPN leagues)
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots (34.6 percent)
I don't normally like to include guys over 25 percent, but Henry should be more like 80 percent so I'm breaking my rule. While the Patriots offense doesn't look THAT much better than the debacle they were last year, they're still better than the Matt Patricia train wreck and Hunter Henry is becoming the most predictable part to figure out (in a good way). While the receiver spot is a bit of a mess, Henry remains Mac Jones' favorite option and has put up back-to-back stud performances. He has 11 catches on the year for 108 yards and two touchdowns on 13 targets, and I don't see that changing any time soon. While the touchdown-every-week pace will be tough to keep up, there's no reason Henry won't continue seeing this type of usage and has quickly played his way to being a weekly start at tight end.
Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys (12.4 percent)
I'll preface this by saying that Brandin Cooks' absence helped boost Ferguson's output in the Cowboys' Week 2 matchup against the Jets, but he still scored a touchdown on four targets that turned into three catches for 11 yards. While it's a little worrisome that Ferguson has put up back-to-back weeks of just 11 yards in each game, he's getting the right types of looks in the Cowboys' offense and has emerged as a TE2 fantasy option amongst a sea of borderline TE2 fantasy options. I wouldn't go nuts adding him just yet, but there's enough upside here that he's worth keeping on your radar.
Kylen Granson, Indianapolis Colts (0.2 percent)
The Colts offense has become an interesting offense. Anthony Richardson has looked great despite leaving this week's game with a concussion. Zack Moss looked good this past week (though Jonathan Taylor could return in three weeks). Michael Pittman has back-to-back games with eight receptions. And Kylen Granson has posted two fantasy-viable games with at least four targets in each game -- and a touchdown this past week against Houston. While I don't want to get too excited here, the Colts don't exactly have a stable of great receiving options and Granson has played his way into being a respectable fantasy option. He's still more of a deep league add right now, but he's firmly on the radar for anyone in need of help at the position.
Honorable mention: Tyler Conklin, Cade Otton
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