Each week I'll list the best widely available free agents for fantasy football — I define "widely available" as being owned in around half of all ESPN or Yahoo leagues — and some guys who are probably better off in the free agent pool than collecting dust on your roster.
Follow me on Twitter @UTEddieBrown if you have questions throughout the week.
Here are my best bets off the waiver wire for Week 3:
ADD
— WR Garrett Wilson, Jets (ESPN: 70%; Yahoo: 24%): Not sure why Yahoo leagues aren't investing in Wilson yet, but they need to catch up. He's been a borderline WR1 so far — WR13 in standard formats and WR12 in PPR.
— QB Marcus Mariota, Falcons (ESPN: 9%; Yahoo: 11%): Mariota has been a borderline QB1 — QB13 overall — through two games and has a great matchup against Seattle this week.
— RB Darrel Williams, Cardinals (ESPN: 4%; Yahoo: 4%): It doesn't look like James Conner's ankle injury will be too serious, but if he does miss any time, Arizona's running back position has been a valuable asset in fantasy. Williams played 12 red-zone snaps after Conner exited against Las Vegas with Eno Benjamin (ESPN: 4%; Yahoo: 11%) only receiving three — Williams turned one of his two carries inside the 10-yard line into a touchdown.
— TE Logan Thomas, Commanders (ESPN: 20%; Yahoo: 14%): Thomas finished as a TE3 in PPR in 2020 before missing significant time last season. He's been a top-10 option at the position and I expect that to continue going forward.
— RB Raheem Mostert, Dolphins (ESPN: 52%; Yahoo: 43%): Chase Edmonds played the majority of early-down snaps in Week 1, but that flipped to Mostert at Baltimore, where he contributed 79 total yards on 14 touches and finished as a RB20 in PPR for the week. I still anticipate Edmonds will have more value going forward, but Mostert's familiarity with Mike McDaniels' offense and explosiveness should lead to some "boom" weeks in what appears to be a very dynamic offense.
— BONUS: WR Michael Gallup, Cowboys (ESPN: 44%; Yahoo: 27%): Noah Brown has produced as a WR2 in Gallup's absence — at least five receptions and 68 yards or a TD in both games — regardless of who was at QB. Gallup should return this week.
— BONUS: RB Brian Robinson Jr., Commanders (ESPN: 36%; Yahoo: 47%): Robinson returned to the practice field last week, and has a realistic chance of returning in Week 5 after he was shot twice in his right leg during an attempted robbery. Antonio Gibson has been good, but the Alabama rookie had surpassed him on the depth chart in the preseason before the shooting. He has a chance to see double-digit carries once he returns.
— BONUS: TE Juwan Johnson, Saints (ESPN: <1%; Yahoo: 1%): I told you to keep an eye on Johnson after most of the attention was paid to Swiss army knife Taysom Hill after the opener. Johnson has received at least five targets (and 40 yards) in both games and is 12th overall at the position with 12 targets.
— BONUS: QB Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers (ESPN: 1%; Yahoo: 5%): Garoppolo finished as fantasy's QB14 and QB17 in his last two full-seasons as San Francisco's starting quarterback. So I wouldn't break the bank for him, but he is a solid back-up option with streaming value. His value increases in Superflex formats that utilize multiple QBs.
— BONUS: TE Irv Smith Jr., Vikings (ESPN: 33%; Yahoo: 41%): Smith didn't have a reception in Minnesota's first game while playing limited snaps — likely due to a lingering thumb injury — but he bounced back on Monday night against Philadelphia with five receptions (eight targets) for 36 yards and a touchdown. He finished as a TE6 in standard formats (TE4 in PPR).
— BONUS: WR Sterling Shepard, Giants (ESPN: 10%; Yahoo: 11%): Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney have been persona non grata thus far. Shepard appears to be the No. 1 receiver in this offense, producing WR3 value through two games — WR33 in standard formats and WR36 in PPR.
— BONUS: TE Evan Engram, Jaguars (ESPN: 17%; Yahoo: 21%): Engram is the TE12 in PPR through the first two games with 11 receptions (on 12 targets). He caught seven of his eight targets Week 2 despite Jacksonville leading start to finish in a shutout. The volume here is too good to ignore despite Engram's history of disappointing us.
— BONUS: RB Tyler Allgeier, Falcons (ESPN: 14%; Yahoo: 14%): Allgeier produced 30 yards on 10 carries after being a healthy inactive the previous week. He didn't receive any targets in the pass game, but Atlanta played from behind for most of the game. The rookie is a speculative add with Damien Williams on injured reserve and out for at least three more games.
— BONUS: D/ST Cowboys (ESPN: 64%; Yahoo: 42%): Dallas was the top scoring defense in fantasy last season and has held two great offenses in Tampa Bay and Cincinnati under 20 points.
— BONUS: D/ST Eagles (ESPN: 21%; Yahoo: 33%): Philadelphia is currently 10th in fantasy scoring and has a pretty favorable upcoming schedule.
DROP
— QB Trey Lance, 49ers: Lance broke his ankle and is done for the season.
— WR Kenny Golladay, Giants: Golladay only has two targets this season and played just two snaps against Carolina.
— TE Mo Alie-Cox, Colts: It appears Kylen Granson has surpassed Alie-Cox in value at the position for Indy.
— WR DeVante Parker, Patriots: Parker has only received two targets in each game while producing a single reception for nine yards this season.
— TE Noah Fant, Seahawks: There's not going to be a lot of volume in Seattle's pass game anyways and Will Dissly appears to be equally involved as Fant.
