2025 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire and Yin & Yang Tight End Week 3: Daniel Jones, Chig Okonkwo

Week 2 of NFL football is in the books. That means we now have double the data and double the tape to make some assessments. It’s still a small sample size, but it’s enough to consider some trends and dismiss some potential noise. We have to strike while the iron is hot before these guys get scooped up.

As Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season approaches, it's time to dive into the 2025 Fantasy Football waiver wire Week 3 options to bolster your roster after two weeks of surprises, injuries, and breakout performances. With key players like Jake Browning stepping up in Cincinnati and rookies such as Bhayshul Tuten and Elic Ayomanor emerging as intriguing targets, identifying the best waiver wire pickups can be the difference between a playoff push and an early fade.

Don't miss out—Go All-Pro today and head over to Fantasy Alarm's League Sync Waiver Wire Tool right now to uncover the top waiver wire pickups tailored specifically to your leagues. Additionally, if you're an All-Pro subscriber, unlock the exclusive Streamers & Stashes article for even deeper insights on hidden gems ready to stash for the long haul.

2025 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 3 Top Targets

As always, our waiver wire discussion will be split into two articles. This is the main article, which covers the top players to add at each position as well as an update to our Yin & Yang Tight End strategy. The second article, found here, is our Streamers and Stashes article that covers the deeper, more nuanced plays ONLY for Fantasy Alarm Members!

NFL Week 3 Waiver Wire Quarterbacks

Daniel Jones - Indianapolis Colts, Yahoo: 19% | ESPN: 22% | Sleeper: 35%

Daniel Jones was our top quarterback stash prior to Week 1, and he was our top add last week. So hopefully you already grabbed him when he could have been snuck onto your bench for cheap. Now it might cost you, as we see the injuries pile up for guys like Joe Burrow, Jayden Daniels, and Justin Fields. But better late than never.

Daniel Jones surprised us this week by throwing for over 300 yards against one of the toughest defenses out there in the Denver Broncos. What didn’t surprise us is that he ran six times after running seven times in Week One - that’s the entire reason we’ve been stashing him. Every QB over the last decade to run five times a game and play at least 16 games has finished as a top 10 QB. The floor is surprisingly high for guys like Daniel Jones, and with his weapons, the ceiling is high too.

Waiver Priority: Medium Priority

FAAB: 10-15% (more if he starts for you right away)

Jake Browning - Cincinnati BengalsYahoo: 1% | ESPN: 0% | Sleeper: 0%

It’s easy to hesitate here, especially with proven starters on the waiver wire. But a lot of those starters have proven that they aren’t really anything special in fantasy football. The safe play here might be to grab someone like Matthew Stafford or Geno Smith, but the upside play here is to go with Jake Browning while Joe Burrow misses multiple weeks.

The Jake Browning move isn’t just a theory, as we’ve actually seen Browning start for the Bengals for a seven-game stretch as a rookie in 2023, the last time Burrow was hurt. And Browning actually put up decent numbers. In fact, if you took his ~19.8 points per game over those seven games, that would have been good for QB7 last year behind Jayden Daniels and ahead of guys like Jared Goff and Bo Nix. The weapons are there, and Browning has been with the team for three years, so he obviously knows the plays. This guy is a must-add in any sort of superflex or two QB league.

Waiver Priority: Low or Free Add

FAAB: 0-5% (more if he starts for you right away)

Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Matthew Stafford, Geno Smith

NFL Week 3 Waiver Wire Running Backs

Bhayshul Tuten - Jacksonville JaguarsYahoo: 55% | ESPN: 40% | Sleeper: 45%

I’m going to be brief on this one - Bhayshul Tuten should be rostered in all your leagues. If he is not, this is your last chance to grab him. We constantly applaud the league’s top GMs like Les Snead and Brad Holmes for finding sleepers in the NFL draft. Brad Holmes worked for Les Snead before leaving for the Lions, where he was the back-to-back executive of the year. None of Cooper Kupp, Isaac TeSlaa, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Kyren Williams, or Puka Nacua were drafted before the third round.

Well, the Jaguars' James Gladstone is ALSO from that Les Snead coaching tree. And Bhayshul Tuten is HIS guy - this was his first year as GM. And they already traded away Tank Bigsby so he could play more. Has to be owned.

Waiver Priority: Top Priority

FAAB: 25-50%

Woody Marks- Houston TexansYahoo: 52% | ESPN: 56% | Sleeper: 59%

Dameon Pierce being inactive gave us a hint that something might be in store for Woody Marks this week. And that hint turned out to be true as Marks snaps on the first drive and that carried into the second. They decided to actually give the rookie some meaningful looks here.

And yes, Nick Chubb still led the backfield and scores. But Marks looked more efficient and explosive. He also had a 37 yard reception which could see him push Dare Ogunbawale for snaps there. It's rare we have a guy that could actually take over a starting backfield so Marks needs to be rostered just to see.

Waiver Priority: Medium Priority

FAAB: 10-20%

Trey Benson - Arizona CardinalsYahoo: 52% | ESPN: 56% | Sleeper: 59%

Trey Benson was our top add last week as well, and he was certainly added in some leagues. So this may be the last time we mention him, but we want to make sure his name is out there for any shallow league players.

On top of being a handcuff to one of the league’s older and most injury-prone players, Benson has now carved out a role of his own. This week, we saw him operate on pass downs, including all two-minute drill snaps. That saw him get six targets on top of a few carries. For us, here’s there with guys like Zach Charbonnet and Tyler Allgeier in terms of the “handcuff plus” guys you can start for a bye week if needed and have big upside if the starter goes down.

Waiver Priority: Medium Priority

FAAB: 10-20%

Jeremy McNichols - Washington Commanders Yahoo: 0% | ESPN: 0% | Sleeper: 0%

We had a major injury this week to Austin Ekeler - he’s going to miss the rest of the year with an Achilles tear. The likely main beneficiary, Jacory Croskey-Merritt AKA Bill, is likely already rostered in your league. But the veteran McNichols could find himself taking over the role Austin Ekeler was in, which included all the pass-work as well as some ground game usage.

You kind of have two options here in full PPR leagues. You could go with the next player below, whose role feels pretty well defined already. Or you could go with the higher risk, higher reward play of McNichols. The Commanders pretty quickly signed Chase Edmonds to their practice squad, and we expect Chris Rodriguez to be active as well, so the role for McNichols isn’t guaranteed. That said, if you find yourself complaining that “Trey Benson is owned in every one of your leagues”, you can’t complain about this one. He’s rostered in zero percent of leagues on some platforms.

Waiver Priority: Late or Free Add

FAAB: 0-5%

Kenneth Gainwell - Pittsburgh Steelers, Yahoo: 8% | ESPN: 10% | Sleeper: 29%

As we mentioned, this is an add we recommended last week for full PPR leagues. He’s now come out and gotten at least 10 looks either via a carry or a target in both of their first two games as he operates primarily on pass downs. It’s not the sexiest role, but rookie Kaleb Johnson has yet to carve anything out himself, so Gainwell should continue to offer a floor in PPR leagues. In deeper leagues with multiple flexes, that’s sometimes all you need.

Waiver Priority: Late or Free Add

FAAB: 0-5%

Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Tyjae Spears (IR stash), Tyler Allgeier, Kyle Mongangai

NFL Week 3 Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

Elic Ayomanor - Tennessee Titans Yahoo: 8% | ESPN: 8% | Sleeper: 28%

It’s a tall order to find a combination of both consistency and upside with a two-game sample size. For that, we need to have some level of trust in terms of the player's role, but also some element of the unknown in what we could get. Elic Ayomanor gives us the best combination of both, which is why he’s our top WR waiver add this week.

We all know Elic Ayomanor is a rookie. We all know his QB is also a rookie. The “mystery box” that comes with that is always going to be appealing to us as we ask what might happen as these two develop down the stretch of the season and their connection grows. That’s our upside element.

The consistency element comes from his usage over two games. In the first game, he proved he was being deployed as the WR2 with his 30 routes being ahead of Tyler Lockett’s 27 and second only to Calvin Ridley. He got seven targets but only brought in two against a tough Denver defense. In the second game, he was once again second in routes run for Titans WRs, running 30 to Tyler Lockett’s 20. This time, he caught 4 of 6 targets for 56 and a touchdown. Very rarely do we have rookies with full-time roles that are also available on the waiver wire, so we have to take this chance here.

Waiver Priority: Medium Priority

FAAB: 10-15%

Troy Franklin - Denver Broncos Yahoo: 4% | ESPN: 2% | Sleeper: 8%

The next best upside play for us is going to be Troy Franklin in Denver. Last year, Sean Payton refused to allow anyone besides Courtland Sutton to play anything resembling a full-time role. From Week 5 on, when Josh Reynolds was released, no wide receiver besides Sutton played more than 70% of the snaps. It looked like more of the same in Week 1 when Sutton played 95% and Franklin was second, but only at 59%. But things made a big turn in Week 2.

In Week 2, Troy Franklin actually LED this team in snaps at 83% with Sutton at 78%. Franklin also led the team in receiving, catching 8 of 9 targets for 89 yards and a touchdown. I know it’s only a one-game sample size of the usage, and no one changes their mind more than Sean Payton, but Franklin did get 6 targets. He was also teammates with quarterback Bo Nix at Oregon, if anyone wants to indulge that narrative.

Guys like Marvin Mims, Evan Engram, and RJ Harvey were pegged as possible candidates to be the second target here after Sutton. But none of those guys are playing more than 50% of the snaps on the season. We have to consider the possibility that Franklin took a step forward here and is now a guy we might be able to rely on.

Waiver Priority: Medium Priority

FAAB: 10-15%

Wan’Dale Robinson - New York Giants Yahoo: 23% | ESPN: 30% | Sleeper: 27%

In full PPR leagues, Wan’Dale Robinson is a guy that needs to be rostered. There are certainly some knocks on him. He’s a smaller guy who runs lower aDot routes in most cases. He’s also a part-time player with Malik Nabers and Darius Slayton getting the full-time snap shares (100% route participation this week) while Robinson ran 78%. But what sample size of targets do we need to see before we finally admit the Giants just like throwing to this guy?

Last year, Wan’Dale Robinson had the second-least efficient 140+ target season since 2006, Chris Chambers. But 140 targets are 140 targets. This year, in two games, he’s come out and had 8 and then 10 while also having nearly 200 yards combined over those games - he had 699 yards in 17 games last year. I know there could be some turbulence coming at quarterback, but as of now, Robinson is pretty heavily involved.

Waiver Priority: Low Priority

FAAB: 5-10%

Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Brandon Aiyuk (move to IR spot), Christian Kirk, Cedric Tillman, Kayshon Boutte

NFL Week 3 Waiver and Yin & Yang Tight End

Juwan Johnson - New Orleans Saints, Yahoo: 45% | ESPN: 48% | Sleeper: 51%

Juwan Johnson was our top add last week - and he continues to be the best available option. Right now, he’s the TE2 overall in fantasy, and the behind-the-scenes numbers are just as good as the surface-level ones. He leads all tight ends in snap share, routes run, and routes run from a WR spot. He is a converted WR after all.

There are a couple of potential hurdles for him down the road. Spencer Rattler loves him, but a QB change at some point is not off the table for the Saints. Also, Foster Moreau and Taysom Hill will return at some point, and that could affect the snap share. But we’ll cross those bridges when we get there. For now, this guy has been super reliable.

Waiver Priority: Medium Priority

FAAB: 20-25%

Chig Okonkwo - Tennessee Titans, Yahoo: 31% | ESPN: 10% | Sleeper: 27%

Chig Okonkwo hasn't been super sexy lately but he has been one thing - reliable. He's now had an 88% and 76% snap share over the first two weeks and he actually ran the second most routes on the team this week behind only Calvin Ridley. Allong the way he's gotten four targets and now six targets which gives him a decent floor even if we have yet to see the upside.

Right now it's Chig vs. Elic Ayomanor to be the second target after Calvin Ridley and we don't mind adding either one depending on whether we need help at WR or TE. In this current tight end landscape, I have spots where I'm happy to have Okonkwo in the lineup.

Waiver Priority: Late or free add

FAAB: 0-5%

Harold Fannin Jr - Cleveland Browns, Yahoo: 42% | ESPN: 28% | Sleeper: 66%

In an ideal world, our fantasy football tight end is the top pass-catching tight end on his team. In fact, he’d be a top two target on his team. Harold Fannin, so far through two games, is neither. He’s been behind both Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman in targets. And he’s been behind David Njoku in both snaps and routes run. That puts us in pretty risky territory.

Despite that, though, he continues to make plays. He now has 12 catches on 14 targets after catching all five of his targets this week. Yes, the Browns are dangerously close to swapping out the fantasy-friendly Joe Flacco - we saw a handful of snaps for Dylan Gabriel just this week. But if the Browns do go into a tailspin, they also become a candidate to start trading away veterans or letting the young guys play more. So Fannin is a guy you should hang onto.

Waiver Priority: Late or free add

FAAB: 0-5%

**Check the bottom of the article for free rest of season half PPR tight end rankings with our Yin & Yang tight end chart!**

NFL Week 3 Waiver DST

Seattle Seahawks DST, Yahoo: 25% | ESPN: 69% | Sleeper: 24%

Seattle was our top streaming defense option last week, going up against the non-mobile Aaron Rodgers. And they delivered with 3 sacks, an interception, and a touchdown. But a big part of the reason they were out top pick was also this week's matchup when they get the New Orleans Saints and Spencer Rattler. If you added them, then great - use them again. If you didn’t, they are still available in a lot of leagues.

New England Patriots DST, Yahoo: 15% | ESPN: 53% | Sleeper: 26%

Starting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a streamer this week is intriguing, especially if Justin Fields misses the game in concussion protocol. But the Bucs face the Eagles in Week 4, so they don’t have much staying power. The Patriots have a good matchup this week, then an even better one with the Carolina Panthers next week.

The most consistent way to score points for a fantasy defense is by pressuring the quarterback. Not just for sacks, but that’s where a lot of turnovers are generated. Guys like Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, and Harold Landry have been putting the heat on for New England with 9 sacks over their first two games (which has helped cause two interceptions). Aaron Rodgers has been eating sacks with 7 over his first two games, and he just threw a couple of picks in Seattle. Patriots are available in a lot of leagues for this week and next. And, if you can hold your nose or find a fill-in for the Week 5 Bills game, they get NO, TEN, CLE the next three games.

Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons

NFL Week 3 Waiver K

Matt Prater - Buffalo Bills, K, Yahoo: 12% | ESPN: 35% | Sleeper: 23%

Our top add last week was Tyler Loop - he might still be out there, but he’s rostered in over 50% of leagues by now. Our second add from last week is still out there - Matt Prater. He’ll start for Buffalo for at least two more games, and he’s been solid so far. He made all three of his field goals and extra points this past week. On Thursday, he gets Miami, so we can expect the scoring to continue.

Brandon McManus - Green Bay Packers, K, Yahoo: 11% | ESPN: 14% | Sleeper: 18%

Our philosophy for streaming is generally to target the kickers for good teams, especially when they have good matchups. Well, the Packers are looking like one of, if not the best, team in football right now. And they get the Cleveland Browns this week. McManus is out there in a ton of leagues, so pretty easy to add him if you need him.

NFL Yin & Yang Tight End Rankings

As promised, here are our Yin & Yang tight end rankings. This has been our bread and butter the last few years, and how we find breakout tight ends. Here is how the chart works.

If you have someone in the “standalone” section, then great - you don’t need to roster another tight end outside of injury and bye week. Outside of that, we are rostering two. We are looking for someone “safe” to start while stashing the most high-risk, high-reward option, trying to find a breakout.

The tight ends in red are injured and at risk of missing time. If you can put them in an IR spot, great. If not, you may have to prioritize either a Yin or Yang tight end ranked above them to start for you.

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