2021 Fantasy Football Week 3 Waiver Wire: Justin Fields, Rondale Moore, Sterling Shepard Lead Waiver Wire Pickups

Welcome to the Fantasy Football Week 3 Waiver Wire: Start, Stash, Stream, where we break down the fantasy football free-agent landscape and give you the best picks for the short and long haul.

Let’s look back at Week 2 and see our future prospects for the Fantasy Football Week 3 Waiver Wire.

Note: Ownership % based on Yahoo and should be under roughly 50% rostered

WEEK 3 WAIVER WIRE RANKINGS

START

1. Sterling Shepard, WR New York Giants (57% rostered)
2. Rondale Moore, WR Arizona Cardinals (34% rostered)
3. Cordarrelle Patterson, WR/RB Atlanta Falcons (15% rostered)
4. Tim Patrick, WR Denver Broncos (22% rostered)

Another game, another target hog performance from Sterling Shepard. The vet secured nine catches for 94 yards on 10 targets and leads the team in all receiving categories. Shep gets a fantastic matchup against the Falcons this coming week so expect another stud performance.

With Patrick Peterson lined up across from De’Andre Hopkins, Rondale Moore had himself a breakout game. The rookie went 7-114-1 on 8 targets — highlighted by a 77-yard touchdown pass — and now leads the team in targets, receptions, and receiving yards. Moore was highly touted coming out of college, most notably for his playmaking ability after the catch and in open space. He’s leaping over AJ Green in the Cardinals’ depth chart and provides a spark of unique playmaking.

Although the Falcons offense has struggled this season, Cordarrelle Patterson is emerging as a lethal weapon thanks to his array of talents. Clearly, Mike Davis is not a bell cow answer in the backfield, which led to both a rushing and receiving touchdown for the Swiss Army Knife. Patterson has always had talent, so as long as a team is willing to give him touches, he’s going to produce.

In his first game without Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick was the WR2 in Denver and caught three balls for 37 yards and a score. He’s playing nearly every snap on offense while running a route for every Teddy Bridgewater drop back. Denver and Bridgewater are airing it out this year, so the Broncos’ offense is providing good fantasy value from its pass catchers.

STASH

1. Justin Fields, QB Chicago Bears (51% rostered)
2. Tony Pollard, RB Dallas Cowboys (54% rostered)
3. James White, RB New England Patriots (46% rostered)
4. Henry Ruggs, WR Las Vegas Raiders (35% rostered)
5. Elijah Moore, WR New York Jets (31% rostered)
6. Emmanuel Sanders, WR Buffalo Bills (22% rostered)
7. KJ Osborn, WR Minnesota Vikings (3% rostered)
8. Michael Carter, RB New York Jets (50% rostered)
9. JD McKissic, RB Washington Football Team (29% rostered)
10. Kenneth Gainwell, RB Philadelphia Eagles (36% rostered)
11. JJ Taylor, RB New England Patriots (1% rostered)

We got a brief glimpse of Justin Fields as the Bears QB1 when Andy Dalton left the game with an injury. Fields wasn’t exactly setting the world ablaze, but you saw his rushing upside with 10 attempts. The Konami Code potential is there and Fields was one of our favorite late-round QB targets this year. If Dalton remains on the shelf and Fields secures the QB1 job, he’s a league-winner.

It’s tough to list handcuffs every week in this article, but Tony Pollard is starting to display true standalone fantasy value. He outscored Ezekiel Elliott for the second straight week and balled out against the Chargers. Pollard notched over 100 yards rushing and a score on 16 total touches. Zeke owners should have their respective hands hovering over the panic button.

With Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson fumbling Week 1, Bill Belichick went back to ol’ reliable, James White. The PPR legend caught six balls for 45 yards and even punched in a goal-line carry for a score. This offense is still bland with the rookie under center, which favors White’s talents. hasn’t really opened up yet, sticking with short-yardage routes which favor White’s talents.

He’s been wildly inconsistent, but Henry Ruggs put together a remarkable game this week against a tough Steelers defense. He tied or led the team in targets, receptions, and yards and added a touchdown. He has serious potential to take the top off of defenses with his speed, and with the way Derek Carr is throwing the ball right now Ruggs has his best chance of having an impactful fantasy season.

With Corey Davis being taken out of the game by JC Jackson, rookie Elijah Moore got a chance for a bigger role in a struggling Jets offense. The eight targets are promising, but he only caught four of those for 47 yards. The upside is there if Zach Wilson and the offense can ever figure it out.

It’s abundantly clear the Buffalo Bills LOVE to throw the football, which should be good for Emmanuel Sanders’ fantasy stock moving forward. Josh Allen’s WR2 had six targets, which is nice, but he only caught two balls. This passing attack has struggled a bit so far, so it’s only a matter of time before they figure it out.

Boosted by a 64-yard touchdown, Minnesota’s WR3 KJ Osborn had another big performance going for 5-91-1 on six targets. Obviously, Thielen and Jefferson are the top two pass catchers in this offense, but that lack of a tight end and true No. 3 option has kept the door open for Osborn to step in. This Vikings offense puts up points, and Osborn has shown he can play an established role for this team.

Rookie Michael Carter is slowly starting to carve his role in the committee and is showing flashes of potential. He had 11 carries for 59 yards (5.4 ypc) and caught two balls for 29 yards. He looked explosive and shifty, while Ty Johnson and Tevin Coleman haven’t brought much of anything to the table.

Much to the dismay of Antonio Gibson owners, JD McKissic punched in a goal-line score for Washington in Week 2. He’s PPR dependent, going for five catches and 83 yards while Taylor Heinicke was under center. McKissic still brings value in his role at such a thin position.

Purely an end-of-bench stash, Kenneth Gainwell has supplanted Boston Scott as the RB2 in Philly. Should something happen to an injury-prone Miles Sanders, Gainwell will be a hot commodity. He’s already playing a healthy amount of snaps and has the best hands in the RB room.

Rookie Rhamondre Stevenson entered the Belichick dog house after fumbling in the preseason and in Week 1. As a result, do-it-all RB JJ Taylor was active as the team’s third running back. He only mustered two carries on the day, but he’s one more Harris fumble away from potentially carving out a significant role for the Patriots. Stash Taylor in deeper leagues because Belichick does not care about your fantasy team.

STREAM

1. Derek Carr, QB Las Vegas Raiders (27% owned)
2. Teddy Bridgewater, QB Denver Broncos (17% rostered)
3. Daniel Jones, QB New York Giants (19% rostered)
4. Peyton Barber, RB Las Vegas Raiders (9% rostered)
5. Carolina Panthers D/ST (20% rostered)
6. Las Vegas Raiders D/ST (2% rostered)
7. Austin Hooper, TE Cleveland Browns (48% rostered)

Derek Carr and the Raiders have looked like a whole new team from 2020 as they’re off to a hot 2-0 start. Carr threw for 382 and two scores against a tough Steelers defense on the road — which is quite remarkable. Carr gets the Dolphins next, who were just dismantled by the Bills.

Despite losing his WR1, Teddy Bridgewater has been airing it out throwing for over 300 yards and 2 scores. The Broncos offer a lot of solid pass catchers and Teddy Two Gloves is taking full advantage. The Jets should pose no threat for him next week.

While his team is 0-2, Daniel Jones has actually looked somewhat decent to start the year. He looks like a decent passer, connecting early and often with Sterling Shepard. The connection and chemistry with Kenny Golladay should come in time. But the reason Jones is a consideration here is his rushing ability. Jones nearly eclipsed 100 yards on the ground on Thursday and has rushing scores in back-to-back games. Things looks promising for Danny Dimes with the Falcons up next.

Staying in Vegas, there’s a pukeworthy plodder with starting potential for at least another week. With Josh Jacobs (toe, ankle) out of the Week 2 lineup, RSJ nemesis, Peyton Barber, stacked up 13 carries next to Kenyan Drake. Pathetically, Barber led the team in rushing with those 13 carries for 32 measly yards, but he gets the Dolphins’ run defense next week — assuming Jacobs is still sidelined.

The Panthers have started the season 2-0 with convincing wins over the Jets and Saints. Next up is a Thursday night game against the Texans who will likely start rookie Davis Mills with Tyrod Taylor injured.

If Tua is unable to suit up for Week 3 against the Raiders, then I love that defense against Jacoby Brissett. Maxx Crosby has been a menace upfront for Las Vegas.

The loss of Jarvis Landry will be tough for Cleveland to make up for offensively and Odell Beckham has yet to play this season coming off an ACL injury. The pass catchers are limited, meaning veteran tight end Austin Hooper could be in for a much more significant role in Week 3.