Early Fantasy Football Week 3 Waiver Wire Stashes: Add Emmett Johnson, Pat Bryant Before Your League Does

Waiver wire szn is upon us, and if your FAAB budget is still sitting untouched after Week 1, you’re either disciplined or you haven’t been paying attention. Either way, it’s time to fix that. This week’s stash list is loaded with mostly younger players who showed up and showed out. Our early Week 3 Waiver Wire stashes consist of a rookie running back flashing elite athleticism behind a bellcow who’s never handled a true workhorse role, a second-year wideout who looked like Denver’s best receiver, and a handful of names quietly forcing their way into bigger roles before the rest of your league notices.

Below, we’re breaking down the best adds still sitting on the waiver wire in a meaningful chunk of leagues, from Emmett Johnson’s monster athletic profile behind Kenneth Walker to Pat Bryant’s early case as Denver’s most reliable target earner to Tyler Shough still being available even though he’s a fantasy monster. Some of these guys are league-winners in waiting, others are just solid depth pieces for a long fantasy season, but all of them are worth a bid before Sunday’s lock.

Let’s get into the Week 3 Waiver Wire stashes.

Note: These players are rostered in 50% or fewer Yahoo! leagues.

FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 3 WAIVER WIRE STASHES

Quarterback Waiver Wire Targets

TYLER SHOUGH, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (48% ROSTERED)

Somebody explain how Tyler Shough is still sitting on the waiver wire in more than half of leagues. The Saints quarterback finished Week 1 as the QB6 after completing 35-of-56 attempts for 410 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in New Orleans’ 31-30 overtime loss to the Lions. Those 56 attempts led the entire NFL, which is great for fantasy, but awful if you’re a Saints fan. Don’t pencil in 50+ throws every Sunday.

Still, this is exactly the profile you want in a fantasy quarterback: a passer with upside in an offense that plays from behind, with legs that haven’t been unleashed yet. Shough managed just eight rushing yards on four carries, but the mobility is real, and even a modest rushing floor turns a QB2 into a weekly starter. He was our favorite sleeper QB heading into the season, and nothing about his Week 1 performance changed that.

Here’s the honest part: I don’t love rostering a QB2 when I already have a stud under center. But Shough is the rare exception, and the window to get him for free is closing fast. Wait until after Week 2, and you’re bidding against everyone else. Add him now and figure out the rest later. Either he keeps producing and becomes your bye-week bailout, or he becomes a trade chip for the manager in your league who drafted one quarterback and is already panicking.

Other QB Targets: CJ Stroud (HOU, 37%); Bryce Young (CAR, 30%); Malik Willis (MIA, 36%);

Running Back Waiver Wire Pickups

EMMETT JOHNSON, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (26%)

Emmett Johnson’s NFL debut came with a “keep an eye on this” stat line: eight carries for 24 yards plus two catches for 44 yards on two targets, good for 68 total yards on 10 touches in a win over the Broncos. Some of that damage came late with the game already decided, but against one of the league’s best fronts, the rookie flashed the athleticism that had us salivating over his skill-set. Kenneth Walker is clearly the bellcow here, and the question worth asking is whether he can really handle 25-plus touches a game, which is something he’s never done in his career. If the answer is no, Johnson is the one who benefits.

Johnson reportedly won the RB2 job behind Walker convincingly in camp and the preseason, and Monday night backed that up. This is a stash on pure upside because he’s one Walker injury away from workhorse volume, and the elite athleticism gives him a real ceiling if that opportunity arrives. Grab him now while he’s sitting at 26% rostered.

DEMOND CLAIBORNE, MINNESOTA VIKINGS (4%)

With Jordan Mason on IR, Kevin O’Connell has already said he expects Demond Claiborne active for Week 2 against the Bears, and the depth chart favors him more than the 4% rostership suggests. ESPN’s Kevin Seifert reports Claiborne and journeyman DeeJay Dallas will both back up Aaron Jones, and while Dallas played last week and Claiborne didn’t, some beat reporters were high on the rookie all summer. A 2026 sixth-round pick out of Wake Forest, Claiborne rushed for 907 yards and 10 scores as a senior, finishing his career with 2,599 yards and 26 touchdowns, and he brings legitimate 4.37 speed to a compact, lane-finding running style.

He also caught 55 passes in college, which matters in a Kevin O’Connell offense that loves throwing to its backs. If you follow our Dynasty content, Claiborne ranked RB7 in my Dynasty Rookie Rankings (+2 vs ECR). The profile was never the question; it was the landing spot and playing time. Stash him in 12-team leagues and see how the touches shake out behind Jones.

Other RB Targets: Mike Washington (LV, 45%); Braelon Allen (NYJ, 16%); Devin Singletary (NYG, 9%); George Holani (SEA, 7%); Kendre Miller (NO, 2%)

Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Targets

ANTONIO WILLIAMS, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (13%)

Antonio Williams turned a limited role into the best stat line in Washington’s receiving corps, hauling in all four of his targets for 64 yards and a touchdown in a loss to the Eagles. The Clemson product did it on just 26 of 70 offensive snaps (37.1%), fourth-most among Commanders wideouts, yet still led the team in receiving yards while finishing second only to Stefon Diggs in targets. The rookie third-rounder was nearly in the end zone on his very first NFL catch, a 16-yard grab that set up a JCM score on the next play, before adding a 33-yard catch in the fourth quarter and a one-yard touchdown grab from Jayden Daniels late in the game.

This looked less like a fluke and more like a preview. Williams may have benefited from Philadelphia keying on the two veteran wideouts, but he did enough with his opportunities to compete for more snaps going forward in a crowded room with Diggs and Terry McLaurin. Washington heads to Dallas in Week 2, and if Williams keeps producing on limited work, the snap count is going to catch up to the talent. Stash him now before that happens.

PAT BRYANT, DENVER BRONCOS (10%)

Pat Bryant didn’t waste any time to make an instant impact, catching four of six targets for 42 yards in Monday night’s 31-10 loss to Kansas City and leading the Broncos in targets, catches and yards. He played 30 of the team’s 51 offensive snaps, trailing only Courtland Sutton at the position, and worked primarily out of the slot, a key role in Sean Payton’s offense. He started fast and faded as Denver fell further behind, but he was still the most reliable Bronco on the field.

Coming off a solid rookie campaign, Bryant looks like the clear breakout candidate in this receiver room, and he has a real path to eating into starting snaps as the season goes on. Stash him now in the double-digit-rostered range before the rest of your league catches on.

Other WR Targets: Devaughn Vele (NO, 49%); Denzel Boston (CLE, 30%); Dontayvion Wicks (28%); Kayshon Boutte (HOU, 22%); AD Mitchell (NYJ, 16%); Rashod Bateman (BAL, 7%); Kendrick Bourne (ARI, 4%); Mack Hollins (NE, 4%)

Tight End Waiver Wire Targets

PAT FREIERMUTH, PITTSBURGH STEELERS (14%)

Pat Freiermuth wasted no time reminding fantasy managers he’s a real weapon, catching all five of his targets for 46 yards and a touchdown in Pittsburgh’s narrow win over Atlanta. He was Pittsburgh’s clear TE1 from snap one, playing 70.3% of the snaps with a 72.1% route share and a 12.2% target share, and he capped it off by hauling in a six-yard touchdown from Aaron Rodgers for the Steelers’ only offensive score of the day. That was good enough for a TE6 finish in Week 1.

By comparison, big boy Darnell Washington managed just two catches on two targets for 18 yards, and with Jonnu Smith cut in the offseason, this is shaping up to be a two-man race for tight end work in Pittsburgh. Right now Freiermuth looks like the one winning it. At 14% rostered, he’s a cheap stash with real weekly-starter upside if the target share holds.

Other TE Targets: TJ Hockenson (MIN, 29%); Kenyon Sadiq (NYJ, 18%); Mike Gesicki (CIN, 11%); Greg Dulcich (MIA, 8%); Evan Engram (DEN, 3%)