Early Fantasy Football Week 3 Waiver Wire Pickups: Tyler Shough, Bryce Young, Jonah Coleman, Plus 5 More
Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, Jayden Reed... the list goes on for Week 2's newly listed injuries. The game is tough, and players get hurt. That is part of this contact sport we call football. Fantasy managers will now have to make a pivot to the waiver wire. Here are some of the best early targets for Tuesday's transactions.
All listed availability percentages are per Sleeper.
Tyler Shough — 51% Available
It is now two weeks into football, with a total of 662 yards for the NFL's passing leader. One game did include overtime, but at a 60-minute-per-game pace, Shough is still averaging around 300 yards per game. Those games feature a one-point loss to the Detroit Lions and a win over the Baltimore Ravens — both playoff contenders.
Bryce Young — 58% Available
Bryce Young ranks this season
— PFF (@PFF) September 20, 2026
Pass TD t-1st
Pass Yards 2nd
Pass Rating 5th
Yards/Att 3rd
ADOT t-3rd pic.twitter.com/8TrDybCRBk
Is it crazy to call Bryce Young an MVP contender? Over two weeks, Young has 648 passing yards, 6 touchdowns, and 1 interception. After making the playoffs in 2025, the Panthers might actually be dark-horse NFC contenders. Next up: The Cleveland Browns.
Jonah Coleman — 64% Available
RJ Harvey did not play in Week 2, giving Coleman a larger role. He capitalized on 10 rushing attempts for 39 yards and 1 touchdown. Coleman additionally caught all 3 of his targets for 19 yards. Now that JK Dobbins tweaked his hamstring, who knows what next week might bring? Coleman could quickly take on a major role in Denver.
Alvin Kamara — 56% Available
I am sure that Kamara will be highly rated this week. Having been injured in Week 1, his ownership percentage fell. Yet, the above number shows optimism that Kamara is available in your league.
In Week 2, Kamara ran the ball 9 times, accounting for 33% of the Saints' rushing attempts. He also caught 5 balls on 6 targets. The Saints have said he will be a focal point next to Travis Etienne Jr. Expect 10-15 touches per game.
Malik Washington — 66% Available
Caleb Douglas -
— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) September 20, 2026
Got rolled up on while blocking.
Concern for Right high ankle sprain and/or deltoid ligament sprain.
Was limping but my guess is this would be on the milder side based on mechanism, how quickly he escaped being pinned, and sideline walking. pic.twitter.com/NOOAvvGuyD
The Dolphins are awaiting further news on Caleb Douglas. The initial fear is an ankle sprain, and he is in a boot post-game. If Douglas is out in Week 3, that puts an even larger share of targets on Washington.
For the second week in a row, Washington led the Dolphins in routes (23). He really is the team's WR1 in terms of snaps and should be owned in 3WR and/or Flex leagues.
Adonai Mitchell — 87% Available
Mitchell led all Jets with 11 targets on Sunday afternoon. He caught 6 of those for 63 yards. In Week 1, Mitchell also reeled in another 60 yards, now averaging a number that would put Mitchell in line to be a fantasy football WR2.
Surely, he will not be a WR2. But the volume does show intent to get him the ball. Mitchell ran 40 of 49 possible routes on Sunday. The Jets face the NFL's worst total defense, the Detroit Lions, next week.
Kalif Raymond — 87% Available
Week 1 was deemed an outlier for Raymond, who caught 8 of 9 targets. With the Bears stumbling to score just 3 points in Week 2, Raymond was still a big threat. He had 5 targets and caught 100% of those balls. It was the 2nd-most on the team, more than both Rome Odunze and Colston Loveland. Raymond ran the 2nd-most routes (32).
Oronde Gadsden II — 66% Available
The cart is out for David Njoku pic.twitter.com/qLoFwk4fGR
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 20, 2026
David Njoku was carted off with a knee injury against the Raiders. We do not yet know the severity, but a cart coming out is not very promising. If Njoku is out, Gadsden II will have a tremendous role. Charlie Kolar is the only other noteworthy tight end, and he is purely a blocker.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.