NFL Fantasy Sleepers Week 3 | Best Waiver Wire Targets

If you’re looking for NFL week 3 waiver wire targets or seeking DFS sleepers for Week 3, then consider quarterbacks Derek Carr (New Orleans Saints) or Gardner Minshew (Las Vegas Raiders), wide receiver Quentin Johnston (Los Angeles Chargers), rookie running back Carson Steele (Kansas City Chiefs), and tight end Hunter Henry (New England Patriots).

Top NFL Fantasy Sleepers Week 3

We recommended quarterback Sam Darnold (Minnesota Vikings) and running back Bucky Irving (Tampa Bay Bucs) as top week 2 fantasy sleepers last week. If either player is still available on your waiver wire, then grab them ASAP. If you’re building a DFS lineup for Week 3, both offer tremendous value.

Best Week 3 QB Sleepers

This might be your last chance to bolster your roster with a QB off the waiver wire and the best available QBs include Darnold, Carr, and Justin Fields (Pittsburgh Steelers).

Derek Carr

After a sensational performance from Carr to start the season, it’s doubtful he’ll be available after this week. The Saints lead the NFL in scoring with 91 points thanks to a healthy Carr and a revamped offense under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.

Carr has a 76.9% completion rate this season. In the blowout against the Carolina Panthers in the season opener, Carr completed 19-for-23 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Against a much stronger defense and the Dallas Cowboys on their home turf in Week 2, Carr and the Saints looked unstoppable in a 44-10 victory. Carr completed 11-for-16 attempts for 243 yards including two touchdowns and one pick. He also added a rushing touchdown.

The Saints host the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 before hitting the road to play the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4 and the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5.

Gardner Minshew

Gardner Minshew is probably the coolest quarterback in the NFL and you’d love to have him as a best friend. He’d pick you up at the airport during rush hour, or help you move heavy furniture, or bail you out of jail at 4am. Minshew had become a reliable backup quarterback in the past with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts, but he earned the starting job with the Raiders in preseason.

After a shaky performance in a Week 1 loss against the Chargers, the Raiders upset the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2. The Ravens were the biggest betting favorite on the board at -8, and the Raiders beat them outright. The Raiders were down 10 points in the fourth quarter, and Minshew engineered a comeback. They scored 13 consecutive points and won 26-23.

An efficient Minshew completed 77.5% of his passes this season for 533 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. It’s unlikely Minshew can keep up his high completion rate, but he gets to pass to one of the elite WRs in the game with Davante Adams. Meanwhile rookie tight end Brock Bowers has looked impressive in just two games.

Minshew is a true deep sleeper and rostered on less than 3% of fantasy teams on ESPN and 10% at Sleeper. After consecutive road games, the Raiders host back-to-back home games in Sin City. They play the inept Carolina Panthers in Week 3 and the Cleveland Browns in Week 4. They return to the road in Week 5 with a divisional game against the Denver Broncos.

Best Week 3 RB Sleeper

Injuries are starting to pile up, especially at the running back position. The Kansas City Chiefs will not have starter Isiah Pacheco after he went down with an ankle injury in Week 2. An MRI revealed a fractured fibula, and Pacheco is out for at least 6-8 weeks.

Carson Steele

Rookie Carson Steele, an undrafted RB out of UCLA, becomes the next man up in the backfield rotation for the Chiefs. The long-haired Steele had made the social media rounds due to his pet crocodile named Crocky-J, but now he’s expected to start against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3. The Chiefs have veteran Samaje Perine on the roster but he was limited to just two touches in two games. Looks like Perine will handle passing downs, but Steele will get goal-line touches. There’s also a rumor that the Chiefs will attempt to bring former starter Kareem Hunt back into the mix. Yet for Week 3, Steele is your lone option.

Best Week 3 TE Sleepers

Some of the elite tight ends have underperformed so far this season, which is why rookie TE Brock Bowers from the Las Vegas Raiders has been turning heads. If you’re already streaming a tight end week-to-week, or looking to add depth then keep an eye on veteran sleepers like Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki.

Hunter Henry

New England Patriots quarterback Jacoby Brissett did not exactly light up the Seattle Seahawks in an overtime loss with 144 passing yards. However, tight end Hunter Henry accounted for 76% of Brissett’s yardage distribution. Henry set a career-best 12 targets and 109 receiving yards with eight receptions.

In two games this season, Henry has yet to find the end zone, but he scored nine touchdowns with the Patriots in 2021 and six in 14 games last season. Henry is widely available and rostered on less than 25% on the major fantasy sites like Yahoo (24%), Sleeper (22%), and ESPN (10%).

Mike Gesicki

No one would’ve believed that after the first two games of the season that tight end Mike Gesicki would lead the Cincinnati Bengals in receiving yards, and third-string WR Andrei Iosivas would lead the team in receiving touchdowns. Tee Higgins has yet to suit up this season due to a hamstring injury, and Ja’Marr Chase is still shaking off the rust after missing the preseason due to a contract dispute.

Gesicki caught 10 passes out of 13 targets from quarterback Joe Burrow. He tallied 109 yards including 91 in a tough loss against the Chiefs in Week 2. Until Higgins returns to full strength, Gesicki looks like the second option on the Bengals behind Chase. He even has a lower roster percentage than Henry and he’s as low as 3% on ESPN.

Best Week 3 WR Sleepers

Hollywood is always on the search for their next big star, but take a look at wide receivers from both teams in Los Angeles if you’re seeking sleeper value or want to add depth.

Quentin Johnston

After losing two veteran wide receivers in free agency, there was an opportunity for someone on the Chargers to step up and take over as WR #1. Heading into the season, it looked like Joshua Palmer had the inside track to becoming WR #1, but Palmer was only targeted six times so far this season with four catches for 34 yards and zero touchdowns.

Rookie WR Ladd McConkey is tied for the team lead in targets, but he might not be available because he’s rostered at 80% of leagues at ESPN, Sleeper, and Yahoo.

Quentin Johnston, a second-year player from TCU, is tied for the team lead with 11 targets and leads the Chargers with eight catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns. Johnston already equaled last year’s output when he scored two touchdowns in 17 games last season.

Johnston hauled in five catches for 51 yards and two touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers in Week 1. The Chargers play the Steelers in Week 3 and the Chiefs in Week 4 before an early bye in Week 5, so that’s something to consider if you need help right now. Otherwise, Johnston has tremendous stash value and rostered at less than 16% at Sleeper and 7% at ESPN, and 6% at Yahoo.

Tyler Johnson or Demarcus Robinson

The bad beats continue for the Rams, who lost their top two wide receivers to injuries. Puka Nacua exited Week 1 due to a lingering knee injury, and All-Pro WR Cooper Kupp limped off the field in Week