Waiver Wire Week 3: Derek Carr, Darnell Mooney Lead Top Fantasy Football Free-Agent Pickups

Just two weeks into the 2021 season, injuries are already starting to pile up around the NFL. While there haven’t been many injuries hindering the very best fantasy football weapons, a slew of starting-caliber quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers are now banged up going into Week 3. If you are one of the many fantasy managers impacted by these ailments, don’t fret, as there are plenty of up-and-coming fantasy talents ready to be claimed on the waiver wire.

This past weekend saw several clubs lose their starting quarterbacks. Tua Tagovailoa, Andy Dalton, Carson Wentz and Tyrod Taylor all exited their respective contest and not return. Fantasy owners in deeper leagues and two-QB formats should make it a priority to unearth potential replacements for these signal-callers before Week 3 kicks off. Dalton, Wentz and Tagovailoa are all likely to miss at least one game, while Taylor is expected to be out for an extended stretch.

The 49ers suffered more injuries within their running back platoon this past weekend. After losing starter Raheem Mostert for the season in the opener, the team saw Elijah Mitchell, JaMycal Hasty and Trey Sermon go down at various points against the Eagles. While Mitchell was able to return later in the game, his fantasy managers will want to keep an eye out for updates on the rookie’s shoulder. Rams starter Darrell Henderson also left in Week 2, remaining sidelined while backup Sony Michel assumed bell cow duties in his absence. Henderson’s status will be up in the air until closer to LA’s Week 3 matchup with the Buccaneers.

Wide receivers made it into Week 3 relatively unscathed, but those who were relying on Jarvis Landry will want to scour waivers today for some depth. The Browns wideout is week-to-week with a sprained MCL and could land on injured reserve, a transaction that would keep him sidelined for a minimum of three games. It’s a tough break for the dependable WR, as he has only missed one game since coming into the league back in 2014. Fantasy managers who were concerned about Diontae Johnson and Laviska Shenault Jr. can relax, as both wideouts are reportedly fine after suffering minor injuries on Sunday. Both will be ready for Week 3 after undergoing MRI testing.

There is likely to be plenty more weeks like that leave fantasy football managers scrambling to replace their injured talent. Acquiring depth is key early in the season, while the free-agent pool still has plenty of serviceable options just waiting to be claimed.

Shrewd managers will continually tinker with their roster each week, overturning the bottom to bring in the best possible backups and bye week replacements. These moves will pay off in the long run, giving them the depth needed to outlast opponents during a long season. With that in mind, here the top waiver wire pickups for Week 3. All suggestions are rostered in a combined 50% or less of ESPN and Yahoo leagues. DFS values are courtesy of FanDuel.

QB Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders: 22% Rostered, $7,200 DFS Value

The Raiders currently boast the top total offense in the NFL, putting up an impressive 458 yards per game while averaging 29.5 points over their first two contests. Vegas also has the league’s No. 31 rushing offense, with only the Steelers generating less yardage per game on the ground so far.

It’s clear that quarterback Derek Carr is the driving force behind Vegas’ high-powered passing attack in 2021. The 30-year-old has taken a leap to start his eighth professional campaign and put himself firmly in the MVP discussion after two incredible performances.

Carr has completed 62-of-93 passes for 817 yards and four touchdowns against a single interception. Perhaps most impressively, the signal-caller has done this while matching up with a pair of potent AFC North defenses in the Steelers and Ravens.

There is no shortage of talent surrounding Vegas’ QB this year. He has a legitimate superstar in Darren Waller serving as his top target, plus complementary weapons like big-play threat Henry Ruggs III and another emerging receiver in Bryan Edwards. This team is a nightmare for opposing defenses and should continue to put up big numbers all year long.

If you haven’t been satisfied with your No. 1 QB or lost one of the four starters that went down with injury this past week, put a claim in on Carr. It’s unlikely the ninth-ranked QB in fantasy will remain on waivers past Week 3 due to his red-hot start. He is well worth an add in nearly every format.

RB Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles: 33% Rostered, $5,000 DFS Value

Fantasy managers seeking help at the running back position are in a tough spot right now. All of the top-30 point-scoring backs are currently rostered in a majority of leagues, including waiver wire targets from earlier in the season like Elijah Mitchell and Ty’Son Williams.

For those desperate for production, the best move now is to bet on RBs with high potential. Managers should look no further than Philadelphia’s Kenny Gainwell, who is currently the No. 33 RB in both standard and PPR formats.

While the Eagles rookie isn’t putting up huge numbers yet—he has rushed 15 times for 51 yards and a score plus caught four passes for an additional 24 yards—he could become a bigger factor as the 2021 NFL season goes on.

Miles Sanders currently leads the Philadelphia backfield, but the third-year veteran has shown he is prone to injury recently. He missed four games last season and wasn’t 100% healthy in some of the contests he suited up for. Sanders has already landed on the injury report with an ankle issue this year. If he misses any time, Gainwell would be in line to take on a much bigger role.

Even if continues in his current role, Gainwell still has good value and upside, especially in PPR formats. While he was on the field for just 33% of Philadelphia’s offensive snaps, Gainwell was QB Jalen Hurts’ top target out of the backfield. He drew three targets in Week 2, one more than Sanders received in the contest.

As Gainwell gets more comfortable and builds rapport with Hurts, he should become a fixture on third downs and in passing situations. The 22-year-old is a dynamic playmaker when he gets the ball in his hands and the Eagles will want to feed him more as he gets established within their offense.

WR Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears: 47% Rostered, $5,600 DFS Value

Although the Bears aren’t known for having a high-powered passing offense, the team can sustain at least one fantasy relevant wide receiver. Many expected Allen Robinson to be fill that role again in 2021, but Darnell Mooney may outperform the veteran.

Mooney has now finished with more targets than any other Chicago pass-catcher in both games this year. He opened the campaign catching five of his seven targets for 26 yards and built on that this past Sunday, reeling in six receptions on eight targets for 66 yards.

Already worth of a flex spot in most formats, Mooney is trending towards being an even bigger fantasy contributor. Justin Fields is likely going to get his first shot at starting in Week 3 after Andy Dalton suffered a bone bruise in his knee, opening the door for the rookie signal-caller to take over this offense.

Fields connected on two of his four passes thrown in Mooney’s direction after he replaced Dalton on Sunday, generating 33 yards in total. The battery could have done even more damage had Fields not overthrown the second year wideout on a surefire touchdown. Mooney also failed to catch a pass that hit him in the hands during Fields’ first drive of the contest.

Look for the connection between these two to tighten up in Week 3. The Bears may have won with Fields closing out their Week 2 contest, but the rookie quarterback was far from satisfied with his individual performance.

If he’s still available in your league, be sure to get Mooney on your roster this week. He could be one of the breakout WR stars of 2021, putting up some big numbers with Fields at the helm.

TE Austin Hooper, Cleveland Browns: 49% Rostered, $5,300 DFS Value

Austin Hooper wasn’t a terrible fantasy football option during his first year with the Browns, but the tight end never ascended to be a reliable weapon for managers. He’s off to another ho-hum start in 2021, but that could change in Week 3 due to the lack of pass-catchers surrounding him.

Hooper is coming off a five-catch, 40-yard showing in Week 2, sturdy numbers at a position that lacks depth, but nothing to get too excited about. The 26-year-old is well worth a speculative add and streaming play this week against the Bears though, especially after WR Jarvis Landry went down with a knee injury.

With Landry unavailable and Odell Beckham Jr. yet to make his 2021 debut as he recovers from a torn ACL, Cleveland will be forced to lean heavily on Hooper and fellow tight ends David Njoku and Harrison Bryant to power its passing offense this Sunday. Anthony Schwartz, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Rashard Higgins are the only Browns receivers aside from Landry to catch a ball this year, but the three have combined for a paltry seven receptions in two weeks.

Even before Landry’s knee sprain, Njoku and Hooper were emerging as QB Baker Mayfield’s top targets. Each tight end has seen eight passes thrown his way this year, two more than Schwartz, Landry and Bryant have each received.

Given the dearth of viable fantasy tight ends right now, Hooper is a solid plug-and-play option in the short term. If Beckham is rusty in his debut and Hooper picks up some of Landry’s slack, the TE could have a big day against Chicago.