Spencer’s Week 3 waiver wire guide: Mac Jones, Sterling Shepard among top targets

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New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones calls signals during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Don Wright)

There were some unexpected results in Week 2 of the NFL with several underdogs prevailing, and it was no different in fantasy football with players such as Tua Tagovailoa delivering big days out of nowhere.

Luckily the injury bug didn’t strike as badly as it did in Week 1, but there was a key name lost for the season in Trey Lance, and players such as James Conner and Dalton Schultz picked up nagging injuries to where fantasy owners could be forced to turn to the waiver wire this week.

Let’s take a look at this week’s top waiver wire targets at each of the core four positions (QB, RB, WR and TE).

Players must be rostered in less than 30% of ESPN leagues to make the list.

QUARTERBACKS

Mac Jones, Patriots (12.8% rostered)

There aren’t many quarterbacks on the waiver wire with appealing matchups for Week 3, but Jones is one of the lucky ones since he gets to face the Ravens. The once-feared Ravens secondary has become one of the easiest for opposing quarterbacks to pick apart, and Jones should be able to thrive against them with a solid cast of receivers and makes for a strong streaming option this week.

RUNNING BACKS

Eno Benjamin, Cardinals (4%)

Cardinals starting running back James Conner is questionable for Week 3 after injuring his ankle on Sunday, which could open up the backfield and allow Benjamin to see an increase in touches. Benjamin has assumed the Chase Edmonds role as the primary receiver out of the backfield and is worth a speculative add since he’d be in line for early down work as well this week if Conner ends up out.

Jordan Mason, 49ers (2.1%)

This is a deep league dive since Jeff Wilson has taken over the starting running back role for the 49ers, but it’s rare that one guy keeps the job for more than a few weeks in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Mason is now Wilson’s direct backup with Ty Davis-Price sidelined due to a high ankle sprain and makes for a nice bench stash in case Wilson either gets injured or loses the starting job.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Sterling Shepard, Giants (10.2%)

Shepard appears to be the most reliable receiver in a new-look Giants offense that’s been tough to gauge for fantasy purposes outside of Saquon Barkley. With Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney barely being targeted, Shepard makes for a solid bench stash in PPR with flex appeal in deeper leagues with the Giants likely being forced to throw more in the coming weeks.

Greg Dortch, Cardinals (2.7%)

The Cardinals have seen their receiver depth dry up with several injuries on top of DeAndre Hopkins’ suspension, but Dortch has stepped up unexpectedly and is now a go-to target in one of the league’s most receiver-friendly offenses. Dortch appears to have gained the trust of Kyler Murray and is worth an add since he should continue to produce solid numbers until Hopkins returns.

TIGHT ENDS

Evan Engram, Jaguars (16.6%)

Engram returns to the list this week and will likely be slept on again by many fantasy managers since his Week 2 stat line wasn’t that great, but the important point to take away from it was that he received eight targets and was one of Trevor Lawrence’s go-to options. Engram has upside for more as he continues to gain Lawrence’s trust and should see more red zone opportunities moving forward.

Spencer ‘the Guru’ Urquhart (@spencertheguru) has been a fantasy football analyst since 2014, founding a community of over 6,000 followers on Instagram

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