(AUDACY) You've got to be quick on the waiver wire. 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell was one of our top suggestions last week. He was 1% and 0% owned in Yahoo and ESPN leagues, respectively, after the Week 1 slate of games. By the time Week 2 kicked off, those figures went up to 85% and 84%. The fantasy community doesn't sleep when there's potential value to be found.
Mitchell getting hurt — albeit with what should only be a minor injury — is a good reminder, though, of just how fast everything can change in the volatile world of fantasy football. If you're lucky enough, you still might be in a league where another of our recommendations from last week — Patriots running back James White — is still available. Though we suggested him and he came through with a strong performance in Week 2, he's still unowned in about half of leagues. And though we're not going to include the names from last week on our list below, you should still look to pick them up if they're out there and they serve a team need.
Here's a fresh batch of six new waiver wire pickups you should look to make — again, if your team is in need of some help at that position — ahead of Week 3.
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears | QB
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Yahoo: 51% owned | ESPN: 49% owned
It's hard to dedicate a roster spot to a second quarterback. It's even harder to dedicate a roster spot to a quarterback when he's officially the No. 2 quarterback on his team's depth chart. But when 50% of the fantasy football community decides to pick up a player before he even has the starting gig, you know there's a lot of potential.
Seeing as Andy Dalton got hurt in Week 2 and Fields took over, the 50% of leagues in which he's not currently rostered will likely flock to the waivers to try and get their hands on him. Fields fits that fantasy football dual-threat mold, and if you're new to fantasy football, "dual-threat QB" is a phrase that often leads to a lot of fantasy points. That's why someone like the Eagles' Jalen Hurts, who is typically regarded as a bottom-10 starting quarterback in the NFL, is a top-10 fantasy quarterback.
Fields didn't do anything all that exceptional in his extended playing time Sunday after Dalton suffered a knee injury, but all indications are the opportunity is now Fields' in Chicago — assuming Dalton's injury is serious enough to keep him out. Should Fields run with it, that will pay big dividends for both the Bears and his fantasy owners.
Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys | RB
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Yahoo: 53% owned | ESPN: 39% owned
The No. 2 running back of the week, trailing only Titans star Derrick Henry and his monstrous 41.7-point effort, Pollard made the most of his opportunities in a back-and-forth game against the Chargers on Sunday. These weren't garbage-time touches. This wasn't some small workload that he was extremely efficient with. He had 13 carries, three targets and 140 yards of production.
The speculation that Ezekiel Elliott's best days are behind him has been out there for some time, and Pollard's production isn't going to make that buzz go away. And while Elliott owners likely don't have to worry too much that his role will fade, we should start to feel confident that Pollard has carved out his own role, even in the crowded Dallas offense.
Oh, and any sort of Elliott injury? You're looking at a clear-cut RB1 in Pollard going forward.
Cordarrelle Patterson, Atlanta Falcons | RB
Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images
Yahoo: 14% owned | ESPN: 8% owned
I was never really sold that Falcons running back Mike Davis would be as productive as his ADP would have suggested, even with a lead role in the backfield. That hypothesis was partially confirmed in Week 1, when he just seemed like a much less dynamic back than Patterson against the Eagles. And in Week 2, with Patterson earning four red-zone looks to Davis's zero, these thoughts were even further reinforced.
Neither player is someone whom I necessarily would be thrilled to start at this point, but the upside seems like it's on the 30-year-old Patterson's side, whether that's due to the eye test or the Week 2 red-zone touches or the yards per reception. The moment that Patterson becomes much more alluring is when he starts to take touches away from Davis, and at this rate, that looks like it could surprisingly be the case.
So let's pick him up, stash him and temper our expectations until that actually goes into effect.
Rondale Moore, Arizona Cardinals | WR
Norm Hall/Getty Images
Yahoo: 33% owned | ESPN: 19% owned
Just watch this play.
Rondale Moore is getting his feet under him.. sky-high potential pic.twitter.com/biPiqy5QkP
— Dylan Lowe (@DylanLoweNFL) September 19, 2021
And that wasn't even his biggest one of the day, as he was also left *wide* open by Minnesota's secondary and made it count for a 77-yard touchdown. Last week, we mentioned that Cardinals receiver Christian Kirk was someone to pick up on the waivers, and this is also an offense with a receiving corps that's fronted by DeAndre Hopkins. But who says that all three of them can't be valuable assets to a fantasy team? Kyler Murray has had an MVP start to the season, and we've seen teams with three (or more) viable pass-catchers before, especially with an MVP-caliber quarterback.
Moore seems little more exciting than Kirk (and A.J. Green, for that matter), as in he can probably do more with his opportunities and will be a sought-out target when he's on the field, so pick him up and play him in juicy matchups.
Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears | WR
Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Yahoo: 45% owned | ESPN: 49% owned
Mooney's stock probably fell a little bit after Week 1, seeing as he had Dalton at quarterback and he only had 26 yards to show for. But he did get seven targets, meaning he was still getting his fair share of work. Then Week 2 came, Dalton got injured and the Fields-Mooney connection began. Mooney had a six-catch, 66-yard day, and he also dropped a would-be big gain. That's a ball that we assume he comes down with more often than not.
With Mooney's WR2 role locked up and an offense that's bound to become more exciting, there's no better time to look at him on the waiver wire.
Henry Ruggs, Las Vegas Raiders | WR
Justin K. Aller/Getty Images
Yahoo: 34% owned | ESPN: 72% owned
It's not hard to tell which format favored Ruggs more in their draft rankings, eh? If you play in a Yahoo league, however, you're in luck. Ruggs is available in a good chunk of leagues, and he's a player who really embodies the "one play is all you need" mold.
HENRY RUGGS IS FAST. #RaiderNation
— NFL (@NFL) September 19, 2021
📺: #LVvsPIT on CBS
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/hjVv6vvE2y
The Steelers' secondary is a good one too, as is the Ravens' secondary, and those were the Raiders' first two opponents. With weaker matchups ahead, a still-weak Las Vegas defense on his side and increasing chemistry with quarterback Derek Carr, Ruggs should do more of the stuff we expected of him last year.
LISTEN on the Audacy app
Sign up and follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram