Waiver Favors™: 2021 Week 3 Fantasy Football Pickups

By Ha Kung Wong  Week 3 Fantasy Football Pickups

Twitter: @FBGarbageTime

As I do every year over the last 9 years, I’m here to help with waiver wire adds via my weekly Waiver Favors™ article!  And I’m assuming if you’re reader right now, you’re in your fantasy football playoffs, so congratulations!

I’ll make a couple suggestions for after Week 3 of the 2021 fantasy football season that hopefully will keep your team running.  You’re welcome.  Again.

As usual, all pickups are available in at least 50% of Yahoo standard fantasy football leagues (with some minor exceptions) as of Sunday evening.

Chuba Hubbard

RB – Carolina Panthers – 25% Owned

Arguably the top pickup of the week, Chuba Howard appears to be in line to be the RB1 in Carolina after Christian McCaffrey went out of the game with a hamstring injury in the early second quarter.  Hubbard played 40 of 73 offensive snaps (55 percent) and tallied 11 carries for 52 yards and catching three of five targets for 27 yards. Royce Freeman will probably mic in, but looks like CMC may miss several weeks with his injury, meaning that Hubbard gets to be the primary backfield complement to a hot Panthers offense.  Got get him in all leagues.

Christian Kirk

WR – Arizona Cardinals – 51% Owned

DeAndre Hopkins is the WR1 in Arizona, but then there’s a mess of talent behind him.  I love rookie Rondale Moore, but veteran A.J. Green took a ton of targets this week.  And while I don’t trust Green, I’m starting to trust the other Week 3 breakout in Arizona, Christian Kirk.  Kirk has been a much discussed fantasy football WR for some time now, but had an injury that set him back until this year.  And, in Week 3, he caught 7 of 8 targets for 104 yards.  Part of it was Hopkins’ rib injury, but Kirk has at least 65 yards in his first two games of the season as well, so he looks to be trending up.  He’s worth a stash in most 12-team leagues or deeper.

Marquez Callaway

WR – New Orleans Saints – 37% Owned

With Michael Thomas out, I was big on Marquez Callaway in the preseason, and he did not disappoint.  Of course, after the actual season started, that connection with Jameis Winston didn’t seem to continue as he had only 3 catches over the first 2 weeks.  Of course, then we get to Week 3 and he catches 4 of 5 targets for 41 yards and a TD.  Will there more of this?  It’s unclear, but I suspect he’ll continue to operates as the de facto WR1 in New Orleans, which might not be consistent, but can certainly pay dividends.  Pick him up in all 12 team leagues as a WR4/Flex.

Hunter Renfrow

WR – Las Vegas Raiders – 11% Owned

I loved Hunter Renfrow when he was in college because he always seemed to be the guy that just plain out-worked the competition.  And although he’s gotten a slow start in the NFL, he looks to be gaining some traction now 3 straight solid weeks (6 of 9 for 70 yards, 5 of 7 for 57 yards and 5 of 6 for 77 yards and a TD).  The targets are legit with the surprisingly undefeated Raiders and he certainly will continue to get opportunity with TD upside.  Pick him up in all 12-team PPR leagues or deeper.

Pat Freiermuth

TE – Pittsburgh Steelers – 8% Owned

Pat Freiermuth seemed to be the heir-apparent TE in Pittsburgh, but started the season pretty slow, splitting snaps with Eric Ebron.  But he had a nice Week 3 catching 3 of 5 targets for 22 yards and his first career TD.  He was fantastic in college and makes for an enticing redzone target for Big Ben.  Ebron is still there, but I think it’s only a matter of time before Freiermuth takes over.  And we know how much Big Ben loves targeting TEs.  Feel free to stash him as a TE2 in 14-team leagues or deeper.

Tyler Conklin

TE – Minnesota Vikings – 4% Owned

With Irv Smith Jr. out on IR from the preseason, all eyes were on Tyler Conklin.  He didn’t do much to get our attention in Weeks 1 and 2, but he did get 4 targets each week.  And now, in Week 3, he managed to snag 7 of 8 targets for 70 yards and his first TD of the season.  Perhaps there won’t be any consistency with Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen hogging all the targets, but if Dalvin Cook is out again, maybe there will be more targets to go around for Conklin.  Feel free to speculate in 14-team leagues or deeper.

UPDATE for Monday Night Football

Check back for the update after Monday Night Football!

And here’s who I’ve recommended in previous weeks that I still think deserve a look.  I’ve highlighted in Orange the previous pickups that stood out again in Week 3:

10-Team Leagues

None

12-Team Leagues

RBs – Michael Carter, Eli Mitchell

WRs – Cole Beasley (PPR), Henry Ruggs III

14-Team Leagues

QBs – Taylor Heinicke, Jameis Winston

RB – Alexander Mattison, Rondale Moore, James White

WRs – Darnell Mooney, K.J. Osborn, Zach Pascal, Tim Patrick, Jalen Reagor

16-Team Leagues

TEs – James O’Shaughnessy

Check back every week for more Waiver Favors!