Fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 3

There is no sugarcoating it. Week 2 was brutal. There were so many NFL players that went down with significant injuries this week that most of these players will be talking about are guys that are just filling in for major injuries around the league.

Here are you waiver wire pickups for Week 3:

Joshua Kelley, RB, Chargers: Bengals’ fans got a close look at this guy in Week 1, but he continued to show that he will be heavily involved in this Chargers offense moving forward. In fact, he had 23 carries in Week 2 with two receptions as well. If you lost a running back this week, I would probably have Kelley at the top of my list to replace them. He is only owned in 39 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Dion Lewis, RB, Giants: Saquon Barkley was likely one of the top three picks in your league. There is no one you are going replace that production you thought you’d be getting. Lewis did look fairly productive in the passing game snagging three catches for over 40 yards on the day. Honestly, that is where he will probably do most of his damage. Wayne Gallman should also see some play.

Jordan Reed, TE, 49ers: Many fantasy players may hate seeing this name because of how rarely he is able to stay on the field. The guy just caught seven passes with two touchdowns, and he is only owned is seven percent of Yahoo! leagues. That needs to change. He clearly is a factor for the 49ers’ depleted pass-catching group, and should be high on any priority list.

Drew Sample, TE, Bengals: Sample is about to be a quality PPR add. With the unfortunate season-ending injury to C.J. Uzomah, Sample has become the sole tight end worth getting targets from Joe Burrow. In fact, Sample had seven catches on nine targets Thursday night. He only had 45 yards, but he was easily one of Burrow’s favorite targets after the two spent plenty of time working out together in the offseason.

Jerick McKinnon, RB, 49ers: Most of McKinnon’s 77 rushing yards came on his 55-yard touchdown run, but this is more about Raheem Mostert going down with a knee injury that could see him missing a few weeks. If that is the case McKinnon needs to be added and probably played as a flex at the very least. That offensive line and running game is just too good.

Myles Gaskin, RB, Dolphins: It is surprising that with guys like Matt Breida and Jordan Howard that the Dolphins have had Gaskin receive the most touches the first two weeks of the season. This week he caught six of seven targets, which is always a great sign for PPR leagues. He also gets to play the Jaguars in Week 3, which never hurts anything.

Russell Gage, WR, Falcons: Gage just posted a game with six catches for 46 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. He now has 21 targets through two weeks. That kind of volume and consistency is hard to come by in the league at this point in the season. He should be a quality flex starter with room for improvement if his chemistry with Matt Ryan continues to develop.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, Packers: First, Devante Adams exiting with a hamstring injury opens up opportunities for Valdes-Scantling. Second, he was second on the team in targets for a team with Aaron Rodgers playing some quality football. And third, he is only owned in 36 percent of leagues after a quality Week 1. He is going to get volume, and he has playmaking ability. He should be a very nice addition that you look back on wondering how you managed to get him after Week 2.