The 2026 NFL season is only two weeks old, but it's already seen a ton of injuries. For fantasy football managers, that means you're already reaching into the depths of the waiver wire for help with your team. You don't want to be doing that in Week 3, but sometimes you have to.
These six fantasy sleepers likely weren't on your radar two weeks ago, but they should be now.
QB C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
Injuries to the wide receiver corps in Houston have definitely hindered the team's offense through the first two games of the season, but quarterback C.J. Stroud has actually played solid football in spite of that. He threw a pair of touchdowns in the opener against Buffalo, then had 353 yards in the loss to the Bengals.
Now, Stroud is set to face the Colts. Indianapolis has struggled immensely against the pass this season, giving up the league's most passing yards through two weeks. Something is just very, very wrong with this Colts secondary.
Sure, Stroud is risky because Nico Collins (hamstring) looks like he'll be out again this week, but he might not need an elite receiver to eat against a defense playing this poorly. I'd consider him a high-end QB2 with upside this week.
RB Emanuel Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks rookie first-rounder Jadarian Price hasn't looked particularly good so far this season and now he's been limited in practice all week with a chest issue that he picked up in Week 2.
Price's situation has opened the door for Emanuel Wilson, who saw expanded work in Week 2. Wilson played 41 percent of Seattle's snaps, carrying the ball 21 times for 92 yards. It was a very strong showing for Wilson, even if he was a non-factor in the receiving game.
A healthy Price is still the lead back here, but a desperate fantasy manager could do far worse than Wilson this week. We can assume that even if Price does play, Seattle will want to keep Wilson heavily in the mix to keep Price as healthy as possible.
RB Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints
Alvin Kamara isn't Alvin Kamara these days, but Week 2 proved that even after adding Travis Etienne, the New Orleans Saints still have interest in putting the ball in his hands.
After missing Week 1, Kamara made his 2026 debut against the Ravens. While his 20 snaps were 17 fewer than Etienne (and were tied with running back CJ Donaldson), New Orleans made sure it utilized him during those snaps, as Kamara had nine carries (one more than Etienne) and six targets (four more than Etienne) in the victory.
That's the good news. The bad news is Kamara finished with just 22 scrimmage yards. The volume was there so I'm definitely willing to play him against the Raiders in a deep league, but we do need to start seeing production soon or the volume will start to drop.
WR Adonai Mitchell, New York Jets
So, the New York Jets passing attack with Geno Smith under center isn't terrible! The team currently ranks a respectable 13th in the league in passing yards.
While Garrett Wilson has been Smith's top receiver, Adonai Mitchell hasn't been far behind. He actually has one more target on the year than Wilson, though he's slightly behind in other stats.
Targets | Receptions | Receiving Yards | Touchdowns | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Garrett Wilson | 14 | 11 | 136 | 1 |
Adonai Mitchell | 15 | 9 | 123 | 0 |
Still, the numbers are close enough that you can basically call this a 1A and 1B situation. Maybe that won't continue all season since Wilson is the more talented of the two, bu for now, you have a great chance to take advantage of this situation against the Lions in Week 3, as the team has allowed the second-most passing yards in the league so far and has already surrendered six touchdowns through the air.
WR Denzel Boston, Cleveland Browns
It's early, but Cleveland Browns wide receiver Denzel Boston has been the best rookie receiver so far, catching seven passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns, with one score in each game so far.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but quarterback Deshaun Watson has looked passable. Not good, but decent enough that he isn't actively a detriment to the value of his receivers. That's something, I guess.
This week, the Browns are in a good spot to have another strong offensive showing against the Carolina Panthers. While Carolina's defense shut down Cooper Rush's Atlanta Falcons last week, those were "Cooper Rush's Atlanta Falcons." I'm not saying that Watson looks like Caleb Williams did against this defense in Week 1, but I do think it ends up being a solid day for Cleveland. (I should note that not everyone here at FanSided feels this way.)
TE Oronde Gadsden II, Los Angeles Chargers
After last season, it looked like Los Angeles Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden II was on his way to being a borderline top-10 tight end in the league. Then the Chargers added David Njoku and much of that hype came crashing down.
But Njoku (and fellow tight end Charlie Kolar) is on the IR now, which makes Gadsden the team's only healthy tight end, something that should set him up for a strong showing against the Bills this weekend, assuming Justin Herbert is able to work out some of his recent issues.
Buffalo has allowed the 12th-most fantasy points per game to tight ends this season. This isn't, like, a smash matchup for Gadsden, but if you need a tight end to stream off the waiver wire this week, it's a good enough matchup that you can be convinced it's the right move.
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