Fantasy Football Waiver Wire power rankings, Week 3: Carson Steele, Bucky Irving and DeMarcus Robinson stick out

Each week during the 2024 NFL season, FanSided fantasy football expert Lior Lampert creates a hierarchy of ideal waiver wire pickups. He'll base his ranks on performance, usage, coachspeak, injury news/analysis, stats, upcoming matchups, FAAB value and more. Every player mentioned is available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo fantasy leagues.

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire power rankings, Week 3

Week 2 gave us a laundry list of injuries, leaving fantasy football managers in peril. Between Cooper Kupp, Justin Jefferson and Amon-Ra St. Brown, we saw multiple high-end WR1s go down, albeit to varying degrees. Meanwhile, those who roster Kansas City Chiefs star Isiah Pacheco should plan accordingly with the running back headed for injured reserve.

Alvin Kamara is ostensibly back to being the dominantly dynamic dual-threat backfield option earlier in his career. The veteran was the top-ranked player in Week 2, producing 180 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns en route to 44 PPR fantasy points. He and the New Orleans Saints offense appear to be one of the more surprising top-tier units in the NFL. Meanwhile, New York Giants rookie phenom receiver Malik Nabers looks as advertised. Moreover, managers belly-aching over Marvin Harrison Jr. can relax now.

Mike Gesicki turned a Cincinnati Bengals team-high nine targets into a top-five PPR tight end fantasy finish in Week 2. Should Tee Higgins' hamstring issue continue to sideline him, the 2018 second-round pick becomes a name worth monitoring. Romeo Doubs has consecutive 50-plus yard efforts to kick off the 2024 campaign. With Jordan Love aiming for a Week 5 return, the Green Bay Packers pass-catcher could be worthy of an early flier.

Dumpster diving, digging for scraps

2023 first-round pick Quentin Johnston looks revitalized in Year 1 of the Jim Harbaugh-Los Angeles Chargers era. Courtesy of Fantasy Points Data, his 39 percent first-read target share through the first two weeks ranks third in football. The draft pedigree, talent and being treated as Justin Herbert's No. 1 receiving option make him worthy of a speculative flier.

Anyone looking for cheap volume to fill the void left by Pacheco should check if Chuba Hubbard is available in their league. Despite sharing the Carolina Panthers backfield with Miles Sanders, he's amassed 20 touches in a pair of contests. Until rookie second-rounder Jonathon Brooks is healthy, the former Oklahoma State standout is a viable, if not uninspiring, short-term RB3/FLEX.

Hunter Henry led all tight ends in targets (12) and receiving yards (109) against the Seattle Seahawks, yielding a PPR TE2 weekly finish. Given that the positional group is a barren wasteland from a fantasy football standpoint, nothing else needs to be said.

The stash-and-save

Braelon Allen showed what he could do with a meaningful workload. The rookie converted 11 opportunities (nine touches) into 56 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns. The volume paired with his red zone/receiving usage may translate to him having standalone value. Moreover, if New York Jets star running back Breece Hall ever misses time, the 20-year-old becomes a must-start option.

Kyren Williams' monopoly on the Los Angeles Rams backfield remains. However, Blake Corum seems to have surpassed Ronnie Rivers as the team's No. 2 running back in Week 2. The Michigan product out-snapped the undrafted veteran eight to three and was the only non-Williams L.A. player to receive a carry in their blowout loss. For whatever it's worth, he led the squad in rushing with 28 yards.

The educated guesses

The Pittsburgh Steelers would be crazy to bench Justin Fields in light of their 2-0 start to the year with him under center. Right? Until the mobile signal-caller relinquishes his role as the starting quarterback, his rushing upside makes him an advantageous fantasy asset.

Rams pass-catchers are dropping like flies. While the star wideout duo of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp is ailing, someone has to be on the receiving end of Matthew Stafford's passes. By default, Colby Parkinson is potentially moonwalking into a considerable target share, something most tight ends can't say.

Jerry Jeudy has thoroughly been the most productive Cleveland Browns receiver through the early stages of 2024, which is a low-bar feat. His 14 targets are tied with Elijah Moore for second on the team, trailing only five-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper. Jeudy's 98 receiving yards are 45 more than the next-closest Brown, plus he's scored their only touchdown through the air.

The 'if you ain't first, you're last'

We don't have much to go off when evaluating which of Carson Steele or Samaje Perine will be the biggest beneficiary of Pacheco's presumably lengthy absence. But in Week 2, the undrafted rookie saw more snaps than the vet journeyman and was the only one of them to earn a carry. Both serve different roles in Kansas City's backfield, so perhaps there's room for both to be fantasy-relevant. Conversely, neither could also be the answer, so tread lightly.

Seattle's passing attack under new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb lived up to the lofty offseason hype in Week 2. The Seahawks did it against a stingy New England Patriots defense, which made it even more impressive and noteworthy. Their newfound, well-designed scheme sets up Geno Smith and his star-studded receiving corps to succeed. With Love and Miami Dolphins passer Tua Tagovailoa facing multi-week injuries, the seasoned signal-caller is a solid stopgap.

Gotta have 'em

Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Irving's time is coming -- it's a matter of when (not if). He's done more with less than incumbent Tampa Bay Buccaneers starter Rachaad White, outgaining him on the ground each of the first two weeks. The rookie has been the superior runner thus far. Meanwhile, the latter suffered a groin injury that doesn't seem to be serious. But should the third-year ever sit out, he may never reclaim his spot atop the depth chart.

DeMarcus Robinson, WR, Los Angeles Rams

Robinson became fantasy-viable when the Rams lost Nacua to a PCL sprain. With Kupp spotted in a walking boot following Los Angeles' latest contest versus the Arizona Cardinals, an otherworldly number of targets possibly become vacated.

Ty Chandler, RB, Minnesota Vikings

Chandler has logged a 35 percent snap share rate and double-digit touches in back-to-back outings for the Minnesota Vikings. Starting running back Aaron Jones looked hobbled on the sidelines in Week 2, though it didn't appear to be concerning. The one-time Pro Bowler also lost a fumble near the goal line, which may open up this developing timeshare more.