NFL fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 3
By Lior Lampert
Fantasy football RB waiver pickups, Week 3
Tony Jones Jr., New Orleans Saints (12 percent rostered)
It wasn’t the most inspiring fill-in performance for Tony Jones Jr. when running back Jamaal Williams went down with a hamstring injury, but it got the job done. Jones logged 12 carries and two receptions, scoring two touchdowns along the way in Week 2 after Williams left the game. Despite the inefficiency of Jones Jr. sans Williams, the volume is noteworthy.
Saints running back Alvin Kamara is still suspended for one more game before being set to return for the Saints in Week 4 and Williams is set to miss “some time” according to head coach Dennis Allen. Rookie running back Kendre Miller has been nursing a nagging hamstring injury of his own that has kept him sidelined to start the season but has a chance to return in Week 3.
Even if Miller returns to the lineup, he is still a rookie who was sidelined throughout training camp due to lingering knee and hamstring injuries. While the Saints would love to give their dynamic third-round rookie plenty of work in his first taste of NFL action (especially without Williams/Kamara), he may not be ready to handle that type of workload.
Jones is a veteran running back who is familiar with the system after spending four of his five NFL seasons with the Saints, paving the way for him to potentially step into a large workload in Week 3.
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans (19 percent rostered)
Tyjae Spears continues to play nearly as many snaps as All-World running back Derrick Henry and Titans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly has even shown a willingness to have both backs on the field at the same time. In Week 1, Spears outsnapped Henry 34 to 30 but the pendulum swung back in Henry’s favor for Week 2 when Henry played 46 snaps to Spears’ 24. Spears still managed to earn 10 touches in Week 2 despite the larger gap in snap totals.
Spears is a talented third-round rookie who shined in his final season at Tulane. He ran for 1,581 yards and averaged 6.9 yards per carry, scoring 19 touchdowns through the ground. He added 22 receptions for 256 yards and two more touchdowns through the air en route to earning 2022 AAC Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Given his draft capital and skillset, he is a running back worthy of a flier in the event anything were to happen to Henry, but also has a chance to offer standalone value if he continues logging snaps at this rate.