5 Best Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 3

Welcome to The Big Lead's weekly fantasy football waiver wire column. It pairs wonderfully with our weekly start 'em, sit 'em post. Last week didn't contain quite the same number of surprises as Week 1 but there is value to be found on the margins and potentially more thanks to a few key injuries around the league.

Here are the five best fantasy football waiver wire options for Week 3. (All stats via ESPN PPR leagues)

Matt Breida, RB, New York Giants (Available in 98 Percent of ESPN Leagues)

Saquon Barkley went down in the final minutes of the Giants-Cardinals game on Sunday and Monday brougth news that the All-Pro running back had sprained his ankle. He's set to miss a few weeks. It's time to turn to his backup. Breida is not in Barkley's stratosphere as a runner and it's worth questioning how many points he can rack up after a poor start to the year for the Giants' offense, to be sure. But Brian Daboll will commit to running the ball no matter what and has a bizarre affection for Breida over other potential options. He'll get volume and thus is worth nabbing.

Marvin Mims Jr., WR, Denver Broncos (Available in 92 Percent of ESPN Leagues)

It turns out that Mims, a former Jets second-round pick out of Oklahoma, has great chemistry with Russell Wilson. He was Wilson's target on two deep balls against Washington last week and racked up more than 20 fantasy points as a result. Mims is not going to average 50 yards per catch again but there are signs of a budding partnership between him and his quarterback that make a flier worth it if you're thin at WR.

Zack Moss, RB, Indianapolis Colts (Available in 67 Percent of ESPN Leagues)

It was fair to be wary of the Colts' offense heading into the season but new head coach Shane Steichen appears capable of scheming up enough yardage to make his players viable fantasy candidates. Such was the case with Moss in his season debut against the Texans this past week, putting up about 20 points thanks to 18 rushes for 88 yards and a TD to go along with four catches. He may be looking at more red zone opportunities this week if Anthony Richardson can't go. Moss is clearly the No. 1 guy in a banged-up Colts running back room and it's smart to take advantage now while that is still true.

Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers (Available in 86 Percent of ESPN Leagues)

The rookie wideout out of Michigan State wasn't expected to have a huge role but then Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs both got hurt during training camp. Watson hasn't played a snap and Doubs has been limited. Reed looked every bit the part of a rookie in his NFL debut but acclimated quickly and scored two touchdowns this week against the Falcons. Reed only totaled four catches for 37 yards otherwise so it's fair to temper expectations but he's building a connection with Jordan Love and Matt LeFleur's offense is good for fantasy production.

Tank Dell, WR, Houston Texans (Available in 96 Percent of ESPN Leagues)

There was a lot of excitement about Dell in diehard fantasy circles heading into training camp but everyone realized he's catching balls from a rookie quarterback on one of the weakest rosters in the NFL. Which would explain why he's so available. But this week's production suggested the fantasy nerds may have been onto something! Dell got targeted 10 times against the Colts, catching seven passes for 72 yards and a touchdown. Not monster numbers, but somewhat sustainable given CJ Stroud looks like a gamer and is capable of putting up decent stats despite a patchwork offensive line. Just like his quarterback Dell will exhibit inconsistency as he adjust to the NFL but we aren't afraid of rookies around these parts, as you can tell.