Week 3 is here and the injuries keep piling up. From star quarterbacks to star wide receivers and tight ends, everyone seems to be getting injured outside of running backs. Combine that with some slow starts for key players and you might be looking at the free agent pool trying to find a player to stream this week.
*Streamers are players who are rostered in 50% or fewer of Yahoo! leagues.
Quarterback
Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks
In his first full game as a starter, Drew Lock looked good with a 235/3/0 line, propelling him to 21.4 fantasy points. Do I expect him to throw for three touchdowns every game? No, but with the news still uncertain surrounding Sam Darnold, Lock could be in line for another start. It's a great matchup vs. the Washington Commanders, who have allowed 27.0 fantasy points per
game to opposing quarterbacks to start the season. Lock has a great set of skill players around him, which is always helpful for exceeding fantasy production.
Running back
Kaelon Black, San Francisco 49ers
Black was a bit of a fantasy breakout candidate after Week 1, but that was quickly dampened in Week 2. However, this could be another big week for Black. The 49ers are big 8.5-point favorites against the Cardinals, who just got torched on the ground for 162 yards by the Seahawks. If the 49ers get out and rolling on offense, they should be inclined to ease off of Christian McCaffrey's usage. This opens up some "garbage time" stats for Black, which count all the same in fantasy.
Tank Bigsby, San Francisco 49ers
Bigsby saw good usage last week with 13/33/1, and yes, Saquon Barkley did leave the game for a bit against the Titans. We can't bank on an injury, but we can bank on the Chicago Bears' run defense being bad. They allowed 5.7 yards per attempt in Week 1 and 4.3 in Week 2. This gives Bigsby some rushing upside in what could be a dual-threat approach for the Eagles' backfield.
Wide receiver
Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are the highest-scoring offense in the NFL, so getting exposure to them in any way is a good thing. With DJ Moore and Keon Coleman listed as questionable, there's a real path forward for Khalil Shakir being the top wide receiver. He's only played on 51.0% of the snaps this season, but has a 21.1% target share and a 33.3% red zone target share. If Moore and Coleman aren't good to go, Shakir is a solid option this week.
Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders
Are the Raiders good? Through two weeks, they're putting up points, and it seems like Kirk Cousins still has it. Enter Tre Tucker, who has the second-highest target share on the team (19.0%), and the highest yards per target (13.27). Yes, this has all happened with no Brock Bowers, but the Raiders need a viable second pass-catcher. Considering the matchup against the New Orleans Saints is a good one (defensive 0.05 EPA/play, 16th), Tucker should see good offensive usage if you're searching for a wide receiver.
WEEK 3 FANTASY RANKINGS: QB | RB | WR | TE | K | D/ST | FLEX
Tight end
Oronde Gadsden, Los Angeles Chargers
Someone has to play tight end for the Chargers, right? With David Njoku and Charlie Kolar both out this week, Gadsden is the new starting tight end. While the Chargers' offense has been bad through two weeks, Gadsden is familiar with Justin Herbert and flashed nice upside in 2025 for a solid stretch. The game against the Bills has a 50.5 over/under, so the offenses should be moving up and down the field.
Defense
New York Giants
It might not be exciting, but yes, the New York Giants are a viable defensive streamer this week. First off, the weather does not look good in a home game vs. the Titans, and the over/under has dropped to 38.5 because of the forecast. The matchup is an easy one since the Titans have only mustered 30 points through two games and sit at -0.046 EPA/play, which is 20th in the NFL. A turnover or two, plus a lower-scoring game, is certainly doable versus Cam Ward and the Titans.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy football Week 3 sleepers: 7 streamers to target
