When we talk about drafting rookie wide receivers in Fantasy Football, we typically have to add a caveat: "You might need to be patient with them." In the case of Jets rookie Garrett Wilson, that means you had to wait all the way until Week 2 to see him perform like an elite player.
Wilson, the No. 10 pick in this year's NFL Draft, had a massive performance in the Jets come-from-behind win over the Browns Sunday. He caught eight of 14 passes thrown his way for 102 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 22 seconds left in the game. And he could have had an even bigger game – he had at least two other end zone targets, including one where he was open and Joe Flacco just overthrew him.
That comes after Wilson already had a solid debut, with four catches for 52 yards on eight targets. For what it's worth, Wilson did get off to a slow start in Week 1 – he had just one catch for 9 yards in his first NFL half. But once he got his feet wet, Wilson has shown off his 4.38 speed, getting open down the field and proving to be a viable red-zone target early in his career.
Wilson is rostered in 53% of CBS Fantasy leagues, a number that is going to leap up to near triple-digits after this kind of performance. Wilson is still in what figures to be a pretty mediocre offense, with plenty of competition for targets from Corey Davis and especially second-year wide receiver Elijah Moore. However, the Jets liked Wilson enough to make him a first-round pick despite the presence of Davis and Moore, and we're seeing why.
Does this mean Wilson is going to be a must-start Fantasy option moving forward? No, of course not. Wilson has been working with Flacco, who likely only has one more start before Zach Wilson returns, and Wilson will have to prove he has that kind of rapport with Wilson as well. However, he's a blue chip prospect who now has 22 targets in his first two games, with a 100-yard, two-touchdown performance to his name. This is an incredibly promising start, and Wilson has already proved he needs to be on your roster.
And he isn't the only rookie wide receiver you'll want to add on waivers heading into Week 3. Saints rookie Chris Olave, Wilson's Ohio State teammate who went one pick after Olave, also had a pretty impressive showing Sunday. He led the Saints with 13 targets, catching five of them for 80 yards, including the biggest play of the game for the Saints, a 51-yard catch in the fourth quarter. It wasn't ideal that he subsequently fumbled on that long catch, but Olave has been a pretty big part of the Saints offense early on, playing 74% of the snaps in Week 1 and 72% this week.
Like Wilson, Olave is in what might just be a mediocre offense, with plenty of competition from Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry. However, when a young, first-round wide receiver shows this kind of upside, it's worth making sure they're on your team, even if that's on the bench, rather than on someone else's.
Olave and Wilson look great so far. Jahan Dotson has three touchdowns in his first three games. Drake London is Atlanta's No. 1 WR, and Treylon Burks showed flashes in Week 1, too. This class of rookie wide receivers could be pretty special, and it's worth making sure these guys are on your roster, just in case they continue to build on these quick starts.
Here's who else we'll be chasing on the waiver wire for Week 3.
Tua Tagovailoa now has as many six-touchdown games in his career as Dan Marino. That's a true statement after he led the Dolphins on a furious comeback to defeat the Ravens, 42-38. You can point out that Tagovailoa might've underthrown Tyreek Hill on one of his long touchdowns, and it's unquestionably true that Tagovailoa left some points on the board this week, just like he did last week. However, when you have guys like Hill and Jaylen Waddle who can score anytime they touch the ball, your margin for error suddenly starts to look a lot wider. The Dolphins have been very pass-heavy through two games, with 83 pass attempts to 41 rushes, and if that continues, Tagovailoa could ride his ridiculous weapons to a top-12 season even if he doesn't play all that well. Week 3 against Buffalo will be a real test.
| ||||||||||||||||||
When the Dolphins ran the ball Sunday, Mostert was the primary option. He got 11 carries for 51 yards and added three catches for 28 yards, matching Chase Edmonds' three targets. Edmonds had just five carries, after he led the team with 12 in Week 1, so this could just be a split moving forward. However, Mostert found more room to run this week, and he could be in line for double-digit carries moving forward. That might not lead to a ton of production every week, but if this offense keeps clicking like this, there are going to be more opportunities. Mostert could be in the RB3 discussion.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Two games in, Samuel has led the Commanders in targets twice. He's probably not going to be the big-play guy either Terry McLaurin or Jahan Dotson are, given how they've been used so far, but he was used more down the field this week than he was in Week 1 – he had 55 air yards Sunday after having just 11 in Week 1. Samuel added another carry for 21 yards after he had four carries in Week 1. As long as he's healthy, Samuel clearly has a big role in this offense, and belongs in the WR3 range of the rankings moving forward.
| ||||||||||||||||||
Likely is always going to be No. 2 tight end for the Ravens as long as Mark Andrews is healthy, but that might be enough to make him a viable Fantasy option in this offense. Likely caught four of five passes thrown his way for 43 yards, and that gives him nine targets through his first two games. The Ravens run as many multiple-TE sets as any team in the league, and Likely has been running routes out of the slot at times, so it's not like he's just out there blocking. Andrews and Rashod Bateman are the clear No. 1 and 2 in this offense, but the bar is low enough at tight end that Likely could be worth using even as the No. 3 option here. Especially if Lamar Jackson keeps throwing the ball as well as he has been so far this season.
| ||||||||||||||||||
It's not clear if James Conner's ankle injury is going to cost him time moving forward, but if it does, I think I prefer Benjamin to Darrell Williams. The one thing that gives me pause there is that Williams got the first opportunity for goal-line carries and scored Sunday, and that's a super-valuable role in this Cardinals offense. However, Benjamin has been ahead of Williams on the depth chart going back to the preseason, and on Sunday, he did play more second-half snaps than Williams and figures to get more opportunities in the passing game. Both will be worth adding, but I'll probably rank both in the RB3 range if Conner has to miss next week's game.
| ||||||||||||||||||
As expected, CeeDee Lamb was the Cowboys No. 1 receiver, but Brown wasn't far behind. He was the only wide receiver besides Lamb to catch a pass, and with Dalton Schultz leaving with an injury, he could be the No. 2 option in the passing game in Week 3. There may not be much long-term upside here with Michael Gallup working his way back from a torn ACL, but Brown looks like he could have a significant role in Dallas' offense, so consider him in your deeper PPR leagues – say, 14 teams and deeper only.
| ||||||||||||||||||
