When you visit this column each week, you likely are saying to yourself: "Hey Field, feed me the names of the players who I can turn to right away in order to help my fantasy football lineup."
That's a fair approach and, with a few exceptions, kind of the point of the waiver wire each week. However, the reality is that weeks occur when there aren't "must add" players via waivers, especially in 10-team leagues. This week strikes me as one of those weeks. That isn't to dissuade you from reading the column, but to set your expectations at the proper level.
The adds you see below fall into a much different bucket for the most part: adds and stash. These are the type of players who might not crack your lineup in Week 3, but who have shown enough that in time they could. Either that or they will serve as useful depth pieces who could come in handy when the bye weeks kick into full swing.
With all that in mind, here are your Week 3 waiver recommendations.
Note: All players on this column are available in at least 50% of leagues on ESPN.com.
Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys (38.6% rostered in ESPN leagues): The eye test tells me all I need to know about Pollard. He's awesome. He finished with more than 100 rushing yards in Week 2 and found the end zone as well. The trouble with Pollard is that he has a massive roadblock in his way in the form of Ezekiel Elliott. We can use other platforms to debate the merits of Elliott's contract, but the $15 million per year deal is another reminder that this team has zero plans to move away from him as "the guy" in the offense. Still, Pollard should be added in all leagues. He's too talented to ignore and would be a top-10 play if Elliott were out and he became the starter.
Rondale Moore, WR, Arizona Cardinals (19.3%): Moore is electric and scored his first career touchdown Sunday, racing 73 yards on one of his seven catches. I love Moore and his skill set in so many ways. It's hard not to. Moore is not a "must start," but he's far too good to ignore and should be added in the event that his role grows. Through two weeks he has been one of the league's best. He should be added in leagues with 12 teams or more.
Derek Carr, QB, Las Vegas Raiders (16.5%): Carr has been flat-out incredible through two games -- just an absolute baller! He has more than 800 passing yards and is making some truly amazing throws. And, he's done so against two legit defenses, too. The Raiders are now 2-0 after starting off with wins against both Baltimore and Pittsburgh. The trick is that there are so many talented quarterbacks out there, leaving Carr likely outside of my top 12 or so for this week. That said, he's been way too good not to mention for those who may have been too patient at quarterback in the draft and are looking for a change in deeper leagues (14 teams or more).
Panthers D/ST (13.6%): Here's a fun fact for you. Just one defense registered double-digit fantasy points in both Week 1 and Week 2. That's right -- it was the Panthers. Carolina's defense is filled with young, athletic playmakers and is showing major signs of improvement in a hurry. Next up is a tasty matchup against the Texans, who could well be debuting Davis Mills as their starting quarterback with Tyrod Taylor banged up. While a Week 4 matchup against Dallas looms, anyone looking for an excellent Week 3 streaming D/ST ought to consider Carolina.
Cordarrelle Patterson, RB, Atlanta Falcons (7.7%): What a Sunday for Patterson, who found the end zone both as a runner and a receiver. That was the good news, as was the fact that Patterson caught five passes. However, he's still running alongside (or even behind) Mike Davis in the Atlanta backfield. That makes it hard for me to envision Patterson as anything close to a must start right now, but he's an add in deep leagues, providing good bench depth.
Justin Fields, QB, Chicago Bears (48.5%): As of this writing, it's unclear if Andy Dalton will any time miss due to a knee injury he suffered during Week 2, but Fields is waiting in the wings as the starter, just in case. While Fields has played a little bit and had some rookie moments so far, the add here would be about getting ahead of the curve and tapping into a massive upside. Fields doesn't need to be perfect right away in order to justify his fantasy value. As one of the most dynamic at his position and with a laser of an arm, Fields would have top 10-12 upside as a quarterback if he gets prolonged starting duties -- and he will, perhaps sooner than expected. The Bears say that Dalton is their starter when healthy but, if Fields is on the field, he'll have a chance to change that call.
Daniel Jones, QB, New York Giants (10.7%): The player we had hoped to see in fantasy during the 2020 season has made his mark on the 2021 season. Jones has had games of 21.38 and 29.46 fantasy points so far, combining effective passing with outstanding running. Jones has a rushing touchdown in both games and had six designed runs in Week 2, helping contribute to 96 total rushing yards. As we often say, rushing ability sets a higher floor for a quarterback in fantasy. Jones can be either just a streaming option or even a potential starter if you're looking for a change.
K.J. Osborn, WR, Minnesota Vikings (1.1%): It's uncommon to see a team support three wide receivers weekly in fantasy, but the Vikings have done just that through the first two weeks of the season. The unlikely contributor is Osborn, who seized the job this year after a catchless rookie season in 2020. Through two games, he has seen a total of 15 targets, resulting in double-digit fantasy efforts on both occasions. He's a stash for now and a deep-league consideration who would have increased value if either Adam Thielen or Justin Jefferson were ever unavailable for a game.
Darnell Mooney, WR, Chicago Bears (49.3%): With 15 targets through two games, Mooney has firmly entrenched himself as the No. 2 pass-catcher within the Bears' offense. He finished with six catches in Week 2 and more than 10 fantasy points. Mooney has plenty of speed and the goods to be a vertical threat in this offense. He's a deeper league add to monitor going forward.