Updated Fantasy Football WR Rankings Week 3: Who to start, best sleepers, injuries, waiver wire picks at wide receiver

Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers were two of the most-hyped rookie wide receivers in recent memory, but Harrison especially. could not have gotten off to worse starts in Week 1 if they tried. Harrison, in what was thought to be a good matchup, was held to just one catch and four yards in his debut against the Rams. Nabers ended up compiling a decent stat line with five catches for 66 yards, but Daniel Jones looked so lost under center that there were concerns the entire offense would be a bust for fantasy purposes this season. 

Harrison and Nabers managers are all collectively breathing a giant sigh of relief after Week 2. Nabers enjoyed a ludicrous 67 percent target share on his way to 10 catches for 127 yards and a touchdown. Harrison, meanwhile, exploded for four catches, 130 yards, and two touchdowns. What's even more impressive about that is that all of his production came in the first quarter. This one turned into a blowout, so there wasn't a major need to keep going back to Harrison throughout. 

But there's already all kinds of chaos being unleashed on fantasy managers in Week 2. Tua Tagovailoa suffered another concussion on Thursday night, and there's no timetable for his return. So, what will that mean for Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle? Justin Jefferson left Sunday's game, but is optimistic he'll be ready for Week 3. Cooper Kupp exited with an ankle injury and didn't return, but can he make it back for next week's matchup against the 49ers? A.J. Brown is dealing with a hamstring injury, so will that give Devonta Smith another week as Philly's WR1? There are no shortage of questions as we turn the page from Week 2 over to Week 3. 

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Fantasy WR Rankings Week 3: Who to start, sit at wide receiver

Rankings based on PPR scoring. These rankings were updated on Sept. 22 and will be updated throughout the week, so check back often. 

Players who have already played are in italics.

What are the notable WR rankings changes for Week 3?

In a sea of bad injury news lately, we received a couple of positive updates as Cincinnati's Tee Higgins and Indianapolis' Josh Downs are likely to suit up and make their season debuts this weekend. Higgins slots in at WR33. This is typically below where he normally would rank, but we expect some rust and for him to be eased back into a typical workload. 

Josh Downs checks in at WR46 as the Colts have a much more difficult matchup against the Bears. Chicago has excellent outside corners and can shut down wide receivers. Meanwhile, Anthony Richardson has had some highlight throws, but there's also been plenty of low lights. Given Richardson's inconsistency, it might take Downs a little while to settle into his WR2 role. 

Mike Williams jumped up 10 spots to WR62. After digging deeper into the data we saw that Williams was clearly on a very strict and low pitch count in Week 1. After seeing a significant uptick in snap share in Week 2, it's looking clearer that he's the WR2 ahead of Allen Lazard. If he can stay healthy, Williams may keep moving up this list. 

Who are the best fantasy WRs Week 3?

With a bevy of injuries across the wide receiver position and to players who impact the wide receiver position, we've seen our first minor shakeup at the top of the rankings. Cooper Kupp was slated to be our WR2 for the week, but as you'll read later on, he exited with an injury and his status for Week 3 is currently unknown. 

The other big injury wasn't even to a wide receiver. Tua Tagovailoa suffered another scary concussion against the Bills Sunday night. It's widely assumed he'll be out for Week 3, and there's no timetable for a return at the moment. The downgrade to Skylar Thompson is enough to move Tyreek Hill down to WR4, and even that is an optimistic rankings. 

That leaves us with a top-3 of CeeDee Lamb, Ja'Marr Chase, and Justin Jefferson. Lamb is a mainstay atop the rankings, and with Baltimore reeling after a shocking loss to the Raiders, it's hard to envision Lamb not having yet another big day. Chase gets a mouth-watering matchup against the Washington secondary. Joe Burrow historically struggles in the first couple of weeks of the season, and Chase has been shaking some rust off following a contract "hold-in", but this is a get-right spot if there ever was one. Jefferson's talent speaks for itself, but again, as you'll read later, keep an eye on injury information to make sure he suits up. 

Who are the best fantasy WR waiver pickups Week 3?

Quentin Johnston, the butt of so many jokes from fantasy managers everywhere, has perhaps turned a corner in his development. After a supremely disappointing rookie season, Johnston disappointed again for much of the preseason. While the Chargers didn't do much passing in either of the first two weeks, Johnston has been one of the top-2 options. Herbert threw for just 130 yards, but 51 of them went to Johnston. And the sophomore WR was able to convert two of his five catches into touchdowns. This is a run-heavy offense, but someone has to catch the passes, and Johnston is showing he might be worth a second chance from fantasy managers. 

Given the lack of weapons in the WR corps outside of CeeDee Lamb, it was widely assumed by fantasy managers that Jalen Tolbert would get an extensive look as the WR2. But it hadn't played out that way so far, and the veteran Bradin Cooks looked to still have that role on lock. But Tolbert finally showed a spark in Week 2 against the Saints, hauling in six catches for 82 yards on nine targets. Even though it was a surprising 44-19 blowout loss, Cooks only tallied two catches (on just two targets) for 19 yards. Tolbert is worth a look if you're in need of a WR as he could have value all season if he continues to see more usage than Cooks. 

Andrei Iosivas emerged as a popular WR sleeper last week with Tee Higgins ruled out and Ja'Marr Chase taking the field after barely even practicing with the team. While he disappointed in Week 1 (like most of the Bengals), he bounced back in a big way in Week 2 with two touchdowns against the Chiefs. While Higgins may return in Week 3, Iosivas should still maintain the primary slot receiver role, which gives him the potential to be fantasy-viable when facing soft defenses. 

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Who are the best fantasy WR sleepers Week 3?

As mentioned earlier, given the injuries to both Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, Demarcus Robinson should continue to be a WR3 or Flex option for fantasy managers. Inexplicably rostered in just 42 percent of fantasy leagues, Robinson should also be a waiver option for some, but if you're lucky enough to have him, or add him to your roster, he should be startable even if Kupp is able to suit up for Week 3 given that Nacua is out for the next several weeks. 

Rashid Shaheed was a very popular preseason sleeper, and through two games, he's delivered thus far. After racking up 73 yards and a touchdown on three catches in Week 1 against the Panthers, he hauled in four catches for 96 yards and another score against the Cowboys. Look for him to keep it going against the Eagles in Week 3. Philly's secondary is much-improved from last season, but it's still a work in progress as rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper Dejean get their NFL sea legs underneath them. The Eagles can still be susceptible to splash plays, and that's Shaheed's specialty. 

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What are the biggest WR injuries Week 3?

It was a rough week for wide receivers in Week 2. Before things even kicked off on Sunday, we learned that A.J. Brown would be out with a hamstring injury. Given the injury popped up late in the week and that he was already ruled out ahead of Monday night's game against the Falcons, we've left him out of our initial rankings. 

Cooper Kupp went down in the middle of a Cardinals blowout over the Rams. It was reported Wednesday that he's dealing with a high ankle sprain, but the team did not put him on IR, which suggests he may be back within four weeks. But he definitely won't be suiting up in Week 3. Given the additional injuries to the offensive line, it could be tough sledding across the offense, but Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson, and rookie Jordan Whittington are now the top wide receivers on this team.  

Justin Jefferson went down with a quad contusion, but it's looking like he'll be back in time for Week 3, so we included him in our initial rankings. Teammate Jordan Addison missed this game with an ankle injury, and his status is still uncertain. 

Amon-Ra St. Brown went down with a lower body injury, returned to the game, but left again and then collapsed on the sidelines. After the game, head coach Dan Campbell said it looks like this shouldn't be a long-term issue. His status for Week 3 is uncertain at this point, but given Campbell's assessment, we're leaving him in the rankings for now. This is certainly a situation to continue to monitor. 

CeeDee Lamb missed some practice time with an ankle injury, but Mike McCarthy says he'll get in a limited practice Thursday, which should keep him on track to play this week. We also learned that Deebo Samuel is dealing with a calf injury and could miss multiple weeks. This could mean more targets for Jauan Jennings. And Keenan Allen missed practice again with a heel injury, and is looking unlikely to play this weekend.