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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Week Three
Last Updated on September 29, 2026 2:26 pm by Jon Mosales | Published: September 29, 2026
Week three was full of surprises. Upsets galore and lesser known or valued players continuing to make their mark on the 2026 NFL season. How of we make sense of it all? Who’s worth a roster spot and who’s not? A couple of key running back injuries have some RB2’s ready to pop, including one who was a fantasy star in his younger years, and a young buck who’s finally getting a chance to prove his weight in salt.
I’ll be pulling ownership percent’s from the three major fantasy platforms: Sleeper, Yahoo, and ESPN. The goal will be to have player available in over half of league only, there will be some player who are more widely rostered on various platforms. It’s always worth checking regardless of your league size, platform, etc. If a player is slightly above 50% but is a must roster, I will include them as well. The purpose of that is to help leagues of all size and experience levels. Not everything can be geared towards high level fantasy leagues, as casual leagues need advice too!
Quarterbacks
Kirk Cousins really has this Raiders team sitting pretty at 3-0, and it may be the most surprising development of the 2026 season thus far. He’s thrown for three touchdowns in each of the first three games, proving that he still has something left to give. Coming off back to back 20+ point performances, Cousins gets a tough matchup against the Chiefs to close out the first month if the year. He isn’t the first option I would go for, but he should be serviceable in a pinch. However, this may be the week things come crashing back down to earth. Buyer beware. (FAAB: 2%)
Ownership: Sleeper 7%, Yahoo 3%, ESPN 1%
Sam Darnold is back from a glute injury and playing like he hasn’t skipped a beat, despite the Seahawks losing a high scoring game. He finished as the QB2 last week after throwing for four touchdowns and nearly 400 yards. With the running game taking a step or two back from last season when they had Kenneth Walker, the Seahawks look to continue to rely on moving the ball through the air against the Chargers. Darnold profiles as a back end QB1 with some clear upside to finish in the upper echelon yet again. (FAAB 8%)
Ownership: Sleeper 35%, Yahoo 38%, ESPN 34%
Marcus Mariota made the article last week, and here he is again after a stellar performance against one of the leagues best defenses, and will continue to operate as QB1 in Washington as long as Jayden Daniels (elbow) remains out. Rumor has it Daniels is trying to come back ASAP, and would continue to be at risk of damaging that elbow even further. The Commanders play a Colts defense in week four that has given up the third most passing yards so far, making Mariota an excellent streaming option and a must add on superflex formats. (FAAB:5%)
Ownership: Sleeper 0%, Yahoo 3%, ESPN 3%
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Hi I’m Anthony, and I’m just happy to be here. From late January through early September you’ll find me in the best ball lobbies of your favorite platforms while I share everything I can right here at SportsEthos. I fell in love with the game of football at five years old, and that passion hasn’t faded. As we get older, our physical abilities start to slowly decline and our bodies fall apart. Once I became an Achilles rupture survivor at the prime age of 32, I knew my playing days were all but over. Fantasy football became a way to still connect with the sport I grew up enjoying so much. Join me while I venture into the depths of this space and shamelessly talk ball on the internet.