Fantasy Football: Players to Stash Entering Week 3

If you're consistently a step ahead of the competition in your fantasy football league, it can help you win a title, and this weekly piece will aim to help you stay ahead of the pack.

The goal here is to help you identify players who could be hot waiver adds down the road as well as to point out week-ahead pickups who could prove useful.

Here are some players to consider adding now and stashing on your bench for the future.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Fantasy Football Stash Candidates for Week 3

Isaac Guerendo, RB, 49ers

With Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve for the San Francisco 49ers, Jordan Mason has handled the bulk of the backfield workload in the first two weeks of the season. Through San Francisco's first two games, Mason has rushed for 247 yards and 2 touchdowns on 48 carries while the rest of the roster has totaled 35 rushing yards and a score on 16 attempts.

The only other RB to record a rushing attempt for the 49ers thus far is rookie Isaac Guerendo, who got his lone carry of the season in Sunday's loss versus the Minnesota Vikings. Even though Mason should continue to receive a massive share of the backfield touches until CMC returns, Guerendo could be a valuable handcuff if something were to happen to Mason.

There's certainly a chance that the 49ers would prefer to bring in a veteran back if Mason suffers an injury, but there's also a non-zero chance Guerendo would get an opportunity to prove himself as a rookie. Regardless of who is running the ball in San Francisco's offense, they are relevant in fantasy football, and Guerendo has the explosiveness to become a contributor at some point.

According to PFF, Guerendo logged the 25th-most yards per attempt (6.1) and 14th-most yards after contact per attempt (4.11) among RBs with 100-plus attempts in his final collegiate season at Louisville in 2023. Guerendo would then flash his speed at the NFL combine with the fastest 40-yard dash (4.33) of the RBs who participated, which led to him being selected in the fourth round of this year's draft by the 49ers.

While Guerendo isn't someone to insert in your lineup immediately, he should be rostered in deeper leagues because he's currently the backup to Mason. It should also be noted that Deebo Samuel is expected to miss weeks of action for San Francisco, so the 49ers will need someone to spell Mason when he needs a breather.

Braelon Allen, RB, Jets

What a weekend it was for Braelon Allen of the New York Jets, who won't turn 21 years old until January. After touching the ball twice for 17 scrimmage yards in his NFL debut in Week 1, Allen tallied 56 scrimmage yards and 2 touchdowns on 9 total touches in New York's Week 2 victory over the Tennessee Titans, becoming the youngest player to score in the NFL since 1930.

Having a 35.7% snap rate and 36.4% route rate in Week 2 (via NextGenStats) certainly doesn't make Allen a viable starter in fantasy in the short-term. That is especially true when you consider that Breece Hall still figures to be the workhorse back for the Jets moving forward.

Hall has popped up on the injury report for New York early in the week, so that could explain why Allen saw more snaps in Week 2. With the Jets having a short week ahead of their next game on Thursday versus the New England Patriots, maybe Allen could get more opportunities to see the field when Hall comes out of the game.

While Hall is an elusive runner who can use his finesse to navigate through holes and make plays in the passing game, Allen is a physical runner who flashed receiving ability in Week 2. During his final collegiate season at Wisconsin a year ago, Allen produced the 29th-most yards after contact per attempt (3.77) and 34th-most missed tackles forced (49) among backs with 100-plus attempts.

It's also a positive sign to see head coach Robert Saleh speaking highly of Allen following the team's win over the Titans. Similar to Guerendo, Allen is a rookie fourth-round pick who appears to be a valuable handcuff behind a starter who garners plenty of touches in the offense.

Jermaine Burton, WR, Bengals

Before the first week of the new campaign kicked off, Jermaine Burton was listed as one of my favorite stash candidates for fantasy football. Ahead of a Week 3 showdown with the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football, the rookie wideout for the Cincinnati Bengals makes my list of stash candidates again.

Since the offseason, the vibes haven't been great for the WRs on the Bengals. Ja'Marr Chase has been seeking a new contract to no availl, and Tee Higgins is playing on the franchise tag and has yet to log a snap in 2024 due to a hamstring injury while Cincy is 0-2 through the first two weeks of the season.

Andrei Iosivas has filled in for Higgins amid his absence, but he hasn't been anything more than a red-zone threat as he scored two touchdowns in Week 2. Meanwhile, Burton made the most of his 9 offensive snaps this past week, turning his two targets into a reception for 47 yards.

Outside of Chase, the Bengals lack vertical threats in their offense right now. It's tough to trust Higgins remaining healthy at the moment, and coming out of college, Burton was an electric player who excelled at making plays down the field.

Despite earning only 57 targets at Alabama in 2023, Burton posted the 6th-most yards per reception (20.5) and 25th-most yards per route run (2.75) on the 3rd-highest average depth of target (20.2) of the college WRs who got 50-plus targets. With the Bengals searching for answers on offense amid a slow start, it's only a matter of time before Burton begins getting more playing time.

Jordan Whittington, WR, Rams

Injuries are piling up at an alarming rate for the Los Angeles Rams early in the season with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp among the long list of players who are sidelined with ailments. Rookie Jordan Whittington is another familiar name in the stash candidates piece, but it's for good reason as the pathway for him to earn more playing time is even clearer now.

As a sixth-round pick out of Texas, Whittington impressed during the preseason, totaling 11 receptions for 126 yards in 2 games before the Rams elected to rest him for the preseason finale. Whittington was deployed in the Puka/Kupp role in the preseason, and he's been operating as one of the backups to Nacua in practices, showing that Sean McVay trusts the rookie plenty already.

Across the first two weeks, Whittington possesses a 22.2% snap rate and 15.7% route rate with 1.69 yards per route run on a minuscule 2.7% target share. But with Nacua and Kupp unable to suit up, the Rams are going to need everyone to step up offensively to help Matthew Stafford keep the passing attack afloat.

In the short term, guys like Demarcus Robinson, Tyler Johnson, and Tutu Atwell may be viewed as better waiver wire options in Week 3. However, none of them have shown consistency throughout their careers, and the Rams could reach a point where it becomes more important to give their younger players some run as they are already 0-2 with injuries mounting up across the roster.

Given all the injuries they have endured to begin the year, the Rams have seen their win total drop to 6.5 ahead of a Week 3 meeting against the 49ers. With this season being a tough one for Los Angeles, it would be a positive to find another late-round gem at WR by getting production out of Whittington at some point.

Tucker Kraft, TE, Packers

To complete this week's list of stash candidates, we'll round it out with another familiar name. It's tough recommending any pass-catchers on the Green Bay Packers until Jordan Love returns, but Tucker Kraft is someone who should be rostered in nearly every league -- at least deeper leagues -- given his role in the offense.

Entering the 2024 campaign, it was unknown if Kraft or Luke Musgrave would be the starting TE for the Packers. Both Kraft and Musgrave were selected by Green Bay during the 2023 NFL Draft, and they flashed at various moments last year.

Despite Kraft being the later pick in last year's draft, he has emerged as the definitive starter at TE this season. In the first two weeks, Kraft has an 86.4% snap rate and 69.1% route rate compared to a 35.2% snap rate and 25.5% route rate for Musgrave.

On the season, Kraft has totaled only 4 catches for 53 yards on 5 targets, and the Packers have plenty of weapons to dish the ball to. That being said, he's on the field plenty, and he should see more action in the passing game when Love is under center and Green Bay isn't deploying a run-first offense with Malik Willis at QB.

The TE position is a wasteland to begin the year, so finding players who are on the field often can be a viable way to address the position each week. Even though Kraft isn't startable until Love is back for the Pack, he's worth keeping on your bench for favorable matchups down the line.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.