With Week 3 of the 2024 NFL season on the horizon, it's a great time to get active on the waiver wire and start reshaping your roster. Almost every manager has at least one drafted player who has underwhelmed out of the gate and could be replaceable with one of the many standout free agents currently available.

While some season-opening performances initially looked like outliers, posting similar stat lines in back-to-back weeks is indicative of a trend and can't be ignored as easily. While it's not time to give up on your early-round draft picks just yet, there are several established talents who could be on their way to being dropped off rosters if they don't pick up the pace.

Conversely, there are plenty of unheralded players who weren't drafted but deserve to be rostered after stringing together some nice outings over the season's first fortnight. While these players weren't on the fantasy radar going into 2024, they've shown enough through two games to earn at least a bench spot in most formats.

With that in mind, here are five can't-miss waiver wire pickups for Week 3 who are currently available in 50 percent or more of Yahoo! Sports fantasy leagues. Free agent acquisition budget (FAAB) suggestions are based on a $100 dollar total budget.

Fantasy points and rankings courtesy of FantasyPros' PPR data taken prior to Week 2's Monday Night Football matchup.

QB Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders (19 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $1-2

Derek Carr wasn't expected to be a fantasy star this year, but he's certainly on his way to becoming one following a pair of sizzling performances to open the New Orleans Saints season.

Carr just posted his second consecutive top-six finish of the young campaign, ranking as Week 2's QB2 after eviscerating the Dallas Cowboys' defense for 243 yards and two touchdowns on a hyper-efficient 11-of-16 passing. He also added a touchdown on his lone rushing attempt to bring his point total to 22.8 for the week.

That followed up a 21.3-point showing against the hapless Carolina Panthers in the opener and positions Carr as fantasy's No. 2 quarterback—trailing only Baker Mayfield—heading into Week 3.

Carr is benefitting heavily from New Orleans' decision to hire Klint Kubiak this offseason.

The new offensive coordinator has the Saints firing on all cylinders, including establishing an unstoppable ground attack that ranks No. 3 in the league with 185 yards per game. This has opened things up for the veteran signal-caller—he faced pressure on a league-low 16 percent of dropbacks in the opener—and is affording him ample time to dissect the opposition.

If you are one of the many managers on the hunt for a new quarterback due to injuries or underwhelming performances during the opening fortnight of the season, look no further than Carr to steady the ship. He's still available in three-quarters of leagues but won't remain a free agent much longer due to his ability to put up top-10 finishes on a weekly basis in an exciting Saints offense.

RB Braelon Allen, New York Jets (10 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $8-10

The New York Jets got their first win with Aaron Rodgers under center on Sunday. While the 40-year-old future Hall of Famer played well, the breakout star of Gang Green's victory over the Tennessee Titans was 20-year-old backup running back Braelon Allen.

Allen made the most of his opportunities working alongside standout starter Breece Hall. The rookie rushed for 33 yards and a touchdown on seven totes and reeled in two of his four targets for 23 yards and another score, giving him an impressive 19.6 fantasy points (good for an RB6 finish) in just his second NFL appearance.

The Jets clearly prioritized the ground game against the Titans, feeding both their backs at a high rate. Hall still dominated the backfield—rushing 14 times for 62 yards and hauling in seven of his eight targets for 52 yards and a touchdown—and finished just behind his understudy as the week's RB7.

Allen still must show he can maximize his limited workload on a regular basis—he only mustered a meager 2.7 points on his two touches in the opener—and game scripting could severely limit his ability to get on the field some weeks, but the upside here is undeniable.

Not only is Allen rosterable and potentially startable right now due to the huge impact he made in Week 2 on just nine touches, but he's also emerged as perhaps the most valuable handcuff in fantasy.

The Wisconsin product has a clear path to becoming a high-volume superstar if Hall were to miss time—Hall notably missed 10 games as a rookie after suffering a torn ACL—and should be scooped on waivers in nearly all formats due to this factor alone.

WR Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers (7 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $5-7

After one of the more dismal rookie seasons in recent memory, Quentin Johnston began rehabilitating his career in Week 2 of his sophomore campaign. The Los Angeles Chargers wideout posted a fantastic outing in a victory over the Carolina Panthers, tallying five catches on six targets for 51 yards and two touchdowns.

Johnston's 22.1 fantasy points were a personal-best and ranked him as Week 2's WR12—his highest finish in 19 career weeks. Considering he failed to crack the top-25 even once as a first-round rookie and had more far finishes outside the top-60 (12) than inside of it (five) last year, it's quite an impressive rise for a player many had written off for 2024.

While the Bolts are unsurprisingly emphasizing the run under new head coach Jim Harbaugh—the team ranks No. 2 in the league by averaging whopping 197.5 yards per game on the ground through two games—they are still tasking quarterback Justin Herbert with just enough passing volume to make an impact in fantasy. Through two weeks, the signal-caller has completed 31-of-46 throws for 274 yards and three touchdowns.

Johnston has stated his case to be the WR1 in L.A. and currently leads the team in catches, receiving yardage and receiving touchdowns while tying with rookie Ladd McConkey in targets. Given the Chargers have been in complete control of both their 2024 contests and played a vast majority of their offensive snaps with a lead, this Los Angeles passing attack has yet to truly show its potential.

While the ceiling for L.A.'s aerial attack is low in an upcoming Week 3 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers that projects to be a low-scoring, smashmouth contest featuring plenty of running action on both sides, Johnston could still make an impact as a touchdown threat. He'll have a real chance to shine the following week, however, when the Kansas City Chiefs come to town in what should be a much higher-scoring affair—one that could see Johnston load up on volume if the Chargers fall behind.

WR Jordan Whittington, Los Angeles Rams (2 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $1-2

The Los Angeles Rams have every reason to panic after star wideout Cooper Kupp suffered a concerning injury in Week 2. With the veteran spotted in a walking boot after the game and teammate Puka Nacua potentially sidelined until Week 9, this offense—which mustered just 10 points in a blowout loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday—will be downright desperate for a savior to emerge in Week 3.

While no one stepped up during a humiliating defeat to an NFC West rival, there will be ample opportunity for someone like Jordan Whittington to establish himself as quarterback Matt Stafford's go-to target for the next month or so. Whittington, a sixth-round rookie out of Texas, saw his first significant action of the campaign against Arizona and responded by catching both of his targets for 22 yards.

That 4.2-point performance obviously didn't move the fantasy needle, but Whittington is well-positioned to break out during an upcoming home matchup versus the San Francisco 49ers.

During the preseason, Rams head coach Sean McVay said that the rookie would "be a factor" in 2024 and he'll be able to make good on that statement by scheming up ways to get the versatile, athletic slot receiver the ball while L.A.'s established wideouts recover.

Whittington shined during the preseason slate, securing 11 of his 17 targets for 126 yards. He was a big play threat during his tenure with the Longhorns as well, amassing 1,157 yards on 92 catches over his final two seasons in Austin.

While Whittington has the most upside of the bunch and is still available in nearly every league, fantasy managers do have other options from this receiver's room to consider as well.

Tutu Atwell (three catches for 48 yards in Week 2) and Demarcus Robinson (two catches for 50 yards) had their moments against the Cardinals and could be worth speculative waiver claims before a clearer picture of L.A.'s offense without Kupp and Nacua materializes this week.

TE Hunter Henry, New England Patriots (24 Percent Rostered)

Suggested FAAB Bid: $4-6

Veteran tight end Hunter Henry is surprisingly emerging as the go-to weapon for the New England Patriots offense this season.

Heading into 2024, most of the hype surrounding this unit was on rookie quarterback Drake Maye and the team's revamped receiving corps that included two first-year talents in Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. Through two games, Maye has yet to see the field, Baker has logged just six fruitless offensive snaps and Polk has only made a limited impact—although he did score his first career touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks this week.

Meanwhile, Henry is quickly becoming the primary target for veteran signal-caller Jacoby Brissett. The tight end has now tallied a whopping 15 targets—nearly double the next most targeted players on the team—and caught 10 of them for 127 yards. No other Patriot pass-catcher has more than eight targets, five receptions or 36 receiving yards on the campaign.

Henry just wrapped up a sterling Week 2, finishing as the TE2 after putting up 18.9 points in an impressive eight-catch, 109-yard outing. While he was much quieter in the opener—reeling in just two receptions for 18 yards—he looks poised for more strong performances going forward as a safe, reliable weapon for Brissett to lean on in this rebuilding offense.

Given the lack of consistent, stable options at this position in fantasy, managers should feel comfortable putting in a claim on Henry and starting him against the New York Jets next week. Gang Green has the cornerback talent to lock down New England's receiving corps, setting up a situation where Henry could feast as the Patriots try to generate offense against their AFC East rivals.