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Fantasy Football Week 3 Stashes: Bigsby, Mariota Headline Holds

Football Nation
Sep 22
5 min read

Updated: Sep 25

Sunday status update — September 27

Keon Coleman is active for Buffalo against the Chargers, according to the Bills' official inactive report. His ankle designation no longer blocks a Week 3 lineup, but DJ Moore is also active, so Coleman's fantasy value remains tied to target share rather than a presumed Moore absence.

The best Week 3 stashes are Emanuel Wilson, Tank Bigsby, Marcus Mariota, Keon Coleman, Zach Ertz and Parker Washington. None should be treated as an automatic starter in a normal one-quarterback league today. Each has a specific, verifiable trigger that could turn a bench slot into usable volume.

A stash is not a recap of last week's points. It is a bet on what changes next. Football Nation is prioritizing contingency value, injury-created paths and role growth, while keeping the current starter label separate from the future-value case.

Week 3 stash board

Rank

Player

Stash trigger

Current use

1

Emanuel Wilson, RB

Jadarian Price misses time

Bench in 12-team leagues

2

Tank Bigsby, RB

Saquon Barkley practiced in full Friday

High-priority handcuff

3

Marcus Mariota, QB

Jayden Daniels misses multiple games

Superflex bench

4

Keon Coleman, WR

Either Bills WR inactive Sunday

Bench; Sunday inactive call

5

Zach Ertz, TE

Dallas Goedert MCL absence persists

TE-premium watch

6

Parker Washington, WR

36.7% target share holds

Borderline deep starter


1. Emanuel Wilson: volume appeared immediately

Wilson rushed for 92 yards on 21 carries after Jadarian Price left with a chest injury. ESPN listed Wilson at only 0.4% rostered, which is the profile of a true stash rather than an expensive waiver starter. Seattle will not always have a game script that supports 21 reserve carries, but Wilson has already shown that the coaching staff will use him if Price cannot handle the workload.

Trigger: Price misses practice or carries an injury designation into Week 3. Value if triggered: a workload-based RB3 with touchdown access. Main counterpoint: the Week 2 lead created unusual closing volume. Next checkpoint: Seattle's Wednesday injury report.

2. Tank Bigsby: the cleanest elite-back contingency

Bigsby is now a pure contingency stash. Saquon Barkley practiced in full Friday and told reporters he plans to play Monday, while Bigsby and Will Shipley were limited. Barkley managers can keep Bigsby as insurance, but non-Barkley managers should not treat him as a standalone Week 3 starter.

Trigger: A late Barkley setback or Monday inactive designation would elevate Bigsby. Otherwise, Saturday’s final report should confirm Barkley as the starter and Bigsby as insurance only.

3. Marcus Mariota: superflex insurance with a clock

Washington will start Mariota while Daniels' left elbow is evaluated and managed. ESPN listed Mariota at 0.1% rostered and noted that he rushed for at least 40 yards in four starts last season, but it also warned against streaming him in Seattle. CBS was more optimistic, pointing to 287 career Washington pass attempts at 7.6 yards per attempt with a 15-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio and calling him a plausible waiver replacement.

Trigger: Washington establishes a multiweek absence despite Friday's update that surgery is not on the table and injured reserve has not been discussed. Value if triggered: a superflex QB2 whose rushing can rescue uneven passing volume. Main counterpoint: poor Week 3 matchup and a limited offensive environment. Next checkpoint: Washington's first actual return timetable; Peters supplied optimism Friday but no return date. Read the current Jayden Daniels injury update.


Washington Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota during the 2025 preseason
Marcus Mariota during the 2025 Washington preseason. Photo by All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Photo source and license: Wikimedia Commons file page


4. Keon Coleman: a target tree could open

Coleman caught six passes for 63 yards in Week 2, but the Friday report adds a second variable: Coleman himself is questionable with an ankle injury after limited Friday work, while DJ Moore is also questionable with a shoulder injury. Buffalo’s official injury report confirms both designations. The stash case is therefore conditional in both directions—Coleman needs to be active, and his clearest target expansion still depends on Moore’s availability.

Trigger: Coleman is active and Moore is inactive or clearly limited. Value if triggered: a touchdown-driven WR4 with red-zone size. Main counterpoint: Coleman could be inactive himself, and Buffalo can spread targets even if Moore sits. Next checkpoint: the Bills’ inactive list about 90 minutes before kickoff; the Week 3 injury tracker will carry the final call.

5. Zach Ertz: the veteran pathway is narrow but real

Philadelphia reunited with Ertz on the practice squad after Dallas Goedert suffered an MCL sprain. That transaction does not make Ertz a starter today. It does create a veteran insurance option in an offense that has used tight ends in high-leverage situations. In tight-end premium or leagues with deep benches, that pathway is worth monitoring.

Trigger: Ertz is elevated and Goedert remains sidelined. Value if triggered: short-area targets and red-zone routes, not guaranteed full-time snaps. Main counterpoint: age, practice-squad status and competition from younger tight ends. Next checkpoint: elevation and active-roster transactions.

6. Parker Washington: almost too useful to call a stash

CBS reported a 36.7% target share and 3.93 yards per route through two games, enough for a top-12 projection in its Week 3 model. Those are CBS projection inputs, not Yahoo or ESPN roster fields. Washington belongs at the edge of this list because the usage may already justify a deep-league start.

Trigger: another game with a target share above 25%. Value if triggered: PPR WR3 territory. Main counterpoint: two games are a tiny sample and coverage can adjust. Next checkpoint: targets per route, slot usage and red-zone involvement.

Football Nation verdict

Wilson remains the stronger independent running-back stash. Barkley’s full Friday practice keeps Bigsby in the insurance tier: Barkley managers can hold him through Monday’s inactive list, while non-Barkley managers can churn the roster spot for a player with a clearer path to Week 3 volume. Mariota is format-specific, Coleman is a conditional target-tree bet who must first be active, Ertz is a transaction watch, and Washington is a role-growth bet.

More Football Nation Week 3 context

Sources and methodology

Data note: ESPN rostered percentages and FAB guidance are ESPN fields. Yahoo's current page was checked and its ranked recommendation names were visible, but the full article returned HTTP 429 during this snapshot, so no Yahoo roster percentage is claimed. CBS supplied recommendations and projections in the cited articles but no comparable public roster percentage for these names. Football Nation does not average unlike platform fields.

Friday injury update: Saquon Barkley practiced in full and told reporters he plans to play Monday. Tank Bigsby, Will Shipley and DeVonta Smith were limited; Dallas Goedert did not practice. Source: NFL.com’s official September 25 roundup.

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