Fantasy football waiver wire lookahead: 5 players to stash now

With injuries and slow starts abound, it's always a good idea to look ahead in fantasy football. Who are the players in a minor role right now who could be in for more in the coming weeks?

It's always a tough balancing act when it comes to stashing players who aren't doing much right now, but could be in for a larger role in the future. You don't want to waste roster spots, but you also want to beat everyone to the waiver wire rush on Tuesday nights. Without further ado, let's jump in before Week 3.

RB Emmett Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs' offense looks like a machine. The offensive line is great, Patrick Mahomes looks like his old self and the run game is crushing. They are first in the NFL with 0.182 Rush EPA, and yes, Kenneth Walker has played a huge part in that. But rookie Emmett Johnson also looks good, albeit in very limited touches. If Walker were to miss any time, Johnson would be a waiver wire jackpot given how good the rest of the offense is looking right now.

TE Terrance Ferguson, Los Angeles Rams

In a bit of a coming-out party, Terrance Ferguson posted a 6/54/1 line on Monday Night Football against the New York Giants. Did he do this only because Puka Nacua didn't play? Maybe, but with Puka expected to miss Week 3 and "on track" to play in Week 4, Ferguson has a chance to establish himself a bit more in the Rams' offense. My point being: Ferguson can play a solid role when Puka is out, but if he's legitimately good, he could still carve out a role once Puka comes back.

WEEK 3 FANTASY RANKINGS:QB | RB | WR | TE | K | D/ST | FLEX

WR Keenan Allen, Indianapolis Colts

I wrote about Keenan Allen a few weeks ago as a stash, and now he might be moving up from stash to starter. With Alec Pierce out for several weeks, Allen is essentially the WR2 alongside Josh Downs. Allen has played on 59% of the Colts snaps this season, and has an 18.6% target share with a 14.3% red zone target share. The Colts' defense looks bad, which means they could be in a lot of higher-scoring games, since they're forced to play catch-up. This does present an opportunity for more passes, and Allen could be the beneficiary of that.

WR Khadarel Hodge, San Francisco 49ers

Khadarel Hodge. You might be asking, "Who is that?" Well, he's a depth wide receiver for the 49ers who is now thrust into more playing time. The 49ers were already without Ricky Pearsall; they then lost De'Zhaun Stribling in Week 1, then Demarcus Robinson in Week 2. This leaves the aging and banged-up Mike Evans, along with Deebo Samuel Sr., as their two starting wide receivers. The 49ers' offense is always elite, and one more injury could make Hodge a starting wide receiver.

RB Emanuel Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks like Emanuel Wilson. Sometimes that's all it takes for a player to be viable in fantasy football, and it might be the case for Wilson. Last week, we saw rookie Jadarian Price get banged up a bit, which led to Wilson playing on 41% of the offensive snaps, which he turned into 21 carries for 92 yards. George Holani also saw 26% of the snaps, so a three-headed backfield isn't great, but if one of Price or Holani misses time, Wilson could push towards 15+ touches every week.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy football waiver wire lookahead: 5 players to stash now