Cardinals TE Zach Ertz is Landslide Week 3 Waiver Wire Target

Arizona Cardinals TE Zach Ertz again had a strong outing - and fantasy experts believe he should be picked off the waiver wire heading into Week 3.

Arizona Cardinals TE Zach Ertz has dominated in the first two games of the 2023 season after being unsure if he'd play in either matchup prior to the regular season. Ertz was removed off the PUP list in training camp but was unsure if his recovery from a torn ACL/MCL would see him ready to go. 

Through two weeks of play, Ertz leads the Cardinals in both targets (18) and receptions (12) while being just shy of Marquise Brown's leading 82 receiving yards with 77 of his own, erasing any doubt of his status. 

It's clear quarterback Josh Dobbs sees Ertz as the ultimate security blanket, and that shouldn't change moving forward. 

If Ertz is still available in your league, plenty of fantasy outlets believe he's a prime candidate to pick up on the waiver wire. 

Pro Football Focus

"Ertz remained a big part of the Cardinals’ offense in Week 2, leading the team in receptions (six) and receiving yards (56)," wrote Nathan Jahnke before pointing out the following numbers:

• His 12 receptions this season are the second most among tight ends, while his 77 receiving yards ranks sixth at the position.
• Ertz’s playing time remains down compared to last season, but he can live with a slight decrease in snaps when his target rate has increased from 17.6% to 32.1%.
• His target rate remained very consistent from Week 1 to Week 2, going from 32.3% to 32.0%.

"If anything, his value could increase as the season progresses. Either Joshua Dobbs will remain at quarterback and become more comfortable with the offense, or Kyler Murray will return from injury."

Rotoballer

"Zach Ertz might be on the tail end of his storied career, but the longtime fantasy stalwart is still delivering numbers for his fantasy managers. He has been better than most fantasy pundits thought he would be this year, thanks in part to journeyman quarterback Joshua Dobbs playing better than most fantasy pundits thought he would," wrote Craig Rondinone. 

"Ertz has posted back-to-back six-catch contests and has been targeted an ungodly 18 times through two weeks. He will continue to produce, especially in PPR leagues, if he is aimed at that much in the coming weeks."

NFL.com

"What is this, 2018?! Well, no -- if it were 2018, Ertz wouldn’t be available on the waiver wire. Instead, the Cardinals tight end is unrostered in more than 80 percent of NFL.com leagues," wrote Matt Okada. 

"And yet -- like he did in 2018 -- Ertz currently leads all tight ends in targets this season (18). No one outside of Marquise Brown has shown any promise as a go-to receiving option in Arizona, leaving the 32-year-old Ertz to pick up a hefty workload. And in today’s tight end landscape, we can’t ask for much more than a hefty workload. Ertz should be added -- and probably started."

ESPN

"Ertz continues to provide fantasy managers with solid performances. He has seen eight or more targets in each of the past two games and continues to run a high number of routes. While Ertz faces a tough Cowboys defense in Week 3, he still has the trust of Joshua Dobbs and can be viewed as a low end TE1," wrote Eric Moody.