Is Noah Brown A Good Fantasy Football Pickup for Week 3? Waiver Wire Outlook

The Dallas Cowboys entered the 2022 season with a hole at the No. 2 receiver role. They traded Amari Cooper in the offseason, allowing CeeDee Lamb to ascend to the WR1 chair. Michael Gallup tore his ACL late in the 2021 season and has not been cleared to play through the first two weeks of the season.

Third-round rookie Jalen Tolbert has not progressed as the team had hoped, ending up as a game-day inactive for the first two games.

All of this has come together to give fifth-year wide receiver Noah Brown a shot to produce and he has answered the call. Brown has emerged as a solid flex play in fantasy over the first two weeks, but is he worth a waiver add? Let's take a closer look and try to answer that question.

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What Did Noah Brown Do In Weeks 1 and 2?

Noah Brown is a fifth-year receiver from Ohio State. He scored the first touchdown of his career in Week 2 against the Bengals on this mighty fine catch in the end zone.

Cowboys WR Noah Brown scored his first TD since entering NFL in 2017.

"I told him congratulations like 50 times," CeeDee Lamb said. "I can’t stop smiling, I can’t stop congratulating him." pic.twitter.com/jdTW9Nu8mu

— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) September 19, 2022

He finished Week 2 with five catches for 91 yards and a score, setting or tying career highs across the board. Overall, Brown has 10 catches on 14 targets for 159 yards through two games. His 14 targets put him more than halfway to eclipsing his previous career high, which is 25 from last season.

Brown is not only producing as the No. 2 receiver in Dallas, but he is also outproducing his more heralded teammate CeeDee Lamb, who has just nine catches for 108 scoreless yards. A lot of this production has come with backup Cooper Rush under center after Rush took over for the injured Dak Prescott in the middle of the fourth quarter in Week 1.

Were There Any Worrying Signs With Noah Brown In Weeks 1 and 2?

Brown has been one of the few bright spots for a Dallas offense that has not had an easy time scoring points through the first two games. He has been a mainstay on the offense, playing on 86.8% of the offensive snaps thus far.

The veteran wideout doesn't look like he's going anywhere as Dallas will probably be without tight end Dalton Schultz for at least a week after he sprained his knee in Week 2. By all accounts, Brown is a hard-worker and is well-respected by those in the Dallas organization.

#Cowboys WR, Noah Brown on how satisfying it is to play and win with Cooper Rush: “Man, it’s huge. It’s just a testament to all of the work we put in, in the facility. Not a lot of people get to see Cooper, or me in the past really. But the work showed today, I’m proud of him.”

— Newy Scruggs (@newyscruggs) September 19, 2022

Brown isn't showing any signs of slowing down, and the main concern looming over him is the eventual return of Michael Gallup. The Cowboys clearly like Gallup as they gave him a five-year, $57.5 million contract in the offseason despite the knee injury. When Gallup returns, he could cut into Brown's target share and it remains to be seen whether Cooper Rush can support three pass-catchers from a fantasy perspective.

Should I Pick Noah Brown Up Off the Waiver Wire in Fantasy Football?

The 26-year-old Brown has spent his entire career with the Cowboys. He and Rush have certainly had time to build a rapport together as backups over the years. Rush even said of Brown, "He's a baller. We've been together since we were rookies." That chemistry could be a big ingredient leading toward Brown's breakout so far.

He had some big games for the Buckeyes back in college, including a four-touchdown game against Oklahoma that helped get him on the radar of NFL teams.

By the way, I’m super happy for Noah Brown. He’s stayed patient, worked hard, and is finally getting his shine. He’s a baller. And in case you forgot, this is HIM pic.twitter.com/VUNTcRbRU3

— Mekka Don (@MekkaDonMusic) September 19, 2022

Brown could see his role decrease once Gallup and/or Schultz return to the fold, but he is definitely worth adding off of waivers in 12-team and larger leagues as a solid WR3/flex option going forward. In the worst case scenario, fantasy managers can stream him over the next few weeks and then release him if his production wanes after Gallup returns.

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