Week 3 Guillotine FAAB: Who Got Chopped and What We'd Bid
By Patrick · Survive The Chop ·
If Bijan Robinson is on your waiver wire, he's the player to spend on this week. He was chopped in 9.7% of the leagues in our verified Week 2 sample, so most of you won't see him. Where he is available, we'd bid 15–20% of your starting budget.
Justin Jefferson and Chase Brown are next on our list if they're on your wire. They were chopped in 13.1% and 9.3% of our sample. Puka Nacua was chopped more than any other receiver, in 17.3% of leagues, but his hip injury makes him a harder call.
It's still early, and your budget has to last the whole season. Pay for players who fix a real weakness in your lineup. Keep the rest.
Week 3 bid guide
These are the ranges we'd bid, as a percentage of your starting FAAB budget. For a $1,000 budget, 5% is $50. They assume PPR scoring and one starting quarterback. Every league released different players, so use the rows for the players actually on your wire.
| Player | Recommended bid | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| Bijan Robinson | 15–20% | A running back you can start every week |
| Justin Jefferson | 12–15% | A WR1 whose role didn't change |
| Chase Brown | 8–12% | A heavy workload for less money |
| De'Von Achane | 8–12% | The same case as Brown |
| Colston Loveland | 2–4% | Tight end help if you can wait on production |
| Tucker Kraft | 2–4% | A full-time tight end at a small price |
Go toward the top of a range if you're close to the chopping block. Stay near the bottom if your lineup is safe. Decide your total spend before you enter several claims.
Put your bids into a FAAB plan
In FAAB Insights, select targets from your league's available players and open Review plan. You'll see suggested drops, maximum spend, FAAB left and a projected lineup outlook. Adjust your selections, then enter the claims on Sleeper.
Recommended bids and market estimates answer different questions. Our ranges say what we'd spend. The app's market estimate describes what comparable players have historically cost. Another manager may pay more than our recommendation; that alone is no reason to raise yours. The ranges here are editorial guidance informed by FAAB Insights. Your personalized app recommendation can differ with your roster, budget and strategy.
Bijan Robinson: the one to spend on
Recommended bid: 15–20% · Our rest-of-season rank: RB2
Robinson scored 31.3 PPR points in Week 1 and 11.1 in Week 2. He was on a chopped roster in 9.7% of our sample.
We project him for 19.0 PPR points this week and rank him RB2 for the rest of the season. He gets the biggest range in this guide because he can start for you every week the rest of the way.
One thing to watch: he played 51% of Atlanta's snaps in Week 2, down from 77% in Week 1. Check Atlanta's practice reports before you go to the top of the range.
Go toward 20% if you need a lineup anchor now. Start near 15% if your team has room.
Justin Jefferson: the role didn't change
Recommended bid: 12–15% · Our rest-of-season rank: WR6
Jefferson played every snap in Week 2 and got 6 targets. He caught 3 of them for 55 yards and 8.5 PPR points. He opened the season with 31.2.
The role is what you're paying for, and it's intact. We project him for 17.7 PPR points this week and rank him WR6 for the rest of the season. His range sits just below Robinson's because we rank Robinson higher.
Chase Brown and De'Von Achane: the workload is there
Recommended bids: 8–12% each · Our rest-of-season ranks: RB9 and RB11
Both had 20 carries in Week 2. Brown played 70% of Cincinnati's snaps, about the same as his 72% in Week 1. Achane played 76% of Miami's, down from 86%. Neither scored. They were chopped in 9.3% and 8.3% of our sample.
We project 17.1 PPR points for Brown and 16.2 for Achane this week. If Robinson isn't on your wire, either one is a good place to spend.
Colston Loveland and Tucker Kraft: keep it small
Recommended bids: 2–4% each · Our rest-of-season ranks: TE5 and TE6
Loveland was chopped again, in 15.2% of our sample. He's played 87% and 86% of Chicago's snaps, but he has only 5 targets in two games. Kraft's snap share jumped from 66% to 98% in Week 2. His targets went the other way, from 6 to 3.
Both are on the field. Neither is getting the ball yet. We had Loveland at 5–8% last week and have moved him from TE3 to TE5, so his range comes down. We project 11.0 PPR points for Loveland and 11.9 for Kraft this week. Go toward the top only if tight end is your weakest spot.
Injuries: Nacua, Barkley and Bowers
Puka Nacua was chopped in 17.3% of our sample, more than any other receiver. He missed Monday night's game with a hip injury after sitting out practice Friday and Saturday. He's our WR1 for the rest of the season. We'll give him a range once he practices. NBC Sports.
Saquon Barkley was chopped in 14.5% of our sample. He left Philadelphia's first play with a stinger. He came back in the second half and finished with 4 carries for 9 yards on 12 snaps. He had an MRI Monday, and the Eagles hadn't announced the results. Philadelphia plays Monday night this week, so there's extra time for news. Wait for it before you bid. Yahoo Sports.
Brock Bowers was chopped in 9.3% of our sample and is still listed out with a knee injury. We rank him TE2 for the rest of the season. He's the one tight end stash we'd consider, once there's a return timeline.
Also listed out or questionable as of Tuesday afternoon: DJ Moore (shoulder), Nico Collins and Zay Flowers (hamstrings), Malik Nabers (shoulder) and Dallas Goedert (knee). Check each one before you bid.
Quarterbacks: keep bids small in one-QB leagues
Jaxson Dart was chopped more than anyone, in 20.4% of our sample. He hurt his knee after 7 snaps against the Rams, and an MRI showed the injury is worse than first thought. He's expected to miss an extended period, and possibly the rest of the season. NBC Sports.
Trevor Lawrence and Drake Maye are healthy. They were chopped in 13.8% and 11.1% of our sample. We rank Maye QB6 and Lawrence QB8 for the rest of the season. In a one-QB league, the gain over your current starter is usually small, so keep it to 1–3% unless yours is hurt. In Superflex, both are starters and worth more.
Keep FAAB for later cuts
Across the 2025 Sleeper leagues we analyzed, eventual champions had spent about 24% of their starting FAAB by Week 5, on average. That's roughly 35% less than the teams still competing at the same point. We covered this in last week's FAAB guide.
Fix the spot that could get you chopped this week. Keep the rest for later.
Who hit waivers after Week 2?
These are selected notable players from our verified Sleeper cut sample. Percentages show the share of completed Week 2 cuts that released each player, including bench and reserve players.
| Player | Share of verified cuts |
|---|---|
| Jaxson Dart | 20.4% |
| Puka Nacua | 17.3% |
| Colston Loveland | 15.2% |
| DJ Moore | 14.5% |
| Saquon Barkley | 14.5% |
| Trevor Lawrence | 13.8% |
| Dallas Goedert | 13.5% |
| Justin Jefferson | 13.1% |
| Marvin Harrison Jr. | 13.1% |
| Tucker Kraft | 11.8% |
| Malik Nabers | 11.8% |
| Drake Maye | 11.1% |
| Bijan Robinson | 9.7% |
| Chase Brown | 9.3% |
| De'Von Achane | 8.3% |
These percentages describe verified releases as of Tuesday afternoon. Availability depends on your league, its cut timing and any claims that have already processed.
Build your team's FAAB plan
Start with the players your league actually released. Then decide how much to commit to each claim and how much you want left for future cuts. Your FAAB plan brings those decisions together with suggested drops and a projected lineup outlook.
Connect your Sleeper league for personalized recommendations based on your roster, available players and remaining FAAB. The article is free; the paid app brings the advice to your team.
Already connected? Review my FAAB plan.
About these recommendations
Ranks and projections use our September 22 Week 3 PPR update. Bid ranges are editorial recommendations informed by FAAB Insights, not predicted auction prices or universal limits. Check current injuries, league settings and your combined spending before placing claims.
Cut percentages come from completed Sleeper chop transactions that we matched to the lowest Week 2 score among teams still active and to a cleared roster. Leagues with more than 18 teams, more than one chop this week, or no completed release are excluded, as are leagues whose cut had not processed when we collected the sample. This is a sample of leagues that use our app, not a Sleeper-wide rate.
Snap counts, targets and box-score lines come from Sleeper's public game stats. Injury designations are the ones listed on Sleeper as of Tuesday afternoon, plus the reports linked above.
The historical spending analysis uses completed 2025 native Sleeper Chopped leagues with verified champions and reconciled FAAB records. It includes different league sizes and measures spending before the Week 5 chop. We compare champions with all teams still competing at that checkpoint, averaging within each league and giving each league equal weight. The 35% figure is a relative difference in spending, not 35 percentage points of the starting budget. These are observational results, not proof that a bidding strategy caused a championship.