Week 2 Waiver Wire (Fantasy Football)

Week 2 waivers are here! After a crazy Week 1, there are a lot of questions about who to target for your roster heading into Week 2. Below is a list of the players to target if you need a Week 2 pickup. Listen or watch today’s Week 2 Waivers episode of The Fantasy Footballers podcast for a full breakdown of these waiver adds, plus players to consider dropping!

Wide Receivers

It’s early in the season, so we have a lot of names for you to look at on the waiver wire and the trick is weeding through the right options that make the most sense for your roster. 

There is a lot of excitement surrounding the Arizona Cardinals with their explosive offense and stalwart defense that shut down the Tennessee Titans in Week 1. WR Christian Kirk had himself a day with five receptions on five targets for 70 yards and two touchdowns. While that was a glorious stat line on the week, I think it’s important to point out that rookie Rondale Moore is still on the team. It may take the rookie a few weeks to get his NFL legs underneath him and take those targets away from Kirk. However, if you need a WR in the short term, Kirk could be your guy. If you are looking for a WR to stash, then I would lean Moore.

We had the unfortunate news that second-year WR Jerry Jeudy of the Denver Broncos suffered a high ankle sprain. The good news was that the injury is not season-ending, but he will miss about eight weeks. WR Tim Patrick stepped up to the plate in a big way on Sunday with four receptions on four targets, for 39 yards and a touchdown. Until Courtland Sutton gets back into NFL shape after being a year removed from the regular season, Patrick has the opportunity to be a reliable target for Teddy Bridgewater. They face the Jacksonville Jaguars next week who just make Tyrod Taylor look like the next Tom Brady.

I am very sorry for all the Michael Pittman managers out there, but it was Colts WR Zach Pascal who had the stellar performance. Carson Wentz needs reliable targets that he can trust on his brand new offense during his redemption year and it looks likes he is already starting that relationship with Pascal. I am not saying Pittman is terrible, but Pascal may be the security blanket that Wentz and your fantasy team may need for a safer floor.

Speaking of security blankets, my number one target on the waiver wire for wide receivers is the Giants Sterling Shepard. He saw nine targets for seven receptions, for 113 yards and a touchdown. The WR will be who Jones looks for to save his life as he runs for his life behind a crumbling offensive line since taking it himself has proven disastrous. The Giants will face Washington, Atlanta, and New Orleans and I don’t see his usage changing in face of those matchups. 

Listen or watch today’s Week 2 Waivers episode to hear how The Fantasy Footballers are prioritizing these wideouts and who you can drop to pick them up!

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Running Backs

There are really two names that jump out on this list and they are Elijah Mitchell and Kenneth Gainwell. 

In a head-scratching move, the 49ers scrapped Trey Sermon for Week 1 and we all fired up our shares of Raheem Mostert. Unfortunately, Mostert promptly got hurt and Mitchell (literally) ran away with the run game. He scored a touchdown on over 100 yards and 19 carries and even JaMycal Hasty saw the end zone once. That is what happens in a Kyle Shanahan offense. 

Mostert may possibly miss the rest of season and at best he know he’ll miss at least eight weeks. It is safe to say Mitchell will be seeing the field along with Sermon moving forward. Because of the nature of the offense, both running backs have the opportunity to see touches each week and should be high on your waiver list.

Gainwell also stood out on Sunday, which was a little surprising. Having QB Jalen Hurts on the field helps open that run game. Miles Sanders is the clear RB1 in this offense, but how long he stays on the field is anyone’s guess. Gainwell can be a productive insurance policy and an intriguing flex play with a clear path to production if anything happens to Sanders.

Get the full breakdown and how much FAAB to spend on these RBs on today’s Week 2 Waivers episode.

Tight Ends

This won’t be last time you read or hear this, but the TE options on the waiver wire are gross. If you are looking for some kind of production each week with a semi-safe floor but low ceiling, then you could look at Bears TE Cole Kmet. His season long value is limited since we don’t know how he will fair with Justin Fields as opposed to Andy Dalton.

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Cowboys TE Dalton Schultz is another option who saw a fair amount of targets and may have opportunity now that WR Michael Gallup is on short term IR. However, CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper are elite targets for QB Dak Prescott on big plays, especially in the end zone.

If you want to get spicy, you could target WR/TE Juwan Johnson who Jameis Winston found in the end zone twice against the Green Bay Packers. Just be aware that his production came on only 12 offensive snaps. There clearly is some kind of chemistry there and I certainly don’t mind stashing him if I have the space. However, my confidence in his week-to-week performance is limited considering we have only seen one game of regular season football.

If you’re doing the TE dumpster dive this week, listen/watch The Fantasy Footballers discuss these options on today’s Week 2 Waivers show.

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QB Streamers

Get the reasoning behind the QB Streamer picks from The Fantasy Footballers on the Week 2 Waivers episode! Good luck on your waiver claims!