That season-opening slate of games was certainly something. With all that went wrong, you’re probably going to need to add reinforcement via the Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Week 2.
However, keep in mind this is only one week. Less than 6% of the regular season. While it’s perfectly fine to beef up your roster, don’t overreact to some of the unforeseen performances from Sunday. Keep your eye on the prize but stay level-headed.
Here are the top fantasy football waiver wire adds: Week 2 to consider, with FAAB recommendations.
FAAB denotes Free Agent Acquisition Budget
Jeff Wilson (RB) San Francisco 49ers (15% FAAB) – Wilson was the only RB other than Elijah Mitchell to see the field on Sunday. Once Mitchell exited, Wilson got 9 carries and ran 10 routes. With Mitchell (knee) sidelined for multiple weeks, Wilson should have a viable path to weekly RB2 duties. He should be aggressively targeted as one of the top waiver wire adds this week.
Jahan Dotson (WR) Washington Commanders (12% FAAB) – Although he is rostered in just over half of ESPN leagues, Dotson should be considered the top priority if he’s available on the wire. Dotson was in on just one less snap than Terry McLaurin and ran one less route. But it was Dotson who drew Carson Wentz‘s praise all summer. And that connection continued into the regular season as the first-round rookie caught a pair of touchdown receptions in his NFL debut. Dotson is indisputably Washington’s No. 2 wideout and should be rostered in all leagues moving forward.
Curtis Samuel (WR) Washington Commanders (9% FAAB) –We can’t count on 313 passing yards out of Washington each week, but Samuel’s usage was very encouraging. He led the Commanders with a healthy 10 targets while also racking up four carries. Finally healthy, Samuel can be viewed as a solid weekly flex option in most formats.
Isaiah McKenzie (WR) Buffalo Bills (8% FAAB) – Rostered in only 16.7% of ESPN leagues, McKenzie is clearly the No. 3 option on what could be the league’s most potent offense. McKenzie only caught 2-of-3 targets but did get into the end zone. He should be viewed as a solid weekly WR3/Flex option worthy of a fairly aggressive bid.
D.J. Chark (WR) Detroit Lions (7% FAAB) – One of Billy Muzio’s favorite draft sleeper targets, Chark turned 8 targets into 4 grabs, 52 yards, and a score. He was in on a healthy 81.1% of Detroit’s snaps and only ran one less route than Amon-Ra St. Brown. Chark has weekly WR3/4 value moving forward.
Kyle Phillips (WR) Tennessee Titans (6% FAAB) – It was a very promising NFL debut for fifth-round rookie Kyle Phillips. The former UCLA wideout started in the slot for the Titans and led the club with 6 grabs and 66 yards on 9 targets. He should be a solid source of targets with fairly significant potential in PPR formats.
Jamaal Williams (RB) Detroit Lions (6% FAAB) – Fun Fact: Williams actually out-carried D’Andre Swift last season. Swift is clearly the better option, but Dan Campbell will continue to use both backs. Williams has the leg up on short-yardage work and is a Swift injury away from having weekly RB2 value.
Robbie Anderson (WR) Carolina Panthers (6% FAAB) – Anderson has the same number of snaps (53) and routes (33) as D.J. Moore, but it was Anderson who led Carolina with 8 targets, 5 grabs, and 109 yards. He also hauled in a touchdown and could be back on the weekly WR3 radar.
Russell Gage (WR) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5% FAAB) – Not much positive can be said about that Sunday night game. But one of the fantasy-relevant developments was the hamstring injury to Chris Godwin. Reportedly, Godwin will be sidelined for a month or more. That assures Gage of a significant role for the foreseeable future.
Khalil Herbert (RB) Chicago Bears (5% FAAB) – It’s hard to put too much into Chicago’s muted offense from Week 1 due to the field conditions. Still, Herbert had 10 opportunities on 17 snaps and scored a touchdown.
Mecole Hardman (WR) Kansas City Chiefs (5% FAAB) – True to form, the new Kansas City offense spread the ball all around. Hardman only caught half of his 6 targets for 16 yards but he did score on a red-zone throw from QB Patrick Mahomes. Those six looks ranked third on the team. He won’t be a consistent weekly option but Hardman makes sense as a flex option when the Chiefs are involved in games with an over/under above 50.
Rex Burkhead (RB) Houston Texans (5% FAAB) – It was Burkhead, not Dameon Pierce, who led Houston’s backfield. Burkhead was in on 71% of the Texans” plays and was second on the club with 7 targets. Game flow was largely responsible for this but it seems pretty clear that Burkhead will be a big part of Houston’s passing attack all season.
Corey Davis (WR) New York Jets (4% FAAB) – Davis was an under-the-radar value all summer and is still being widely ignored in fantasy circles. Once again Davis led the Jets’ receiving corps in both catches (6) and receiving yards (77) Sunday against the Ravens. Although he was in on 18 fewer snaps than Elijah Moore, Davis started the game and remains on the field in two-wide sets. His upside is rather capped in this offense, but Davis can be a decent bye-week fill-in.
Donovan Peoples-Jones (WR) Cleveland Browns (4% FAAB) – The Browns will be a run-first squad but DPJ ran more routes than Amari Cooper and led the Browns with a whopping 11 targets.
Hayden Hurst (TE) Cincinnati Bengals (4% FAAB) – Hurst was one of my favorite draft sleepers and he didn’t disappoint in Week 1. He was in on 75% of Cincinnati’s snaps and was third on the club with 7 targets. Hurst is a borderline top-15 weekly tight end who should be rostered in most leagues.
Devin Duvernay (WR) Baltimore Ravens (4% FAAB) – Don’t put too much emphasis on Duvernay’s two touchdown performance. Instead, focus on the fact that he was clearly Baltimore’s WR2. Duvernay ran 18 routes and drew 4 targets. Only one less than Rashod Bateman. Duvernay can be added as a WR4/5 or depth play.
Kenyan Drake (RB) Baltimore Ravens (4% FAAB) – When J.K. Dobbins was ruled out, we all assumed that Mike Davis would be Baltimore’s main back. Instead, Drake led the way with a team-high 11 totes. He also ran 16 pass routes. That tells us that Drake may stay involved even when Dobbins returns. Davis can be dropped.
Tyler Conklin (TE) New York Jets (4% FAAB) – Now there’s no debate over who the Jet’s tight end will be. Conklin out-snapped C.J. Uzomah 77-23. Conklin also out-targeted other New York tight ends 5-1. For the many fantasy managers who approach tight ends by streaming weekly, Conklin can be added to the group for fairly cheap.
Gerald Everett (TE) Los Angeles Chargers (4% FAAB) – Week 1 was not a good slate overall for tight ends. Everett finished the week as a top-5 fantasy option thanks to a 3/54/1 line on only 4 targets. Even better, Everett was in on 66% of LA’s snaps and tied for the team lead with those 4 looks. Everett should be viewed as a solid weekly streaming option with top-12 upside in Week 2 facing a Chiefs squad that just surrendered a score to Zach Ertz.
DeAndre Carter (WR) Los Angeles Chargers (3% FAAB) – It was Carter who took over in the slot after Keenan Allen exited Week 1. Allen injured his hamstring, which often can sideline a player for multiple weeks. He won’t be a player to blindly stick into your lineups, but Carter should see a healthy dose of playing time over the next month.
Jaylen Warren (RB) Pittsburgh Steelers (3% FAAB) – It sounds like Najee Harris will be fine, but it’s still too early to tell for certain. If Harris were to miss time, Warren would be worthy of being this week’s top waiver wire claim. With Harris active, he has almost no value other than as a hand-cuff or dynasty hold.
Zay Jones (WR) Jacksonville Jaguars (3% FAAB) – Jones posted a solid 6/65/0 line on 9 targets in Washington. We can’t count on that kind of volume weekly but Jones is clearly the No 2 option in a Jacksonville offense that has some potential with Doug Pederson.
Dontrelle Hilliard (RB) Tennessee Titans (2% FAAB) – Hilliard made all the highlight reels for catching a pair of touchdowns but he only played 12 snaps. As long as Derrick Henry is healthy, Hilliard isn’t going to play enough to warrant anything more than a speculative free-agent bid.
Taysom Hill (TE) New Orleans Saints (2% FAAB) – Why so low? In simple terms, Hill barely played in Week 1. Yes, he did get that nifty rushing score and can be a solid short-yardage weapon but he ran 4 routes and was targeted one time. He’s not going to be a consistent source of opportunities and is more of a gimmick player who will have a few outings like Week 1 and lots of zero-point performances. Juwan Johnson (3% FAAB) led New Orleans with 45 snaps and drew 4 targets.
Greg Dortch (WR) Arizona Cardinals (2% FAAB) – Depending on how long Rondale Moore is out, Dortch could make some noise. Dortch ran 42 routes versus Kansas City and led the Cardinals with 9 targets.
Noah Brown (WR) Dallas Cowboys (2% FAAB) – Brown led the Cowboys with 5 grabs and 68 yards but I wouldn’t count on that kind of production again. With QB Dak Prescott out for 6-8 weeks, there’s very little upside in the Dallas passing attack. The only good news is that Brown clearly looks like the team’s No. 2 wideout. At least until Michael Gallup returns.
Jordan Mason (RB) San Francisco 49ers (1% FAAB) – This week’s sneaky add. Kyle Shanahan has a far better history of developing late-round running backs than middle-round targets. 2022 third-round rookie Tyrion Davis-Price was a healthy scratch in Chicago while undrafted Georgia Tech rookie Jordan Mason was active. Mason didn’t receive a snap, but that may change soon. Elijah Mitchell is poised to miss a big chunk of the season and the 49ers are going to spell Jeff Wilson often. Mason is available in almost every league and could likely be acquired with a minimal bid. No downside to that.
Olamide Zaccheaus (WR) Atlanta Falcons (1% FAAB) – The Falcons won’t be an offense to target weekly but Zaccheaus only ran 9 fewer routes than Drake London and was fourth on the club in targets (4.)
Mike Thomas (WR) Cincinnati Bengals (1% FAAB) – Thomas got 5 targets and played 69 snaps but most of that was because Tee Higgins left the game after suffering a concussion. If Higgins is ruled out this week, Thomas could run plenty of routes in Dallas and be worth a minimal flier.
O.J. Howard (TE) Houston Texans (1% FAAB) – In the intro, I preached patience and not to overreact. Howard’s two touchdowns look good but he’s highly unlikely to be a viable weekly streamer. Howard only ran 6 routes and received 2 targets. They both went for scores but his playing time was far behind Brevin Jordan and Pharaoh Brown.
Eno Benjamin (RB) Arizona Cardinals (1% FAAB) – It was clear that Benjamin, who logged a 34% snap rate Sunday, is Arizona’s RB2. Darrel Williams didn’t record a single snap. It was a blowout loss for Arizona, but Benjamin did receive 8 opportunities and accounted for 61 yards. He can be added in deeper leagues as a hand-cuff for James Conner.
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