Fantasy Football Week 2 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice
Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be owned in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the ownership percentage coming from Yahoo.com.
Quarterbacks
Tyrod Taylor, Browns (12% Owned): Taylor’s obituary as a starter was being pre-written in the preseason, but he did some good stuff in Cleveland’s shocking tie vs. the Steelers. Taylor showed his touch on some deep throws, connection on one for a game-tying TD to Josh Gordon, and he also rushed eight times for 77 yards and a TD. The rushing is what you care about as a fantasy owner, because that’s going to be there every week. Maybe not 77 yards and a TD, but he’s the best non-Cam Newton rushing QB out there. It’s less encouraging that he completed 15 passes on 40 attempts, but it was a road game vs. the Steelers. This week he gets the Saints, who just finished giving up 400+ yards to Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Case Keenum, Broncos (25% Owned): Keenum was a roller coaster in his Broncos debut, but productive for our purposes. Recognizing his above-average weaponry at wide receiver, Keenum threw the ball 39 times, racking up 329 yards and three TDs. He also was picked off three times, but that’s a tradeoff you can live with if the yardage and TDs are there. They were there last season, and he’s picked up where he left off. Keenum wil likely be a nice streaming option all year with the right matchups, and next week he is making a trip to Oakland where LB Khalil Mack no longer roams.
Running Backs
T.J. Yeldon, Jaguars (25% Owned): Yeldon is the add of the week if Leonard Fournette is going to miss time with a hamstring injury, but don’t blow too much budget. Fournette’s injury might not be serious, and if he’s going to be back soon Yeldon loses pretty much all his value. Yeldon should already be owned by Fournette owners, but if he has the starting job he’ll be particularly helpful in half-PPR and PPR formats because of his pass-catching.
Austin Ekeler, Chargers (17% Owned): Ekeler is a talented back trapped in a tough situation. Clearly, he does well when given opportunity, but he’s stuck sharing time with a true bell cow in Melvin Gordon. If Gordon owners don’t already have Ekeler, spend a few bucks and grab him now. Last week he averaged 7.8 yards per carry and caught all five of his targets for 87 yards and a TD. If he is going to cause that kind of wreckage on limited action, the Chargers will have no choice but to increase his role. There is Alvin Kamara potential here, and he should probably be fairly cheap despite the big week.
Wide Receivers
John Brown, Ravens (20% Owned): Brown is a talented receiver who has had issues staying healthy. Those health concerns are still present, but he’s in a better situation where he appears cemented as the WR2 for Joe Flacco. In his first week he caught three quarters of his targets and reeled in a TD pass. Baltimore isn’t known for their passing game, but his complement, Michael Crabtree, is a possession receiver, leaving Brown as a frequent target for big plays.
Brandon Marshall, Seahawks (8% Owned): Marshall is old, yes, but he still has something left in the tank. With an actual good QB running the show, Marshall has a chance to transition into a big-bodied red zone ace with the Seahawks, a team that got busted-ass Jimmy Graham to double-digit TDs last year. Marshall has already scored this season, notching three catches for 46 yards and a score. That’s a nice outing from a deep-league FLEX right there.
Paul Richardson, Redskins (10% Owned): Richardson didn’t do much in his Redskins debut, but he is a big play waiting to happen. All we needed to see was involvement for Richardson, and he saw six targets, catching four of them for an unimpressive 22 yards. That’s okay, as he shouldn’t be any more than a matchup play or WR 3 in a super deep league. Don’t cut bait on this guy too quickly if you have him, and if you have a spot to spare he’s a nice lottery ticket.
Phillip Dorsett, Patriots (4% Owned): Dorsett is similar to Richardson, except for the moment he’s going to be featured much more prominently with Julian Edelman suspended. Last week Dorsett saw seven targets from Tom Brady, catching all seven of them for 66 yards and a score. Be wary, as targets and production come and go in New England’s versatile offense, but for the moment Dorsett is likely to be a target hound.
Tight Ends
Eric Ebron, Colts (33% Owned): Andrew Luck’s tight ends tend to be valuable fantasy assets, and they’ve often been very ordinary players in terms of talent. Ebron has to contend with Jack Doyle, a familiar face, but his talent is far superior to Doyle’s. I can’t imagine Luck, or the Colts, not utilizing Ebron to the fullest extent possible, especially with weak receivers beyond T.Y. Hilton. Ebron is off to a nice start, putting up 51 yards and a score in his first dance with Luck.
Jonnu Smith, Titans (1% Owned): Delanie Walker was lost for the season in Week 1, giving the talented and physically imposing Smith a chance to shine. It isn’t great for Smith’s value to potentially have Blaine Gabbert under center for the time being, but it may not matter with his upside.