Fantasy Football 2020 Week 2 Waiver Wire Week 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

Gardner Minshew, Jaguars (25% Owned): Minshew was impressive last season, but after briefly losing the gig to Nick Foles, and then losing RB Leonard Fournette this offseason, Minshew and the Jags had been left for dead. Minshew responded by completing 95% of his passes last week vs. the Colts for 173 yards and three touchdowns in a win. He threw 21 touchdowns vs. just six picks last season, so taking care of the football is something he is clearly capable of. He has competent receiving options, as well as a stud in D.J. Chark. Minshew is still not a locked-in weekly starter in my opinion, but you could do worse. His Week 2 matchup is tough – at Tennessee – but he gets Miami and Cincinnati after that, so he could be a sneaky stash.

Mitchell Trubisky, Bears (3% Owned): Trubisky is a glaring example of the difference between fantasy football and the real game. Trubisky looked awful for a lot of last week’s victory over the Lions, but he has some playmakers on this team, and he rode them to 242 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran three times for 26 yards, which is the main reason for his fantasy viability. Trubisky is always going to be a dangerous play because of his inaccuracy, penchant for turnovers, and potential for a complete dud through the air, but he’s got the Giants and Falcons next on his schedule. For those who punted at QB in drafts, those are juicy matchups for a QB who can scoot.

Running Backs

Malcolm Brown, Rams (26% Owned): Brown is definitely part of a three-back committee in Los Angeles, but he looked to grab the biggest part of it by the horns Sunday night. Brown rushed 18 times for 79 yards and two touchdowns, getting work all over the field, not just near the goal line (although those looks did belong to him). Darrell Henderson was stuck in the mud, and while Cam Akers looked explosive as well, he’s not able to run through defenders like Brown can. Last season Brown looked like a bulky battering ram; the 2020 version is still big, but he was elusive in the open field. The Rams offense looked potent again, and Brown’s the tip of the spear. He’s someone I’d spend maybe 20% of my FAAB budget on.

Nyheim Hines, Colts (19% Owned): Hines was the big winner of Week 1 even before Marlon Mack tore his Achilles. While everyone drooled over Jonathan Taylor or scolded not to forget about Mack, Hines went out and did his best Austin Ekeler impression. He caught all eight of his targets from Philip Rivers for 45 yards and a touchdown, and struck paydirt again as a runner. He finished with 73 scrimmage yards, and looks to be the obvious passing downs option while also mixing in during other situations as well. With Mack out, his role can only increase. I wouldn’t spend quite as much as I would on Brown since Hines is still second in the pecking order, but he’s going to be a playable FLEX at worst every week.

Joshua Kelley, Chargers (12% Owned): I spent the offseason hyping Justin Jackson, but Kelley is the guy in Jackson’s role. I knew Ekeler would not suddenly become a true three-down back, and Kelley stepped right in, assuming 12 carries for 60 yards and a touchdown. He only played on 24% of the Chargers’ snaps, so he could be a bit touchdown-dependent, at least in the early going, so don’t blow your budget here. But definitely throw a $5 bid on him if you need RB depth.

Adrian Peterson, Lions (45% Owned): This guy is something else. Peterson is on his fifth team, a team that only signed him a few days ago, and he rips off 93 yards on 14 carries. He blew past Kerryon Johnson on the depth chart, and very well could have a stranglehold on the early down work, with rookie D’Andre Swift in on passing downs. Peterson’s old (35) and he’s not going to contribute as a receiver, but, like Kelley, he’s a nice add for depth if you can scoop him up on the cheap.

Wide Receivers

Sammy Watkins, Chiefs (49% Owned): Watkins went off Thursday night, catching seven passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. We’ve seen this movie before, so no, I’m not falling for the Week 1 blowup and calling Watkins a locked and loaded WR2. But, Watkins is a talented player on the best offense in football. He’s long been inconsistent, but every week he has the potential to finish as a WR1 if Patrick Mahomes so deems it. He’s someone you can always play in a pinch, and his pedigree suggests he can be a monster, even if we haven’t seen that in many years. Simply put, Watkins should be universally owned, if not started.

Parris Campbell, Colts (22% Owned): Campbell is healthy, and he drew nine targets in Week 1 from Philip Rivers. That’s all I need to see from a guy who is as explosive as Campbell is to want him on my bench at least. T.Y. Hilton is entrenched for now as the top guy, but Campbell put up 71 yards last week, and is someone who you can get creative with. He has breakaway speed and crazy burst, so he’s got elite potential for yards after the catch, which meshes well with Hilton and Michael Pittman Jr. on the outside. I am very bullish on a Campbell breakout after his rookie season was ruined by injury.

Preston Williams, Dolphins (38% Owned): Williams caught just two passes on Sunday, but he will enter Week 2 as the unquestioned No. 1 receiver for Miami while DeVante Parker heals up from a hamstring injury. The two catches for 41 yards kind of sucked, but he did draw seven targets, and he’ll likely be in double digits in Week 2. It’s another tough matchup vs. the Bills, so hopefully he doesn’t draw blanket coverage from Tre White. Williams might not be the best start this week, but targets will be there, and moving forward he’s going to be peppered by Ryan Fitzpatrick until Parker returns.

Corey Davis, Titans (5% Owned): Davis, like Watkins, has teased us before. He lit up Denver for seven receptions and 101 yards, looking every bit like the Top 10 pick he once was. Is that enough to just plug him into my lineups? It’s not, but he’s so big and so talented that I can’t ignore a performance like this. Davis is someone I’m happy to add speculatively, and leave on my bench another week or two to see if this is real. The Titans passing offense is not high volume, but Ryan Tannehill has become a model of efficiency, and the weapons are clear cut. Davis and A.J. Brown are the only receivers of note here – sorry Adam Humphries – so there’s a path for Davis to be fantasy relevant.

Jalen Reagor, Eagles (29% Owned): Reagor suited up Sunday, and flashed what has fantasy owners so excited about him. He caught just one pass, but it was of the 55-yard variety, and he averaged 13.75 yards per target. DeSean Jackson was a dud, and Reagor brings a lot of the same stuff to the table. I’m not going to say Reagor has supplanted D-Jax after a one-catch week, but Jackson should be on notice.

Russell Gage, Falcons (2% Owned): Gage blew up on Sunday, catching nine passes for 114 yards. I don’t expect this to become a typical outing, but he should see fairly consistent targets this year as Atlanta is the most pass-happy team in football, and their defense looks atrocious once again. Gage is a deep-league desperation play at this point with potential to grow.

Tight Ends

Greg Olsen, Seahawks (26% Owned): Russell Wilson loves throwing to his tight ends, and he’s made tight ends with less name value than Olsen valuable. He’s already paid dividends, going for 24 yards and a touchdown in his debut. Olsen is not going to finish as any kind of Top 5 guy at the position, but he’s going to be a touchdown threat on a weekly basis, especially if the Seahawks ever adjust their game plan to focus it on Wilson, and not Chris Carson.