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 rostered in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com.
Quarterbacks
Sam Howell, Commanders (22% Rostered): Quarterback is a difficult position to find meaningful contributors at on the waiver wire in the early going, because most of the desirable passers are rostered. But Howell could be a decent addition for two reasons. First, he has a plethora of good players around him to throw to like Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, as well as Antonio Gibson out of the backfield who was criminally underused in Week 1. Second, he runs. No he’s not Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson, but running is a part of Howell’s game, and even on just two rushing attempts in Week 1 he managed 11 yards and a rushing score. The upcoming schedule of at Denver, vs. Buffalo and at Philadelphia isn’t ideal, but we’re just looking for some upside.
C.J. Stroud, Texans (9% Rostered): Speaking of upside, Stroud had his struggles in his debut vs. a tough Ravens defense, but he did wing it 44 times and rack up 242 yards without throwing any picks. Robert Woods showed he had some life in his legs, and Nico Collins looked the part of a useful outside target. Upcoming matchups vs. Indianapolis, at Jacksonville and vs. Pittsburgh aren’t necessarily death row, so Stroud is intriguing as someone who can explode as he gains experience.
Running Backs
Gus Edwards, Ravens (20% Rostered): Edwards is sure to be the top add in fantasy this week thanks to J.K. Dobbins’ season-ending Achilles tear. Like Dobbins, Edwards is also now a year removed from significant knee damage, and figures to lead the RB room in carries unless the Ravens pluck a veteran off the waiver wire to compete. Edwards only saw 87 carries in 2022, but he averaged five yards per rush, in line with his career 5.1 mark. Edwards isn’t a big play back, but he’s highly efficient. He is not going to be very involved in the passing game, but if you thought Dobbins was an RB1 this year, Edwards should be an RB2 pretty comfortably.
Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles (46% Rostered): Gainwell was the leader of the backfield after an offseason spent debating whether or not D’Andre Swift (one carry) or Rashaad Penny (inactive) would be running rampant behind the NFL’s best offensive line. Gainwell wasn’t particularly efficient (3.9 yards per carry) productive (74 scrimmage yards) or explosive (eight yards longest run), but volume in this offense is going to breed fantasy usefulness. I would not go crazy trying to add him because I believe Swift and Penny are superior players who will get much more work as time goes on, but he’s a nice bandaid for managers who have lost Dobbins, or are searching for depth.
Kyren Williams, Rams (5% Rostered): Cam Akers managers have a big, big Kyren Williams problem. Williams earned 15 carries on Sunday, gaining 52 yards and, crucially, scoring two touchdowns in short yardage situations. Williams was on the field more than Akers by a good margin, and while you can’t make snap decisions off just one week, it’s alarming. At the same time he only picked up 3.5 yards per carry, but Akers was even more inefficient. Despite the W, we probably shouldn’t be blowing FAAB budgets on this RB room but Williams could be a nice lower-cost alternative to the big money you’ll need to drop on Gus Edwards.
Justice Hill, Ravens (4% Rostered): Hill scored twice in the Ravens’ domination over the Texans, and that could inflate the FAAB price you pay for him. I’m not quite buying it. This offense is going to pass more, and Hill is definitely the passing down back over Edwards, but he only picked up nine yards on eight carries in Week 1. Hill is in Year 4, and he’s never even gotten to 60 rushing attempts in a season. Maybe Hill spikes here and there, but it’ll be unpredictable and you’re chasing touchdowns.
De’Von Achane, Dolphins (47% Rostered): Achane missed time in the preseason with injury, and the Dolphins apparently don’t think he’s ready to handle the responsibilities he’ll have in this offense beyond running like Sonic the Hedgehog. That’s fine, stash this dude because once he’s getting touches in this offense, with defenses soiling themselves worried about Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, Achane is going to be on SportsCenter often. Volume won’t be his friend, but his speed is such that he won’t need it. I’ll stop short of calling him a league-winner, but Achane is going to be exciting and right now, he’ll be essentially free to add.
Joshua Kelley, Chargers (4% Rostered): Kelley got 16 carries and totaled 91 yards vs. Miami. While that was probably the higher end of what you’ll see from him, it can’t be ignored. Kelley should be rostered, because if Austin Ekeler gets hurt, this is, at minimum, a guy who will get workhorse volume. As long as Ekeler is healthy, Kelley is merely a low-end FLEX option, but most teams are currently rostering multiple players way less useful than that.
Wide Receivers
Puka Nacua, Rams (6% Rostered): Nacua might actually be the best free agent pickup this week, because unlike Edwards, there aren’t capable veterans lurking to instantly sap his value. Nacua had some hype in the preseason, drew some comparisons to Cooper Kupp in terms of play style, and most of us waved it off. Then he hung 10 receptions for 119 yards on the Seahawks. We have to take notice of that, and as long as Matthew Stafford is healthy and Kupp is out Nacua looks like a safe bet for a heavy target share.
Jakobi Meyers, Raiders (50% Rostered): Meyers was going off in his first game with the Raiders, torching the Broncos for nine receptions, 81 yards and two touchdowns while being utterly unguardable on short and intermediate routes. Meyers has always drawn kudos for his reliability in that range, and with Jimmy Garoppolo at QB peppering him with targets he proved he can be very viable. He also might have sustained a severe concussion, so keep your eyes peeled for any news. If Meyers is okay and can come back soon, he can absolutely be a playable option as the clear No. 2 receiving complement to Davante Adams.
Kendrick Bourne, Patriots (2% Rostered): Bourne was, by lots of metrics, the Patriots’ best receiver last season and one whose low usage frustrated fans. This WR corps is absolutely begging for someone to step up and be an alpha; for one week, the metrics matched the production as Bourne put up six receptions, 64 yards, and two touchdowns doubling his 2022 total. This isn’t a passing game I’m dying to have pieces of, but Bourne could be decent depth.
Romeo Doubs, Packers (31% Rostered): Doubs scored twice and showed rapport with Jordan Love, but this offense is going to rely heavily on the run as we saw in their dominant win. Love was competent, and efficient when it came to throwing the ball in the end zone, but Doubs’ day is a bit misleading. He’s the clear No. 2 when Christian Watson returns, and even as the leading man he couldn’t crack 30 yards. Like Bourne, Doubs is little more than solid depth at this point.
Darnell Mooney, Bears (38% Rostered): Mooney is back in the role of a WR2 for the Bears, and he did was he does best, strike from long range. He put up four catches for 53 yards and a touchdown in this one. Mooney will be Justin Fields’ top deep threat, which will be a gift and a curse; Fields has one of the most powerful arms in football, but one of the least accurate. Mooney is a bench WR who can be fired up by managers who are willing to shoot for the moon with big plays and accept massive bust risk.
Rashee Rice, Chiefs (36% Rostered): The Chiefs WR corps looked ghastly on Thursday night, but Rice was the best of the bunch, scoring a TD. Skyy Moore, to me, is still the WR to bet on if you insist on trying to throw a dart at one of the league’s most interchangeable WR rooms, but Rice is a worthwhile flier with the best QB in football throwing him the ball.
Allen Robinson, Steelers (2% Rostered): He’s alive! Robinson drew eight targets in Pittsburgh’s beatdown loss to the 49ers, catching five of them for 64 yards. With Diontae Johnson expected to miss some time, Robinson can fill in the target vacuum while second-year man George Pickens continues to do his work way down the field. Calvin Austin is a threat to this narrative for Robinson, but I’ll bet on the veteran for now.
Robert Woods, Texans (4% Rostered): Nico Collins is still the alpha of this receiving crew, but Woods could very well lead the Texans in targets. He looked spry on Sunday and drew double-digit targets from his rookie QB Stroud. The Texans will be behind a lot in 2023, so Woods has some value as a PPR FLEX play.
Tight Ends
Jake Ferguson, Cowboys (38% Rostered): Ferguson’s line was ugly – two receptions, 11 yards – but his seven targets were exciting, and, what TE’s line wasn’t gross? The TE role in Dallas’ offense can’t help but provide value, so with Ferguson emerging as the leader of that room, he becomes fantasy relevant.
Hayden Hurst, Panthers (11% Rostered): Hurst made sense as a safety valve for rookie QB Bryce Young, and when the game got going, and Carolina’s weak receiving corps played to expectation, Hurst was there. He hauled in five catches for 41 yards and a score. That’s about the ceiling you can expect from him in a Panthers offense that’ll probably be one of the league’s lowest-scoring, but his target share should be pretty secure.
Possibly Available
· Brock Purdy, QB, 49ers (56% Rostered):
· Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons (56% Rostered)
· Nico Collins, WR, Texans (55% Rostered)
· Juwan Johnson, TE, Saints (53% Rostered)
Drop Candidates – HODL or Say Goodbye?
Daniel Jones, QB, Giants (87% Rostered): HODL. The rushing value here is worth hanging onto.
D’Andre Swift, RB, Eagles (92% Rostered): HODL. His time will come, he’s a better player than Kenny Gainwell.
Rashaad Penny, RB, Eagles (67% Rostered): HODL. Harder to justify than Swift, but he’s never been anything but an RB1 when given opportunity.
Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Ravens (71% Rostered): Say Goodbye. Beckham is a beloved player for me, but the high volume days are behind him, and Zay Flowers jumped off the screen.
Skyy Moore, WR, Chiefs (65% Rostered): HODL. Give it one more week and see how things change for him when Travis Kelce is present.
Kadarius Toney, WR, Chiefs (52% Rostered): Say Goodbye. Never a route runner, and now his confidence is probably gone.
Chigoziem Okonkwo, TE, Titans (73% Rostered): Say Goodbye. I absolutely love his talent, but this offense just ain’t it for pass-catchers not named DeAndre Hopkins.
Dalton Schultz, TE, Texans (70% Rostered): Say Goodbye. He ain’t in Dallas anymore.