The first full Sunday of the fantasy football season is officially in the books. It’s now time to improve our rosters.
Let’s take a look at the top Week 2 waiver wire targets and pickups that fantasy managers should consider adding to their rosters.
As always, all players are rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues.
I have done away with FAAB recommendations this year, as there are too many variables to account for. Instead, I replaced it with my opinion on how aggressive fantasy managers should be in pursuing the player on a scale of 1-10.
Who To Target on This Week’s Waiver Wire
Justin Fields, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
If you started Justin Fields in Week 1, you certainly weren’t thrilled about his performance. But let’s dig into it a bit.
Fields threw for 156 yards and did not throw or run for a touchdown. He still scored 11.94 fantasy points. One touchdown, and he’s pushing QB1 numbers. Most weeks, he will account for at least one touchdown.
Russell Wilson was close to playing and definitely wants to get out there next week. But the Steelers won the game, and Fields didn’t turn it over.
I think there’s a decent chance they stick with Fields. He’s certainly worth adding, given what we’ve seen him do in a starting role.
Aggressiveness Rating: 4.0
Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It feels like people have forgotten that Baker Mayfield was a No. 1 overall pick.
He hasn’t always played like one throughout his career, but perhaps he’s just a late bloomer. The Mayfield we’ve seen in Tampa Bay is certainly better than the No. 1 overall pick from 2018.
Mayfield threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns against the Commanders. This may end up being his easiest matchup of the season, but he’s still proven he can be a fantasy producer.
In Week 2, the Bucs get the Lions. That could be a high-scoring affair. At the very least, the Lions should force the Bucs into a negative game script. Mayfield is at the top of the streaming radar.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.5
Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings
This may be tough to wrap your mind around, but Sam Darnold looked very competent in this Minnesota Vikings passing attack against a formidable New York Giants pass rush on Sunday with 208 passing yards and two scores in his starting debut in Kevin O’Connell’s offense.
It doesn’t hurt that he managed to help star WR Justin Jefferson find the end zone in Week 1, and he’ll certainly need to rely on him in an attempt to keep pace with a high-powered San Francisco 49ers offense he witnessed tear up the league last year first-hand.
Another fortunate development is that Jordan Addison’s ankle injury is not expected to be serious, which is great news considering the USC product went for seven receptions for 123 yards and two scores against this Niners secondary last year.
The emergence of Jalen Nailor as a reliable third option in Minnesota’s passing attack could lay the foundation for another quality outing to make Darnold a streaming option again in Week 2.
– Derek Tate, Fantasy Football Analyst
Aggressiveness Rating: 2.0
Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
If you can’t tell already, boring pocket passers tend to be the archetype you can find on the waiver wire in your fantasy league. This means we have to try to identify the best potential options to plug and play in your roster.
Quite frankly, Derek Carr looked great in the most lopsided contest of the Week 1 slate, with the New Orleans Saints absolutely dismantling the Carolina Panthers at home.
Carr’s 200 passing yards and three scores while throwing just four incompletions marks one of the cleanest performances we’ve seen from him in a Saints uniform.
The Dallas Cowboys’ defense looked outstanding against the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, but this unit can be vulnerable to explosive vertical threats who excel against man coverage. Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed are both dangerous vertical options who could pop a couple big plays against this talented secondary.
Additionally, the Cowboys’ offense looked very good against a quality Browns defense in the season opener — which suggests the Saints could have to play a bit of catch-up later in the contest.
Carr doesn’t have a cupcake matchup, but his debut was encouraging enough to make him a streaming consideration if you need a quarterback entering Week 2.
– Derek Tate, Fantasy Football Analyst
Aggressiveness Rating: 2.0
J.K. Dobbins, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
Just barely meeting the threshold to appear in this column, J.K. Dobbins looked like the clear best running back on the Chargers. He only carried the ball 10 times but ran for 135 yards and a touchdown.
Dobbins out-snapped Gus Edwards 57% to 42%. If fully healthy, the talent gap between Dobbins and Edwards isn’t close.
Dobbins didn’t quite look fully back, as evidenced by him getting run down on what should’ve been a breakaway touchdown run. However, he did look infinitely better than Edwards. He has to be added.
Aggressiveness Rating: 7.5
Justice Hill, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Before the season, head coach John Harbaugh said Justice Hill would play a lot, despite the team installing Derrick Henry as the clear lead back. Those words proved true as Hill got on the field on the game’s second play.
Hill is going to be very game-script-dependent. With the Ravens trailing for the entire second half, Hill actually out-snapped Henry in this one. That will not always be the case, as there will be plenty of games where the Ravens have the lead and are able to lean on Henry.
Even in this game script, Hill only handled one carry. What encourages me the most, though, are the eight targets. Again, that won’t be the case every week, but two things are clear.
First, Hill will play enough to be startable every week, at least as a desperation Flex. Second, Hill is the clear handcuff to Henry.
I wouldn’t go nuts because Hill’s upside is low, but he certainly needs to be on more rosters as of Wednesday morning.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0
Tank Bigsby, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Make no mistake about it, Travis Etienne Jr. is the starter and the primary goal-line back. But Tank Bigsby is not the same guy who was pretty awful last season. He is clearly an improved runner, and it shows.
Bigsby ripped off 73 yards on 12 carries against a good Dolphins run defense. He was more efficient than Etienne.
While I don’t see a world where Bigsby can carve out standalone value, he’s clearly the handcuff and has shown enough to make us believe he could produce RB2 numbers if Etienne missed time.
Aggressiveness Rating: 2.5
Alexander Mattison, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
So much for Zamir White as the clear lead back.
In Week 1, Alexander Mattison out-snapped White 60%-38%. Mattison scored the Raiders’ lone touchdown and ran 24 routes to White’s 10.It sure looks like Mattison is the back to roster.
Yet, despite his presumed handcuff status entering the season, Mattison is only rostered in 4% of leagues. That should increase drastically as of Wednesday morning.
Mattison is not the most exciting add, as he’s still on the Raiders. But any starting running back needs to be rostered.
Aggressiveness Rating: 5.0
Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle Seahawks
The Kenneth Walker III injury notwithstanding, Zach Charbonnet should be on more rosters.
At worst, he’s one of the few backup running backs we know would be the lead back if the starter got hurt and is capable of producing near his level.
Walker said after the game that his abdominal injury isn’t a big deal and that he’s alright. I believe him and expect him to play next week.
But let this be a reminder that Charbonnet is perilously close to being a weekly RB2, at worst.
Even playing alongside Walker, Charbonnet handled 10 touches, totaling 41 yards and a touchdown. Those are numbers you can work with as a desperation Flex alongside Walker.
Aggressiveness Rating: 6.0
Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Out of all the rookie running backs who entered the season as potentially their team’s RB2, Bucky Irving looked the best. Rachaad White is still the lead back in Tampa, but I think it’s possible Irving can take that job without an injury.
Irving is a vastly superior runner to White. Irving ran for 62 yards on nine carries. White remains a superb receiver, as evidenced by his six catches for 75 yards. However, White remains one of the worst runners in the NFL, managing a paltry 31 yards on 15 carries.
The ideal setup in the Bucs’ backfield is for it to look like the Chargers used to with Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler. Irving should play around 60% of the snaps and handle the bulk of the carries. White should be the satellite back handling six to eight carries and dominating passing down work.
Get ahead of this possibility by grabbing Irving now.
Aggressiveness Rating: 6.0
Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, New York Giants
Oof. This Giants offense is ugly. There is absolutely no chance Daniel Jones makes it through the season as the starter. He probably won’t make it through September. But for now, we must react to what we see.
Wan’Dale Robinson didn’t do anything exciting on Sunday, but he commanded 12 targets and saw one carry, totaling 58 yards.
We are going to get hit with injuries. Players are going to underperform. There will come a time when 10 points in our WR3 slot is perfectly fine. Robinson can do that.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0
Greg Dortch, WR, Arizona Cardinals
It appears the preseason reports of Greg Dortch’s involvement were accurate.
Dortch earned eight targets, catching six for 47 yards. Much like Robinson, we can work with that. But unlike Robinson, Dortch has a quality NFL quarterback throwing him the ball.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is going to have better games (obviously). But it’s clear Dortch has a meaningful role. Pick him up.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.5
Brandin Cooks, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Why is Brandin Cooks rostered in so few leagues? He’s the WR2 for one of the best offenses in football. Cooks saw seven targets in Week 1, catching four for 40 yards and a touchdown.
He’s not going to be a heavy volume guy, but he’s been effective near the end zone during his tenure with Dallas.
Cooks will likely be touchdown-or-bust, but there are worse options to throw in your flex during byes or to cover injuries.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0
Devaughn Vele, WR, Denver Broncos
I didn’t even know who Devaughn Vele was until the preseason. In Week 1, he saw eight targets, catching all of them for 39 yards.
The Broncos’ offense did not look great, and Bo Nix looked very much like a rookie. But Vele ran the third-most routes on the team. There’s a world where he takes the WR2 job from Josh Reynolds. He’s worth a stab in deeper leagues.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0
Tyler Johnson and Demarcus Robinson, Los Angeles Rams (0%)
How intriguing the outlook is for Tyler Johnson and Demarcus Robinson will very much depend on the outlook for Puka Nacua’s knee. Robinson was clearly the third receiver behind Nacua and Cooper Kupp, playing 19 more snaps and running 14 more routes than Johnson.
Yet, they both finished with seven targets, and Johnson was the more efficient of the two with his opportunities. He finished with 79 yards on five receptions, while Robinson had 42 yards on four catches. Granted, that is really only one or two big plays, which is why this situation is tough to decipher.
If Nacua is out, Johnson should play a significant amount and could be a long-term option. However, if Nacua is just limited, then Robinson is likely still the WR3 and should have more short-term value.
Hopefully, we get some more clarity before Tuesday night so we can make an informed decision.
– Ben Rolfe, Managing Editor
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0
Isaiah Likely, TE, Baltimore Ravens
Perhaps it’s a bit premature to call this a changing of the guard, but I’m ready to declare Isaiah Likely the Ravens’ TE1. He was in a virtually even split with Mark Andrews, playing six fewer snaps and running three fewer routes. But the real story is usage.
I am a firm believer in targets being a skill statistic. The best players earn looks from their quarterbacks because their talent dictates so.
Likely saw 12 targets to Andrews’ two. Yes, it’s only one week, and there were clear instances of the Chiefs doubling Andrews. However, there were very, very few players where Andrews was the first read. Likely, on the other hand, was the primary read quite often.
There is no waiting to confirm when it comes to waiver wire pickups in fantasy. Those who weren’t sure about Puka Nacua or Kyren Williams after Week 1 last year completely missed out.
Am I sure about Likely? No. But if I had to offer an opinion on whether he will be the Ravens’ highest-scoring tight end this season, I would say it’s…Likely.
Aggressiveness Rating: 8.0
Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers
Nothing about Tucker Kraft’s Week 1 line should excite anyone, right? After all, he merely caught two of three targets for 37 yards. Not exactly startable in fantasy.
However, this is really an opportunity. Kraft didn’t do much, which might allow his usage to fly under the radar.
Kraft played over 90% of the snaps. He ran the second-most routes on the team, behind just Romeo Doubs. Most importantly, this was nowhere close to a timeshare with Luke Musgrave, with Kraft nearly quadrupling Musgrave in snaps and routes run.
A tight end getting this much playing time on a good offense is worth rostering, especially at a weak position like tight end. Give Kraft a shot if you need someone.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0
Colby Parkinson, Los Angeles Rams
The potential loss of Nacua in this offense, combined with Tyler Higbee’s current residency on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, means another pass catcher could emerge from this passing attack.
Colby Parkinson’s role in the first half of the 2024 season opener is enough to put him in the TE streaming conversation entering the Los Angeles Rams’ Week 2 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
Parkinson hauled in three receptions for 45 yards in the first half against the Detroit Lions on Sunday night. Additionally, he was the only tight end to catch a pass through the first three quarters of the contest.
You won’t hear me make a compelling argument regarding Parkinson’s athletic profile or dynamic RAC upside, but his understanding of this scheme, reliable hands, and target-share opportunity all make him an intriguing option against a bad defense.
– Derek Tate, Fantasy Football Analyst
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.5