Week 1 of the fantasy football season is officially in the books, and it was nothing short of eventful. Unpredictable breakout stars emerged, showcasing their potential as valuable assets for fantasy owners throughout the season. If these high-upside players are still available on the Week 2 Waiver Wire in your league, now is the time to make your move. Don’t hesitate to drop underperforming benchwarmers and secure these top fantasy football Week 2 Waiver Wire adds to stay ahead of the competition.
Note: Roster % based on Yahoo and Sleeper
FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK 2 WAIVER WIRE ADDS
QUARTERBACKS
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (35% Yahoo, 13% Sleeper)
The resurgence of Baker Mayfield has been beautiful to watch after picking up where he left off last season. He has the same returning talent, led by Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and a few electric rookies offering some additional upside. Granted, he won’t be playing the Commanders every week, but Mayfield still has serious weapons and a talented enough offense to be a weekly fantasy starting QB. He’d make for a great Jordan Love fill-in for the time being.
Justin Fields, Pittsburgh Steelers (14%, 24%)
Justin Fields might not have had an impressive fantasy Week 1, but he’s still worth targeting on the Week 2 waiver wire due to his elite Konami upside.
Despite throwing for just 156 yards and not accounting for any touchdowns, Fields still scored 11.94 fantasy points, showing his potential even when he doesn’t find the end zone. Just one touchdown would have pushed him into QB1 territory, and considering his dual-threat ability, he’ll likely contribute at least one score most weeks.
With the Steelers securing a win and Fields avoiding turnovers, there’s a decent chance the team will stick with him over a healthy Russell Wilson moving forward. Given his history of strong fantasy performances in a starting role, Fields has the potential to deliver solid fantasy numbers, especially as he gets more comfortable in Arthur Smith’s offense. If you’re looking for a quarterback with QB1 upside, Fields is worth adding to your roster.
Others to Consider: Sam Darnold, Derek Carr
RUNNING BACKS
JK Dobbins, LA Chargers (48%, 59%)
The Chargers’ backfield was one the fantasy community was going to have under the microscope in Week 1 due to the new faces in the backfield paired with Jim Harbaugh and his run-heavy style returning to the NFL. JK Dobbins emerged as the clear winner in Week 1 and finds himself at the top of all waiver priorities this week.
Dobbins ended up playing 58% of the snaps (Gus Edwards played 42%) while having big passing game involvement, running a route on 59% of dropbacks. Dobbins was out-carried by Edwards 11-10, but the former looked much more explosive and was the clear better option of the two. Dobbins’ breakaway speed was lacking, but coming off so many injuries and with further conditioning, he should fix that problem and get back up to speed (pun intended).
Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers (57%, 56%)
We apologize that Jordan Mason finds himself over the 50% threshold. However, he’s available in just over half of Yahoo and Sleeper leagues. We told you for two weeks that Mason was a top RB Handcuff to stash, and he proved to be just that when he got his chance on Monday Night Football after Christian McCaffrey was surprisingly ruled out before kickoff.
Mason confirmed poster boy status for the Shanahan scheme, rushing for 147 yards and a touchdown on 28 rush attempts against a stout Jets defense. As seen above, Adam Schefter believes there’s a real chance CMC misses Week 2 as well, meaning Mason will be in line for another workhorse load. Outside of Deebo Samuel, no one of significance carried the ball, meaning it’s the Mason Show from here on out until CMC returns.
Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (21%, 25%)
One of The Wolf’s favorite stashes, Bucky Irving, is an intriguing prospect who could make waves in the Tampa Bay backfield. Last year, Rachaad White had bell-cow duties and handled an elite workload. He was also a very inefficient runner, seemingly leaving the door open for Irving to take some workload away. White won’t go away in the passing game, but his 2.07 ypc this week was dwarfed by Irving’s 6.89. Usually, when Wolf is bullish on a guy, I’m inclined to hitch my wagon as he’s been so right before.
Others to Consider: Zach Charbonnet, Tank Bigsby, Justice Hill, Alexander Mattison
WIDE RECEIVERS
Jalen McMillan, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5%, 13%)
Jalen McMillan is a rookie receiver worth targeting off the waiver wire, especially in deeper leagues. McMillan led the Bucs’ wide receivers in offensive snaps and routes run in Week 1, playing 49 of 52 snaps in 11 personnel and out of 63 total snaps.
His elite involvement in the offense and his 32-yard touchdown catch suggest that he could see more opportunities, particularly if Mike Evans or Chris Godwin miss time this season. McMillan’s potential for increased targets and his ability to make big plays make him a valuable upside addition. Not to mention, Baker Mayfield’s ability to make several players fantasy-relevant is impressive.
Demarcus Robinson, LA Rams (6%, 12%)
The devastating news out of Los Angeles is the loss of wide receiver Puka Nacua for at least the next four weeks after the wideout reinjured his knee. The Rams had a pretty limited target tree as it was already, but it will be narrowed down even further moving forward. While Cooper Kupp will carry a significant share moving forward, don’t sleep on Demarcus Robinson as the likely new WR2. He played 92% of snaps and still pulled in seven targets on the day.
Last season, when playing a starter’s portion of snaps, Robinson was consistent, with three touchdowns in four games, making his presence felt. He has good chemistry with Matthew Stafford and should stand out amongst the Rams’ currently unproven receivers.
Wan’Dale Robinson, New York Giants (10%, 19%)
Despite the horrific play of QB Daniel Jones, a lone bright spot for the Giants was third-year wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, who looked like a target hog alongside Malik Nabers. Despite operating as the WR3 on the team, Robinson played 68% of total snaps and ran a route on 74% of dropbacks. This resulted in a team-high 11 targets, but only six were caught.
Nabers will be the unquestioned WR1, but Robinson should supplant Darius Slayton as the WR2 in this offense. Robinson offers upside as a slot receiver with great YAC abilities. After watching their Week 1 game, you can’t imagine the Giants will be playing with a lead often. This means more dropbacks and targets for Robinson to handle for the rest of the season.
Others to consider: Greg Dortch, Brandin Cooks, Alec Pierce, Tyler Johnson, Romeo Doubs, Adonai Mitchell, Rashid Shaheed, Gabe Davis, Andre Iosivas
TIGHT ENDS
Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens (28%, 30%)
The most popular waiver addition this week, tight end Isaiah Likely, exploded onto the scene of the 2024 season on Thursday Night Football. Typically, Likely is only fully deployed when Mark Andrews is inactive, but the Ravens decided to use two tight end sets often in their first game.
Likely only ran three fewer routes than Andrews but out-targeted him 12-2 on the day while flashing his elite athleticism. Baltimore has been waiting for someone to break out as a pass catcher and Likely seems to be getting his chance as Andrews ages. It’s hard to imagine Likely will go away quietly, and he’ll be here to stay among productive tight ends in fantasy this year. He’s worth a top waiver priority at an annoying position.
Colby Parkinson, LA Rams (6%, 10%)
While Tyler Higbee is currently on PUP, Colby Parkinson slides into the TE1 role for the Rams. He’s getting elite usage with 88% of snaps played, and he received five targets this first week, reeling in four of those. When looking at tight ends, you want options who are consistently on the field, which checks out here. With Nacua out for some time, Parkinson’s target share should get a slight bump.
Others to Consider: Theo Johnson
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