Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Rankings: Week 2

What To Expect Each Week

I'm excited to bring you guys this weekly Fantasy Football article to help you with your waiver wire pickups. Our fantasy model is pulling all of the players owned in less than 50% of ESPN leagues as a baseline for who the best waiver wire pickups are. We're ranking them within their position groups and adding a short write up to help you spend your FAAB wisely.

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Wide Receivers

1) Devaughn Vele · WR NO · own 12.86% · snap 91% · 91% snaps · 9 tgt

Every year Devaughn Vele blows up in Week 1 only to fall back to earth for the remainder of the season. I definitely like him to stay more consistent this season, especially with how injury prone Olave is in addition to the fact that Jordyn Tyson is going to miss around half the season. I would pick him up with the knowledge that he could lose targets when Tyson returns, but he has high floor capability with the injury-prone WRs on the Saints.

2) Caleb Douglas · WR MIA · own 15.55% · snap 91% · 91% snaps · 7 tgt

I was high on him before he blew up in Week 1 so obviously nothing’s changed. If you can still get him, I would spend the FAAB on him as the no. 1 WR on MIA this season.

3) Kendrick Bourne · WR ARI · own 0.12% · snap 67% · 67% snaps · 8 tgt

The Cardinals threw the ball 51.3% of the time despite leading most of the game. They should still be in line to trail most of their games this year, leading to an even higher pass % to come. That should open up room for Bourne, who saw a healthy 8 targets despite a 67% snap rate.

4) Malik Washington · WR MIA · own 7.75% · snap 98% · 98% snaps · 8 tgt

For now, he’s at least the WR2 on MIA as Chris Bell gets into shape. Malik Willis looked competent enough vs a bad Raiders defense, although Washington’s ceiling is limited by his offense’s limitations. At least we know the Dolphins will be playing from behind a lot.

5) Mack Hollins · WR NE · own 0.35% · snap 70% · 70% snaps · 5 tgt

He and Douglas will benefit the most from Brown’s injury and absence. Hollins has a higher ceiling each week as the better deep threat, while Douglas will reap the benefits of a decent floor with how many easy receptions he’ll pull down on shorter routes.

6) DeMario Douglas · WR NE · own 1.13% · snap 62% · 62% snaps · 7 tgt

Solid PPR pickup, but Mack Hollins is going to get a lot of the intermediate and deep route looks now.

7) Kalif Raymond · WR CHI · own 0.17% · snap 60% · 60% snaps · 9 tgt

The Bears will likely be in go-mode on every drive this season. Head coach Ben Johnson wants to be the highest-scoring team in the league, opening up opportunities for the team’s WR3.

8) Dontayvion Wicks · WR PHI · own 10.09% · snap 91% · 91% snaps · 4 tgt

4 targets does not impress me despite the long TD haul.

Running Backs

1) Tyler Allgeier · RB ARI · own 41.76% · snap 59% · 59% snaps · 17 car

I don’t think the RB share is going to remain this close for the whole season, but for the first half, Allgeier is worth stashing if you have space for a bench guy until the bye weeks start.

2) Kaelon Black · RB SF · own 15.36% · snap 43% · 43% snaps · 14 car

Things set up nicely for him in Week 1. I wouldn’t assume he’s going to get the same type of share every game, but he’s a solid handcuff for CMC.

Quarterbacks

1) Tyler Shough · QB NO · own 46.67% · snap 100% · 100% snaps · 56 att

You should have already owned him if you haven’t yet.

2) Carson Wentz · QB MIN · own 0.07% · snap 83% · 83% snaps · 5 car

He’s walking back into a team full of weapons, including a top 5 WR, formerly the unquestioned no. 1 when he had a good QB. I would make this your top QB target if you need one.

3) Bryce Young · QB CAR · own 11.16% · snap 90% · 90% snaps · 37 att

With Jalen Coker looking this good in addition to the other weapons around him, this would be my number 2 QB pick for your backup QB if you can’t get Wentz. He won’t get the Bears every week, but the offense is above average overall.

4) Jacoby Brissett · QB ARI · own 5.08% · snap 100% · 100% snaps · 6 car · 37 att

The Cardinals offense is likely going to be more competent than people think and Jacoby is a solid backup QB for those holding guys like Sam Darnold (already listed OUT for W2) and CJ Stroud as their backup.

5) Kirk Cousins · QB LV · own 3.39% · snap 100% · 100% snaps · 5 car · 30 att

He’s not going to play the Dolphins every week and who knows when Bowers will actually be back and healthy. I’ll pass.

6) Geno Smith · QB NYJ · own 3.91% · snap 100% · 100% snaps · 6 car

Hall and Wilson are the guys to roster in this offense and both are clearly unavailable. However, I don’t think their value extends to make Smith worth a pickup.

7) Malik Willis · QB MIA · own 20.99% · snap 100% · 100% snaps · 6 car · 27 att

Big games from Willis are still too dependent on his rushing stats. I’d rather have other available backup QBs on my bench.

Tight Ends

1) Michael Mayer · TE LV · own 29.85% · snap 81% · 81% snaps · 7 tgt

Worth owning even if/when Bowers returns. Bowers will work a lot out of the slot and Mayer will play more of a traditional TE role, but he’ll be on the field a lot and running plenty of routes to warrant a roster spot.

2) Cade Otton · TE TB · own 2.75% · snap 98% · 98% snaps · 5 tgt

With the WR a bit emptier than last season, he’s a solid option on a pass-heavy team.

3) Noah Fant · TE NO · own 0.11% · snap 41% · 41% snaps · 8 tgt

You’re likely going to have to figure out which TE is going to perform better on a game-by-game basis. If Juwan Johnson gets hurt, he becomes a solid pickup for a fast-paced offense that uses its TEs a lot.

4) Mike Gesicki · TE CIN · own 1.48% · snap 33% · 7 tgt

This offense is going to be good and pass-heavy, but I don’t like that 33% snap share, despite the 7 targets. Chase and Higgins are going to have bigger games with consistency and that alone will eat into the ridiculous target share Gesicki enjoyed in Week 1.