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, and showing their snap% and relevant volume metrics (eg. targets for WRs/TEs and carries for RBs). We're ranking them within their position groups and adding a short write up to help you spend your FAAB wisely.

Feel free to drop by the Discord and ask me questions I may not have answered here, and of course let me know what you think! Just tag me in your comment: @jlboogy.

Overall Waiver Priorities

If I'm spending meaningful FAAB or using a high waiver priority this week, Adonai Mitchell, Tank Bigsby, Denzel Boston, Emanuel Wilson, Jonah Coleman and Dalton Schultz are the players I'm most interested in. Mitchell and Boston have the best combination of full-time roles and sustainable receiving opportunity, while Bigsby, Wilson and Coleman are the running backs whose values could explode depending on injury developments ahead of them.

The major theme this week is not overreacting to snap increases caused by injuries. Players such as Bateman, Bernard and several of the Texans receivers are useful right now, but their rest-of-season projections can change significantly when the players ahead of them return. The better waiver bets are players whose Week 2 opportunity either established a new role or created a realistic path toward one.

Quarterbacks

1. Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers

94% snaps | 36 pass attempts

Verdict: Add

Young has opened the season with 648 passing yards and six touchdowns through two games, while Carolina has shown a willingness to put the offense in his hands. The efficiency will come down, but the combination of improved play and passing volume gives Young legitimate streaming value and makes him the clear QB add from this group.

2. Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks

100% snaps | 26 pass attempts

Verdict: Deep-League Streamer

Lock is only interesting for as long as Sam Darnold remains sidelined, and Seattle has reason to lean on its running game rather than turn Lock loose. Darnold's injury isn't expected to require IR, so Lock is primarily a short-term Superflex or two-QB option rather than someone worth holding in standard leagues.

Running Backs

1. Emanuel Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

41% snaps | 21 carries

Verdict: Priority Add

Wilson's 21 carries for 92 yards weren't simply late-game cleanup work, as he began rotating with Jadarian Price before Price exited with a chest injury. The lack of receiving work and some lost scoring opportunities cap the ceiling, but 21 carries and a 41% snap share make Wilson a strong speculative add with immediate RB2/FLEX potential if Price misses Week 3.

2. Tank Bigsby, Philadelphia Eagles

34% snaps | 13 carries

Verdict: Priority Add

Bigsby becomes one of the most important waiver adds of the week because Saquon Barkley left Week 2 with a neck/stinger issue and underwent further evaluation. Bigsby handled 13 carries and scored after Barkley's workload was cut short, and he's already established as Philadelphia's primary backup, giving him immediate starting upside if Barkley misses time.

3. Jonah Coleman, Denver Broncos

40% snaps | 10 carries | 3 targets

Verdict: Add

Coleman finally got his opportunity and responded with 10 carries for 39 yards and a touchdown plus three receptions, while leading Denver's running backs in snaps. J.K. Dobbins left with a hamstring injury and RJ Harvey was already sidelined, creating a path to a substantially larger role if either remains unavailable.

4. Will Shipley, Philadelphia Eagles

51% snaps | 7 carries

Verdict: Speculative Add

Shipley played 51% of the snaps and finished with seven carries plus two receptions, so there's a path to increased work if Barkley's injury costs him time. The problem is Bigsby appears to be the more valuable fantasy contingency after receiving 13 carries and the touchdown in Week 2, making Shipley the secondary Eagles back to target.

5. Brian Robinson Jr., Atlanta Falcons

48% snaps | 11 carries

Verdict: Handcuff Only

The workload looks more encouraging than the underlying usage because much of Robinson's involvement came after Atlanta had effectively put the game away. Bijan Robinson remains the clear centerpiece of the backfield, leaving Brian Robinson as a valuable handcuff but not someone I'd expect to start while Bijan is healthy.

Wide Receivers

1. Adonai Mitchell, New York Jets

82% snaps | 12 targets

Verdict: Priority Add

Mitchell has separated himself from this group because the opportunity looks sustainable, playing 82% of the snaps and commanding 12 targets. He appears to have secured a full-time role alongside Garrett Wilson, giving him legitimate weekly FLEX upside if this level of route participation and target involvement continues.

2. Denzel Boston, Cleveland Browns

93% snaps | 7 targets

Verdict: Priority Add

Boston's 93% snap share matters even more than his second straight game with a touchdown. He turned seven targets into five catches, 95 yards and a score in Week 2 and is emerging as Cleveland's lead receiver, making this the type of early-season role breakout worth betting on before his roster percentage catches up.

3. Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills

74% snaps | 6 targets

Verdict: Add

Coleman caught all six of his Week 2 targets for 63 yards, but the bigger development is the injury situation around Buffalo's receiving corps. His 74% snap rate gives him a legitimate foundation for fantasy relevance, and any additional movement up the target hierarchy would make him an intriguing upside play in one of the league's better offenses.

4. Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens

93% snaps | 9 targets

Verdict: Add

Bateman showed exactly what his ceiling looks like with an expanded receiving role, commanding nine targets while playing 93% of Baltimore's snaps. The concern is sustainability once Baltimore's receiving corps gets healthier, but that combination of routes and targets makes Bateman worth rostering while his opportunity remains elevated.

5. Germie Bernard, Pittsburgh Steelers

79% snaps | 8 targets

Verdict: Add

Bernard's jump to 79% of the snaps and eight targets immediately puts the rookie on the fantasy radar. His role could shrink as Pittsburgh gets healthier, so he's more of an upside bench addition than an immediate starter, but this much opportunity is worth monitoring closely.

6. Ted Hurst III, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

74% snaps | 7 targets

Verdict: Speculative Add

Hurst played nearly three quarters of Tampa Bay's offensive snaps and drew seven targets, which is strong underlying usage for a player available in essentially every league. The production hasn't followed yet, but a rookie already earning this combination of snaps and targets deserves a stash in deeper formats.

7. Xavier Hutchinson, Houston Texans

81% snaps | 9 targets

Verdict: Speculative Add

The opportunity is difficult to ignore, with Hutchinson playing 81% of the snaps and drawing nine targets while Houston deals with injuries at receiver. The efficiency has been poor, however, so he's more of a volume-based deep-league play than someone I'd prioritize aggressively.

8. Roman Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers

79% snaps | 6 targets

Verdict: Speculative Add

Wilson has quietly drawn six targets in each of Pittsburgh's first two games and his 79% snap share shows he's becoming a significant part of the offense. The long-term target ceiling remains questionable, but consecutive games of meaningful involvement make him a reasonable deeper-league stash, particularly in PPR formats.

9. Isaac TeSlaa, Detroit Lions

75% snaps | 5 targets

Verdict: Speculative Add

A 75% snap share and five targets put TeSlaa firmly on the radar because consistent playing time in Detroit's offense carries fantasy upside. The target volume isn't strong enough yet to make him a priority waiver claim, but he's the type of player I'd rather stash now and see whether the expanded role continues.

10. Isaiah Williams, New York Jets

82% snaps | 6 targets

Verdict: Watch / Deep-League Add

An 82% snap rate and six targets are meaningful enough to get Williams onto the radar, especially because that type of playing time can create usable fantasy weeks. The problem is Mitchell has emerged as the more compelling secondary option in this passing game, leaving Williams as a deeper-league bet on continued volume rather than a priority addition.

11. Jaylin Noel, Houston Texans

60% snaps | 5 targets

Verdict: Upside Stash

Noel's snap rate jumped to 60% with Houston's receiving corps depleted, but he still saw only five targets while other options commanded more opportunities. Noel offers developmental upside, but I'd want to see him turn the increased playing time into a larger target share before trusting him in fantasy lineups.

12. Ryan Flournoy, Dallas Cowboys

76% snaps | 6 targets

Verdict: Deep-League Add

Flournoy's 76% snap share and six targets show his role in Dallas' receiving rotation is legitimate. Unfortunately, he's still competing for opportunities behind the Cowboys' top receiving options, making consistent weekly volume difficult to project without an injury ahead of him.

13. Jared Wayne, Houston Texans

50% snaps | 7 targets

Verdict: Watch

Seven targets on only 50% of the snaps is enough to grab attention, but Houston's injury-driven receiver rotation makes projecting Wayne's role difficult. He's worth monitoring while the Texans are shorthanded, but I'd rather use a roster spot on a receiver with a more secure route to consistent playing time.

14. Laquon Treadwell, Indianapolis Colts

74% snaps | 3 targets

Verdict: Leave on Waivers

Treadwell's 74% snap share is notable, but he received only three targets despite all of that playing time. At this stage of his career, the expanded snap count isn't enough to justify chasing unless the target volume changes dramatically.

Tight Ends

1. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans

68% snaps | 14 targets

Verdict: Priority Add

Schultz is easily the top tight end from this group after commanding a massive 14 targets in Week 2. Some of that opportunity was driven by Houston's receiving injuries and game script, but that level of involvement is far too much to leave on waivers at a thin fantasy position.

2. Johnny Mundt, Philadelphia Eagles

64% snaps | 3 targets

Verdict: Short-Term Streamer

The increased 64% snap share creates some opportunity for Mundt, but he turned all of that playing time into only three targets. The Eagles just signed Zach Ertz to their practice squad and that's not enough receiving involvement for Mundt to make him anything more than a deeper-league or short-term streaming option.

3. Ben Sinnott, Washington Commanders

68% snaps | 0 targets

Verdict: Watch

The jump to a 68% snap share is encouraging and makes Sinnott someone worth tracking, but snaps alone aren't enough at tight end when they're producing essentially no receiving opportunity. I'd leave him on waivers in standard formats until we see Washington actively incorporate him into the passing game.