Whether or not the first week of fantasy football went your way, you need to look forward to the first run of in-season waiver wire pickups. Needing to overcome some key injuries (Dak Prescott, Elijah Mitchell, and others), your waiver wire is going to be key, especially this early in the year.
All following players are currently being rostered on 50 percent or fewer rosters on ESPN, so the likelihood of you being able to pick up one or multiple options is quite high. Anything that you can do to either continue your winning ways or help rebound from a rough start begins with your waiver wire pickups.
Week 2 Waiver Wire Pickups
10. Isiah Pacheco – RB
17.7% Rostered
Kansas City Chiefs
A preseason darling that earned a ton of offseason hype, Isiah Pacheco actually was thrown right into the fire in Week 1 for the Chiefs. Having out-carried Clyde Edwards-Helaire on Sunday in mop-up duty for the blowout, Pacheco has carved out a role for himself early on.
Expecting 12 carries and a TD every week from Pacheco is incredibly unreasonable, but he looks to be the clear-cut second option in the backfield for Kansas City moving forward.
Honorable mention goes to Jaylen Warren from the Steelers here, as Najee Harris’s status is questionable after his Week 1 injury, making Warren next in line for the Pittsburgh backfield.
9. Khalil Herbert – RB
24.8% Rostered
Chicago Bears
In a monsoon of a game that was super fun to watch, the Chicago Bears trusted their rushing attack to the tune of 37 carries. While his nine touches came last of the three ball carriers, Khalil Herbert converted them into the most yards (45) and the team’s lone rushing score.
Locked into more of a timeshare with David Montgomery than originally thought, Herbert has standalone value most weeks, even if it doesn’t constitute starting him. Montgomery is not that standalone option he once was, so add Herbert if your roster needs some RB depth.
8. Hayden Hurst – TE
19.5% Rostered
Cincinnati Bengals
With Tee Higgins having left early due to a concussion, Hayden Hurst earned his time in the spotlight for the Bengals. Having earned the third-most targets (8) and receptions (5), Hurst introduced himself as a viable streaming option at TE.
A lot of his fantasy relevance will rely on the health of Higgins, but Hurst looks to be a trusted safety valve for Joe Burrow. Even if his target share is limited, you still should try and get a piece of this offense, especially at a discount, in your waiver wire pickups.
7. Devin Duvernay – WR
2.4% Rostered
Baltimore Ravens
A run-first attack usually does not produce consistent work for the receivers, but both Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay were fantasy-relevant Sunday for the Ravens. For Duvernay, the no. 2 option for Lamar Jackson hauled in two TD catches, but only had four targets on the day, which could be a bit concerning.
The Ravens will only support a few relevant passing game options on a weekly basis, but with Duvernay’s expected snap counts and routes run, he can be looked to as a streaming option.
You could also look in the direction of Tennessee's Kyle Phillips, who led the team in receiving (6 receptions for 66 yards on 9 targets) in his first career NFL game.
6. Gerald Everett – TE
13.5% Rostered
Los Angeles Chargers
Even with Keenan Allen suffering a slight injury on Sunday, Gerald Everett shined as an underrated streaming TE option to start the year. With Allen’s status up in the air for a short week, Everett could be in for a big week against the Chiefs.
While a 3/54/1 line on 4 targets is nothing major, it represents the fact that Justin Herbert is willing to look the way of his tight ends – the trio of Everett, Tre’ McKitty, and Richard Rodgers combined for nine targets Sunday, and more should be in store for Everett.
5. Robbie Anderson – WR
37.5% Rostered
Carolina Panthers
Going from a curious social media comment about Baker Mayfield joining his team, to going over 100 yards on the day, it has been a bout of peaks and valleys for Robbie Anderson. But Sunday against the Browns saw Anderson break out in a big way.
A 75-yard TD bomb was the culmination of Anderson’s day, a day which ultimately was won by the Browns on a final-minute field goal. Mayfield likely is the best QB that Anderson has had in his days with the Panthers, and he showed an early connection that should only grow this year.
4. Curtis Samuel – WR
8.4% Rostered
Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders’ offensive attack is a tough one to break down, especially with how inconsistent Carson Wentz typically is. But Sunday, Wentz put together a solid game, one that resulted in a really nice game for Curtis Samuel.
Having only suited up for five games last year, Samuel is trying to make his way back to being a rotation option in the WR room. A whopping 11 targets for Samuel easily paced the team, and he turned that heavy workload into 8 catches for 55 yards and a TD.
Washington likely will look Samuel’s way very often this season, and even with competition from Terry McLaurin and rookie Jahan Dotson for targets, Samuel will have plenty of ways that he will see work this year, justifying an add to your waiver wire pickups.
3. Jamaal Williams – RB
35.3% Rostered
Detroit Lions
One of the most interesting games of the week saw the Lions and Eagles play in a shootout – and the return of D’Andre Swift was on full display. But his backup, Jamaal Williams, earned a surprising amount of goal-line touches on his way to scoring twice.
Scoring from one yard out on two separate occasions, Williams had 12 total touches (11 carries) to spell Swift at times. While 30 total yards is uninspiring, his sustainable goal line work (sorry to the Swifties) helps keep his ceiling as one of the higher ones in the league for an RB2.
2. Rex Burkhead – RB
17.2% Rostered
Houston Texans
Offseason darling Dameon Pierce be damned – this backfield may be a backfield led by Rex Burkhead.
While one game cannot be the only reason to judge running back usage, it does help create a semi-clear picture of how both Burkhead and Pierce could be used moving forward. In a game that was back and forth for its entirety, it was Burkhead that earned the most carries (14 to 11) and targets (8 to 1) over Pierce.
Granted, it was the first game for Pierce in his rookie season and the team looks to be taking a cautious approach with him, but Burkhead’s workload was drastically more substantial than what Pierce earned. Any time you can add an RB to your waiver wire pickups that could earn the lion's share of work, you make sure you do that.
1. Jeff Wilson Jr. – RB
3.5% Rostered
San Francisco 49ers
Our final option for your Week 2 waiver wire pickups is Jeff Wilson Jr., the likely replacement for Elijah Mitchell after his MCL sprain will likely keep him out for around two months. In a run-happy offensive scheme, Wilson being next in line may not necessarily guarantee him lead-back duties, but should give him the first shot at first-down work.
Wilson did not show a ton to be enamored about for Week 2 (11 total touches for 30 yards), but chalking that up to the weather is a safe conclusion to make. Kyle Shanahan likely trusts Wilson the most out of the remaining healthy members of his running back stable, and with Wilson having been with the team the longest, he should have the longest leash to work with.
Their home opener against the Seattle Seahawks gives the 49ers a chance at being able to run their offense the way they want to run it, which means actually running it. Wilson has a shot at being a smash play in Week 2, something you should target for your waiver wire pickups this week.
Follow Us
Subscribe