There is always an excess of quarterbacks available as waiver wire pickups after your fantasy football draft. And when it comes to surplus, Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal-caller Ryan Fitzpatrick knows exactly what we’re talking about, considering he's an Economics graduate from Harvard.
Fitzpatrick, even in his wildest dreams, probably did not dream of the kind of performance he put up last week against the New Orleans Saints, but here we are, looking at the name of the quarterback on the fantasy free agent market thinking that this dude is going to be among the most intriguing commodities on the waiver wire.
After the first week of fantasy football, there is a demand for new players to soup up countless rosters everywhere, and with that demand comes our supply of the 10 names you should be keeping an eye on for possible waiver wire pickups ahead of Week 2.
10. Ryan Fitzpatrick – Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB (1.6% owned in ESPN)
Fitzpatrick made everyone pay for being ignored in fantasy discussions prior to Week 1 by exploding for the most fantasy points in Week 1. Fitzmagic weaved his wand against the New Orleans Saints and threw for a titanic total of 417 passing yards on 21-of-28 completions.
He scored on four passing touchdowns with zero interceptions while running for another TD as he sent the Saints’ defense back to 2016, when it was among the worst in the league. Life is not going to be as easy under center for Fitzpatrick next week against the Eagles, but that doesn’t change the fact that he still has Mike Evans.
9. Phillip Lindsay – Denver Broncos RB (2.0 % owned in ESPN)
Lindsay’s emergence in Week 1’s 27-24 win over the Seattle Seahawks almost snuffed any remaining hint of Devontae Booker’s fantasy relevance in the Denver Broncos’ backfield. Booker, who already lost the starting gig to rookie Royce Freeman, seems to have slid all the way down into a third-string role after Lindsay collected 71 rushing yards on 15 carries and added 31 receiving yards and a TD reception on two catches.
Lindsay also had nine more snaps (26) than Booker (17), and don’t be surprised if the gap in those numbers gets wider moving forward in favor of the undrafted rookie out of Colorado.
8. T.J. Yeldon – Jacksonville Jaguars RB (8.0% owned in ESPN)
If you have Leonard Fournette on your team, it’s time for you to scoop T.J. Yeldon up from the waiver wire. Fournette sustained a hamstring injury in the win over the New York Giants, and while Jags head coach Doug Marrone expressed his optimism for Fournette’s availability to play against the New England Patriots in Week 2, Yeldon is still a viable add as a safety net should the former LSU running back miss any time.
Even if Fournette gets a green light to play, Yeldon does offer value as a pass-catching backfield piece. In the Giants game, Yeldon had 51 rushing yards on 14 carries and caught three passes for 18 yards and a touchdown.
7. Geronimo Allison – Green Bay Packers WR (9.2% owned in ESPN)
Has Aaron Rodgers found a new favorite target in the form of Allison? Allison made loud noises on Sunday when he caught five out of eight targets and converted them into 69 receiving yards and a touchdown during an improbable 24-23 win over the Chicago Bears.
The departure of Jordy Nelson from Green Bay in the offseason means Rodgers has to spread out those looks usually reserved for the former Packers wideout. In the Bears game, Rodgers seemed to have anointed Allison as the top beneficiary of Nelson’s absence by giving him more targets than tight end Jimmy Graham.
6. Eric Ebron – Indianapolis Colts TE (16.4% owned in ESPN)
Since arriving in the NFL as a top-10 draft pick by the Detroit Lions in 2014, Ebron has done nothing, fantasy-wise, outside of testing the patience of his owners to the hilt. However, a change in scenery could be the answer to Ebron’s malaise.
In his first game since signing a two-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts last March, Ebron caught four passes on five targets for 51 yards and a touchdown in the loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. Jack Doyle is still clearly Andrew Luck’s primary tight end option downfield, but the former North Carolina Tar Heel should continue to benefit from the Colts’ pass-heavy offense.
5. John Brown – Baltimore Ravens WR (21.6 % owned in ESPN)
Brown was showered with plaudits back in training camp, and he’s starting to show why he’s among the favorite draft sleepers ahead of this season. In the Baltimore Ravens’ 47-3 win over the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, Brown caught three passes for 44 receiving yards and a touchdown.
He is set as the Ravens’ No. 2 wide receiver behind Michael Crabtree and will continue to provide Flacco with a deep-threat target. He’s also going to get looks in the red zone, as evidenced by his seven-yard score against the Bills.
4. Jared Cook – Oakland Raiders TE (27.8% owned in ESPN)
Cook played the role of a messiah to his owners who were playing catchup in their fantasy matchups ahead of the last game of Week 1. Cook decimated the Rams’ defense for a dizzying total of 180 receiving yards on nine catches. He did not score a touchdown, but he’s done absolutely more than what his owners could have reasonably dreamed of in that game.
Derek Carr kept feeding Cook against the Rams at the expense of the likes of Jordy Nelson and Amari Cooper, and that may continue to be the case next week against the Denver Broncos, who allowed the third most points to opposing tight ends last year.
3. Chris Godwin – Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR (33.9% owned in ESPN)
Ryan Fitzpatrick has two more starts left before Jameis Winston takes over again under center for the Bucs. That’s good news for Godwin, who earned Fitz’s trust by pulling down three catches for 41 yards and a touchdown in Week 1’s 48-40 win over the New Orleans Saints.
While it’s about to get tougher for Tampa Bay’s offense to get anything going in Week 2 against the stiff Philadelphia Eagles defense, there will be ample chances for Godwin to make plays, especially if DeSean Jackson gets ruled out. Jackson was taken out of the Saints game with a concussion.
Against New Orleans, only Mike Evans saw four more snaps (50) than Godwin (46).
2. Mike Williams – Los Angeles Chargers WR (34.8 % owned in ESPN)
Owned in just under 35 percent of ESPN leagues as of this writing, Williams is expected to pop up as a newcomer on several fantasy rosters in the coming days thanks to a solid 2018 debut last Sunday. Williams played in fewer snaps than Keenan Allen, Tyrell Williams, and Travis Benjamin with 44, but managed to collect 81 receiving yards on five catches for an impressive 16.2 yards per catch average.
His efficiency (only missed one catch) adds optimism for his Week 2 outlook against the Buffalo Bills’ stop unit that got absolutely annihilated by the Baltimore Ravens last Sunday. It’s still hard to trust Williams to get that many looks on a consistent basis, but another good showing could earn him a bigger role in the Chargers’ pass-heavy offense.
1. Tyrod Taylor – Cleveland Browns QB (37.1% owned in ESPN)
The weather was never going to cooperate with the passing attack of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cleveland Browns last Sunday, so Taylor deserves some pass for posting a horrid 15-of-40 line for just 197 yards against the Steelers. He also had a touchdown and an interception.
But Taylor reminded fantasy players once again that he can make up for his lack of passing yardage with his ability to burn rubber, as the dual-threat quarterback took off for 77 rushing yards and a touchdown on eight carries. Up against the New Orleans Saints’ defense that just got tombstoned by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, Taylor can put up better passing numbers to complement his rushing stats in Week 2.
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