👉 TAP TO SAVE 50% WITH CODE SPRING
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Compare Any Players
24x7 News and Alerts

Week 2 Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds

So, you’ve survived the “day of days” and now you’re looking for something, anything, to grab onto. Allen Robinson’s ACL is torn and David Johnson hurt his wrist (injured reserve), among other fantasy-relevant injuries to offensive players and defensive units. While we still have the Monday Night doubleheader to deal with, there's plenty to sort through already.

Below are my Week 2 waiver wire pickups, or free agents to consider adding to your fantasy football teams. I provide information on players that are owned in roughly 35% of Yahoo leagues or less, so that you can make an educated decision about who to add to your squad.

Be sure to also check out our positional waiver wire analysis columns, with in-depth analysis for all options heading into Week 2. Now let’s look around the league at many names who are worth mentioning as Week 2 approaches.

Editor's Note: The FFPC Baby Gorilla Tournament is now open, featuring a $100,000 grand prize and a $675,450 total prize pool! This 12-team, Tight End Premium contest uses a 20-round draft format, with the overall winners determined by total points scored during Weeks 15–17. Get $25 to use toward your first entry by signing up through our link. Grab your team now! Sign Up Now!

 

Quarterbacks - Week 2 Waiver Wire

Alex Smith (QB, KC) - 22% owned

Kicking off the 2017 season in a most peculiar fashion, Smith appeared to be filming the sequel to Space Jam as he showed off all of the talents that have made Tom Brady, Tom Brady, in Brady’s own house. The disrespect! But seriously, it was pretty awesome to see Smith uncork that deep ball to Tyreek Hill before throwing a perfect strike to Kareem Hunt on a deep seam. There’s no undoing his career thus far and how he’s earned the title of “game manager,” as well as how big a role New England’s terrible defense/still potent offense played a role in KC keeping the pedal down so effectively.

But, this is a string absolutely worth pulling on for those in deeper waters. We’ll really see what he’s about in Week 2 at home against a solid Philadelphia defense that held Washington’s potent offense to 17 points, but I, for one, welcome our new Alex Smith overlord. The bottom line is that this pulls his range of outcomes up a bit in serious streaming consideration, but don’t get carried away.

Jay Cutler (QB, MIA) - 28% owned

We still have yet to see Cutler and the Dolphins take the field in 2017 thanks to the horrors of Mother Nature, nor have we seen his Week 2 opponent in the Chargers. Even if next week’s opener doesn’t go so well, his next five weeks go like this: @NYJ, NO, TEN, @ATL, NYJ. Miami gets their Jets games out of the way rather early, which is convenient for QB streamers. Those NO and ATL games could also turn into shootouts that require lots of action on Cutler’s part. For all of the hype around DeVante Parker, it’s Cutler who controls it all. He’ll throw a few questionable picks, I’m sure, but could find himself in the top-12 more weeks than not.

DeShone Kizer (QB, CLE) - 10% owned

Kizer made a lot of checkdown throws in his professional debut, completing 20-of-30 passes for 222 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed it five times for 17 yards and another TD, which makes him a QB1 this week. He also ate a lot of sacks and had to do quite a bit of dancing in the pocket against Pittsburgh, but kept his composure and wasn’t afraid to hit his safety valves. That’s not to say that the kid is unwilling to let it fly down the field, but he appears to be a legitimate streaming arm and should absolutely be owned/starting in all 2-QB leagues. That said, a road date with the Ravens next week is far from ideal, but Indianapolis in Week 3 and the Jets in Week 5 is healthy.

 

Running Backs - Week 2 Waiver Wire

Tarik Cohen (RB, CHI) - 12% owned

Well, it seems that Chicago found their own version of Christian McCaffrey. Okay, while the elusive Cohen had a great day and showcased his highlight-reel abilities based on speed and strength, we need to stay grounded. He could be a wonderful PPR pickup and standard flex/depth option, but he’s unlikely to go on an Antone Smith-like hyper-efficiency kick with his touches. Jordan Howard may not have looked great, but he’s still going to touch the ball more (38 snaps to Cohen’s 28).

That said, Chicago is going to be playing from behind an awful lot and Cohen has some Danny Woodhead to him (McCaffrey was an exaggeration, just to be clear). The fleet-footed, five-foot-six running back’s stat line is going to make him the belle of the waiver-wire ball heading into a Week 2 matchup with the Bucs in Tampa Bay, but the Falcons are also not known for their ability to handle agile RBs like Cohen (cough James White cough). He’s unlikely to rack up big rushing totals, but seeing 6-8 targets per game is reasonable if Benny Cunningham is (rightfully) leapfrogged here if Benny’s even healthy.

Chris Carson (RB, SEA) - 15% owned

While it’s unfortunate for Carson speculators that Thomas Rawls could simply return next week in a soft matchup vs. San Francisco, there’s no doubting that Carson looked much better than Eddie Lacy. Seattle’s offensive line got eaten alive like they were mere dots in a game of Pac-Man and that’s unlikely to change anytime soon, but Carson is electric enough to deal with it. He won’t unseat C.J. Prosise as Seattle’s passing-down back, but should absolutely be stashed on most benches in case Rawls can’t return yet or something happens to him down the road.

Kerwynn Williams (RB, ARI) - 4% owned

The fantasy Grim Reaper determined David Johnson’s fate, and Kerwynn Williams is likely to play the short-yardage role in a committee with Andre Ellington (0% owned) next week against a rather soft Colts defense. Week 3 holds Dallas for the Cards, but Week 4 brings another favorable matchup against the 49ers. No one could ever replace David Johnson, but Williams looks to be one most standard leaguers would want for his chances at cracking the goal line. Ellington makes for a decent PPR add, but I think part of his love was due to Arizona’s sudden turning of the tables against Detroit.

Javorius Allen (RB, BAL) - 1% owned

Terrance West didn’t just automatically become an every-down back when Danny Woodhead exited with a hamstring injury, as Mr. Buck Allen totaled 21 totes for 71 yards in a Week 1 shellacking of the Bengals. Only five of those carries came before halftime so it remains to be seen whether he was leaned on more in a game that Baltimore had in hand early, but the usage is hard to ignore. Plus, the Ravens face the Browns in Week 2 so we could see a similar gamescript play out.

 

Wide Receivers - Week 2 Waiver Wire

Kenny Golladay (WR, DET) - 17% owned

Those of you who lost AR15 are likely throwing the bank at Golladay after seeing him catch four of his seven targets for 69 yards and two touchdowns -- the second of which was a very impressive diving grab into the promised land. Marvin Jones Jr. was pretty much taken out by Patrick Peterson outside of his own TD grab and Golden Tate absolutely ate out of the slot, but Golladay should have carved out a nice market share moving forward in a pass-happy offense. Those who were banking on an Eric Ebron renaissance won’t like this, but most of you should be able to enjoy it. The talent is real, and now the opportunity looks to be there. He does have to face the Giants and Vikings’ secondaries in Weeks 2 and 4, respectively, but you’re making this add.

Nelson Agholor (WR, PHI) - 13% owned

The bulk of Agholor’s 86 yards and his one touchdown came on a crazy 58-yard throw from Carson Wentz, who extended the play for an eternity before unloading a trebuchet shot down the field. Alshon Jeffery is still the No. 1 receiver and Torrey Smith is going to rotate in, but Agholor had a piece of the No. 2 duties and was the slot man in three-wide sets for Philly. This provides opportunity for a guy with a bounty of raw talent who has been held back by inconsistencies but could certainly hit a stride in his third season. It’s possible that next week’s matchup against Kansas City sees Jeffery similarly shadowed by Marcus Peters and Week 3’s game with the Giants yields a Janoris Jenkins blanket, so Agholor has a good shot at building some momentum early for fantasy owners.

Cooper Kupp (WR, LAR) - 26% owned

Kupp was the most exciting Ram in a 46-9 Week 1 victory over the Colts, catching four balls on six targets for 76 yards and a touchdown. He locked down an 18-yard TD and showed off some strong ball-tracking skills and plus hands on a 28-yard catch after that, validating the preseason hype that came from Jared Goff’s chemistry with the Eastern Washington product. While Kupp isn’t a strong candidate to score in any given week, he should be able to creep up on double-digit points in PPR formats in a Rams offense that might finally be able to find itself without Jeff Fisher muddying things up.

Allen Hurns (WR, JAX) - 9% owned

Robinson is done for the season, which makes Hurns very intriguing despite playing in a Blake Bortles-led offense with an emerging talent at running back that should tilt the offense toward a run-heavy mode. Let alone that defense! Perhaps there won’t be nearly as much garbage time as 2016, but Hurns still possesses big-play ability compared to Marqise Lee’s more steady presence in the slot. Lee is only 15% owned and should also be added in the wake of the Robinson news, and both should see more action in Week 2 against the Titans at home.

Kendall Wright (WR, CHI) - 15% owned

Wright was a dud before Kevin White went down with what could be a season-ending collarbone injury and then ended up catching three of his four targets for 34 yards. The Bears final wide receiver snap count saw White total 47 before exiting, with Deonte Thompson notching 46 (but he only caught one of two targets for 15 yards) and Wright with 39. Part of the low receiving totals came from Tarik Cohen being such a beast, but Wright should be leaned on more with White out for an extended period of time. These are still Mike Glennon targets, but Wright is worth the PPR snag.

Jermaine Kearse (WR, NYJ) - 2% owned

With Jeremy Kerley inactive, Kearse was the clear No. 1 receiver in an anemic Jets offense. Seeing nine targets in all, the Jermaine train caught seven of them for 59 yards from Josh McCown. It’s worth noting that Kearse played in the slot a lot and that may speak to how McCown reads the field in this offense -- which would bode well for Kerley -- but the QB may just enjoy having a big frame to throw at. This is a deep-league addition, but the Jets won’t be in many close contests and could be airing it out early and often in Week 2 against the Raiders.

 

Tight Ends - Week 2 Waiver Wire

Jared Cook (TE, OAK) - 19% owned

Cook caught all five of his targets for 56 yards, which should be a reasonable expectation moving forward with the chance at a touchdown always looming. Oakland boasts several weapons on offense, meaning Cook should be able to run against either a linebacker who is slower than him or a safety who is no match for his size in an offense that can put up some serious points. The Raiders get to face the Jets next week, where Cook will look to find paydirt for the first time in his new uniform.

*For what it’s worth, I think Charles Clay (10% owned) is a fine pickup in a vacuum but has to face Carolina and Denver in the next two weeks and we know who he is at this point. Newcomers Jordan Matthews and Zay Jones will get up to speed with this offense and eat into this potential, most likely.

Jesse James (TE, PIT) - 6% owned

While I’m still of the thinking that Vance McDonald is the superior talent, it isn’t as though he’s been on the team for a significant amount of time while James knows the playbook. A game against the Browns is tough to extrapolate for future weeks, but James getting involved with a 6-41-2 line illustrates how much of a plus his size is. He looms large in the red zone, which is more than enough to be a TE streamer. The Steelers will have to dance with a talented Vikings defense next week at home, but James isn’t going to simply recede into the shadows with the addition of McDonald as I previous thought, so there’s that.

 

Early Defensive Streaming Candidates

JAX (v. TEN) - 35% owned, CIN (v. HOU) - 24% owned, TB (v. CHI) - 9% owned.

 

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Compare Any Players
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Emilio Pagán

Emilio Pagan Headed for Injured List With Hamstring Injury
Stefon Diggs

Found Not Guilty of Assault, Strangulation
Emilio Pagán

Emilio Pagan Carted Off With Apparent Hamstring Injury on Tuesday
Justin Rose

to Continue Mid-Season Club Change at Truist Championship
Si Woo Kim

is Back to Peak Form Ahead of Truist Championship
Sam Merrill

Heads to Locker Room in Game 1
Sam Burns

to Bounce Back at Truist Championship
Cameron Young

Looks to Carry Dominance to Quail Hollow
Anthony Edwards

Iffy for Game 2
Rory McIlroy

Returns to Familiar Stomping Grounds This Week at Quail Hollow
Ayo Dosunmu

Listed as Questionable Wednesday
Kevin Huerter

Remains Out for Series Opener
Carter Bryant

Questionable for Game 2
Chris Gotterup

Looking to Bounce Back at Quail Hollow
MLB

Cardinals-Brewers Game Postponed on Tuesday
Joel Embiid

Expected to Play Wednesday
Roman Anthony

Day-to-Day With Wrist Sprain
Radko Gudas

to Remain Sidelined Wednesday
Sam Carrick

Upgraded to Day-to-Day
Noah Cates

Considered Day-to-Day
Alexander Nikishin

Cleared to Play in Game 3 Against Flyers
Josh Manson

Expected to Remain Out Tuesday
Filip Gustavsson

Starting Game 2 Against Avalanche
Victor Hedman

Reveals Reason for Absence
Travis Kelce

Dynasty Value Fading Entering 2026
DJ Moore

a Prime Bounce-Back Candidate Following Offseason Trade
Derrick Henry

Dynasty Value Holding Steady Following NFL Draft
Ladd McConkey

Can Ladd McConkey Re-Establish His Dynasty Value in 2026?
Ryan Flournoy

Is Ryan Flournoy a Dynasty Stash Candidate Due to Long-Term Upside in Dallas?
Dante Fowler Jr.

Signing with Seahawks
Jacob Misiorowski

"All Things Look Good" for Jacob Misiorowski to Start on Wednesday
Tommy Fleetwood

Looking For Better Iron Play at Quail Hollow
Micah Parsons

Packers Expect Micah Parsons to be Ready "Early in the Season"
Tucker Kraft

Expected Back "Early in the Season"
Calvin Ridley

Brian Daboll Says it's "Good to Have" Calvin Ridley on Roster
Isaac Guerendo

Buried on Depth Chart, Looking for New Team?
Jalen Nailor

Raiders Expect Jalen Nailor to Take "Big Leap" in "Featured Role"
MLB

Rockies-Mets Game Postponed Due to Inclement Weather
CFB

Mario Craver Enters No. 1 Wide Receiver Role for Marcel Reed
Raisel Iglesias

Braves Officially Reinstate Raisel Iglesias From Injured List on Tuesday
CFB

LaNorris Sellers a Strong Rebound Candidate in 2026
CFB

Cam Coleman Poised for Monster Year at Texas?
Cedric Tillman

on the Trade Block?
CFB

Will Hammond Pushing to Be Ready for Week 1
Alex Fitzpatrick

Looking to Keep Up Ball-Striking Output at Quail Hollow
Emmett Johnson

Andy Reid Compares Emmett Johnson to LeSean McCoy
CFB

Notre Dame Leads College Football in Returning Snaps
Ty Simpson

a Great Fit With the Rams?
CFB

Two Ole Miss Football Players Arrested, Charged with DUI
Alvin Kamara

"Excited" to Share the Backfield With New RB Addition
Carson Beck

Could Carson Beck Sit on the Bench for his Entire Rookie Season?
Devaughn Vele

Upside Takes a Hit After the NFL Draft
Brenen Thompson

Compared to Tyreek Hill
Jonathan Taylor

Could Jonathan Taylor Finish as the RB1 if he Stays Healthy?
Jaxon Smith-Njigba

Firmly Entrenched in Top Tier of Dynasty Receivers
Tyrese Maxey

Limited to 13 Points in Second-Round Opener
Joel Embiid

Stays Quiet in Game 1 Against Knicks
Jalen Brunson

Torches 76ers With 35 Points Monday
Dylan Harper

Leads Spurs With 18 Points Monday
Julius Randle

Collects First Double-Double of Postseason
Anthony Edwards

Tallies 18 Points in Comeback Game
Victor Wembanyama

Posts Unique Triple-Double
Jackson LaCombe

Sets New Record With Another Assist
Mikael Granlund

Continues Postseason Success With Third Goal
Mitchell Marner

Notches Two Points in Series-Opening Win
Ben Griffin

Looks Solid on the Surface Heading to Charlotte
Taylor Hall

Makes History With Overtime Winner
Rickie Fowler

Faces a Challenge at Quail Hollow
Nikolaj Ehlers

Collects Two Points in Comeback Win
Cale Makar

Good to Go for Game 2 Against Wild
Gary Woodland

on a Nice Wave Approaching Truist Championship
Ridly Greig

Suspended for Two Games
Sepp Straka

Hoping for More Success at Truist Championship
J.J. Spaun

Approaching Charlotte With Optimism
Alex Smalley

Carries Momentum into Truist Championship
Nicolai Hojgaard

Roller Coaster Heads to Charlotte
Keegan Bradley

Desperate to Bounce Back from Doral Encounter
Dallas Mavericks

Masai Ujiri Hired as Mavericks Team President
Anthony Edwards

to Come Off Bench Monday
Chicago Bulls

Bryson Graham Hired as Bulls Lead Executive
Jalen Williams

Sidelined Tuesday vs Lakers
Carter Bryant

Unavailable for Game 1 Against Minnesota
Anthony Edwards

Set to Return Monday with Restrictions
Joel Embiid

is Cleared for Monday's Game 1
Kevin Huerter

is Questionable for Tuesday's Contest
Roman Anthony

Pulled Early on Monday After Tweaking his Wrist
Jhoan Duran

to Come Off the Injured List on Tuesday
Owen Tippett

Remains Out Monday
Roope Hintz

Recovering From Hamstring Injury
Tyler Seguin

Expects to Be Ready for Training Camp
Sam Carrick

Could Practice Tuesday
Alexander Nikishin

Won't Play Monday
Jeremy Lauzon

Expected to Miss Round 2
William Karlsson

Rejoins Golden Knights Lineup Monday
Jackson Chourio

Brewers Reinstate Jackson Chourio From the Injured List
Tarik Skubal

to Undergo Elbow Surgery
Chase Elliott

Earns his Second Texas Motor Speedway Victory
Denny Hamlin

Misses Out on Winning at Texas
Alex Bowman

Finishes Third for the Second Week in a Row at Texas
Tyler Reddick

Earns Seventh Top-Five Finish of the Season at Texas
Chris Buescher

Scores his First Career Texas Finish in the Top Five
CFB

Bryce Underwood in Better Situation Entering Sophomore Season
CFB

Nico Iamaleava Emerging as Leader, Playmaker for UCLA
Raisel Iglesias

to be Activated on Tuesday
Jack Della Maddalena

Gets Dominated At UFC Perth
Carlos Prates

Shines At UFC Perth
Beneil Dariush

Suffers A First-Round TKO Loss
Quillan Salkilld

Remains Unbeaten In The UFC
Tim Elliott

Drops Decision At UFC Perth
Steve Erceg

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Ollie Schmid

Suffers First-Round TKO Loss
Marwan Rahiki

Remains Unbeaten
Bryce Eldridge

Giants to Promote No. 1-Ranked Prospect Bryce Eldridge to MLB Roster
Anthony Volpe

Reinstated From Injured List, Optioned to Triple-A
Ranger Suarez

Exits Sunday's Start With Hamstring Tightness
Agustín Ramírez

Marlins Demote Agustin Ramirez to Triple-A
Ben Rice

Exits Sunday's Contest With Left-Hand Contusion
Christopher Bell

Is Christopher Bell Worth Rostering for Texas Lineups?
Cal Raleigh

Considered Day-to-Day With Soreness in his Side
William Byron

Might have the Speed to Compete for the Win at Texas
Joey Logano

Provides Solid Upside for Texas DFS Lineups
Joe Ryan

Exits Early From Start on Sunday Due to Elbow Soreness
Chase Briscoe

Could Chase Briscoe be A Sneaky Pick for Texas Lineups?
Ty Gibbs

Should DFS Managers Roster Ty Gibbs at Texas?
Daniel Suarez

Is Daniel Suarez Worth Rostering After Career-Best Starting Position at Texas?
Daniel Palencia

Cubs Reinstate Daniel Palencia From the Injured List on Sunday
Kyle Busch

Is a DFS Risk Starting in the Top 10 at Texas
Ronald Acuña Jr.

Braves Place Ronald Acuna Jr. on Injured List With Strained Hamstring
Tyler Reddick

One of the Favorites to Win at Texas
Chase Elliott

Could Contend for Another Win at Texas
Carson Hocevar

on Pole at Texas
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Wrecks in Practice at Texas
Chris Buescher

Looking to Continue Strong Run at Texas
Austin Dillon

Blows Engine in Practice at Texas
Jack Della Maddalena

Returns At UFC Perth
Carlos Prates

Set For UFC Perth Main Event
Quillan Salkilld

Set For Co-Main Event
Beneil Dariush

An Underdog At UFC Perth
Steve Erceg

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Tim Elliott

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Ollie Schmid

Set For His UFC Debut
Marwan Rahiki

Looks To Remain Undefeated
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF