Quarterback Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups - Top QB Adds for Week 2 Include Trevor Lawrence, Geno Smith, Daniel Jones, Aaron Rodgers, more

September 9, 2025

Dan's top quarterback Week 2 fantasy pickups (2025). The best QB fantasy waiver wire pickups to add and Week 2 QB streamers for 1QB, 2QB and superflex leagues.

As usual, defenses were ahead of offenses in Week 1 of the NFL season. Just three teams scored 30 or more points. Conversely, 10 teams failed to score more than 15 points.

It wasn’t the greatest week of fantasy production, but we did still get some excellent performances from quarterbacks. Nine different quarterbacks scored at least 20 points, headlined by two 29.0+ performances from Justin Fields and Daniel Jones. There are plenty of players who are worth adding on the waiver wire if you’re in need of a streamer.

In this article, I will focus on players under 65% rostered in fantasy leagues while adding a couple of deep sleepers for two-quarterback leagues (less than 25% rostered). Let’s look at who you should consider picking up for Week 2 below. All roster percentages will be from Yahoo fantasy leagues.

Single-QB Waiver Wire Pickups and Streamers

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars - 52% rostered

It wasn’t the best start for the Trevor Lawrence and Liam Coen era in Jacksonville. Lawrence completed just 19 of 31 passes for 178 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. However, the flow of the game was disrupted by a weather delay in the second quarter. Jacksonville also carried a big lead into halftime, allowing them to run the ball in the second half.

His performance didn’t come close to meeting the sky-high expectations for his fantasy output in Coen’s offense with Brian Thomas Jr. and Travis Hunter, but it is too early to be overly concerned. Lawrence is set to face off against the Bengals in Week 2 and could very well get back on track in what should be a shootout.

Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons - 32% rostered

It was fair to wonder what Michael Penix Jr. would look like as a full-time starter after an uneven final three games in 2024. Penix completed just 58% of his passes during that stretch, but did have a QB7 finish in Week 18 with 26.0 points.

Based on a one-game sample size in 2025, things are going to be great for fantasy football.

Penix completed 27 of 42 passes for 289 yards and a touchdown against the Buccaneers in Week 1. More importantly, he demonstrated a willingness to use his legs as a runner, a skill he had never fully utilized in college, despite running an impressive 4.53 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. The second-year signal caller had six carries for 21 yards and a touchdown, consistently using his legs to extend drives.

A flying Michael Penix Jr for the lead. pic.twitter.com/ZAJGNTD9tl

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 7, 2025

Penix will have a difficult matchup against Minnesota in Week 2, but gets far easier matchups against the Panthers and Washington before Atlanta’s Week 5 bye. He’s a weekly start based on pure passing volume, especially with Atlanta’s defense being a subpar unit.

Geno Smith, Las Vegas Raiders - 21% rostered

The Geno Smith and Pete Carroll reunion tour got off to a great start against the Patriots. Smith completed 24 of 34 passes for 362 yards and a touchdown with one interception. He also added two carries for 10 yards. The veteran quarterback had 17.48 points, finishing as the QB11 through the Sunday afternoon games.

Beyond impressive win from Pete Carroll's Raiders in New England. Geno Smith completed 70% of his pass attempts (again) and the team had 9 explosive plays.

Carroll on Geno: "He's a star player in the NFL. He's been doing this for a long time."

1-0 with a 8 day rest before MNF. pic.twitter.com/vSRlZv5W8K

— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) September 7, 2025

Smith completed passes to seven different players and showed an immediate connection with Brock Bowers in the intermediate areas of the field. Smith may also find himself consistently in shootout game scripts thanks to a questionable Raiders’ defense.

Week 2’s matchup will (the Chargers) will be more difficult, but he has much better matchups against Washington, Chicago, Indianapolis, and Tennessee from Week 3 to 6. Smith doesn’t have much rushing upside, but he can be a high-volume passer who provides consistent top-15 finishes throughout the season.

Two-QB Waiver Wire Pickups and Stashes

Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers - 14% rostered

For at least one week, we got to see vintage Aaron Rodgers with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rodgers completed 22 of 30 passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns in a shootout against his old team, the New York Jets.

For at least one game, we saw that Rodgers can be a streaming option in Arthur Smith’s offense. It was even more encouraging that he was able to incorporate so many different weapons into the offense (six players with at least two receptions).

Rodgers isn’t higher on this list due to a tough upcoming schedule (games against Seattle and Minnesota) and a Week 5 bye, but there will be better matchups on the horizon after that.

Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans - 24% rostered

The Titans were certainly hoping for a better first game from Cam Ward. The 2025 first overall pick completed just 12 of 28 passes for 112 yards, finishing with just 2.48 fantasy points in a 20-12 loss. However, it is far too early to press the panic button on the rookie.

For one, Ward had arguably the worst first matchup possible in 2025, travelling on the road to face Denver’s defense. He was also frequently let down by his wide receivers (five drops) and just missed some deeper throws. Ward flashed his arm talent throughout the game, even if he struggled with the pressure from Denver’s defensive front.

The rookie arguably won’t face a better defense than the one he played in Week 1, so it’s fair to stash him on the bench in hopes of better days.

Daniel Jones, Indianapolis Colts - 5% rostered

You couldn’t draw up a better debut for Jones in his first game with the Indianapolis Colts.

Jones completed 22 of 29 passes for 272 yards and a touchdown while adding seven carries for 26 yards and two rushing touchdowns. He helped lead the Colts offense to a scoring possession on every single offensive drive in Week 1, something that hadn’t been accomplished since 1978.

Daniel Jones to Michael Pittman Jr. connection!#MIAvsIND on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/PYMcl8DT11

— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025

Sure, the Dolphins may have one of the worst defenses in the NFL (especially in the secondary). However, Jones was able to still take advantage of a strong offensive line and talented pass-catching group to finish as the QB2 in fantasy points through Sunday afternoon’s games (29.4).

We know what the lows look like for Daniel Jones, but at the very least, he’s worth stashing on your bench in case he’s able to rise to the talent around him in Indianapolis. You shouldn’t be starting him in Week 2 against Denver, but future matchups against the Titans, Rams, Raiders, and Cardinals from Weeks 3 to 6 may have streaming upside.

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