Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups - Top Fantasy Football WR Adds for Week 2 Include Hollywood Brown, Keenan Allen, Cedric Tillman, Troy Franklin

September 9, 2025

Alex's fantasy football WR waiver wire pickups for Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season. His free agent wide receivers to add, stream, and stash off waivers.

Welcome back to our fantasy football wide receiver waiver wire pickups for Week 2 of the 2025 season. Did that feel as long for you as it did for me? Football is back (!), and opening week was not short of storylines.

Everything we've planned for and adjusted to for the last seven months is all out the window, as it's time to react to the data at hand. That isn't to condone overreacting, as seasoned fantasy veterans are aware there's no need for that this early in the season. Look no further than the Bengals slumping to begin another campaign. Alas, that's another topic for another day -- back to the matter at hand.

Below, you'll find a slew of wide receivers that are worth a look for the upcoming waiver wire cycle. Each asset is ripe for the picking in 50% or more of leagues. When discerning who from this feature best fits your team, consider both your individual team's needs and the scoring format in your given league. Otherwise, this list's prospective adds are generally in order of priority. After reading this, be sure to also check out our Week 2 fantasy football waiver wire articles for assistance with all your positional needs. Good luck in your matchups!

Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups

Marquise Brown, Kansas City Chiefs - 25% rostered

The Chiefs and Chargers kicked off the NFL's 2025 international slate with their game in São Paulo, Brazil, this past Friday, and it took Xavier Worthy (shoulder) all of three snaps to dislocate his shoulder. Worthy is currently seeking a second opinion, and his timeline to return is to be determined. In the meantime, Brown was the biggest beneficiary of his absence, soaking up a league-leading (thus far) 16 targets.

This mark paced all Kansas City pass catchers and had 11 more targets than the No. 2 wide receiver, JuJu Smith-Schuster. Brown turned his looks into a strong 10/99 line, making him the highest-priority add at the position this week, considering the uncertainty surrounding his teammate's injury.

It's unlikely that Kansas City's run game gets bottled up to this extent every week, but the former first-round pick looks like the team's WR to own -- at least for now.

Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers - 50% rostered

On the other side of that contest, quarterback Justin Herbert slung it all over the yard, connecting with new (former) teammate Keenan Allen. Allen racked up ten targets (team-high), leading the team with seven receptions, and scoring his first TD in a Chargers uniform since Week 11 in 2023. As a reminder, he recorded 108 catches and 1,243 yards in just 13 games that season.

this combo 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/6gDX60RaqT

— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) September 6, 2025

The veteran may be a step or two slower now, but his hands are still reliable, and he'll be where the quarterback needs him. Much like the Chiefs, LA's ground game didn't get much going, so there will be weeks where Herbert and the squad won't air it out as much. With that said, the signal-caller's familiarity with Allen should keep the 33-year-old viable for fantasy.

Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers - 9% rostered

Quentin Johnston didn't see as many targets as his teammate above, but he did do more with less. The TCU product was on the receiving end of two touchdown tosses from Herbert, compiling 79 yards on his five catches (seven targets). While Allen doesn't offer much in the YAC department, Johnston showed off his athleticism on multiple occasions -- reeling in catches of 33 and 23 yards.

Los Angeles' wide receivers dominated quarterback Justin Herbert's target share in this one. If the tight end room is going to combine for three opportunities a week, then both Allen and Johnston will have viable performances this year. However, with fellow wideout Ladd McConkey in the mix, the likelihood of Herbert supporting three fantasy-relevant pass-catchers is slim.

Allen has a higher floor, but Johnston has a higher ceiling. Adjust accordingly.

Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots - 1% rostered

In one of the bigger surprises of Week 1, New England's Kayshon Boutte led all Pats' receivers in their home loss to the Raiders. The third-year pro was a menace in the intermediate area of the field, working back-shoulder fades along the boundary as well as ins/crossers en route to a six-catch, 103-yard day. Boutte matched tight end Hunter Henry's high of eight targets, and tied two other Patriots for the team lead with his reception total.

It's noteworthy that teammate Stefon Diggs didn't play a full complement of snaps, as he's just 10 months removed from a significant injury. He'll likely operate as New England's No. 1 option when he's up to speed, but Boutte could see a legitimately viable target share this season in a wide receiver room up for the taking.

Fun fact: this is Boutte's second consecutive 100-yard effort dating back to 2024, and he's notched 95 yards or more in three of his last four appearances.

Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns - 28% rostered

I'm just going to say it -- as soon as news broke that veteran field general Joe Flacco would man the helm of Cleveland's offense, Cedric Tillman should have been on your draft board. Even in his 18th season, Flacco is still incredibly fantasy-friendly for his wide receivers, and all of the Browns' receivers get a bump with him in the lineup.

Tillman didn't become a fixture in the Browns' starting offense until mid-way through last season, but was electric when healthy -- clearing nine targets and 75 yards in three of his five starts. He's a big target at 6-foot-3, and an above-average athlete, capable of making highlight plays. More importantly, he's far-and-away Cleveland's WR2 -- participating on as many snaps as running mate Jerry Jeudy (67 [88%])

This situation isn't without volatility, especially with the knowledge that it's only a matter of time before one of Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders takes over the reins of the offense. Flacco isn't the long-term answer for the organization, but Tillman is worth using while he's starting.

Calvin Austin III, Pittsburgh Steelers - 2% rostered

The Pittsburgh Steelers held on late against the Jets on Sunday as Aaron Rodgers put on a vintage performance against his former team. Rodgers tied Tom Brady for the most games with four touchdowns and zero interceptions in NFL history, but the real story here is the veteran's target distribution. Behind DK Metcalf's team-leading seven, Calvin Austin III garnered six of his own, tying him with tight end Jonnu Smith for second-most in the process.

WIDE OPEN @CalvinAustinIII 🙌

📺: #PITvsNYJ on @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/6CU8YNCJZ5

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 7, 2025

The University of Memphis product's calling card has always been his speed (4.32 40-yard dash), but he's never accumulated enough of a target share to predict when he'd make an impact. With the Steelers running more two-tight end sets, it appears that Austin will be lining up across from Metcalf more often than not. His six targets in their win against New York tied a career-high.

Wan'Dale Robinson, New York Giants - 2% rostered

New York's offense looked dreadful in running situations, and quarterback Russell Wilson never got comfortable in his Giants' debut. Overall, it was an uninspiring effort for the G-Men. Despite their lack of scoring, Wilson projects to put out a better product than any of the team's options at QB in 2024, and Wan'Dale Robinson was a target hog alongside teammate Malik Nabers.

Nabers saw double-digit targets against Washington (12), but Robinson was the only other New York skill player to see more than five (eight). Furthermore, he was the only wide receiver to see more than one (Darius Slayton). The Kentucky native mainly operates in the short game (6/55), so the ceiling here isn't world-beating. Still, sometimes you need a low-end PPR WR3 to round out your lineup.

Deeper Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Pickups

Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos - 2% rostered

Bo Nix had an off day, so we didn't really get to see the Broncos' offense that we had grown accustomed to. The second-year QB still played point guard well, with 11 different Denver skill players recording a reception. Even amongst equal distribution, Troy Franklin still stood out. The former Oregon Duck was the team's second-leading receiver in targets (six), receptions (four), and yards (44) in the 20-12 win.

Admittedly, I could have written up Franklin's teammate, Marvin Mims Jr., here, but I'm giving the former the edge with the fact that his current quarterback is the one he played with in college. He also beat out the latter by five snaps on Sunday. Denver's defense will steal away some scoring opportunities, but head coach Sean Payton isn't shy about how frequently he throws the ball.

Those targets need to go somewhere other than Courtland Sutton. For now, Franklin seems like the best bet.

Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers - 20% rostered

It wouldn't be fair to say that Bryce Young reverted from his stellar run to close out last season, but something wasn't off with the Panthers on Sunday. Not much went right for Carolina in a game that was delayed for over an hour due to the weather. In that, it's hard to get much going. However, it was encouraging to see Xavier Legette accrue seven targets—one more than new teammate Hunter Renfrow, and two fewer than rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan.

Legette turned that into three catches and ten yards (with a long gain of nine), but I'm willing to give Young and the rest of the Panthers a pass in Week 1. The hope is that the young QB will build on his late-season development from a year ago, and that Legette's opportunities will become more valuable as a result.

Some work needs to be done on both sides here, as the South Carolina product has some polishing to do regarding his route-running. He presents as an explosive athlete, though, and is a nice complement to McMillan.

Elic Ayomanor, Tennessee Titans - 5% rostered

First overall pick Cam Ward's welcome to the NFL moment was a staunch Denver defense that never relented. He'll have better days, as will rookie wide receiver Elic Ayomanor. The Stanford alum came on strong at the end of August to edge out veteran Tyler Lockett as Tennessee's second receiver, and that came to fruition on Sunday with the latter trailing the former by 12 snaps.

Ayomanor churned out just 13 yards on his two catches (seven targets). Still, he was really only behind Calvin Ridley in the statistics we care about (Tony Pollard led the team with 29 receiving yards). If Ward can develop quickly, the 22-year-old is a favorable bet when we account for his athletic measurables.

Dont'e Thornton Jr., Las Vegas Raiders - 21% rostered

Speaking of athletic measurables, we have a darn-near unicorn in Dont'e Thornton Jr. The towering rookie out of Tennessee (6-foot-5) ran a 4.3-flat 40-yard dash, and has drawn legitimate hype this summer out of Raiders camp. While Thornton played behind third-year pro Tre Tucker (Tucker out-snapped him 57-38), the rookie drew one more target.

AIR IT OUT 😮‍💨 #LVvsNE | 📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/oL3Y0PBxSg

— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 7, 2025

Geno Smith might only be a short-term solution for Las Vegas at quarterback, but he's an accurate passer, and Thornton Jr. offers the Raiders' scheme an elite deep threat to take the top off a defense. There's sure to be some growing pains, as the first-year wideout will be the epitome of boom-bust until he works into a bigger role.

However, he garners the highest ceiling of the Raiders' wideouts. Thornton is one of the more speculative adds this week.

Thanks for reading, and happy hunting!

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