Waiver Wire Watchlist for Fantasy Football Week 2

September 18, 2026

Kipp's fantasy football waiver wire watchlist before Week 2 of 2026. You should keep an eye on these emerging players and consider them waiver wire stashes.

Welcome to Week 2 of our fantasy football waiver wire watchlist for the 2026 NFL season. Each week, we will do our best to point you in the direction of the five best running backs or wide receivers to claim for your squad in order to help your season-long depth and potentially your starting roster.

All players listed in this article are rostered in less than 50% of fantasy football leagues, meaning that they are available more often than not. Therefore, some of the guys on this list may be lesser-known, but that does not mean they cannot have an impact for your squad in future weeks.

As this article is published each and every Friday, this list should be helpful for additions in the current week as well as ones to consider for the following week. With that being said, here are five players still on the majority of waiver wires who could help you make significant strides in your fantasy football league. Good luck on the waiver wire and happy hunting!

Week 2 Waiver Wire Running Backs

 Woody Marks, Houston Texans - 49% rostered

Adding a running back off the waiver wire who is going to add meaningful value to your fantasy roster right away is a tall ask, so each week try to keep that in mind as we sort through some of these names. Oftentimes, I will list players who have value as a handcuff if the starter goes down.

While that will be the case for our next running back, Woody Marks may actually have some flex value in the near future. I was big on Marks last season, as he has some value in the passing game for this Texans' offense. While that was not necessarily on display in Week 1, as he hauled in just one reception, he did see 36 targets in 2025.

Additionally, Marks carried the ball 196 times for 703 rushing yards and two touchdowns. In Week 1, Marks basically split snaps with David Montgomery, as he garnered 36 of 73 total snaps. He also toted the rock nine times for 42 rushing yards in a very close game with the Buffalo Bills.

If you are short on running back depth, and who isn't, you could do a lot worse than adding Marks to your bench.

Woody Marks BREAKS TACKLES and scores on the opening drive 😤

LVvsHOU on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Ywps3ZE1do

— NFL (@NFL) August 21, 2026

Kaelon Black, San Francisco 49ers - 34% rostered

Kaelon Black fits the typical mold of the running backs we will see listed here and primarily provides value if Christian McCaffrey were to suffer an injury, which is not that wild of a scenario, to be honest. The 49ers drafted Black in the third round of the 2026 draft, and he figures to be a very valuable handcuff this season.

That being said, it was nice to see him get some solid reps in Week 1, as he carried the ball 14 times for 65 rushing yards and hauled in one reception for five receiving yards. While Black earned 42% of the snap share, I would attribute this to the game script, as the 49ers got up on the Rams and never looked back.

Black is coming off a season at Indiana University where he racked up 1,040 rushing yards on 186 carries, averaging 5.6 YPC, and could be an absolute league winner if something were to happen to CMC. I would recommend adding him off the wire and stashing him for this precise reason.

More RB Options:

• Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans - 37% rostered
• Emari Demercado, Dallas Cowboys - 2% rostered

Week 2 Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

Khalil Shakir, Buffalo Bills - 44% rostered

I was a bit surprised to see that Khalil Shakir is only 44% rostered in Yahoo! leagues, despite being listed as the second wide receiver on the Bills' depth chart and leading the team in targets with 95 last season, but here we are.

He started the 2026 campaign off in rather solid fashion, hauling in four of six targets for 50 receiving yards. He also saw 27 snaps and was targeted three times in the red zone in Week 1, but unfortunately did not find the end zone.

Shakir is coming off a season in which he hauled in 72 of 95 targets for 719 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Yes, the addition of D.J. Moore complicates Shakir's role, but he still earned the second-most targets in Week 1 behind Moore and figures to remain an important piece in this passing game.

You could do a lot worse than having Shakir on your roster as a fill-in when bye weeks come calling. That is exactly what I have done in some of my own leagues.

Malik Washington, Miami Dolphins - 14% rostered

Does anyone really know what this Miami Dolphins' offense is going to look like outside of feeding the ball to De'Von Achane as frequently as possible? I am a Dolphins fan and do not know how they will distribute the passing targets, but Week 1 was rather interesting, to say the least.

Malik Washington led all Miami pass catchers with eight targets. He promptly turned those eight targets into three receptions for 53 receiving yards. While the catch rate is pretty awful and could cost him some looks later on, it was nice to see him lead the team in targets.

Washington also led all Miami receivers with 49 total snaps, which is four more than Caleb Douglas saw. While I do not have the highest of hopes for this Miami offense, making a speculative add of Washington could make sense with the hope that he continues to see this type of target share.

Malik Washington with the catch and run for 30 yards 🏃

MIAvsLV on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/4CfJDgQTgy

— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026

Devaughn Vele, New Orleans Saints - 18% rostered

I was hyping up Devaughn Vele this offseason, but apparently no one took notice, as he is still just rostered in 18% of Yahoo! leagues. Perhaps after his Week 1 performance, this percentage will start to pick up.

In Week 1 against the Detroit Lions, Vele hauled in seven of nine targets for 69 receiving yards and one touchdown. The nine targets were the second-most among wide receivers, behind only Chris Olave, and were tied for second on the team with Travis Etienne Jr.

While Olave is by far and away the number one wide receiver in this Saints' offense, Vele will almost certainly emerge as the number two wide receiver. Bryce Lance saw just four targets, and Barion Brown did not garner so much as a single target in the high-scoring affair.

Vele also has a track record with starting quarterback Tyler Shough. In 2025, Vele was targeted 34 times in games Shough started, hauling in 21 receptions for 264 receiving yards and one touchdown. Vele was also targeted at a higher volume as the season went on.

From Weeks 12-15, Vele averaged over six targets and nearly five receptions per game, while also averaging almost 60 receiving yards per game. His lone touchdown from Shough also came during this stretch. This shows me that Shough started to get very comfortable with Vele by the end of the 2025 season.

Keep in mind that Olave was still in this offense, and Vele was able to produce alongside him. I think this trend continues in 2026, with Olave being the lead target earner, but Vele still having a significant role in the passing game.

The Saints also figure to be in some high-scoring games, similar to what we saw in Detroit in Week 1, so they should be able to sustain feeding two wide receivers regularly. He makes for a very solid addition in most 10-12 team leagues and can certainly fill in on bye weeks, if not more.

Devaughn Vele makes a diving catch and we've got a one-score game in Detroit 👀

NOvsDET on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/vASfQLavrg

— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026

More WR Options:

• Malachi Fields, New York Giants - 11% rostered
• Caleb Douglas, Miami Dolphins - 19% rostered

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