Mid-Week Waiver Wire Rankings for Week 2 (2026): Fantasy Football Pickups for Caleb Douglas, Emmett Johnson, Dontayvion Wicks, Mack Hollins, Pat Bryant, Eli Raridon, more

September 17, 2026

Mid-week fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season. Top fantasy football free agents and streamers to add off waivers.

At RotoBaller HQ, we update our waiver wire rankings throughout the week to help fantasy managers prioritize who to pick up. Welcome to the first edition of our updated waiver wire rankings for fantasy football Week 2 of the 2026 season. As Week 2 proceeds, we will adjust our waiver wire rankings accordingly to reflect the latest injuries and news. 

Several rookies may be emerging, like Caleb Douglas; should fantasy managers prioritize them? With A.J. Brown set to miss at least four games with a high-ankle sprain, will Mack Hollins have an expanded role? Is Dontayvion Wicks the Eagles WR2 after racking up 73 receiving yards and a score in the regular-season opener against the Commanders? Our rankings cover these questions and more for leagues where waivers haven't yet run. In terms of injuries, Minnesota Vikings running back Jordan Mason was placed on short-term IR on Wednesday.

These Week 2 waiver wire rankings are updated by Nick Mariano, RotoBaller's lead fantasy football analyst and forecaster. If you're not familiar, he brings you his weekly waiver wire rankings and priority adds for the top 85 options to consider across positions and league sizes. Good luck in Week 2 on the waiver wire!

Who To Pick Up for Fantasy Football Week 2?

Quarterbacks (QB) and Defenses (D/ST) are grouped together at the bottom of the list:

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlooks

Top names include Mack Hollins, Kaelon Black, Eli Raridon, Emmett Johnson, and Demarcus Robinson. We recap why these players should be on your waiver wire radar for Week 2.

Mack Hollins, WR, New England Patriots

New England Patriots wide receiver Mack Hollins stepped up in a big way during the season opener. Hollins was not expected to be a significant part of the offense, but he ended up being one of the lone bright spots. The 33-year-old hauled in four of his five targets for 51 yards in the loss to the Seattle Seahawks. He saw an expanded role in the offense once top wideout A.J. Brown (ankle) exited the contest.

It sounds like Brown will miss over a month of action, which could lead to a bigger role for Hollins in this offense. Hollins will probably move into a starting role for the Week 2 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He could be worth stashing in deep leagues while Brown is out.

Kaelon Black, RB, San Francisco 49ers

The Athletic's Matt Barrows writes that San Francisco 49ers rookie running back Kaelon Black has the trust of head coach Kyle Shanahan and running backs coach Bobby Turner. In his NFL debut in the Week 1 season-opening win over the division-rival Los Angeles Rams in Australia last Thursday, Black played 43% of the offensive snaps behind Christian McCaffrey (55%) and was awarded 14 carries for 65 yards (4.6 yards per carry).

The 24-year-old third-rounder from Indiana caught his only target for a pickup of five yards as a receiver. The Niners did not put too much on McCaffrey's plate in the season opener, especially in a blowout of the Rams, but they could be looking to dial back the All-Pro's touches throughout the year, which would obviously benefit Black.

Given CMC's lengthy injury history and the coaching staff's trust in Black, he is a valuable RB stash in 12-team leagues, even if you do not have McCaffrey rostered. Right now, Black is rostered in 27% of Yahoo leagues. If McCaffrey were to go down with an injury, Black would become a weekly must-start in fantasy leagues.

Emmett Johnson, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City Chiefs rookie running back Emmett Johnson made a strong first impression Monday night, turning eight carries into 24 yards and catching both of his targets for another 44 yards in a 31-10 win over Denver. Kenneth Walker was the clear lead back, piling up 173 rushing yards on 23 carries, but Johnson still played 25 snaps and ran 10 routes in his NFL debut. That is the part worth chasing.

The fifth-round rookie is now listed second on Kansas City's depth chart, and his two receptions included gains of 19 and 25 yards. Some of Johnson's work came after the Chiefs had taken control, so fantasy managers should not treat 10 touches as a guaranteed weekly floor. He does not need to be in Week 2 lineups against Indianapolis, either. Johnson has already shown enough as both a runner and receiver to offer more than ordinary handcuff appeal, though.

He should be one of the priority running back additions in 12-team leagues, with even more value for managers rostering Walker.

Eli Raridon, TE, New England Patriots

New England Patriots tight end Eli Raridon converted his lone target into a two-yard touchdown reception during his NFL debut in Week 1. The 22-year-old's low target total and 54% snap share indicate that he's not ready to pass Hunter Henry on the depth chart any time soon, but we have to wonder if he's still going to be a consistent threat to produce around the goal line. He was on the receiving end of the Patriots' only touchdown in the season opener, getting wide open as the defense paid attention to other offensive players.

Managers should continue to monitor Raridon's usage and impact around the goal line, but in the meantime, he's not a bad player to speculatively add in deeper fantasy football leagues. He'll look to replicate his goal-line success while increasing his target share in Week 2 against Pittsburgh.

Demarcus Robinson, WR, San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Demarcus Robinson will jump to No. 3 on the depth chart after teammate De'Zhaun Stribling suffered an ankle sprain. Robinson didn't initially have any fantasy relevance to start the season, but he's suddenly on the fantasy radar after catching two passes for 50 yards and a touchdown when Stribling exited last Thursday. The veteran pass-catcher has never been worth drafting in fantasy leagues, but he has consistently carved out small stints of fantasy relevance because of his reliability as a depth option in the passing game.

Being third on the depth chart might not translate to consistent fantasy dominance, but this offense can definitely support him as a low-end WR3/flex on a weekly basis in deeper leagues. Managers in 14+ team leagues should look to add Robinson off waivers, and he even has some appeal in 12+ team formats, especially for managers who drafted Stribling.

Running Backs - Week 2 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Wide Receivers - Week 2 Waiver Wire Rankings

Tight Ends- Week 2 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Quarterbacks - Week 2 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 2:

Defenses (D/ST) - Week 2 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 2:

Week 2 Waiver Wire Articles

After diving into the Week 2 rankings, read about some other free waiver wire resources available at RotoBaller:

• Week 2 waiver wire pickups (all positions)
• Week 2 FAAB waiver wire bids
• Week 2 running back waiver wire pickups
• Week 2 wide receiver waiver wire pickups
• Week 2 tight end waiver wire pickups
• Week 2 quarterback waiver wire pickups
• Week 2 defense (D/ST) streamers and pickups
• Week 2 kicker streamers and pickups

Each week, our NFL team puts out a complete array of fantasy football waiver wire articles to complement our slick Who Should I Pickup? Waiver wire player comparison tool. Bookmark it!

In addition, be on the lookout for our other waiver wire articles all season long. We will be releasing weekly waiver wire articles for each position, FAAB bidding recommendations, streamers, and more. Stay tuned!

Who Should I Pickup Tool

Trying to decide who to pickup off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:

Who Should I Pickup for Week 2?

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Who Should I Pickup? Some common 2026 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like Mack Hollins, Emmett Johnson, Eli Raridon, Kaelon Black, Demarcus Robinson, Devaughn Vele, Caleb Douglas, Kendre Miller, Braelon Allen, Antonio Williams, Tre' Harris, Kenyon Sadiq, Ted Hurst, Bryce Young, Kirk Cousins, Tyler Shough, Mike Gesicki, George Holani, and Ryan Flournoy. But not to worry, we are here to help make these waiver wire decisions and build winning teams in 2026. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups in 2026. Our free Who Should I Pickup? tool will help make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to pick up... all free! Make the right decisions.

2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players: Mack Hollins, Emmett Johnson, Eli Raridon, Kaelon Black, and Demarcus Robinson. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy football waiver wire pickups.

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. First, enter the player names you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.

Recent Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed that our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2026. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!

How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.

Popular Waiver Wire Searches. Curious to see some tough waiver wire decisions for 2026? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Pickup? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.

Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup

Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for Mack Hollins, Emmett Johnson, Eli Raridon, Kaelon Black, Demarcus Robinson, Devaughn Vele, Caleb Douglas, Kendre Miller, Braelon Allen, Antonio Williams, Tre' Harris, Kenyon Sadiq, Ted Hurst, Bryce Young, Kirk Cousins, Tyler Shough, Mike Gesicki, George Holani, and Ryan Flournoy:

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