Week 2 Waiver Wire Rankings - Fantasy Football Pickups Include Devaughn Vele, Kaelon Black, Tre' Harris, Kendre Miller, Rashod Bateman, Mike Gesicki, more

September 14, 2026

Fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season. Top free agent options to add off waivers, and our rankings will help you prioritize.

After an exciting weekend of NFL action, it's time to hit the waiver wire to help find that player who can bolster your roster. At RotoBaller HQ, we have freshly updated our waiver wire rankings to account for the latest news and injuries with our fantasy football waiver wire rankings before Week 2 of 2026. Whether your fantasy football team crushed it or struggled, we ranked the top 85 players and who you should be prioritizing on the waiver wire. 

Several players still have low ownership percentages but could make an impact or will have a bigger role now due to injuries. With Zay Flowers and Ja'Kobi Lane both dealing with injuries, does Rashod Bateman become the de facto Ravens WR1 if Flowers or Lane were to miss time? Is Michael Mayer worth adding despite the reports that superstar tight end Brock Bowers could be back by Week 2? Is Devaughn Vele the No. 1 wideout to pick up after catching seven of nine targets for 69 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's loss to the Lions?

Our Week 2 fantasy football waiver wire rankings will help answer these questions and many more -- they've been a staple on RotoBaller for years, bringing readers a quick-hit list of the top 75 fantasy football player names to consider as free agent pickups. For those new to this article series, RotoBaller's lead NFL analyst Nick Mariano brings you these waiver wire rankings in priority order. Good luck on waivers!

Who To Pick Up Before Fantasy Football Week 2?

Waiver wire pickup options, including how to prioritize them for your league, depending on the league size. Quarterbacks and Defenses (D/ST) are grouped together at the bottom of the list:

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Outlooks

Top names include Kendre Miller, Bryce Young, Mike Gesicki, George Holani, and Devaughn Vele. We recap why these players rostered under 55% in Yahoo! leagues should be on your waiver wire radar before Week 2:

Kendre Miller, RB, Saints

Week 2 Waiver Wire Ranking: 15

New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller rushed for 30 yards on nine rushing attempts and a touchdown in Sunday's 31-30 loss to the Detroit Lions. Miller logged the Saints' first touchdown with an eight-yard score to cut the lead to 21-7. Surprisingly, the 24-year-old was heavily used in the running back rotation and even vultured starter Travis Etienne Jr.'s touchdown. Miller and Etienne both had nine rushing attempts on Sunday.

Etienne was more efficient on the ground, averaging 5.1 yards per carry compared to Miller's 3.3. Still, Miller's usage is puzzling since the Saints signed Etienne to a four-year, $52 million contract this offseason. Miller wasn't targeted, but did log 26 snaps and six routes run. Fantasy managers searching for help at running back can look to add Miller as he's widely available and only rostered in 1% of Fantasy Yahoo leagues. He's a desperation FLEX at best in a road matchup against the Ravens in Week 2.

Bryce Young, QB, Panthers

Week 2 QB Waiver Wire Ranking: 6

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young completed 23 of his 37 pass attempts for 361 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and one interception during Sunday's 59-37 loss against the Chicago Bears. He also logged an additional 10 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown, bringing him to a total of four touchdowns on Sunday. Other than the loss, the only real blemish on Young's stat line was the one interception. He did take two sacks, but that's not an alarming number considering he attempted 37 passes, and the Panthers' offense ran 62 plays.

It's fair to assume that Young's counting stats will come back down to earth in a lower-scoring game that doesn't require him to pass as much, but at least he showed that he's capable of going toe-to-toe against one of the best teams in football. He should remain in the low-end QB1 tier for next week's very favorable matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

George Holani, RB, Seahawks

Week 2 Waiver Wire Ranking: 47

Seattle Seahawks running back George Holani was relatively involved in Seattle's win over the New England Patriots. Rookie running back Jadarian Price drew the start, but Holani entered the game on the first drive, played 46% of the snaps, and recorded eight carries to Price's 10. Holani did not catch his only target of the game. Although Holani received a fair number of touches relative to Price, he was far less explosive. Price averaged 5.2 yards per carry to Holani's 3.6.

However, it is clear that the Seahawks would like to work at least two running backs into the offense. As the offense improves, so too should the effectiveness of both backs. If Holani's yards per carry increase and he catches a couple of targets per game, he may garner flex appeal as long as Zach Charbonnet (knee) is out. Holani was also active when the Seahawks were near the goal line, suggesting that he possesses potential touchdown upside. He is worth rostering to see what happens over the next couple of weeks.

Mike Gesicki, TE, Bengals

Week 2 Waiver Wire Ranking: 34

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki caught five passes for 78 yards and a touchdown in the 33-27 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Gesicki stepped up to the plate in a big way in the season opener, finishing with the most receptions, targets, and receiving yards on the team. Despite being entrenched in a deep tight end room in Cincinnati, Gesicki was able to make his mark. Star receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins combined for fewer receiving yards than Gesicki in an outstanding performance on Sunday.

Fantasy managers may want to consider adding Gesicki heading into his Week 2 matchup against the Houston Texans. The Texans are a tough matchup, but most of the defensive focus should be on the wide receivers and star running back Chase Brown. Gesicki could establish himself as a sneaky TE option moving forward, but fantasy managers may need to see some consistency out of him before plugging him into lineups.

Devaughn Vele, WR, Saints

Week 2 Waiver Wire Ranking: 3

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Devaughn Vele caught seven of nine targets for 69 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 31-30 loss to the Detroit Lions. Saints quarterback Tyler Shough found Vele for a one-yard touchdown in the third quarter to cut the lead to 21-14. Vele lined up as the Saints WR2 behind Chris Olave and was second on the team in receptions, receiving yards, and targets. His longest catch of the day was a 31-yard reception, which led to a Saints field goal.

The 28-year-old will see an uptick in snaps and targets in the short term with rookie Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) on injured reserve. Vele logged 82 snaps, had 58 routes run, and had a good rapport with Shough in Sunday's loss. With Tyson injured, Vele carved himself out a role and could become a key part of the Saints' offense along with Olave, Juwan Johnson, and Travis Etienne Jr. Vele is RotoBaller's No. 3-ranked waiver wire pickup and will look to build on Sunday's performance against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2.

Running Backs - Week 2 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Wide Receivers - Week 2 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

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 5 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 Devaughn Vele, Kaleon Black, Tre'Harris, Kendre Miller, Braelon Allen, Rashod Bateman, Denzel Boston, Ryan Flournoy, Michael Mayer, Mike Gesicki, George Holani, and Jaylin Noel. 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 - Mike Washington, MarShawn Lloyd, Najee Harris, Tre Tucker, Jalen McMillan, Terrance Ferguson, Najee Harris, Ryan Flournoy, Rashod Bateman, Emmett Johnson, Caleb Douglas, Malachi Fields, Pat Bryant. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy football waiver wire pickups.

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that 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, 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 2025? 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 Devaughn Vele, Kaleon Black, Tre'Harris, Kendre Miller, Braelon Allen, Rashod Bateman, Denzel Boston, Ryan Flournoy, Michael Mayer, Mike Gesicki, George Holani, and Jaylin Noel:

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