Week 2 Deeper League Waiver Pickups

September 10, 2019

Some fantasy football leagues are deep enough that the obvious waiver wire adds are already gone. Jake Trowbridge helps owners in deep leagues with under-the-radar QB, RB, WR, and TE pickups to target in Week 2 of the 2019 NFL season.

The aftermath of Week 1 is generally one of the most important weeks to utilize the waiver wire. Even in deeper leagues, where there aren't as many obvious players to scoop up.

Each week, we will advise you which players to snatch up from waivers in your deeper leagues. These players are owned in approximately 5% or fewer of Yahoo leagues, so they won't be the flashiest names on the market. But if you're looking for a good spot start for an injured player or just need some high upside lottery tickets, these are your guys.

Let's look at some potential waiver wire adds deep leagues.

Quarterbacks

Case Keenum, Washington Redskins - 3% owned

Keenum came out firing in Week 1, completing 30 of 44 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns. It was really a tale of two halves, however, as Keenum racked up 67% of his passing yards in the first half. He crashed back down to earth as the Eagles Defense ran roughshod over him in the second half, but he didn't need much more production to finish Sunday's slate of games as the QB5. Keenum has a home matchup against a Dallas defense that allowed Eli Manning to throw for over 300 yards.

Eli Manning, New York Giants - 4% owned

Believe it or not, Manning also went 30 of 44 with 300+ yards on his way to a 68.2% completion rate. It was all too easy to write off Manning coming into the season as a 38-year-old with a failing arm and no Odell Beckham Jr. to bail him out of tough situations. But maybe he doesn't need Beckham so long as he has the Giants' 2019 1st round pick, Daniel Jones, breathing down his neck. You probably won't feel great starting him against Buffalo, even at home, but he's a solid stash until Week 3 when he gets to face the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Gardner Minshew, Jacksonville Jaguars - 0% owned

Nick Foles won't get a chance to sprinkle his fairy dust on the Jaguars for a minimum of eight weeks, as a broken collarbone landed him on IR. In his stead, Gardner Minshew strode into the lineup and tossed 275 yards along with two scores. The rookie sixth round pick wasn't on anyone's radar this season, but he should be a hot ticket on your waiver wire this week. Minshew was one of PFF's highest-rated rookie QBs throughout the preseason, and he delivered the highest completion percentage of any quarterback with at least 10 passing attempts this Sunday. It should be noted Jacksonville also traded for Joshua Dobbs, but he's likely a depth piece for now.

Running Backs

Raheem Mostert, San Francisco 49ers - 1% owned

Tevin Coleman's absence leaves a giant hole in Kyle Shanahan's dynamic backfield, one that's repeatedly relied on the "next man up" philosophy. Matt Breida is that man, but Mostert will be the man behind the man. Mostert played exceptionally well in limited action last year when similar injury circumstances pushed him into action. He finished 2018 with 7.68 yards per carry and should see a good amount of touches going forward.

Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens - 3% owned

Edwards led the Ravens backfield in carries in Week 1, amassing 17 carries to Mark Ingram's 14, though his efficiency left a little something to be desired. Edwards is an old school, between the tackles bruiser, so don't expect a lot of flash from the sophomore back. In his six starts during 2018, Edwards averaged nearly 90 yards per game and 5.13 yards per carry. The Ravens clearly like Edwards in short-yardage situations, which should eventually lead to scoring opportunities.

D'Ernest Johnson, Cleveland Browns - 0% owned

Dontrell Hilliard left Sunday's game against Tennessee with a concussion, which should make Johnson the de facto No 2 on the depth chart behind Nick Chubb. While it's unlikely Chubb cedes any significant chunk of carries to the undrafted sophomore running back, Johnson should see a nice uptick in receptions until Hilliard can return. In a passing attack that should get back on track against the Jets in Week 2, Johnson will try to cement a pass-catching role.

Wide Receivers

Terry McLaurin, Washington Redskins - 4% owned

Oh my, oh my, oh my. Of all the rookie wide receivers coming out of this deep draft class, perhaps none that less buzz surrounding him than Terry McLaurin. That all changed in a hurry after Sunday's 125-yard performance. As if it's not crazy enough that McLaurin put up 100+ yards in his very first NFL game, he might have notched 200 yards if not for another long bomb that Keenum just overthrew him on. Washington figures to be playing catch-up frequently, so don't be surprised if he passes the century mark multiple times this season.

A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans - 3% owned

Brown made the most of his four targets in Week 1, taking three receptions for 100 yards. It's obviously foolish to expect such an outrageous level of efficiency on a weekly basis, but considering the way Brown played, it would be equally foolish to think he won't see more targets going forward. And when you contrast Brown's big day with the goose egg Corey Davis put up, you have to wonder if Brown just announced himself as Tennessee's primary pass-catcher. He'll match up next with a beatable Indianapolis defense that just got torched by the Chargers.

Preston Williams, Miami Dolphins - 2% owned

Things just went from bad to worse in Miami. Many already believed the Dolphins were aiming for the first overall pick in next year's draft, and the 59-10 shellacking they took from the Ravens certainly didn't change that perception. With Kenny Stills shipped off to Houston and Albert Wilson suffering a calf injury in Sunday's game, Preston Williams could start Week 2 as the second wide receiver on the depth chart. It probably won't feel good starting any Dolphins players for the majority of the season, but there could be a heaping pile of garbage time points waiting for Williams.

Deon Cain, Indianapolis Colts - 0% owned

Devin Funchess is set to undergo surgery on his broken collarbone, which means he's headed for IR. That gives a big opportunity for offseason darling Deon Cain to complete his Cinderella story. The Colts coaching staff fawned over Cain when he was drafted last year, but his rookie season was derailed by an ACL tear. Now he'll fight for the No 2 receiver spot with rookie Parris Campbell. Even without Andrew Luck at the helm, the Colts should be able to put up a lot of points this season, so any starting receiver should have value.

Tight Ends

Vernon Davis, Washington Redskins - 2% owned

When Jordan Reed's away, Vernon Davis will play. We knew heading into the season how unlikely it was that Reed would stay healthy for the whole year, but this year the injury bug got to him before the season even started. In his absence, Davis saw seven targets, catching four of them for 59 yards and a touchdown. The elder statesman clearly has some gas left in the tank and should continue to produce without Reed in the lineup. He'll have an interesting matchup against Dallas, who got decimated by Evan Engram in Week 1.

Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins - 3% owned

Gesicki finished second in targets behind Davante Parker in the Dolphins matchup with the Ravens. That's not saying much considering the utter lack of production from Miami, but luckily they won't have to face a top tier defense every week. New England's defense is no slouch, but Gesicki should have an easier time collecting stats this time around.

Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 2% owned

Brate had just two receptions on as many targets for a meager eight yards in Sunday's loss to the 49ers, but don't get too bogged down in Brate's underwhelming stat line. If it weren't for two touchdown catches that got called back due to offensive penalties, Brate would have put up Top 10 numbers at the position. The Bucs still have to figure out exactly what their offense is going to look like with Arians calling the shots, but one thing we know is that Jameis loves to target his tight ends. And it certainly doesn't appear O.J. Howard will be getting all the love.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Advice