RADIO
Fantasy football waiver wire pickups analysis for Rashod Bateman, Jaylin Noel, Xavier Hutchinson in Week 2 (2026). Read their waiver wire outlooks for fantasy football.
The Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens will have some shake-ups in the pecking order of their pass-catchers this weekend.
Each team's WR1 is set to miss Week 2 thanks to dreaded hamstring injuries. The guys behind them on the depth chart will have to step up in their place.
With that in mind, we can take a look at three of them and whether they're worth adding on waivers ahead of Week 2. Let's dive in.
Bookmark our updated and revamped fantasy football rankings portal for all league formats!- PPR rankings
- Half-PPR rankings
- Non-PPR (Standard) rankings
- Rookie rankings
- Superflex rankings
- Best Ball rankings
- Underdog rankings
- Dynasty rankings
- IDP rankings
Rashod Bateman Week 2 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 17% of leagues
There was buzz about Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Rashod Bateman getting more involved in the passing game with new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle in charge of the offense. That didn't happen at all in Week 1, despite Ravens WR1 Zay Flowers (hamstring) exiting the game with a hamstring injury.
Instead, Bateman was held catchless on his lone target, despite playing 78 percent of his team's offensive snaps. That's not what you want to see from a purported potential breakout player. Flowers is still dealing with his hamstring issue and is doubtful to play against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2.
Lamar Jackson on Rashod Bateman:
"We have a great relationship. My guy's actually gonna get a lot more targets, I believe, with guys going down just because our offense is so explosive. ... Bate played great, besides him not getting the ball. ... Sometimes in certain games, you… pic.twitter.com/bCrvzyZlHP
— Bobby Trosset (@bobbytrosset) September 16, 2026
It's fine because Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson said his guy will get a lot more targets with other guys going down. It's great that he said that, but five is a lot more than one, and five targets is nothing special.
With Flowers set to miss, Bateman does have some upside, but his usage in Week 1 is concerning.
Add in 12-Team Leagues
Jaylin Noel Week 2 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 7% of leagues
Noel is set for a bigger role for the Texans after the injury to WR1 Nico Collins (hamstring).
Noel infuriatingly had just two targets in Week 1. He turned those into 53 receiving yards, while Xavier Hutchinson was targeted six times, catching three for 32 yards. Noel will play in the slot and probably not crack 50 percent of offensive snaps while the Texans lose yet another game.
Jaylin Noel with the big first down gain!
BUFvsHOU on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/u3tWhnIEP7— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026
Noel could make explosive plays for Houston, but his target share in this offense does limit his production. For now, Noel remains a firm hold in dynasty leagues and worthy speculation in deep 14-team redraft formats.
Add in Deep Leagues
Xavier Hutchinson Week 2 Waiver Wire Pickups
Rostered in 6% of leagues
Hutchinson either needs good touchdown luck or a heavy target share to be worth starting in fantasy leagues. Nick Caley is expected to trend toward running-heavy formations to emulate the Seahawks offense from last season, which will cap both his and Noel's ceiling on Sunday.
Last week, Hutchinson drew six targets but caught only three of them for a mere 32 yards.
the CJ Stroud TD pass to Xavier Hutchinson was even better from the endzone angle.
Stroud's ability to no-step these darts is remarkable. pic.twitter.com/nUzFMg8u98
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) October 29, 2025
In deeper PPR leagues, you could speculate on Hutchinson getting a bunch of targets if you wanted to. But this feels like a situation in which no pass-catcher has a great day.
Add in 14-Team PPR Leagues
Who Should I Pickup Tool
Trying to decide who to pickup off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to pickup...
Who Should I Pickup? Some common 2026 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like Rashod Bateman, Jaylin Noel, Xavier Hutchinson. 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 - Rashod Bateman, Jaylin Noel, Xavier Hutchinson. 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 Rashod Bateman, Jaylin Noel, Xavier Hutchinson:
More Fantasy Football Analysis
Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App
Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!
