RADIO
What a crazy first week in the NFL and for fantasy. We saw studs bust and get injured, and players rose up from out of nowhere. If you were one of the unfortunate who lost Allen Robinson or Kevin White to injury, or you're just looking to beef up your wide receiver depth, we have you covered.
This article will aim to highlight Week 2 waiver wire adds for wide receivers, players that you should consider targeting on your league's waiver wire if available. Wide Receivers will be split up into three tiers - from most desirable, to most desperate. I will also include WRs at the bottom of this list that you might consider cutting in order to make room for your new additions. If you are not sure who you should add, find me on twitter @ChrisMangano, and I will be more than happy to help you out.
Once you're done here, be sure to read about even more Week 2 waiver wire recommendations, for all fantasy-relevant positions. Just click on any link: ALL - RB - WR - TE - QB - DEF
Editor's Note: Our incredible team of writers won two writing awards and received 12 award nominations by the Fantasy Sports Writers Association. A big congrats to our very own Byron Lindeque (Golf) and Jordan McAbee (NASCAR) for both winning Writer Of The Year awards! Be sure to follow RotoBaller's analysis and advice all year long, and win more. Win More With RotoBaller!
Frontrunners for Week 2 - Waiver Wire Wide Receivers
This group consists of wide receivers that I would recommend adding if they are available on your waiver wire. Some are more viable for PPR formats, so take note of that. These players have either earned a greater workload due to injury/performance issues or have shown that they can be weekly contributors to their NFL teams. All players listed have 50% or less ownership levels across fantasy leagues.
Kenny Golladay (WR, DET) 18% owned
After a promising pre-season, Golladay exploded in his first NFL game to the tune of four catches for 69 yards and two touchdowns on seven targets. More importantly he saw 118 air yards and 37.7% of his teams target air yards. While he will likely be used primarily in three wide receiver sets, the Lions led all teams in week one by running 54 plays with three wide receivers on the field. Golladay is a must add.
Cooper Kupp (WR, LAR) 27% owned
Another rookie who posted a big day, Kupp caught four of six targets for 76 yards and a touchdown. He also out-targeted Sammy Watkins six to 5. Kupp also had 74 air yards and a 30% air yards target share. He seems to have a good connection with Goff and could continue to see a decent shares of targets. We'd much prefer Golladay but Kupp is not a bad second option.
Paul Richardson (WR, SEA) 15% owned
Richardson played 41 of 49 snaps and tied with Jimmy Graham for the team lead in targets with seven in week one. Richardson is the clear number two at the moment and this passing game can only get better. He turned his seven targets into four catches for 59 yards. He also led the Seahawks with 96 air yards and a 35% target air yard share. He should continue to work as the number two along-side Doug Baldwin.
In The Running - Week 2 Waiver Wire Wide Receivers
This group consists of wide receivers widely available on the waiver wire who aren't must-adds, but could be worth stashing or streaming if the above options are already taken.
Jermaine Kearse (WR, NYJ) 2% owned
Kearse is on a terrible offense that will hold him back from scoring most weeks, but he is a viable add in PPR formats. He saw nine targets in week one and turned them into seven catches for 59 yards. He only had 65 air yards on those nine targets, but he did have 31% of his teams target air yards. He's not someone you want to rely on in standard formats, but in PPR he should offer weekly consistency for teams in need of depth.
Nelson Agholor (WR, PHI) 14% owned
It's hard to ignore the gaudy numbers, six catches for 86 yards and a touchdown, but you should. When you dig deeper you'll see that there are concerns with Agholor and why we ranked him in this tier. First, his numbers were inflated by a crazy 58 yard touchdown on a play that Carson Wentz extended forever. Second, with the exception of the afformentioned play, all of his damage came within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. He only ran one other route farther than 10 yards. He did see eight targets, but even that has to be tempered as Alshon Jeffrey was locked up with Josh Norman all day. He's worth an add if you can take a wait and see approach, but don't break the bank chasing fantasy points.
Kendall Wright (WR, CHI) 14% owned
Wright was doing nothing prior to Kevin White's injury. After the injury he caught three of four targets for 34 yards. White is expected to miss the season which could boost Wright's fantasy value. Still, with Mike Glennon under center he will be limited as he saw just 20 air yards and only a 12% target air yard share. You will want to take a wait and see approach with him before you start him.
Dark Horses - Week 2 Wide Receivers Waiver Wire
This group consists of wide receivers who are more of a desperation play. They could serve as a bye week fill-in, short-term injury replacement or weekly lottery ticket.
J.J. Nelson (WR, ARI) 7% owned
Nelson had zero targets in the first half, but turned six targets into five catches for 43 yards and a touchdown in the second half. John Brown got the start but only caught four of nine targets for 32 yards. Head coach Bruce Arians was critical of Brown in the preseason, and if he struggles Nelson could win the starting job. He's a player to monitor going forward.
Marqise Lee / Allen Hurns (WR, JAC) 16% and 9% owned
The Jaguars did what they said they were going to do all season, pounding the rock with Leonard Fournette. Quarterback Blake Bortles only attempted 11 passes as Jacksonville dominated on the ground and on defense. However, with wide receiver Allen Robinson out for the year with an ACL injury, it will be Lee and Hurns who need to step up in the passing game. Both saw four targets this week, but Lee seems like the better play. He was the number two behind Robinson in 2016 and saw 73 air yards versus 44 for Hurns, and had a 42% target air yard share versus Hurns' 25%.
Danny Amendola (WR, NEP) 45% owned
While all the buzz entering the Thursday night game was on Chris Hogan, it was Amendola who assumed more of the Julian Edelman role. Before leaving the game with a concussion in the fourth quarter, Amendola had six catches for 100 yards on seven targets. He ran 73% of his routes from the slot which is always a valuable thing in the Patriots offense. The fact that he is in concussion protocol means you can probably grab him fairly easily. He's worth stashing if you can afford to wait as whoever takes over the Edelman role will have big value in PPR formats.
Also-Rans - Time To Say Goodbye
Brandon Marshall (WR, NYG) 92% owned
With Odell Beckham, Jr. out in week 1, Marshall was out-targeted by Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram and even rookie Roger Lewis. It seems likely that Marshall may be completely done at this point in his career. With Eli Manning seemingly playing even worse than last year it's hard to see Marshall being a trust worthy start.
Kenny Britt (WR, CLE) 69% owned
With DeShone Kizer seemingly only having eyes for Corey Coleman, Britt is now barely fantasy relevant. He saw just three targets in week one catching only one pass for 13 yards. Now reports have come out that Britt may be demoted by head coach Hue Jackson. Until he becomes more involved he can not be trusted.
Donte Moncrief (WR, IND) 76% owned
With Andrew Luck seemingly weeks away from being close to ready, and the Colts down to Scott Tolzien and Jacoby Brisset, Moncrief is not a trustable fantasy asset. He did have one catch for 50 yards but only saw four targets. Even when Luck returns there is no guarantee he will be near his best. Moncrief is not worth holding on to for that long.
