RADIO
Week 1 is almost in the books. There were some good performances. There were some not good performances. There was a Colts/Texans tie and there was almost a second tie. We even got to see Justin Reid playing kicker. But whatever—you're not here for me to talk about a safety kicking the football. You're here because you need wide receivers. Below, you'll find some wide receivers that you should be targeting on the fantasy football waiver wire ahead of Week 2.
Not all of these waiver wire options are the same. Some players may be better in PPR or deeper leagues, so it’s not a one-size-fits-all comparison. Use your best judgment when deciding which of these players is the right fit for your roster.
Be sure to also check out our Waiver Wire Adds for Week 2 for help at all the skill positions. All players on this list here are around 50% rostered or below.
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Wide Receivers Fantasy Football Waiver Wire
Jarvis Landry, New Orleans Saints - 42% rostered
We weren't sure how this receiving corps would shake out, but we probably shouldn't be surprised by the reality of Week 1. Landry has always been a high-usage receiver, so him getting targeted nine times and hauling in seven for 114 is...well, fairly normal for Landry, though the yardage total is slightly higher than we might have expected.
Landry and Michael Thomas combined for 17 targets. Chris Olave was targeted three times. Olave will be more involved going forward, but there appears to be a pretty clear hierarchy here with Landry and Thomas as the 1A and 1B, and then Olave coming in behind them.
D.J. Chark Jr., Detroit Lions - 40% rostered
Amon-Ra St. Brown led the Lions in targets, but Chark was second, as Jared Goff looked his way eight times. He caught four of those for 52 yards and a touchdown.
There are better options than Chark in this article, but a healthy Chark should be rostered in most formats because he projects to have a pretty good floor this year for a Lions team that will often be playing from behind.
Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots - 38% rostered
The Patriots were a mess in Week 1, losing 20-7 to the Dolphins. And the receiving corps was a mess too, with no one really standing out.
But, well...Jakobi Meyers continued to be there, just like he always is. He led the team in targets with six, receptions with four, and yards with 55.
This passing game will struggle. But Meyers is the safest player on this team because someone has to get targeted, and 2021 and then Week 1 this year suggests that Meyers will be that person. Low ceiling, but a decent floor.
Devin Duvernay, Baltimore Ravens - 30% rostered
Duvernay was tied for third on the Ravens in targets with four, but he turned those four targets into a pair of touchdowns. Overall, Duvernay caught four passes for 54 yards.
Rashod Bateman was targeted one more time than Duvernay but had just two receptions. Demarcus Robinson was also targeted four times but caught just two passes.
Duvernay looked like the most reliable non-Mark Andrews player in this receiving group on Sunday. I'm concerned about consistency, but Duvernay is someone you should stash right now so you can be ready if he continues this production going forward.
Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs - 30% rostered
Hardman was second among Chiefs receivers in targets this week and found the endzone. He also only had 16 yards. sYou take the good with the bad, right?
Hardman's usage this week was interesting. This will continue to be a high-volume passing offense as long as Patrick Mahomes continues to exist, so having some exposure to the third option in it feels smart. I wouldn't add Hardman in every one of my leagues, but in one where I'm especially in need of upside at receiver, he'll be a target.
Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders - 23% rostered
The Commanders were slinging that football on Sunday. Carson Wentz threw for 313 yards and four touchdowns in the win over the Jags.
Rookie Jahan Dotson was targeted five times, but he managed to bring in two of those touchdown passes. He finished with three catches for 40 yards.
It was a great debut for Dotson. You'd like to see some increased targets over the next couple of weeks before you feel super confident actually playing Dotson in fantasy, but you should definitely be trying to get him on your bench this week.
Garrett Wilson, New York Jets - 21% rostered
The rookie finished second among the team's receivers in targets with eight, pulling in four of them for 52 yards.
The Jets threw a lot of passes in Sunday's loss to the Ravens, and we should probably expect that to be a trend that continues this season. This team will play from behind a lot. Wilson should consistently be one of the most targeted players on this team.
We also shouldn't expect 19 targets to go to the running backs on a weekly basis. Once Zach Wilson is back, some of those will go to Wilson and Elijah Moore.
Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars - 12% rostered
Christian Kirk was the team's leading receiver as expected, but Jones was targeted nine times, catching six passes for 65 yards. Jones had his best season since 2018 last year for the Raiders and if Week 1 is any indication, he's positioned to build on that as Jacksonville's No. 2 receiver. Consider him a waiver target in deep leagues.
Robbie Anderson, Carolina Panthers - 10% rostered
Anderson led the Panthers in targets, receptions, yards, and receiving touchdowns in Week 1. He was targeted eight times, catching five passes for 102 yards and a touchdown.
There's a lot of talent on this team, from D.J. Moore to Christian McCaffrey. It doesn't really make sense for Anderson to get more targets than those two players. But he did.
It's unclear if this trend will continue, but Anderson could at least be used as a boom/bust play during weeks where you're in need of that kind of player.
Corey Davis, New York Jets - 6% rostered
Davis wasn't as impressive as he was expected to be in his first season in New York, leading to him being a distant third this year when it came to Jets receivers in fantasy projections.
But don't undervalue the importance of a reliable veteran target for this Jets team. Davis led the team in receptions and yards this week, catching six passes for 77 yards. He was targeted nine times, and his numbers could have been better if Joe Flacco has been a little more accurate.
Still, I'd rather roster Wilson if both are available. Davis had a drop on Sunday and didn't do a lot of damage during the early parts of the game.
Curtis Samuel, Washington Commanders - 4% rostered
Samuel was one of the biggest surprises of Week 1, as he was targeted 11 times, catching eight passes for 55 yards and a touchdown. He also had four rushing attempts for 17 yards.
This is what we've been waiting for with Samuel. His speed makes him a fascinating weapon in theory, but he's only had double-digit targets six times before this game, and he only had more than one carry in one of those games.
If the Commanders actually use him like this, Samuel will be an intriguing flex option in full PPR leagues.
Wide Receiver Deeper League Waiver Wire Pickups
Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cleveland Browns - 4% rostered
Cleveland's passing game struggled this week, with Jacoby Brissett finishing with just 147 passing yards.
But Donovan Peoples-Jones was the closest thing there was to a bright spot in the passing game, as he was targeted 11 times, catching six for 60 yards. He outperformed new teammate Amari Cooper by a pretty wide margin and was relied on in key circumstances when the team needed to move the ball.
Kyle Philips, Tennessee Titans - 1% rostered
Philips led the Titans in targets, receptions, and receiving yards in his NFL debut, catching six-of-nine targets for 66 yards.
Philips was a bit of a sleeper pick in deep, deep leagues this summer, largely because this offense has a real dearth of pass catchers. Treylon Burks and Robert Woods block Philips' ceiling, but hey—nine targets in Week 1 isn't nothing, so in a deep league, my interest is piqued.
Noah Brown, Dallas Cowboys - 1% rostered
Brown was targeted nine times this week, tied for second on the team. His five receptions were second to Dalton Schultz and his 68 yards led the team. That's the good news.
The bad news is quarterback Dak Prescott suffered a hand injury and is going to miss some time, so it'll be hard to know how much we can trust this passing game if Cooper Rush is starting.
Still, Brown is interesting in 16-team leagues, especially because CeeDee Lamb really struggled in the opener, catching just two of his 11 targets.
Greg Dortch, Arizona Cardinals - 0% rostered
I mean, he was targeted nine times, catching seven passes for 63 yards. I doubt the Cardinals are in a position going forward where they need Dortch to do this again, but some of y'all play in some really deep leagues, where you might as well pick up Dortch.
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