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John's fantasy football WR waiver wire pickups for Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season. Free agent wide receivers to add, stream, and stash off waivers.
The wide receiver position always seems to have at least a few players who crush it every year that weren't drafted in most fantasy football leagues. The position also often features breakouts that don't come until later in the season, giving you an opportunity to boost your team significantly if you're able to land one.
Last year, wide receivers Parker Washington and Michael Wilson, from the Jacksonville Jaguars and Arizona Cardinals, became must-starts for portions of the season due to their excellent fantasy scoring totals. This season, they were drafted in most leagues, but that doesn't mean more won't pop up.
Inevitably, many drafted receivers will fail to become startable, while those that were largely ignored before the season become hot targets thanks to breakout performances. So who should you add off waivers at wide receiver ahead of Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season? Let's dive in!
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Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Devaughn Vele, New Orleans Saints - 8% rostered
Vele's performance in Week 1 was impressive and caught even some of the more dialed-in fantasy football minds by surprise. He looked extremely impressive in his debut with the New Orleans Saints. He had a bigger role due to the injury to WR Jordyn Tyson (hamstring).
Tyson being picked in the top 10 was probably a big reason why Vele flew under the radar. He had a few solid games for the Denver Broncos in 2024, but struggled in 2025. The new offensive system and quarterback turmoil likely contributed to that.
Devaughn Vele makes a diving catch and we've got a one-score game in Detroit 👀
NOvsDET on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/vASfQLavrg— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026
Vele played against a Detroit Lions team missing key secondary pieces due to injuries. Still, he played a good game and, on film, ran good routes and made some highly impressive catches. And Saints quarterback Tyler Shough turned a disgustingly bad start into an impressive finish.
He ended the day with over 400 passing yards and three touchdowns, though this did include overtime. Still, with head coach Kellen Moore handling the offense and Shough showing major promise, the impressive Vele should be added in all leagues as a clear-cut WR2 in a potentially good pass offense.
Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens - 2% rostered
Bateman was hyped as a potential breakout candidate for 2026 thanks to a few practice videos of him getting open and catching footballs. That clearly didn't happen in Week 1 -- in the blowout win over the Indianapolis Colts, he was targeted once and didn't make a catch.
Still, Baltimore's No. 1 receiver, Zay Flowers (hamstring), picked up a hamstring injury in the win and seems likely to miss time. Hamstring injuries typically don't see their players playing in the next game, as the re-injury risk is far too high when rushing a player back. It's virtually a guarantee.
Ravens WR Rashod Bateman going 3-for-3 in one-on-ones vs. Commanders cornerbacks pic.twitter.com/nXHqmM3d93
— Baltimore Banner Sports (@AllBannerSports) August 26, 2026
Bateman has popped in past seasons with impressive efficiency stats. The problem is that it never seems to turn into consistent production. Even after Flowers went down, he didn't do much. More tape on him as the season goes on would be nice.
Additionally, Ravens rookie WR Ja'Kobi Lane (wrist) apparently fractured his wrist in the game, meaning the top-2 WRs on the depth chart are now Bateman and rookie Elijah Sarratt. Picking players because "who else is the quarterback going to throw it to" isn't a great process, but a path to a larger role is there.
Bateman is worth stashing for now.
Antonio Williams, Washington Commanders- 2% rostered
Williams' first game with the Commanders resulted in him catching all four of his targets for 64 yards and a touchdown. He impressed in Week 1, and it seems that he was a steal in the NFL Draft, at least from the looks of it now. His film was intriguing.
The problem here is the target volume and the presence of both WRs Stefon Diggs and Terry McLaurin. For Williams to have season-long value, one of those two would need to be out of the picture. Still, he's a good stash to make right now, and after his Week 1, perhaps he could fight for the WR2 job.
Antonio Williams all routes from his NFL debut
4/64/1 on just 10 routes… GET HIM ON THE FIELD MORE! pic.twitter.com/F9mfhB8yc6
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) September 14, 2026
He was hardly on the field, too. He rotated with WR Jaylin Lane a bit, and with McLaurin in a near full-time role and Diggs playing in the slot, Williams may not have enough consistency to make a bigger splash yet.
Still, he appears to have made a case for the coaches to give him more reps, and his performance at camp was apparently enough to immediately leapfrog both Lane and WR Treylon Burks (who was inactive) on the depth chart. He should be rostered in most leagues moving forward.
Adonai Mitchell, New York Jets - 16% rostered
The New York Jets dominated the Tennessee Titans in Week 1 in a game that was never competitive. That was even with quarterback Geno Smith not throwing a single passing touchdown. Still, Mitchell brought in all three of his targets for 60 yards.
At least preliminarily, it seems that Mitchell is the clear WR2 behind WR1 Garrett Wilson. We've seen Smith, despite the criticism he receives, be a productive passer capable of supporting two fantasy starting options -- back with the Seattle Seahawks, when both Jaxon Smith-Njigba and DK Metcalf were fantasy starters.
Geno and Adonai Mitchell connect for a big play
NYJvsTEN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/5p8rLXItYS— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026
Mitchell is a very athletic wideout with excellent route-running skills and suddenness in his breaks that help him gain separation. The problems in his career have been pretty much everything else—ability at the catch point, hanging on to passes, and more have led to some unfortunate drops.
If he can put those behind him, he has serious potential as a WR3/flex moving forward. Smith will probably start throwing more touchdowns, considering zero is the absolute floor here. And even if Wilson gets a heavy dose of targets, the Jets don't have much depth behind their top-2 WRs.
Mitchell should be rostered in leagues with 12 or more teams going forward.
Dontayvion Wicks, Philadelphia Eagles - 16% rostered
Wicks was the surprise star of the Philadelphia Eagles passing offense in his first season with his new team. He didn't get much passing volume in 2025 in a crowded Packers WR room, but he caught two of his four targets for 73 yards and a touchdown in Week 1.
As is typical with waiver wire WR pickups, the target volume isn't super impressive. But with rookie WR Makai Lemon struggling for now, Wicks could have a few more good games up his sleeve. The rookie Lemon caught three passes for negative five yards in his NFL debut, which is not great, Bob.
Jalen Hurts goes DEEP to Dontayvion Wicks for 64 yards!
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/YWAd95NABQ
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 13, 2026
Wicks was once considered a potential breakout star. A series of bad drops and lack of targets derailed that breakout, but he might be a surprise stud in an Eagles room that's lacking a WR2 behind DeVonta Smith right now.
Deeper Wide Receiver Fantasy Football Pickups
Jack Bech, Las Vegas Raiders - 1% rostered
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jack Bech, a second-round pick just a year ago, caught three of his four targets for 23 yards and a touchdown in his team's win over the Miami Dolphins in Week 1. The draft capital certainly suggests he'll be a decent part of the offense moving forward.
Interestingly, though, Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins threw three touchdowns in the game; no wide receiver had more than 30 yards receiving. Bech and WRs Jalen Nailor and Tre Tucker were minimally involved. It was a disappointing day overall for the passing attack for anyone not named Ashton Jeanty.
Kirk Cousins ➡️ Jack Bech for the first TD of the game!
MIAvsLV on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/uBKuj659cn— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026
Bech's college tape showed a quality player at the catch point, able to bring in tough snags. He also excelled after the catch, where he powered through tacklers for extra yardage consistently. The Raiders now have head coach Klint Kubiak running the offense, and he should know how to utilize Bech's strengths.
Neither team exceeded 300 yards of total offense, though, and Jeanty was the star of the show. That could be the case moving forward. But in general, picking up the WR with high draft capital from a team with an ambiguous pass-catching room is a good idea. He'll never outproduce TE Brock Bowers (knee), but he could be flex-worthy, especially while the star tight end is sidelined.
Ted Hurst III, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - % rostered
The rookie WR Hurst hauled in all three of his targets for 36 yards in a loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1. He probably should have been targeted more, but that's up to the Buccaneers' offensive coaches to figure out. There were rumors of him being the starting "X" receiver all offseason.
That could lead to more playing time moving forward. But he played 75 percent of his team's offensive snaps, indicating that a large role awaits him this year. Eventually, you expect the targets to follow, as long as he's dependable.
Ted Hurst III with an incredible first NFL catch. #NFL #TedHurstIII pic.twitter.com/3VV1c8iKDg
— Tanner Phifer (@TannerPhifer) September 13, 2026
He's not an elite separator, but he displayed strong hands, good body control, and concentration in the catch above. He'll likely remain behind both WRs Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin in target priority for now, but they play different roles than he does.
Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield has been a highly productive passer in recent years when he's been fully healthy. And TB doesn't tend to throw heavily to their tight ends, meaning there's room for Hurst to grow in this offense. He's a nice deep league stash.
Rashid Shaheed, Seattle Seahawks - 46% rostered
In no time, Seahawks starting quarterback Sam Darnold suffered an injury and was taken out of his team's Week 1 game against the New England Patriots. QB Drew Lock started in his place, and Shaheed saw only one target, which led to a four-yard catch.
That wasn't impressive at all, obviously. But Seattle traded two mid-round draft picks for him and signed him to a multi-year contract, so they seem to have plans for him on offense. He played well in his Saints tenure, but was mostly used as a returner last season.
Spencer Rattler. RASHID SHAHEED. 87 YARDS.
NYGvsNO on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/IQCgJOs010
— NFL (@NFL) October 5, 2025
He probably still has gas left in the tank, but may need his starting QB to get rolling again. Darnold is set to miss up to six weeks with his glute injury, though, so Shaheed should be stashed in deeper leagues while that situation works itself out. The upside is there.
Who Should I Pickup Tool
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