NFL Waiver Wire: Week 2 Pickups

The NFL is back! Whether you won or lost Week 1, hitting the waiver wire early in the season is critical to keep the momentum going or quickly right the ship. The key here is not to overreact; many players had outstanding games that will be one of their best (if not their best) fantasy output this season. Getting a player now could pay dividends the rest of the season, maximizing the amount of time he'll be on your team. The other side of the coin is to pass this week on picking up players and saving the first waiver spot or your FAAB to acquire players in a future week who might be a greater fantasy asset.

If there are questions about the players mentioned or in general, feel free to hit up the comments section.



This column is geared toward "standard" 12-team leagues and based upon a $100 free-agent budget. Please, please adjust for your league based on both the number of teams (I'm in a 24-team league, for example) and budget. 

QUARTERBACK

Secondary Targets

Ryan Fitzpatrick, TB - It's tough to read the tea leaves and figure out Fitzgerald's value. Few backup quarterbacks are capable of going into New Orleans and throwing for more than 400 yards and accounting for five touchdowns. Fitzpatrick always has the ability to scramble in his back pocket, and he's had at least a 6.7 YPA in each of his last eight seasons. While he's obviously not going to put up gaudy stats every week, if he maintains a competent level of play and the Buccaneers continue to win it might be Fitzpatrick's job to lose when Jameis Winston returns. Just don't be quick to consider him a top-10 player at the position. FAAB: $5-$7

HAIL MARY

DeShone Kizer, GB - Kizer looked quite terrible Sunday as Khalil Mack ate him alive. The severity of Aaron Rodgers' knee injury is unknown, as is whether he will miss time. The fantasy appeal with Kizer is his scrambling ability as he ran for more than 400 yards and five touchdowns last season with the Browns. The Vikings aren't a good matchup this week if Kizer gets the nod, but there's some upside if Rodgers is out for an extended period. FAAB: $1-$2

Blaine Gabbert, TEN - Most fantasy owners were probably naive to the fact that Gabbert is still in the league, and only an elbow injury to Marcus Mariota gets him mentioned this week. In two-quarterback or super-flex leagues he has value, but in regular 12-team leagues he has little or no value. It's unknown how much or if Mariota will miss time. Don't expect any Ryan Fitzpatrick heroics from Gabbert. FAAB: $1 or FCFS

RUNNING BACK

Primary Targets

T.J. Yeldon, JAC - Against the Cowboys on Sunday, Yeldon relieved Leonard Fournette, who suffered an injury to his hamstring. While Fournette downplayed the injury after the game, it was only a few weeks ago that Derrius Guice downplayed his knee injury. Yeldon is one of the more capable backups in the league with a career 4.0 yards per carry and is an excellent receiver out of the backfield. He'd be in line for about 20 touches per game if Fournette is out, though reports have been positive. Still, this could be an injury that lingers all season and on any play Fournette could aggravate the injury. FAAB: $20-$30, if you're serious about getting him

Phillip Lindsay, DEN - No one expected Lindsay to get 17 touches and find the end zone Sunday as it was expected that Devontae Booker would spell Royce Freeman in the Broncos backfield. Smaller than Freeman, Lindsay showed his quickness and speed, offering a different skill set than Freeman, who is more of a power back. Lindsay, an undrafted free agent from Colorado, had more than 4,800 yards from scrimmage in his college career in addition to 1,077 yards in the return game. It looks like the Broncos will continue to feature both Freeman and Lindsay, giving them a near even split of the touches. FAAB: $8-$12

WIDE RECEIVER

Primary Targets

Tyler Lockett, Brandon Marshall, SEA - It's never good when a player goes into the season with a knee injury, and even worse when he hurts the other knee in the first game. Baldwin was diagnosed with a partially torn MCL in his right knee, and his timetable to return is unknown. Both Lockett (51 percent owned in Yahoo) and Marshall should be the direct beneficiaries of Baldwin's injury with few options after them. Lockett scored a long touchdown on a busted coverage and Marshall also added a score later in the game, showing there's still some gas in the tank for him. Given their ages, Lockett is definitely the preferred add while Marshall should at least be on everyone's fantasy radar. FAAB: Lockett $10-$20; Marshall $4-$8

Geronimo Allison, GB - It never hurts to play with (a healthy) Aaron Rodgers, and Allison has firmly locked down a starting role on the outside with Randall Cobb often playing in the slot. While five catches for 69 yards and a touchdown is a great line, his eight targets might be the most important takeaway. Allison should see single coverage all season (as he did with Rodgers looking off the safety help on the touchdown) and looks like a much more polished receiver in his third NFL season. A breakout could be in the cards this season with a similar number of targets every week. Again, this is predicated on playing with a healthy Aaron Rodgers. FAAB: $4-$8

Secondary Targets

Quincy Enunwa, NYJ - The Jets were one of the bigger surprises of the week, disposing of a decent Lions team in Detroit despite starting the game with a pick six. There's definitely some chemistry between Sam Darnold and Enunwa, who turned 10 targets into six catches for 63 yards and a score. This was likely due to the shorter routes Enunwa runs, and Darnold felt safe throwing to him rather than Robby Anderson downfield (with the exception of the touchdown). Enunwa would be a higher priority this week except Jermaine Kearse is expected back soon and will get his share of targets from the rookie quarterback, eating into Enunwa's production. FAAB: $2-$4

Phillip Dorsett, NE - One of the biggest disappointments Sunday was the lack of productivity from Chris Hogan, who finished 5-1-11-0. However, Dorsett was much more productive with 7-7-66-1 running shorter routes and not just trying to stretch the field. Hogan should be the more valuable fantasy asset, but Dorsett should be option 1B as far as wide receivers go for the Pats until Julian Edelman returns. Look for Dorsett to hit the occasional home run this season as he's fastest receiver (4.33 40) on the roster. FAAB: $2-$4

Dante Pettis, SF - The second-round pick out of Washington made an immediate impact in Minnesota and was pressed into action after Marquise Goodwin went down with a hamstring injury. Pettis finished with 61 receiving yards on two catches, including a nice grab in the back of the end zone on a ridiculous throw from Jimmy Garoppolo. Pettis also returns kicks for the 49ers, adding fantasy value to leagues that include return stats. In college, he returned nine kicks for touchdowns at Washington (90 punts) and had 22 receiving scores in his final two seasons as a Husky. FAAB: $2-$4

TIGHT END

Primary Targets

Jared Cook, OAK - Cook showed a nice rapport with Derek Carr on Monday night, finishing with nine catches for 180 yards. While this was partly due to the wideouts being blanketed by the Rams' standout corners, Cook should continue to be a key piece of this offense. He's 52 percent owned on Yahoo, so he might not be available, but he's the best player to target at this position for the week. FAAB: $4-$8

Secondary Targets

Jonnu Smith, TEN - Delanie Walker was placed on injured reserve after getting carted off the field Sunday with an ankle injury. Enter Jonnu Smith, who has upside and just needed an opportunity to get targets, which it appears he'll get now for the Titans. A third-round pick out of Florida State, Jonnu is extremely athletic for his size, running a 4.62 40 with a 38-inch vertical leap. Walker had more than 100 targets in each of the last four seasons, so it's reasonable to expect Smith to inherit most, if not all, of that work. FAAB: $2-$4

Ian Thomas, CAR - Thomas was mentioned in this article during preseason as a project-type player with the potential to occasionally make some noise in his rookie season. Teammate Greg Olsen was already banged up heading into Sunday's opener and ended up leaving the game, later seen on crutches on the sideline. Thomas should step right into his role and profiles as a better pass catcher than run blocker, which is good for fantasy purposes. Olsen's injury appears to also be the multi-week type, so Thomas should get an extended look while he's out. FAAB: $2-$4

Will Dissly, SEA - Dissly came out of nowhere to post a 100-yard game in his NFL debut, including a 15-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson. A fourth-round pick out of Washington, Dissly was expected to primarily focus on run blocking after totaling only 25 catches in his collegiate career. While Dissly did have five targets, Nick Vannett will compete for looks at the position, making Dissly a tough player to count on for consistency. FAAB: $1-$3