If you like winning, come back every week for under-the-radar fantasy waiver wire pickups to keep you in contention until the final contest. We leave no stone unturned to ensure we give you the BEST chance to win week in and week out. 

We made it through Week 1 (barely), and now we’re on to the Week 2 fantasy football waiver wire.

The injury bug hit hard this week, with Puka Nacua and Jordan Love‘s managers getting hit the hardest. Both players will be missing multiple weeks and were likely cornerstones of your roster if you had either of them.

There were also many disappointments and players in roles we didn’t foresee inhibiting their fantasy football value. 

But fear not, folks. It’s early in the season, and there is plenty of time to fill those holes and right the ship. Here are players at every position that can help you get on your way to victory in Week 2 of fantasy football action and beyond. 

 

Terms to Know:

• PPR – Point Per Reception
• FAAB – Free Agency Acquisition Budget
• IR – Injured Reserve

Week 2 Fantasy Waiver Wire Pickups

QBs To Target

Baker Mayfield (QB – TB) 34%

The hate for Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield has gone too far. After a stellar 2023 season, during which he finished as the overall QB10, Mayfield has seen wild disrespect, which shows in his current fantasy football rostership. 

Heading into Week 2, Mayfield has squashed doubts about his stellar resurgence as an elite NFL QB. His 29.7 fantasy points made him the overall QB2 last week, behind only Josh Allen (31.2 fantasy points). And this wasn’t a fluke.

Mayfield now finds himself with weapons like he’s never had before. Mike Evans looks like he is primed to haul in another 1,000 yards despite age concerns, Chris Godwin is healthy, Rachaad White is in peak form, and rookie RB Bucky Irving fits right into the family. While he isn’t going to replicate the overall QB2 finish every week, Mayfield can consistently deliver QB1-tier play this season. 

Mayfield is widely available right now, but he won’t be once waivers clear tonight. He isn’t going to be cheap to acquire, but it’s not often you can roster a QB1-level player after your fantasy football drafts. If you need that bump at QB, he’s your guy. Feel out your league mates, but don’t think you’re walking away with him for less than 20 percent of your remaining FAAB.   

Gardner Minshew (QB – LV) 3.1%

It brings me great joy to write about QB Gardner Minshew. While I am not a massive fan of his situation in Las Vegas, I am happy he’s getting a shot at starting full-time in the NFL. Few players bring the pure joy and love of the game with them the way Minshew does, making it almost impossible not to root for him.

As a fantasy football manager, it’s also hard not to love what he can do for your team, especially in 2QB and Superflex formats. In 2023, while in Indianapolis, Minshew finished as the overall QB21 despite missing two games and only attempting two passes in another. 

Now, in Las Vegas, Minshew has more electric receiving options in WRs Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers and rookie phenom TE Brock Bowers. Zamir White is a noticeable downgrade from Johnathan Taylor, but otherwise, Minshew is set to have his best season as a pro in the desert of Nevada.

If you’re looking for a Mayfield-esque upside here, you’re not getting it. Minshew isn’t going to crack the top 12 QBs often if at all, this season. However, he will give you consistent scoring for your QB2 at a far more reasonable price. Three to five percent at the most should get Minshew on your squads ahead of Week 2.   

RBs To Target

Jamaal Williams (RB – NO) 6.7%

If there was one glaring takeaway from Sunday’s slate of games, it was probably the ineptitude of the Carolina Panthers. Jamaal Williams and company embarrassingly obliterated the Panthers. Williams added to the pain with 11 carries for 38 yards and a touchdown behind RB1 Alvin Kamara. 

I was one of many Williams managers who were disappointed last season. After an unreal season in Detroit, we expected a repeat in The Big Easy in 2023. However, we got nothing close to that, with Williams scoring just once after a 17-TD campaign the season before. However, seeing Williams garner double-digit touches was an encouraging sign. 

Right now, we’re looking for potential difference-makers at a low cost. That’s precisely what Williams could be if he continues to see work in the red zone, where he flourished in Detroit. If you’ve got room to spare on your roster because someone landed on the IR, Williams could earn you points when you need them most. He won’t be an RB1, but he can be a solid Flex most weeks until we see otherwise. Don’t spend more than two percent of your remaining FAAB to take a chance on Williams.    

Justice Hill (RB – BAL) 3.3%

There is room for two RBs in Charm City, folks. 

For three years, many fantasy football analysts and managers have begged the universe to make RB Justice Hill a thing in Baltimore. Our cries landed on deaf ears, apparently, until now. While it wasn’t a boon of points – Hill notched 11.5 PPR points on Sunday – it’s amongst his career’s better fantasy football performances, and behind Derrick “King” Henry, no less. 

In Week 1, Hill got it done in the air rather than on the ground. He was targeted eight times by QB Lamar Jackson, catching six passes for 52 yards. Can Hill continue to be a part of the passing attack in Baltimore? That’s a question that doesn’t have a definite answer. However, it seems offensive coordinator Todd Monken is keen on using him more. Hill could be a PPR points monster in fantasy football if that holds through the season.

Nothing in this game we play is definite. We were all tricked into believing Christian McCaffery was starting on Monday Night, and we see how that worked out. However, as the old saying goes, no risk, no reward. Hill is one of those players worth the risk, even if the cost seems a bit high. Be prepared to spend at least 10 percent of your remaining FAAB to catch lightning in a bottle potentially.     

WRs To Target

Devaughn Vele (WR – DEN) 0.1%

If you watched any of the Broncos versus Seahawks game on Sunday, you saw rookie QB Bo Nix having issues seeing the field, especially beyond 15 yards ahead of him. Every pass he threw beyond that threshold was an adventure, not fun. 

Rookie WR Devaughn Vele, a surprise survivor of final cuts that saw veteran Tim Patrick move on, succeeded repeatedly in routes less than nine yards. He was targeted seven times in the short (0-9 yard) range and once behind the line of scrimmage (LOS). His eight catches led all receivers on the team despite his average depth of target (aDOT) being a league-low (2.0) amongst qualifying receivers (minimum eight targets). 

Vele, who took 89.1 percent of his snaps out of the slot, walked away from Sunday’s Bronco loss having caught all eight of his targets for 39 yards. While 11 PPR fantasy points aren’t likely to win you any matchups, it’s more likely than Nix figuring out NFL defenses and his reads this season. That leaves Vele a possibly valuable target for the rookie QB. He isn’t going to be a hot commodity on the wire this week, given the people’s penchant for hating on the Broncos offense. Snag him for cheap, one percent of your remaining FAAB budget.   

Demarcus Robinson (WR – LAR) 14.7%

Nacua going down in Week 1 is a massive ding to many fantasy managers. He was being drafted as high as the end of the first round, and that production will be impossible to replace as he rehabs his MCL over the next few weeks. However, teammate Demarcus Robinson could see enough of an uptick in the coming weeks to be worth a waiver wire add. 

We know Nacua is heading to IR and out until at least Week 6. The most immediate question now is who will take his place. Robinson seems the most likely candidate. He was targeted seven times Sunday night, managing four catches for 42 yards, and came on strong at the end of last season. In the final seven games, he drew six or more targets in four games and caught four touchdowns in that span. 

Robinson isn’t a slam dunk waiver wire addition for Week 2. However, given the situation and the myriad of injuries fantasy managers are already dealing with, you could do worse. Robinson will see volume regardless of Nacua’s playing status. 

This is a bet on him seeing an uptick in volume for the next few weeks. He might be popular on waivers this week, so be prepared to spend a little more than you might want if you need receiver help now. Look to throw up a waiver wire FAAB bid of three to five percent to get Robinson rostered. 

TE To Target

Colby Parkinson (TE – LAR) 1.4%

Beneficiary number two from the Nacua injury might be Rams TE Colby Parkinson. With veteran Tyler Higbee still rehabbing from a severe knee injury, Parkinson has stepped into the starting role and saw immediate volume in Week 1. He caught four of his five targets for 47 yards, but more importantly, he ran a route on 89.4 percent of his snaps against Detroit.

Chasing points wherever you can get them at TE is critical to making it through the fantasy football season. In Week 1, Parkinson’s 4.7 PPR fantasy points were good enough to make him the overall TE7. To be fair, Travis Kelce, Sam LaPorta, Mark Andrews and Trey McBride won’t often find themselves outside of the top five. However, past that, there is plenty of room for a guy like Parkinson to eek into a handful of top 12 fantasy football finishes at the position in 2024. 

The best thing about acquiring Parkinson is that it should be more cost-prohibitive than other options on the waiver wire this week. Don’t expect to spend more than two to three percent of your remaining FAAB to acquire the Rams bookend.    

Drop ‘Em

Tyler Allgeier (RB – ATL)

On Sunday, after many promises of a split backfield in Atlanta, Tyler Allgeier saw just three touches all game and was only on the field for 18 percent of all offensive snaps. This is Bijan Robinson’s backfield. Unless Robinson misses time at some point this season, Allgeier is nothing more than a handcuff in fantasy football. 

Deshaun Watson (QB – CLE)

 If the personal stuff wasn’t enough for you to drop Deshaun Watson, maybe his historically bad Week 1 performance will be. Watson was 24 of 45 on Sunday, accumulating 169 yards passing, one TD and one INT. With new allegations surfacing, it’s becoming more and more likely that Watson’s days in the NFL are numbered. Good riddance.

Nate Polvogt is a Co-Founder and the lead senior analyst for Optimus Fantasy Football. Find more from Nate on X (formerly Twitter) @NatePolvogt and on Optimus Fantasy.