This weekly series features Senior Analyst Nate Polvogt diving into fantasy football post-waiver wire additions flying under the radar in your leagues and tackling intriguing situations in the NFL landscape that could shape your roster decisions heading into the week.

I haven't done the whole writing thing in a while. You may, or may not, have noticed. The last year and a half have been a much different kind of work and analysis. I went from pumping out double-digit articles for multiple companies and running massive social media accounts to starting a company. We had no idea how much time and energy would eventually go into anything other than being a stat-nerd opining on football 12 months a year.

But I digress. 

I'm back in these writing-and-analysis streets, and it feels oh so good. 

Week 1 has come and gone, and now we have at least a small sample size to work with. Little things we can compare to last season, or to opinions we had coming into this season, stemming from training camp and coach-speak in the offseason. 

Sync your Fantasy Football leagues with our League Hub & get expert waiver wire advice. Two weeks of Gold Jacket FREE. Click above.

Week 2 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Stashes and Look Ahead

Every Wednesday this season, I'll take what we learned in Tuesday's NFL Numbers Game, consider what we suggested in Monday's Week 1 Waiver Wire Adds, and apply it to the post-waiver wire run landscape. I'll prognosticate on a couple of situations I find interesting and think some insight might help managers get on the right side of the win column this weekend.

Post-Waiver Wire Stashes

This always sounds easy at the beginning of the season, right? "Nobody drafted Jonah Coleman, bro. Easy money on the waiver wire." 

Jonah Coleman's stat line in Week 1:

We have a lot of information, based on camp and glowing reports from coaches and media on "X" player.

Sometimes we see it actually happen.

Sometimes, an offseason darling is just that.

As we get deeper into the season, it will become clearer who is who, but right now, these are the players I'm targeting in my leagues after the waiver wire clears in Week 2.

Mack Hollins, WR, New England Patriots 

If you have a pulse, you know that veteran elite and occasional locker room headache A.J. Brown is out for at least the next four to six weeks with a high ankle sprain. It's a bummer for anyone who drafted him, but not a death knell for your fantasy squads. While everyone else is going after Demario Douglas, go get Mack Hollins. 

Douglas is a fine addition, but the hive mind has managers chasing the targets instead of the production. Douglas led the team in targets with seven, but Hollins had more receiving yards (51), more yards per target (YPT) at 10.2, and more yards per route run (YPRR) at 2.43 than any other receiver on the team, including TE Hunter Henry.

Than any other pass catcher on the team. 

And we know Hollins is a dog, folks. This opportunity might have been his regardless of the Brown injury (we'll never know), and if Hollins is floating around as a free agent in your league, he's worth a very cheap add. 

Emmett Johnson, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

For the same reason fantasy managers are in love with 49ers RB Kaelon Black, you should be getting on board with Chiefs rookie RB Emmett Johnson. He's not just another RB handcuff, though that's how he's mostly been treated thus far. Ken Walker has missed at least one game due to injury in three of his first four seasons; 2025 was the first in which he played all 17 regular-season games.

But handcuff aside, Johnson could be in line to see significant work. Walker was given a massive workload this past Monday, handling 23 carries and 6 targets. For reference, Walker has handled that level of volume three times in his career. While Johnson's stat line wasn't flashy, he saw a 36 percent snap share in his first NFL game behind the reigning Super Bowl MVP.

As he gets more comfortable in the offense, I expect to see more opportunities for the rookie out of Nebraska, and I believe he's worth a roster spot if you can hold him for the next few weeks. 

Pat Bryant, WR, Denver Broncos

It's hard to want to talk about any Denver Broncos fantasy assets after the mess we saw on Monday Night. But if you could see through the debris, you would see second-year WR Pat Bryant leading the Broncos' receiving corps despite the presence of the newly acquired Jaylen Waddle.

Bryant, whom Broncos head coach Sean Payton compared to former Saints WR Michael Thomas, led the team with six targets and a 21.4 percent target share. And while TE Evan Engram (finally!) led the team in yards and snagged the lone touchdown, Bryant was on everyone's mind after the game. 

Will Bryant be something? It's hard to say. Does anyone know anything about Payton-coached teams? What is what, and what will continue versus what was situational or a decoy? It all seems like a cloaked mystery. That said, adding a dynamic, athletic WR who seems to have carved out a somewhat significant role (for now) in a dynamic and high-powered offense (it was one week; they'll be fine) is never a bad idea. 

Week 2 DEEP Stash

Do you NEED a deep stash at TE? Actually, maybe. Because Week 1's TE12, Kenyon Sadiq, needed a rushing TD to be fantasy relevant. You're in the jungle, baby.

Marlin Klein, TE, Houston Texans

No one, and I mean no one, felt even a hint of excitement around the Houston Texans' offense heading into the 2026 season. After a near upset of Buffalo in Week 1, we still aren't. This team is still missing its WR2, Jayden Higgins, and will spend most of the season relying on its elite defense to keep it in the mix (see the near-upset of Buffalo in Week 1).

However, with a very thin receiving corps, rookie TE Marlin Klein has an opportunity to get involved. To the shock of anyone who follows rookie prospects, Klein, the third TE on the Texans depth chart behind Dalton Schultz and Foster Moreau, not only saw the field but managed one catch for 16 yards.

No, he didn't break out. But he saw the field. Thus the DEEP stash tag. As finicky as the TE position can be in fantasy, Klein is on an offense that is thin on options, and one injury puts him in a position for fantasy-relevant opportunity. This isn't a guarantee of future results, to be clear. Just a player at a tough position worth a speculative stash in your deeper fantasy football leagues.

Week 2 Look Ahead

Are The Cardinals Good?

Jacoby Brissett and company put it on the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1, and people are talking, as they should be. Brissett looked fresh and so clean, clean; the backfield did its job, and Kendrick Bourne, of all people, emerged as a force to be reckoned with — at least for now. 

But is this sustainable?

From a fantasy perspective, absolutely, and you should be invested. They might not finish .500 this season, but they'll score. New addition Kendrick Bourne adds a wrinkle to the WR room and needs to be rostered immediately, but any worries about Michael Wilson should go by the wayside next week. 

Any worries about the tandem of Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier should be quelled as well, with both getting their touches (and that's likely to be the case for most of the season).

Marvin Harrison? Not so much. Both the Cardinals and fantasy managers overdrafted him, and he'll never be the elite WR everyone expected. The offseason Bourne acquisition pretty much sealed that. I don't make the rules. 

If the Cowboys were THAT bad against the Giants…

Don't go there. It was a Week 1 divisional matchup against a heated rival. The Giants are good. I know it defies logic. CeeDee Lamb will be fine. George Pickens will be fine. Dak Prescott, he'll be fine, too. 

Do The Browns Have To Roster a QB?

Sadly, yes, they do, and they did an extremely poor job of it. Deshaun Watson appears to be on a one-week leash, which is good for society but won't help their receiving corps much, aside from TE Harold Fannin and rookie WR KC Concepcion, who, to no one's surprise, already carved out a role in Week 1. Shedeur Sanders is better for the sensibilities, though, so here's to Week 3!

Yes, Tyler Shough Is A Good NFL QB

But that doesn't mean the Saints are good. Shough should be rostered in every 2QB and Superflex league, but this offense is too volatile to trust him for the whole season without a backup plan. There, I said it.

And a side note: Travis Etienne is worth watching. The lack of volume in the run game was concerning, but his involvement in the passing game was encouraging. Also, no, please do not roster Kendre Miller. Yes, he matched Etienne in carries (nine) and had the lone rushing TD. No, that won't be the norm. 

Last But Not Least…

I saved the biggest quandary of the week for last. Carson Wentz is back behind center in Minnesota for the time being, and I can feel the nervousness of Justin Jefferson managers. Don't be. Last season, when Wentz stepped in for J.J. McCarthy, Jefferson had his best span of fantasy production, averaging 12.9 half-PPR fantasy points per game. 

And don't forget, nothing is forever. Kyler Murray will be back soon enough. Until the new Call of Duty drops, of course. 

That's a wrap for Week 2 stashes and prognostications. Now we wait. Good luck in Week 2!

Nate Polvogt is a Co-Founder and the Lead Senior Analyst for Optimus Fantasy Football. Find more from Nate on Bluesky and on Optimus Fantasy.