Waiver Wire Targets Going Into Week 2

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Week 1 is already in the books! Along with what was an exciting week in fantasy football comes the task of adding people to that roster. As I’ve stated before, you don’t win the championship during your draft. You must be active throughout the season, and that starts with waiver adds heading into week 2.

The first week of the season saw injuries, undrafted stars show up, and players that out performed expectations. Waivers are important. Whether you lost a player to injury, or a running back core split carries differently than expected, you need to pivot. Now that doesn’t mean ditch your studs by any means, or give up hope on players that still have a bright outlook. But it does mean that you continue to build that championship team. The draft is merely a foundation for you team. You must continue to add pieces that will better your weak points.

So lets dive into who I think you should target tonight on your waivers before they run tomorrow morning.

Quarterbacks

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1) Carson Wentz (WAS) 15% Rostered – I think its safe to say Carson Wentz blew expectations out of the water in week 1, for all of us. Wentz finished as the QB3 slinging for over 300 yards and 4 touchdowns. Now I’m not saying that he is going to be able to repeat those numbers week in and week out. But with a big time fantasy player named Dak Prescott going down for AT LEAST 4 weeks you could do far worse. It seems Wentz has a connection with his receivers, and a better one than advertised. There is a solid chance Washington is in comeback mode throughout the season, and they won’t be running if that is the case.

2) Daniel Jones (NYG) 20% Rostered – Not everyone is going to be able to scoop up Carson Wentz on waivers so you must have a back up plan. Daniel Jones is not a bad back up plan to have. With the resurgence of Saquon Barkley looking a lot like vintage Saquon, that should eventually open up the passing game. One other thing that Jones has is the ability to run the ball. Jones finished as the QB16 in week 1, and he also tallied up 6 rushes for 25 yards. Not a lot, but it’s also something that Jones has been known to do, and having a quarterback that can run when needed is always a positive.

Running Backs

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1) Jeff Wilson Jr. (SF) 11% Rostered – San Francisco star running back Elijah Mitchell suffered an MCL sprain on Sunday and will be sidelined for 6-8 weeks. The next man up for San Francisco is Mr. Jeff Wilson Jr. who should end up seeing the bulk of the work. Yes, Trey Lance is going to scramble, but someone is going to need to be handed the rock. Wilson finished as the RB77 last season, but wasn’t used much (9 games). That is about to change and should be the first running back targeted tonight in waivers.

2) Jaylen Warren (PIT) 3% Rostered – Najee Harris is dealing with a foot injury, and even though Pittsburgh expects him to play this weekend there is a genuine chance he doesn’t. Even if he does, Harris has been dealing with a foot problem since camp opened up, and if he plays he might be limited. If Warren starts, he will be getting the ball enough in the backfield to justify a spot start. I would expect 10+ carries out of him depending on game script. Although Trubisky tends to not target the back in the passing game, Warren would be a solid fill in if Harris does miss time.

3) Rex Burkhead (HOU) 15% Rostered – This one has to hurt the Dameon Pierce truthers. Pierce only saw 29% of snaps which left Burkhead with 71% and the RB1 job. All the hype for Pierce didn’t hold true week 1, and it looks as if Burkhead is the one that will get the majority of work. As gross and unsettling as that may seem, Coach Lovie Smith seems to like Burky, and so does Davis Mills. Mills targeted Burkhead 8 times in week 1, and was handed the ball 14 times to finish as the RB23. Not bad for an old guy that will assume the RB1 call in Houston.

Wide Receivers

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1) Joshua Palmer (LAC) 28% Rostered – Another waiver add that has a lot to do with an injury. Keenan Allen is now sidelined for what seems the Thursday night game. It would be a fast recovery for Allen to suit up on a short week, and if you follow football, you know that hamstring injuries tend to linger longer than you want. In steps Joshua Palmer, who saw 75% of snaps last week, and the general possibility that increases immensely. If the Chargers are going to keep pace with the high flying Chiefs, they’re going to have to move the ball through the air. You can bet Mike Williams will be the main beneficiary to Allen’s injury, but Palmer is going to see a lot more targets this week and is a solid add.

2) Jahan Dotson (WAS) 40% Rostered – The Commanders put up some points last week, and Dotson scored twice in his rookie debut. To me he is the clear WR2 in Washington, and even though Curtis Samuel came back to life last week, I expect Dotson to continue the strong play and generate more targets as the season continues. If we get more games like last week out of Carson Wentz, Jahan Dotson might just be a sneaky great waiver add that could consistently bring you a generous amount of points week in and out.

3) D.J. Chark (DET) 45% Rostered – D.J. Chark put up a noticeable performance last Sunday for the Lions. He saw the field for 81% of snaps, generated 8 targets for 4 receptions that accumulated 52 yards and a touchdown. He very well could end up being touchdown dependent, but it seems there is some kind of connection between him and Goff either way. The Lions will need to continue to throw the ball to keep pace with teams, and with Jameson Williams still sidelined, I expect Chark’s numbers to be fine as a fill in.

Tight Ends

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1) Gerald Everett (LAC) 21% Rostered – Again this comes down to the Keenan Allen injury, but not 100% on the shoulders of it. Last week Everett finished as the TE4, seeing 66% of snaps, being targeted 4 times for 3 catches, accumulating 54 yards and a touchdown. With Allen presumably out on the short week, I expect Everett’s targets to sky rocket. Not only that, but with a high powered offense in the Chargers, he might end up being a very viable fantasy asset for the season. In that division there should be a ton of points scored, and Thursday is the first bout against the Chiefs, who put up 44 on Arizona.

2) Hayden Hurst (CIN) 15% Rostered – Hurst only finished as the TE13 last week, but with Tee Higgins in concussion protocol we don’t know what his status will be for week 2. Joey Burrow is going to have to toss the ball, and Hurst may be a solid target in week 2. Although Hurst finished outside the top 10 last he saw an incredible amount of 75% of snaps. While he was on the field he was productive as well. Hurst saw 8 targets that turned into 5 receptions for 46 yards. If you can have a tight end that sees 8 targets a game you are already in a great position considering the tight end field is minimal after the top 4.

SKOL

- JD