Week 2 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups

Week 1 fantasy football waiver wire pickups are crucial for gaining an early advantage in your league. As the season kicks off, unexpected breakout players and under-the-radar talents emerge, offering valuable opportunities to strengthen your roster.

Whether you’re looking to replace an injured starter or capitalize on a potential sleeper, making the right waiver wire moves in Week 1 can set the foundation for a successful fantasy season. Don’t miss out on these key additions that could make all the difference in your lineups. Here are the top fantasy football waiver wire pickups for this week.

Quarterbacks

Baker Mayfield QB Tampa Bay Buccaneers

41% Rostered on Sleeper

Coming off a massive Week 1 performance, Baker Mayfield is the current fantasy QB1. Mayfield went 24/30 this week with 289 yards and four touchdowns in the Buccaneers win over the Commanders.

Despite a fairly weak defense in Washington, this Buccaneers offense looked very solid. More importantly, everyone was involved. Even rookie Jalen McMillan. Notably, he played in more snaps than both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Don’t expect this kind of production every single week. However, if Mayfield continues to bake with this new Liam Coen offense, he’ll be a fantastic waiver wire addition this year. – Aaron Schill @aaron_schill

Geno Smith QB Seattle Seahawks

26% Rostered on Sleeper

In a wonky first week of the NFL season, Geno Smith is sitting in as a top 5 quarterback going into Monday night. He only threw for 171 yards and one touchdown, but he also scrambled for another 30 yards and a rushing score. Smith and the Seahawks take a trip to New England to see who can come out undefeated in this young season.

While the Patriots did manage to hold off the Bengals, that was mostly on the back of a surprisingly effective ground game. If the Seahawks’ ground game can get off to another good start, Smith should be able to run a fluid offense. After that, a couple of high-scoring affairs will likely follow against the Dolphins and Lions. Smith could be a really sneaky streaming option over the next few weeks. – Benjamin Ditlevson @FFRabbitDad

Aaron Rodgers QB New York Jets

29% Rostered on Sleeper

In my opinion, Aaron Rodgers’ Week 1 performance should be taken with a grain of salt. For starters, the Jets signal-caller went up against a dominant 49ers defense. It is also a defense that Rodgers has struggled against in the past, averaging 13.55 in his last three starts against the Super Bowl runner-ups.

Playcalling also seems to confine Rodgers but that is something that could be corrected after watching the film. Up next for Rodgers and the Jets is the Titans. While they allowed the second-fewest points to the position in Week 1, the Titans facing Rodgers is a lot different than an inexperienced Caleb Williams.

Better fantasy days are ahead for Rodgers and if you’re in need of a quarterback. The future Hall of Fame quarterback could provide a boost for your fantasy football teams off the waiver wire.

Running Backs

Tank Bigsby RB Jacksonville Jaguars

11% Rostered on Sleeper

Tank Bigsby and Travis Etienne shared the workload in Week 1, with both rushers garnering 12 carries. Bigsby turned his opportunities into 73 rushing yards on the ground, while Etienne managed 44 yards and a touchdown.

While Bigsby was out-snapped by Etienne 34-17, he should be picked up in most 12-team and deeper formats. If this trend continues, he will have standalone value in addition to his contingent handcuff status.

JK Dobbins RB Los Angeles Chargers

58% Rostered on Sleeper

JK Dobbins went ballistic in Week 1, going off for 139 yards and a touchdown on 13 touches (3 receptions). While Gus Edwards handled 11 carries for 26 yards, he played in 10 fewer snaps than Dobbins. He was also less explosive and elusive with the ball in his hands while Dobbins popped off multiple big runs en route to 13.5 yards per carry.

If Dobbins can stay healthy, he is a fantasy football league winner. More importantly, he is still available in plenty of fantasy football leagues making him an excellent waiver wire pickup this week.

Bucky Irving RB Tampa Bay Buccaneers

25% Rostered on Sleeper

While Rachaad White was effective in the passing game, it was Bucky Irving who led all Buccaneers running backs with 62 rushing yards. On a per-carry basis, the rookie averaged 6.2 yards, far better than White who averaged 2.1 yards per attempt.

There is no doubt that White has a firm hold of the passing game out of the backfield but as long as Irving is as effective on the ground as he was in the season opener, the Buccaneers will continue to give him opportunities.

Wide Receivers

Wan’Dale Robinson WR New York Giants

19% Rostered on Sleeper

The Giants’ offense is likely going to be a mess all season, but there is still fantasy football value to be had from players not named Malik Nabers. Wan’Dale Robinson commanded 12 targets while converting those opportunities into six catches for 44 yards. He also ran the ball once for 14 yards. Robinson had a 32% target share, and on a team that is desperate for weapons to step up, he could be a high-floor PPR option for the foreseeable future.

Furthermore, Robinson played the third most snaps (46) of New York’s wide receiver room. However, he easily saw the most volume, out-targeting Nabers 12-7. All in all, Robinson is a solid waiver wire pickup in deeper fantasy football leagues.

Jalen McMillan WR Tampa Buccaneers

13% Rostered on Sleeper

The Buccaneers offense was firing on all cylinders in their Week 1 matchup against the Commanders. Rookie wide receiver Jalen McMillan was very active during this game. He saw just 1 catch on 3 targets for 32 yards and a touchdown. That line isn’t very sexy. However, he also played 83% of the snaps which led the team.

This offense has a very favorable schedule this season and McMillan is one injury away from being a difference-maker in fantasy football. Overall, he is worth stashing on benches in 12-team leagues and up. – Pete Nova @superrnova38

Jalin Nailor WR Minnesota Vikings

2% Rostered on Sleeper

Looking for a deep take with some very positive upside? Look no further. Jalin Nailor steps into the role of WR2 for Minnesota after Jordan Addison suffered an ankle injury that may keep him off of the field for multiple weeks. He’s more raw and unproven but he earned the next spot on the depth chart over the preseason. He scored on his only catch in the opener from 21 yards out. Against the 49ers this coming week, the Vikings are going to need all hands on deck and in prime form. A decent number of targets could be headed Nailor’s way. – Benjamin Ditlevson

Adonai Mitchell WR Indianapolis Colts

61% Rostered on Sleeper

Rookie Adonai Mitchell had only one reception for two yards and 0.7 half-point PPR fantasy points in his NFL debut. However, he finished second on the team in targets behind Michael Pittman Jr. with five. More importantly, the rookie nearly had a massive performance but came up just short on a few deep ball connections with Anthony Richardson. Alec Pierce and Ashton Dulin each had deep ball touchdowns in Week 1.

Expect those targets to go to Mitchell as the season progresses. Snag the former Longhorn off the waiver wire and watch him turn into a fantasy difference-maker come October. – Mike Fanelli @Mike_NFL2

Devaughn Vele WR Denver Broncos

52% Rostered on Sleeper

Vele was a name that was generating some buzz during the off-season and his week 1 stats were enough to get anyone who was paying attention excited. He went a perfect 8 for 8 but amounting to only 39 yards. Still, that’s good enough for a 19% target share, tying Reynolds and second only to Sutton. However, if bubble-screen Bo is going to continue he is going to need a reliable target near the line.

Personally, I wouldn’t drop major FAAB on Vele. However, if you can grab him for a modest amount he looks to be a trusted target and that’s gold for fantasy football purposes. – Jake Graff @GuessImJake

Tight Ends

Isaiah Likely TE Baltimore Ravens

30% Rostered on Sleeper

Isaiah Likely shined on Thursday night. While Mark Andrews managed 53 offensive snaps, Likely played in 52. He also dominated the passing attack with a 9/111/1 stat line on 12 targets. Andrews should still be the guy in the Ravens’ offense, but there is enough room for Likely to thrive in the pseudo-WR1/Joker role.

Notably, Andrews is potentially someone worth targeting in your guillotine fantasy football leagues.

Outside of Andrews and Zay Flowers, the Ravens do not have a lot of reliability and big-play potential in their pass-catching group. All in all, Likely is a solid waiver wire pickup this week.

Colby Parkinson TE Los Angeles Rams

10% Rostered on Sleeper

Colby Parkinson looked solid and reliable in Week 1 action, snagging four of five targets for 47 yards. He’s clearly the primary tight end for the Rams and could be called upon more in the coming weeks. Puka Nacua was placed on IR following a knee injury he suffered on Sunday night and will be out for a number of weeks. He’s a huge target at 6’7 and 265 pounds who will take advantage of double coverage that will likely follow Cooper Kupp. – Benjamin Ditlevson

Taysom Hill TE New Orleans Saints

49% Rostered on Sleeper

Taysom Hill, the Saints Swiss army knife is still available in 51% of fantasy football leagues. This past weekend, Hill had five rushing attempts for 35 yards. Additionally, if you are in a league that awards points for first downs, Hill recorded a first down on 66% of his total touches.

In the Saints next four matchups, two of those opponents were in top-5 in points allowed to the position in Week 1. If you are one of the unfortunate ones who has an injured tight end, you can do a lot worse than Hill.

Defense/Special Teams (DSTs)

Jacksonville Jaguars

2% Rostered on Sleeper

If you stream defenses, the Jacksonville Jaguars are in a good spot this week. They play the helpless Cleveland Browns, who were just decimated by the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys racked up two interceptions and six sacks against the seemingly washed-up Deshaun Watson. Until an 80-yard touchdown by Tyreek Hill, the Jaguars had only allowed seven points to a potent Miami Dolphins defense.

Furthermore, the Jaguars’ formidable duo upfront with Arik Armstead and Travon Walker had three sacks. This week, they will look to cause chaos to the Browns offensive line and a struggling Watson. – Joe Simonetti @FF_AuctionJoe

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