NFL Waiver Wire Week 2: Top Selections and Pickups to Target

I hope everyone has had a successful Week 1 and celebrating on this fine Victory Tuesday! If you aren’t then there are some great additions to help you boost your team. All ownership data comes from Yahoo.

Without further delay, let’s dive into the Week 2 Waiver Wire.

QUARTERBACK

Bryce Young – Carolina @ Atlanta – 13% rostered

Week 1 saw Bryce Young cook in ways we haven’t really seen before. 361 passing yards, 3 passing TDs and another rushing TD, producing 32.4 fantasy points.

Now, fantasy managers should not overreact. Young has shown these games are a flash in the pan. Also, the game script against the Bears meant they were heavily behind and chasing multiple scores for three quarters. That does matter as that won’t happen every week. Jalen Coker and Tetairoa McMillan give Young legitimate receiving talent. But Young has a tougher matchup in Week 2.

Atlanta allowed just 4.1 yards per play in Week 1. This isn’t about finding a QB for Week 2. However, the bet is that Young’s passing environment is now much better than ever before, meaning there will be weeks when you can get a QB1 performance out of him.

Young has a nice upside and should be rostered as such, if you are looking for an upside QB on your bench.

Geno Smith – New York Jets vs Green Bay – 5% rostered

If you are box score chasing, then this is not the world’s most exciting performance. 220 yards, zero TDs. However, Geno Smith completed 19-of-24 attempts, didn’t throw an interception and he wasn’t sacked. Not to mention, the schedule will open up against better offenses as the Jets have Green Bay, Detroit and Chicago over the next three weeks.

The reason Smith is a potential add is his high floor. While he won’t give fantasy managers significant upside, there are plenty of reasons for the risk adverse fantasy manager to stash Smith if they require someone to just score a baseload of points.

This isn’t a sexy add and not one that will win you any matchups. However Smith will certainly not cost you many matchups either.

NOTABLE MENTION

If you read the Week 1 Waiver Wire article, you would have seen Tyler Shough mentioned. He went off in Week 1 and would remain my number 1 Waiver Wire add for the QB position this week.

RUNNING BACK

To open up this segment, I naturally assume this is not the only waiver wire column you will read this week. Almost everyone will talk about Kaelon Black this week. The reason I am not in on Black is I do not believe he is the handcuff that many assume he is. Black was very impressive in Week 1, and he will have a strong role in this offense. However, should Christian McCaffrey go down injured, I am not convinced Black hoovers up much more of the workload.

I personally think it will go to Jordan James or someone else. So, if you play in a Free Agency Acquisition Budget (FAAB) league, don’t spend too much money on him, but keep the league honest. I see him going for 10-40% of the budget. If you are in a claims league, I don’t mind it as much as a speculative add.

However, if you disagree, also feel free to ignore.

Tyjae Spears – Tennessee vs Philadelphia – 39% rostered

Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears split the overall Week 1 playing time equally. Pollard played 51% of the snaps and Spears played 51% of the snaps. Pollard did have the early-down advantage, 60% to 43%, so I’m not pretending this is a 50/50 rushing split.

But Tennessee trailed by seven-plus points on 94% of its offensive plays, exactly the sort of environment that can make Spears’ receiving role valuable. And Tennessee is going to trail a lot this season, which is why I like this add.

He saw four targets in Week 1, and the Titans look capable of producing plenty more negative game scripts.

I am not betting on Spears stealing Pollard’s job. Fantasy managers are getting a 50%-snap RB with passing-down access on a team likely to chase points. Not to mention meaningful contingent upside if Pollard misses time.

Spears projects as a flex play most week. Again, it’s not a sexy add. However, this is a solid producer who can give you some cover should you get a significant injury for a few weeks.

Chris Brooks – Green Bay @ New York Jets –  2% rostered

This one is much more speculative. And a significant gamble. MarShawn Lloyd handled 62% of Green Bay’s rushing attempts. However, Brooks actually out-snapped Lloyd, including on early downs and third downs.

The Week 1 split was Brooks played 56% of the snaps and Lloyd played 44% of the snaps. Brooks also started the game. And it appeared any time Green Bay could take out Lloyd, they did. There are obviously some concerns about his previous injury record.

With Josh Jacobs unavailable, this backfield isn’t settled. Lloyd has the stronger rushing profile, but I’d rather roster a 2%-owned RB already playing more than half the snaps than chase a backup sitting at 10-20%.

Brooks is very much a bench stash rather than Week 2 starter, but there is a path to the job becoming much more valuable.

NOTABLE MENTION

If you refer to the Week 1 waiver wire column, you would have seen Jonah Coleman. Before fantasy managers freak out that he did not get a single touch last night, don’t panic. None of the running backs looked good last night which really stifled the Denver Broncos. If this continues, Coleman will be getting some good looks in no time. Especially in a more positive gamescript.

Keep Coleman stashed, or see if those in your league dropped him due to his 0.0 pt performance. It could be a strong addition later in the season.

WIDE RECEIVER

This is where the real strength of the waiver wire exists this week. While the quarterback and running back additions are not the strongest we have seen, there are some genuine Week 2 adds you can slot into your lineup if you lost a key wide receiver like A.J. Brown this week.

Devaughn Vele – New Orleans @ Baltimore – 7% rostered

Classic box score chases will focus on the touchdown. Forget the touchdown. It’s part lucky, part irrelevant from a projection and production perspective. What needs to be focused on here is the peripheral numbers.

Devaughn Vele led New Orleans with an 84% route share and tied for second on the team with a 17% target share. His broader usage was even stronger with:

91% snap share

9 targets

7 catches

69 yards

1 TD

And he’s operating as the No. 2 receiver while Jordyn Tyson is unavailable. Not to mention, there was a small injury scare to Chris Olave in this game. He got up and finished the game. However, it served as a reminder at just how fragile and flimsy this offense is.

We must also acknowledge the production of the Saints offense. New Orleans ran 86 offensive plays in Week 1, which is the fourth-highest single-game total by any team since the start of 2025.

That pace obviously won’t repeat every week, but Kellen Moore creating volume plus Vele playing essentially every meaningful passing snap is exactly what fantasy managers should be searching for on the waiver wire.

Vele is my number one addition this week.

Dontayvion Wicks – Philadelphia @ Tennessee – 16% rostered

Once again, the box score chasing fantasy managers will not be on this addition. Because the two-catch line hides what I like here.

Dontayvion Wicks and Makai Lemon each saw an 18% target share, but the target quality was completely different. Lemon’s air yards per target was 0. Wicks’ air yards per target was nearly 20

That resulted in 15.3 PPR points for Wicks versus 2.5 for Lemon.

Wicks also played only two fewer snaps and ran only two fewer routes than DeVonta Smith, while playing 15 more snaps than Lemon. This is the point that really matters, in the short term especially.

Fantasy managers should not be adding him because he caught a long touchdown. They should be adding him because the Eagles treated him like a starting receiver and gave him high-value downfield opportunities.

And now he will play Tennessee and Chicago (look at their performance in Week 1) in the next two weeks. Looks like a good solid upside play if you are chasing points the next few weeks.

Wicks is an immediate WR3/FLEX upside with considerably more ceiling than most players available in 84% of leagues. However, I highly doubt he will be extremely meaningful down the stretch unless he earns this role full time.

Caleb Douglas – Miami @ San Francisco – 12% rostered

Almost everybody could not really break down the Dolphin’s offense and what it would look like to start the season. The only thing for sure was that Malik Washington would likely be the alpha receiver. And that is how it started.

However, Caleb Douglas showed he could be a significant role producer in certain weeks. In Week 1, Douglas posted a 84% route participation and a 26% target share.

Only Malik Washington was ahead of him at 95% and 30%.

He then turned seven targets into 5 catches for 94 yards, averaging 13.4 yards per target. He played 50 of Miami’s 55 offensive snaps.

That combination is far more interesting than simply “rookie had 94 yards.”

An 84% route share + 26% targets in your first NFL game screams opportunity.

The problem is Week 2. San Francisco just suffocated the Rams and is a horrible matchup, so I’m not suggesting fantasy managers should immediately start Douglas. But these numbers make it far too important to ignore.

Douglas is a potential stash to start later. Fantasy managers should be trying to buy the role before a second big game makes him unavailable.

Denzel Boston – Cleveland @ Tampa Bay – 28% rostered

This is a bumper edition of the wide receivers because Boston deserves to be here. Boston posted an 87% route share and functioned as Cleveland’s every-down X receiver.

He finished with a very respectable:

92% snaps

4 targets

2 catches

59 yards

1 touchdown

The 46-yard touchdown will get attention, but the 92% snap share is the thing fantasy managers buying.

Cleveland’s quarterback situation is the obvious anchor on his value. That’s why I still have Vele/Wicks/Douglas ahead.

But I was very high on Boston in the draft process, and he was a player who I thought would be better than KC Conception this season. And right now, he is the receiver to own and start in Cleveland.

TIGHT END

Michael Mayer – Las Vegas @ Los Angeles Chargers – 26% rostered

This is straightforward while Brock Bowers is out. And while the coaches are talking up Bowers playing in Week 2, I am just not buying it. It’s pure coachspeak.

Michael Mayer had a solid Week 1 playing 81% snaps and had 7 targets (which is a 23% target share), 6 catches for 32 yards.

Mayer also had a 74% route share.

That’s premium TE usage even though the yardage was ugly. In four games without Bowers last year, Mayer averaged 4.5 catches and 49 receiving yards per game.

Mayer should be viewed as a low-end startable TE1 if you need to add someone.

Pat Freiermuth – Pittsburgh @ New England – 6% rostered

Pat Freiermuth quietly had one of the more interesting TE usage changes.

He ran a route on 72% of Pittsburgh dropbacks, drew five targets and was used on first reads, a designed screen and in the red zone.

He caught all five for 46 yards and a touchdown.

According to FantasyPoints Data, Pittsburgh also posted a +7.3% Pass Rate Over Expected (PROE) and 407 air yards in Week 1, which is a dramatically more aggressive passing profile than we’ve seen from them in the last few seasons.

That’s what makes Freiermuth interesting. If the offensive philosophy has genuinely changed, his routes suddenly matter a lot more.

Freiermuth becomes a strong tight end streamer with season-long upside if what we saw in Week 1 continues.

KICKER

Tyler Bass – Buffalo vs. Detroit – 8% rostered

Three field goals. Three extra points. More importantly, Bills-Lions currently carries a 53.5-point total, one of the strongest scoring environments of Week 2.

I want kickers attached to offences that repeatedly cross midfield, not kickers who happened to score 15 points last week.

Chase McLaughlin – Tampa Bay vs Cleveland – 12% rostered

McLaughlin already produced 11 fantasy points in Week 1 and now gets a Cleveland team Tampa is heavily favoured to beat.

FantasyPros has Tampa as roughly an 8.5-point favourite, creating exactly the sort of positive game environment we want from a streaming kicker.

D/ST

San Francisco 49ers vs Miami – 10% rostered

Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Cleveland – 4% rostered

That will do it for Week 2. Best of luck for this week. I will see you all next week. Don’t forget to join Kadeem and I on Thursday to talk through some Starts/Sits on the pod. You can also tune into my channel 5 Yard Rush.