Week 2 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups

Chances are if you’re reading this, you got unlucky with an injury in your first matchup or your expectations for a certain player’s role on their new team didn’t go as planned. We saw plenty of injuries plague the league already, with San Francisco 49ers running back Raheem Mostert out for at least eight weeks, Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy out at least six weeks and even Washington quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick out with a hip injury without a clear timetable. This is why you will need to work the fantasy football waiver wire to grab high-upside players to help fill these empty spots. 

It’s only been one week into the season, so you can still stash those late-round flyers that you think have a chance to boom. But if you need an immediate upgrade, here are some Week 2 fantasy football waiver wire pickups that could help move your team in the right direction. 

Players must be owned in less than 60 percent of ESPN leagues to be included in the Week 2 fantasy football waiver wire pickups column. All ownerships for waiver wire players will be provided and will reflect that of Monday evening.

QB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups 

Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints (26.1%) 

Jameis Winston will likely be on every fantasy football owner’s radar as a solid backup option or for teams in dire need of QB help already, but his performance can’t go unnoticed. Despite only throwing 20 times, Winston put up an impressive stat line, throwing for 148 yards and five touchdowns against the Packers in a 38-3 rout. You can’t expect him to do this on a consistent basis and don’t forget how turnover-prone he has been his whole career, but on a well-disciplined team like the Saints, he has a chance to be a great fantasy option moving forward in the season.

He faces CAR, NE, and NYG in his next three games, which are all pretty solid defenses, but as long as he stays composed behind the Saints solid offensive line and leans on Kamara in certain situations, he’s not bad for a plug-in starter when you’re faced with tough matchup decisions. 

Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (5.6%)

Jared Goff is one of those guys that almost everyone stays away from, due to his inconsistent play. But the good news is he plays for the Lions now, who are downright awful on both sides of the ball and could be good considering they’ll be playing in a negative game script nearly every game. Goff completed 38/57 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns and one interception against a very solid 49ers defense. Granted, most of his yards and fantasy points came during garbage time, but that’s what makes him appealing as a fantasy option. As long as the Lions play badly defensively, Goff will be throwing 40+ times a game. He has a friendly matchup next week against the Packers, who just let Jameis Winston throw five touchdowns on them. And if the Packers and Aaron Rodgers figure out their offense, the Lions will be playing from behind. 

Tyrod Taylor, Houston Texans (4.0%)

The pleasant surprise of the weekend was Tyrod Taylor. He did play the Jaguars, whose defense hasn’t been good for a few years now, but his stat line is enticing enough to grab the attention of fantasy owners. He completed 21/33 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns while rushing four times for 40 yards. The Texans were projected to be the worst team entering the season with all the Deshaun Watson drama, but this could be a case similar to Goff where they’ll be playing from behind most games. Taylor has always been consistent enough throughout his career to get the job done, plus his running upside is intriguing. 

RB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups 

Elijah Mitchell, San Francisco 49ers (1.9%)

With Raheem Mostert exiting the game early against a poor Lions defense and rookie Trey Sermon a healthy scratch, the door opened for Elijah Mitchell and he performed. He had 19 carries for 104 yards and one touchdown for a solid 16.4 fantasy points. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said that there’s no true lead back now that Mostert is out for eight weeks, but Mitchell has a solid chance to be that guy. There’s no telling how much Sermon affects his workload, considering he was a surprise scratch, but Mitchell looked pretty good in camp and during the preseason. The 49ers have a strong offense and face some mediocre run defenses in PHI, GB, and SEA through the next three games, so for those teams that are in need of a running back, he’s a solid option moving forward.

Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles (3.5%)

Kenneth Gainwell’s workload was surprising coming out of the gate for the Eagles. It’s clear that they’ve never fully trusted Miles Sanders to be an every-down back, but Gainwell’s usage shouldn’t go unnoticed. He carried the ball nine times for 37 yards and caught two passes for six yards, but seemed to be the third-down back over Sanders, who has been injury prone his whole career, and if he were to go down, Gainwell would be an awesome fantasy football waiver wire pickup. The Eagles dominated in all facets of the game on Sunday, but don’t expect that to happen week in and week out. He’s a solid stash, if he’s not rostered, to see how much his role carves out and also how much he eats into Sanders’ role. 

Mark Ingram, Houston Texans (11.0%)

There were some questions about how a backfield as busy as the Texans’ would look, but it seems that Ingram took the lead role and played pretty well for a guy that’s looked washed up over the past few seasons. He carried the ball 26 times for 85 yards and a touchdown against the Jaguars on Sunday. A major thing worth noting is that he carried all four of the carries inside of the five, so his role as the goal line back seems to be locked up. That backfield already features Phillip Lindsay, David Johnson and Rex Burkhead, so he’ll likely never be involved in the passing game, but he’s worth the stash on your bench to see if his usage keeps up. 

WR Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups 

Terrace Marshall Jr., Carolina Panthers (21.1%)

It’s hard to trust the third wideout of most offenses in fantasy, aside from the high-powered passing offenses, but Terrace Marshall Jr. saw six targets in his first regular-season action, which was three more than Robby Anderson. Now, it’s likely that Anderson sees more than three targets a game, but it’s promising to see that Marshall is going to be utilized as much as he was in the preseason. Sam Darnold looked pretty solid in his Panthers debut and the running game looks to be revived with Christian McCaffrey back in the mix, and Marshall’s usage should only increase moving forward into the season. Since he’s a rookie and hasn’t necessarily proved himself yet, he’s best off as a stash option on your bench for now but if there were to be an injury to the wide receiving corps, he would fill in nicely. 

Tim Patrick, Denver Broncos (0.6%)

With Jerry Jeudy out for at least six weeks with a high ankle sprain, Tim Patrick looks to be in a much more prominent role with the Broncos moving forward. He caught all four of his targets for 39 yards and a touchdown against the Giants in Week 1, only behind Noah Fant and Jeudy before he exited. Patrick figures to benefit from Jeudy’s absence as a trusted playmaker in the Denver offense, and he will have a chance to show what he can do in a more elevated role against the poor Jaguars defense next week. 

Zach Pascal, Indianapolis Colts (2.4%)

The Indianapolis Colts’ wide receiving corps is hard to gauge in general, but Zach Pascal looks to be one of Carson Wentz’s main red zone threats for the near future. Pascal is not a splash fantasy player by any means, but he could emerge as Wentz’s reliable option for solid possession catches as he becomes more accustomed to the Colts’ offensive gameplan. He caught four of five targets for 43 yards and a touchdown in Week 1 against the Seahawks and that should continue when they face some tougher, high-scoring teams like LAR and TEN in the next two weeks. Until T.Y. Hilton returns, he should have a prominent role. 

TE Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups 

Gerald Everett, Seattle Seahawks (10.5%)

Tight ends are rough, unless you own one of the top five guys. For a semi-dependable fantasy option on a solid offense, Gerald Everett could emerge as one of those weekly streamers. The Seattle Seahawks lost two wideouts to concussions in Week 1, and if they’re unable to clear in time, he could be depended on more in his Week 2 matchup against the Titans, who just got torched by Kyler Murray and the Cardinals. He won’t be a sure-fire start every week, seeing only two targets for 20 yards and a touchdown, but seems viable as a plug-in, streaming option moving forward for all fantasy owners struggling at the tight end position. 

Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears (21.8%)

Cole Kmet led the Bears in receiving yards against the stout Rams defense and any worries of Jimmy Graham claiming the primary tight end option should disappear after Week 1. Kmet caught five of seven targets for 42 yards, garnering only 9.2 fantasy points in PPR, but this should be promising for any fantasy football owners that like to stream high-upside tight ends. It’s unclear if Andy Dalton has a relationship with Kmet on the field where he depends on him and also for how long he’ll be the starter before rookie Justin Fields claims the throne, but Kmet’s usage is promising as we kick off the season. Tight ends are slim-pickings in bigger leagues and if Kmet is on the waiver wire in your league, it’s intriguing enough to add him considering his role seems to be pretty clear cut.