FlurrySports’ best fantasy football waiver wire pickups to make in Week 2, including Kaelon Black and Dontayvion Wicks.
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The first week of the NFL season featured more points than we ever could have imagined, and fantasy points came along with them! Hopefully, you were able to start your fantasy season with a win, but even the best teams cannot sit on their hands early on. Being active with your fantasy football waiver wire pickups is as essential as nailing your draft picks.
We saw injuries, disappointments and much more during the first week of the season, so we have several great fantasy pickups in Week 2. Obviously, we didn’t know how all of these players would be used by their offenses. Now that we have a week of action to review, you need to be reviewing snap counts and other usage data. I have all of that for you and more in the FlurrySports Playbook!
On Playbook.FlurrySports.org, I have everything your league doesn’t want you to have. My fantasy rankings, the NFL Survivor tool and a weather app are all free. However, I also have my fantasy football waiver rankings, exclusive stats and more for those who want more information. I will also be adding a trade value tool and tons of betting information. Simply, I wanted a one-stop shop to help you win on your NFL and college football picks this season!
Go check that out after reading the best fantasy football waiver wire targets ahead of Week 2.
Note: Players must be owned in less than 50% of ESPN leagues to be included in the best fantasy football waiver wire pickups column. Ownership percentages will reflect their status on Tuesday mornings ahead of standard waiver processing.
Best Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups Week 2
QB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Carson Wentz, Minnesota Vikings (0.1%)
Kyler Murray took a pretty nasty hit and exited with a concussion on Sunday, and Carson Wentz came to the rescue! He came off the sideline to throw three touchdowns, leading to a comeback victory. If the concussion protocol is similar to last season, then Murray will likely miss at least one game.
This means Carson Wentz gets a juicy matchup against a Chicago Bears defense that made everyone believers in Bryce Young. While the Panthers offense could be good, it seems likely this banged-up Bears defense is less-than-good. Young threw for 361 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
Wentz has arguably the best group of receivers in the NFL, with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Jauan Jennings, TJ Hockenson and Aaron Jones. If you are in need of a one-week streamer at quarterback, you couldn’t ask for a better opportunity than this with Wentz.
RB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Kaelon Black, San Francisco 49ers (15.4%)
It doesn’t matter whether you are a Christian McCaffrey owner or not; Kaelon Black needs to be a priority fantasy football waiver wire pickup in Week 2. Yes, the San Francisco 49ers’ rookie got a bit more work than normal due to the way they manhandled the Los Angeles Rams. However, he was very clearly part of the game plan. Black saw five snaps and two touches on the 49ers’ first drive, per the FlurrySports Playbook. Previously, CMC coming off the field early in the game was unheard of.
Kaelon Black looked good with the touches he was given as well, running for 65 yards on 14 carries. In the game, Brock Purdy threw McCaffrey into contact multiple times, and he took some big hits running the ball as well. This, combined with his injury history, has many worried about the health of CMC. So, when you have an established and effective handcuff served to you on a silver platter, you have to pick him up.
Tyler Allgeier, Arizona Cardinals (42.1%)
Listen, I know this isn’t the most exciting pickup on the RB fantasy football waiver wire. And the matchup against Seattle in Week 2 is a spot to avoid, to be sure. However, getting an RB who splits early-down, short-yardage and goal-line work off waivers is a steal.
Tyler Allgeier will continue to be involved every single week, and we have already seen rookie Jeremiyah Love pick up an ankle injury in the preseason. If that happens again, Allgeier will see a huge workload and look pretty solid with it. He has a high touchdown upside as well, with four opportunities in the red zone during the first week.
WR Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Dontayvion Wicks, Philadelphia Eagles (10.1%)
I was a very big fan of Dontayvion Wicks with the Green Bay Packers, so I love him even more now that he is given a larger opportunity. In Week 1, he finished the game with 73 yards and a touchdown on four targets, serving as the Philadelphia Eagles’ WR2.
I don’t think DeVonta Smith’s move to WR1 will result in consistent play, as he is easily disrupted by press coverage and he is now the primary receiving focus of the defense. He is much better suited to attack downfield while the strength is drawn elsewhere, but that is now where Wicks can thrive.
Yes, we saw the big gain for Wicks in Week 1, but he is a player who can win on short and intermediate routes as well. As Jalen Hurts and the Eagles become more confident in him and his new role, look for Wicks to be used as a chain-mover a bit more, like he was in Green Bay. Once that part of the game opens up, we could see Wicks become a very valuable fantasy football asset, and he’s free off your waiver wire right now.
Devaughn Vele, New Orleans Saints (12.9%)
With Jordyn Tyson out, Devaughn Vele once again was asked to serve as the New Orleans Saints’ WR2, and he didn’t disappoint. He finished the game against the Lions with seven catches for 69 yards and a touchdown. Believe it or not, Vele also led all NFL wide receivers in snaps this week, with 82, per the FlurrySports Playbook.
Vele is a big, smooth athlete at receiver, standing at 6-5. If Week 1 was any indication, the Saints have little to no ability to run in the red zone, so being a big target in the red zone will have its benefits this year. To add to that, Tyler Shough used him all over the field, targeting him nine times.
While all stats in the Saints-Lions game were a bit inflated due to total plays in the game, Devaughn Vele is still an intriguing fantasy football waiver wire target, especially with the injury history of Chris Olave.
Caleb Douglas (15.5%) and Malik Washington (7.7%), Miami Dolphins
Outside of De’Von Achane, essentially nobody from Miami is rostered. However, their top two wide receivers are worthy of a look. In terms of the rookies, I will continue to tout Caleb Douglas over Chris Bell. The Dolphins clearly like him more (he was drafted first), and he received the training camp snaps due to Bell working his way back from an injury. His first NFL game resulted in a team-high five receptions for 94 yards.
Miami essentially only played two wide receivers, with Douglas playing 91% of the snaps, Washington playing 98% and Chris Bell playing 52%. Washington is expected to see a ton of targets this season. In Week 1, he led the team with eight targets. He also ranked fifth in the NFL in air yards, with 135. While Washington’s touchdown upside is low, he should have a healthy floor in PPR due to his targets, and he does have the potential to rack up yards in a hurry.
TE Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Michael Mayer, Las Vegas Raiders (29.8%)
While many people flocked to the fantasy football waiver wire last week to grab Michael Mayer, he is still widely available. Mayer made some headlines with a big contract extension following Brock Bowers’ knee surgery. This surprised many, but hopefully this underlined for you how much this team likes him as a player.
Regardless of Bowers being healthy or not, Mayer has a significant role. He will be the every-week in-line tight end, while Bowers was expected to get moved around the formation. Of course, Mayer is plenty valuable without Bowers as well, and I would expect Bowers to miss at least one more week.
In Week 1, Mayer turned seven targets into six catches for 32 yards. His seven targets were among the most at the position, and he should command a similar target share in Week 2.
Mike Gesicki, Cincinnati Bengals (1.5%)
There is a lot of love for the Cincinnati Bengals’ passing attack, but a player who often flies under the radar is tight end Mike Gesicki. He had a helluva Week 1, turning seven targets into five catches for 78 yards and a touchdown. I don’t expect Gesicki to command that many targets on a consistent basis, as both Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins should be more involved than they were, but Gesicki is still a big part of the offense and a big red zone threat.
I think you need to think of Gesicki as a receiver handcuff, and that is where the majority of his value lies. If either Chase or Higgins goes down, Gesicki is expected to be the one to benefit most in terms of target share, making him a trustworthy target. We have seen Higgins be plagued with injuries in the past, and Chase hurt his knee in training camp, so Gesicki could be a valuable stash early in the season.
DST Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12.8%)
It wasn’t the great performance from Tampa’s defense in Week 1, but a defensive touchdown saved their fantasy day. They should fare well in Week 2, with a prime matchup against the Cleveland Browns on deck.
The Jaguars had their way with Cleveland in Week 1, giving up just 10 points while also totaling five sacks and two takeaways. Deshaun Watson is expected to start once again for Cleveland, which certainly seems like a good thing for Tampa. If you are someone who likes to stream defenses, there is no doubt the Buccaneers need to be your target on the fantasy football waiver wire.
