NFL Waiver Wire: Week 2 Deep Dive

We have our first date points of the season, which makes for an interesting balancing act. We don't want to overreact and pretend all the answers were provided in Week 1, but we also don't want to completely disregard the opening sample. Even if there aren't many major additions in this piece, my hope is that some of the data provides some items to watch out for in Week 2.

Quarterback

Ryan Tannehill at Bills (16 percent ESPN)

Tannehill compiled a solid performance in Week 1, particularly considering the weapons around him. In traditional league formats, look elsewhere this week as the Titans face a tough Buffalo defense in a hostile environment during primetime.

Daniel Jones vs. Panthers (15 percent ESPN)

Jones was inconsistent last weekend from a real-life perspective. From a fantasy angle, he played efficiently by throwing two TDs while chipping in 25 rushing yards. A matchup against Carolina isn't particularly scary, so Jones could be a solid Dak Prescott replacement or streamer to replace a low-end starter in a tough matchup.

Matt Ryan at Jaguars (25 percent ESPN)

Ryan managed 352 passing yards against the Texans, which seems impressive. However, he needed 52 attempts to get there and also turned the ball over twice. Ryan has time to turn it around, but his Colts debut wasn't inspiring.

Baker Mayfield at Giants (14 percent ESPN)

Mayfield was regularly under pressure and put the ball on the ground four times against his former club. None resulted in turnovers, but there were a lot of mistakes covered up by a rushing touchdown and a 75-yard bomb to Robbie Anderson that accounted for nearly a third of the passing yards.

Jared Goff vs. Commanders (seven percent ESPN)

Goff completed four passes of 20 or more yards against the Eagles. He only did that four times throughout the entire 2021 season, so the addition of DJ Chark – who had one of those long gains – could encourage him to push the ball down the field more consistently this year.

Mitch Trubisky vs. Patriots (four percent ESPN)

There's not much going for Trubisky. He's playing behind an abysmal offensive line and is still inconsistent in his own right. The Steelers want to take the air out of the ball and rely on their defense, which isn't a recipe for a lot of fantasy points. Trubisky is a Superflex/2QB option only.

Geno Smith at 49ers (three percent ESPN)

Smith managed the Seahawks to an effective win on Monday Night and completed a high rate of his passes. Unlike some of the other lower-end options on this list, he has decent receivers who are capable of taking dump-offs or screens to the house. That makes Smith a bit more intriguing.

Davis Mills at Broncos (three percent ESPN)

I'd do everything possible to avoid Mills at Denver, but in Superflex/2QB leagues there often aren't many other choices.

Joe Flacco at Browns (one percent ESPN)

The best thing to say about Flacco is that he's the confirmed starter and may get a lot of volume if the Jets are chasing points. A matchup against the Browns doesn't project to be that type of environment as Jacoby Brissett vs. Flacco may be the ugliest quarterback matchup of the season.

Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Seahawks (one percent ESPN)

Garoppolo isn't starting this week, but he's worth a stash in leagues where QBs are hard to come by. And Trey Lance may not be long for the starting role if he continues to struggle.

Running Back

Isiah Pacheco vs. Chargers (18 percent ESPN)
Jerick McKinnon vs. Chargers (14 percent ESPN)

Clyde Edwards-Helaire looks like a Week 1 winner thanks to his two trips to the end zone. However, he doesn't clearly carry any role out of the Kansas City backfield. Pacheco led the team in carries while McKinnon out-targeted CEH four to three.

Rachaad White at Saints (14 percent ESPN)

Leonard Fournette is battling what seems to be a minor hamstring injury. A nagging issue this early could mean it continues to pop up throughout the campaign. If so, White would be the beneficiary.  

Kenyan Drake vs. Dolphins (six percent ESPN)
Gus Edwards vs. Dolphins (four percent ESPN)

Drake had a commanding lead in touches against the Jets and Mike Davis has little to offer. J.K. Dobbins could be back this week, which would likely leave Drake as the 1B or second ground option. The real winner here should be Edwards, who should form a 1-2 punch with Dobbins once he's able to return. With no bye weeks and relatively few injuries to deal with, Edwards is a decent stash option for RB-needy teams.

Zack Moss vs. Titans (two percent ESPN)

Moss was arguably the top running back in Buffalo's backfield in Week 1 racking up 14 touches to Devin Singletary's 10. I wouldn't bet on a repeat, but James Cook literally fumbled away his opportunity. That makes Moss a good bet to remain involved.

Tyrion Davis-Price vs. Seahawks (four percent ESPN)
Jordan Mason vs. Seahawks (one percent ESPN)

Jeff Wilson is set to take over as the primary back in San Fran, but his main backup will come down to either Davis-Price or Mason. We know enough about the 49ers to know a backup can quickly become a workhorse. Mason seemingly has a slight advantage as he was active in Week 1 while Davis-Price wasn't.

Wide Receivers

Romeo Doubs vs. Bears (22 percent ESPN)
Christian Watson vs. Bears (17 percent ESPN)

Both rookies were heavily involved in the offense for the Packers. Watson has gotten most of his publicity for dropping a touchdown on his first target. It would be reasonable to have a concern about him being frozen out of the offense by Aaron Rodgers particularly with Allen Lazard likely to be back in the mix. Despite that, Watson still finished second on the team in routes run behind only Aaron Jones. Doubs could be a bit more at risk for a loss in role with Lazard in there, but the hope would be that Sammy Watkins or Randall Cobb hits the bench instead.

Corey Davis at Browns (three percent ESPN)

The Jets receiving corps is crowded, but Davis emerged as Joe Flacco's favorite target in Week 1. It's certainly possible Garrett Wilson or Elijah Moore takes a step ahead of Davis, but there's no reason he should be rostered at such a low rate.

Van Jefferson vs. Falcons (14 percent ESPN)

Things didn't go well for the Rams offensively against the Bills, particularly with Allen Robinson stepping into the second receiver role. The team isn't likely to give up on Robinson early this season, but Jefferson should step into a clear role whenever he's able to return from injury.

Zay Jones vs. Colts (five percent ESPN)

The Jaguars invested a lot in Jones this offseason and he put up a decent effort in the opener. He became something of a punchline early in his career, but looks to be in line for a productive season.

Donovan Peoples-Jones vs. Jets (three percent ESPN)

Peoples-Jones was as involved in the offense as Amari Cooper by nearly every measure. Like a number of other attacks mentioned in this article, the volume and production are likely to be inconsistent due to the quarterback to which Peoples-Jones is connected.

Kyle Philips at Bills (one percent ESPN)

Philips was praised by Tennessee's coaching staff throughout the preseason and then played ahead of first-round pick Treylon Burks in Week 1. The Titans' receiving corps has a strong chance of devolving into a confusing timeshare, but Philips has a significant role for the time being.

Equanimeous St. Brown at Packers (zero percent ESPN)

St. Brown feels like a name that should be getting a little more love after Week 1. Even setting aside the touchdown catch, he was targeted as many times as Darnell Mooney and accounted for just as many air yards. The Bears offense isn't necessarily one to target, but St. Brown looks to have solidified a role.

Olamide Zaccheaus at Rams (zero percent ESPN)

There were some question marks heading into the opener regarding the Atlanta passing attack. The first was whether Drake London would be healthy, which he clearly was and proceeded to turn in an impressive debut. Zaccheaus played ahead of Bryan Edwards, and should be on the field consistently. 

DeAndre Carter at Chiefs (two percent ESPN)

No Chargers pass catcher was targeted more than four times in Week 1. Justin Herbert is likely to concentrate targets more against Kansas City and without Keenan Allen available. Joshua Palmer is the obvious replacement, but Carter should also be in consideration.

Jauan Jennings vs. Seahawks (one percent ESPN)

Jennings is in an interesting situation thanks to the injury to Elijah Mitchell. Deebo Samuel was out-carried only by Trey Lance against the Bears, which meant he wasn't taking snaps as a wide receiver. Jennings became the beneficiary and is worth a shot in deeper formats.

Noah Brown vs. Bengals (one percent ESPN)
Dennis Houston vs. Bengals (zero percent ESPN)

Sorting through the Cowboys' offense is a bit of a mess. Jalen Tolbert was surprisingly inactive against the Bucs, which left Brown and Houston as the top receivers behind CeeDee Lamb. As would be expected, Lamb led the team with 11 targets but Brown followed up closely behind with nine. Houston had only five, but ran 29 routes (compared to 46 for Lamb and 39 for Brown) and accounted for 19 percent of the team's air yards. Unfortunately, the injury to Dak Prescott has to be factored in, so there are questions about the overall effectiveness of Dallas' attack.

Mike Thomas at Cowboys (zero percent ESPN)

Tee Higgins was placed in concussion protocol after a hit during the last game, which pushed Tyler Boyd into a lot of extra opportunity. Thomas also got five targets against the Steelers, including a drop in the end zone. He won't have a role if Higgins is back, so his fantasy usefulness is very contingent on news the rest of the week.

Mack Hollins vs. Cardinals (zero percent ESPN)

Hollins only had one reception to show for it, but finished with one more route run than Hunter Renfrow against the Chargers. Everything about Hollins' career suggests that won't turn into production, but his involvement was nevertheless surprising.

Tight End 

Hayden Hurst at Cowboys (22 percent ESPN)

Hurst's numbers are a bit inflated due to Tee Higgins' aforementioned absence. Nevertheless, he was clearly a part of the Bengals' offensive game plan. He was added in a decent number of leagues, but it's worth making sure if he's available.

Evan Engram vs. Colts (19 percent ESPN)

Engram is a starting tight end and rostered at a relatively low rate. That's enough to mention him in this space, but he's buried in priority for targets behind Christian Kirk, Zay Jones and Marvin Jones.

Logan Thomas at Lions (10 percent ESPN)

Thomas only ran 24 routes in Week 1, but was targeted at a 25 percent clip. The Lions just coughed up 38 points during the opening week, so Thomas is a decent streaming candidate.

Tyler Conklin at Browns (two percent ESPN)

Only Hurst ran more routes among tight ends in Week 1 than Conklin, which turned into seven targets, four receptions, 14 yards and a touchdown. That's not particularly exciting, but his role in the Jets' offense appears to be significant.  

Kylen Granson at Jaguars (zero percent ESPN)

Granson operated ahead of Mo Alie-Cox as a pass-catching tight end in the Colts' offense, which was a surprise. He was inefficient on seven targets, but he's an okay longshot in TE premium or other deep leagues.

Juwan Johnson vs. Buccaneers (zero percent ESPN)

Johnson has gotten some hype within the industry. And for context, he ran one route fewer than T.J. Hockenson in Week 1. This is more likely to be a watchlist-type player, but in deep leagues he may prove to be a steal in the coming weeks.