NFL Waiver Wire: Week 2 Deep Dive

A lot of offenses looked inept in Week 1, which will have too large of an impact on how we view most teams/players heading into a Week 2. It's a good time to look for buy-low opportunities and even on the wire after waivers run to see if managers in your leagues made unforced errors. As always, we'll try to dig a bit deeper on the waiver wire to uncover players who can help in both the short and long term and won't repeat names found in the traditional waiver wire column.

Quarterback

This isn't the week to overreact to quarterbacks. We saw a lot of ugly play in Week 1, but barring extreme circumstances there's very little chance of upgrading the position on the wire. A few players I wouldn't want to start in Week 2 include Caleb Williams and Deshaun Watson.

Derek Carr at DAL – 7% rostered ESPN

Carr lit up the Panthers in Week 1 and there's a strong chance he turns back into a mediocre quarterback. That's particularly against the Cowboys. On the other hand, there's a chance that the Saints' offense is better with new coordinator Klint Kubiak running the offense and this Week 2 matchup has a sneaky chance of shooting out.

Sam Darnold vs. SF – 5% rostered ESPN, 61% FFPC

We can copy and paste most of the things said above for Carr, but we know that coach Kevin O'Connell runs a smart offense. The 49ers' defense looks to be smothering, so this wouldn't be the week I'd stream Darnold.

Jameis Winston -0% rostered ESPN, 15% FFPC
Drew Lock – 0% rostered ESPN, 5% FFPC

These are Superflex/2QB league stashes based on their presumed backup looking very bad in Week 1. Neither is likely to be pushed into a starting role immediately but could pay dividends later.

Running Back                          

As is typically the case with running backs, we have some options to immediately contribute, but they are marginal from a fantasy perspective either due to limited volume or relative lack of skill. We'll also highlight some stashes for later in the season.

Justice Hill vs. Las Vegas – 9% rostered ESPN

Hill was surprisingly involved in the Week 1 gameplan, particularly as a pass catcher. Coach John Harbaugh clarified in comments after the game that Baltimore didn't sign Derrick Henry to give him 30 touches a game, so with Keaton Mitchell (knee) still out, Hill should have a role. The game script against Las Vegas may not be the best fit for his usage, but Hill will provide guaranteed touches.

Jeff Wilson vs. Buffalo – 1% rostered ESPN, 1% FFPC

The Miami backfield is already ambiguous due to injury. Fantasy managers should want any part of this offense and Wilson is the least rostered back on the team. It's worth picking him up, and if Raheem Mostert (chest) and De'Von Achane (ankle) both check out healthy on Thursday he can be sent back to the waiver wire.

Cordarrelle Patterson at Denver – 1% rostered ESPN, 9% FFPC

Patterson saw the second-most touches out of the Pittsburgh backfield in Week 1. That certainly suggests Jaylen Warren isn't healthy. If Warren is inactive, we'd see a massive workload for Najee Harris more than Patterson picking up a lot of extra work, but Patterson could fill a Hill type role we discussed above in that scenario.

Ronnie Rivers at Arizona – 0% rostered ESPN, 1% FFPC

Rivers will almost certainly give way to Blake Corum as the RB2 in Los Angeles at some point this season, but he was the backup to Kyren Williams on Sunday night. That's not likely to matter for fantasy purposes, but we've already gotten our first experience with surprise inactives.

Audric Estime vs. Pittsburgh – 2% rostered ESPN

The Broncos offense looked flat in Week 1, which may not be a big surprise given that they have a rookie under center. If that continues though, we've seen coach Sean Payton not be afraid to shift offensive roles significantly. This has the feel of a running back room that could shift throughout the season, so Estime is a nice stash for those who can afford it.

Isaac Guerendo at Minnesota – 1% rostered ESPN, 51% FFPC

Guerendo is the new handcuff in San Francisco until we get more clarity on the timeline for Christian McCaffrey. He's very unlikely to make an immediate impact.

Wide Receiver

Allen Lazard at Tennessee – 25% rostered ESPN, 3% FFPC

There's a strong chance we just saw Lazard's best game of the season, and there's also a decent chance he's already been added in leagues in which waivers have already run. On the other hand, we know Aaron Rodgers and Lazard have chemistry. Mike Williams was clearly not at full strength, so for the time being there's little competition for targets after Garrett Wilson.

Alec Pierce at Green Bay – 8% rostered ESPN, 5% FFPC

We saw both the best and the worst of Anthony Richardson in Week 1, and his best (big plays and deep balls) meshes nicely with Pierce's skillset. He will be an extreme boom-bust player on a weekly basis, but he is a valuable stash to plug into lineups as needed.

Jalen McMillan at Detroit – 4% rostered ESPN

It's unclear why fantasy managers are hesitant to pick up McMillan. He ran just as many routes as Mike Evans and Chris Godwin in the opener. McMillan certainly won't keep up with either from a target perspective, but he should be rostered at a higher clip.

Jalen Nailor vs. San Francisco – 0% rostered ESPN, 7% FFPC

There's some optimism coming from the Vikings about Jordan Addison's (ankle) status for Week 2, but the facts certainly suggest he won't be available. Coach O'Connell said Addison would practice Thursday at the earliest, presumably in limited fashion. I'd expect Addison to be inactive at this point in the week, and even if he is active to not play a full snap count. That leaves Nailor as the WR2 in Minnesota.

Andrei Iosivas at Kansas City- 6% rostered ESPN

It's hard to completely throw out what we saw from the Bengals in Week 1, but eventually the offense should click. It will run through Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins (hamstring), but Iosivas seems to have a strong hold on the third receiver role. When the offense gets rolling, he could be a valuable depth piece to plug into lineups for bye weeks or to replace injured starters.

Quentin Johnston at Carolina – 5% rostered ESPN

DJ Chark landed on IR this week, which opens the door for Johnston, even if he's running behind Ladd McConkey and Joshua Palmer. The Chargers designed some looks for him to get involved, so this will be a waiting game to see if Johnston can improve from his rookie season and take advantage of the opportunity.

Ray-Ray McCloud at Philadelphia – 1% rostered ESPN, 4% FFPC

The analysis for McCloud is the same as Lazard, just without the optimism attached. Week 1 is  likely to be his best week of the season, and quite likely the worst form we see from the Falcons offense. I wouldn't expect to hear much from McCloud, but he did deserve a mention.

Roman Wilson at Denver – 1% rostered ESPN, 63% FFPC

The Steelers need a WR2 and Van Jefferson didn't look to be the solution. Wilson continues to ramp up from an ankle injury and should immediately have a role when healthy, whether that is Week 2 or a bit later.

Tight End

Colby Parkinson at Arizona – 11% rostered ESPN

Parkinson started to catch some buzz late in the offseason when it became apparent that he would be the Rams' starting tight end. With Puka Nacua (knee) sidelined, Parkinson should slide up in target priority and he saw five opportunities in Week 1.

Luke Schoonmaker vs. New Orleans – 0% rostered ESPN, 2% FFPC

The Cowboys are holding out some hope that Jake Ferguson (knee) can play. If he can't go, Schoonmaker should step into a near every-down role at tight end. Dallas has an explosive offense, but they aren't deep with pass-catching talent so Schoonmaker should get opportunity.

Jordan Akins at Jacksonville – 0% rostered ESPN, 0% FFPC

We can make the same case for Akins that we did for Schoonmaker with David Njoku (ankle) likely out, but it is weaker. The Browns offense is worse and Elijah Moore can occupy the same area of the field as Akins with his targets.

Zach Ertz vs.  New York Giants- 3% rostered ESPN

Ertz was on the field for three snaps fewer than Terry McLaurin in Week 1 and was targeted on 16 percent of his routes run. He's not exciting, but he has a role.