Fantasy Football Week 2: Waiver wire pickups

Our best fantasy football plans often do not survive contact with opening week. Many of us are now searching the waiver wire for playable options, because events did not unfold exactly as we’d imagined on Sunday (or Thursday and Friday for that matter). Each week around here, we highlight the top potential waiver adds available in at least 50% of Yahoo fantasy leagues. If your roster is suddenly reeling, the names below can potentially help.

Quarterbacks

Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (35% rostered)

In a week in which passing yardage was outrageously low across the league, Mayfield was a notable exception. He completed 24 of 30 throws for 289 yards, four touchdowns and zero picks. He averaged 9.6 yards per attempt and produced a passer rating of 146.4. His celebrations were on point, too.

When you’re the guy who gets to throw to Mike Evans, stuff like this is gonna occasionally happen:

We should of course note that Washington’s defense did very little to inconvenience the Bucs on Sunday. Mayfield won’t have it quite so easy every week (although he does still have two decent matchups ahead with the Panthers, plus another with the Giants). Tampa Bay is about to travel to Detroit for a shootout with the Lions, so Baker remains on the radar.

If you’re attempting to manage around Jordan Love’s multi-game absence, Mayfield is an excellent replacement option.

Recommended FAB offer (assuming $100 budget): $11

Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks (32%)

Smith may not have been flawless in the opener, but he managed to give us a 20-point fantasy performance while leading his team to a real-life win. He also gave us an unexpected rushing highlight:

Seattle’s receiving corps is plenty talented — reports of Tyler Lockett’s decline were wildly exaggerated — and this team’s upcoming schedule doesn’t include any stay-away matchups (NE, MIA, DET, NYG). Geno is another acceptable placeholder for those of you looking to replace Love. Smith’s only a year removed from a top-five positional finish, so it’s not as if he doesn’t offer upside.

FAB: $7

Additional QB options

• Justin Fields (13%) didn’t necessarily have the sort of day that forces a change to the depth chart, but he did manage to avoid negative plays while rushing for 57 yards. He may have done enough to earn another start if Russell Wilson is less than fully operational, and Mike Tomlin said he’s preparing for Fields to start Week 2.

• Sam Darnold (10%) cooked the Giants D on Sunday, which is not shocking in any way. He’s working with Justin Jefferson, which gives him a shot at relevance in any given week. The Vikings are headed into a terrible matchup with the Niners, so let’s try not to get too excited by this particular reclamation project.

• If you’re a Superflex manager, it’s probably time to scoop up Drew Lock (0%) and/or Jameis Winston (0%). It generally pays to be proactive at QB in your league format.

Running backs

J.K. Dobbins, Los Angeles Chargers (51%)

Breaking the 50% rule here. We’d been told repeatedly that L.A.’s backfield would be a hot-hand situation this season, and there wasn’t much question in opening week who that sizzling hand belonged to; Dobbins was a monster. He broke off multiple big gains en route to 135 rushing yards and one score. Dobbins has traveled a long and messy road to return to the field, recovering from ACL and Achilles injuries, but it appears he might now be fully back (if lacking breakaway ability):

His 12-yard TD run was a clinic in terms of balance and vision:

We shouldn’t need to tell you that a Jim Harbaugh-Greg Roman offense will remain fully run-committed, so Dobbins needs to be universally rostered. Gus Edwards is going to have plenty of useful days as well, but we should have never treated this backfield as if it had a clear and unchallenged No. 1.

FAB: $26

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Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (21%)

Irving is a well-hyped rookie coming off an excellent preseason, so it was no great surprise to see him handle double-digit touches in the opener. He rushed for 62 yards on only nine carries (against a miserable defense), easily out-gaining Rachaad White on the ground (15 carries, 31 yards).

White’s edge, per his usual, was as a receiving threat; he caught all six of his targets for 75 yards, while Irving snagged two passes for 14. These two backs complement each other well, so we should probably expect the workload split to continue moving forward. White has averaged just 3.6 YPC for his career and an unimpressive 2.47 yards after contact per attempt.

FAB: $12

Alexander Mattison, Las Vegas Raiders (5%)

After Zamir White was stonewalled on three early carries against the Chargers, Mattison took a series, and … well, good things happened almost immediately:

It wasn’t flashy, exactly, but it was smooth. Mattison finished with 62 total yards on nine touches, while White gained 46 yards on 15. Mattison definitely has his limitations, but he’s also clearly a legitimate piece of this team’s backfield plan. He out-snapped White on Sunday, 35 to 23. The dream of a full-workload version of Zamir White might very well be dead already.

FAB: $10

Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars (6%)

Uh-oh, Travis Etienne managers — Bigsby looks like he’s gonna be more than merely a nuisance. Both backs handled a dozen carries in Sunday’s loss at Miami, with Bigsby out-rushing Etienne, 73 to 44. We should note that the pair were splitting touches well before Etienne’s game-changing lost fumble, too. It appears as if this backfield is a committee arrangement in which carries are shared and the receiving work belongs to Etienne. Yikes.

FAB: $10

Other RB adds

• Jordan Mason (59%) is almost certainly long gone in your league, but just in case: He’s a must-start player if Christian McCaffrey misses another game. Mason is an absolute bulldozer of a runner, delivering a huge line in Week 1 in absence of CMC. He seems lab-built to excel in a Shanahan ground game.

• Jeff Wilson Jr. (0%) could get interesting with the Dolphins on a short week and De’Von Achane and Raheem Mostert both banged up at the moment. Rookie Jaylen Wright (21%) might even find himself active on Thursday night.

• Jaleel McLaughlin (37%) had a brutally inefficient game for Denver, converting 15 opportunities into just 28 yards, but it’s still worth mentioning that he out-touched Javonte Williams.

• Zach Charbonnet (48%) is no threat to Kenneth Walker III’s workload under normal circumstances, but it’s worth monitoring the latter’s injury situation throughout the practice week. Postgame info on Walker’s abdominal issue did not seem too worrisome.

• Justice Hill (4%) caught six passes for 52 yards on Thursday at Kansas City, out-snapping Derrick Henry in the loss. He and Henry will continue to have very different responsibilities in Baltimore’s offense, clearly. Hill isn’t startable except in mega-sized full-PPR leagues.

• Ty Chandler (32%) remains a premium backup behind a talented but aging Aaron Jones. He handled 11 touches in Sunday’s laugher against the Giants, gaining 42 yards.

• Jamaal Williams (4%) played roughly one-third of the offensive snaps for New Orleans, gaining 51 yards on 12 touches and crossing the goal line late in a non-competitive game. He’s no threat to Alvin Kamara, obviously, but he should retain his rotational role.

• Samaje Perine (6%) didn’t actually do anything notable on Thursday night, but he’s the preferred backup in KC and a proven pass-catcher. History has taught us that rotational Chiefs backs can emerge as league-tilting fantasy weapons.

Wide receivers and tight ends

Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens (29%)

At halftime of Thursday night’s opener at Kansas City, your waiver claim for Likely should have already been placed. There was no need to wait for this article’s official stamp of approval. He rarely came off the field on Thursday, ultimately finishing with nine catches for 111 yards and one highlight touchdown (and nearly another) on 12 targets.

Basically, Likely looked exactly like the unstoppable playmaker we saw last season over the final six weeks, when he replaced the injured Mark Andrews and wouldn’t stop scoring.

Likely is simply too talented to remain a rotational backup. There may not be five players at his position who can match his skill level. Add aggressively, wherever he’s available — even if you don’t have an obvious need at tight end.

FAB: $31

Brandin Cooks, Dallas Cowboys (33%)

Cooks drew seven targets in Sunday’s win over the Browns, catching four for 40 yards and one score. It’s a stat line that would have fit perfectly into his 2023 game log. Last year, somewhat quietly, Cooks made eight house calls over his final 12 games while averaging 48.7 yards per game. He’s the no-doubt second option (especially with Jake Ferguson set to miss time with a knee injury) in an upper-tier passing game and the man has been remarkably consistent. Cooks deserves a spot on somebody’s roster in any 12-team league.

FAB: $15

Demarcus Robinson, Los Angeles Rams (7%)

Here’s another vet who was sneaky-good in the second half in 2023, and who should continue to have value in the year ahead. Puka Nacua is going to miss at least four games with a PCL sprain, so both Robinson and Tyler Johnson (1%) deserve attention. Each receiver was targeted seven times in the loss to Detroit. (Cooper Kupp saw an absurd 21 targets against the Lions, which was nine more than any other player in the league.) You might recall that Robinson was a December-To-Remember player for the Rams last season, averaging 63.8 receiving yards per game and scoring four TDs in a five-week stretch. He’s a circle-of-trust player for Matthew Stafford.

FAB: $6

Additional WRs and TEs to consider

• Alec Pierce (3%) has to be mentioned because he’s coming off a 125-yard performance, but he’s obviously going to be a boom/bust player who will need to make the most of his limited chances.

• Allen Lazard (3%) just delivered what will very likely be the best game of his season (and everyone knows it), but he did it on Monday night with a zillion people watching, so he’s gonna be a popular add. He’s fine in a deep league, but won’t rank as a starter in formats of typical size.

• Adonai Mitchell (32%) should have made multiple house calls on Sunday, but a pair of near-miss overthrows by his QB prevented a noisy debut.

• Gabe Davis (37%) delivered a very Gabe Davisy stat line on Sunday, catching all three of his targets for 62 yards. He also played 94% of the snaps for the Jaguars, which we love to see.

• Greg Dortch (6%) is a perfectly fine, if undersized, receiver who should never again out-target Marvin Harrison Jr. However, he’s clearly a Kyler Murray favorite, so he deserves deep league consideration.

• Don’t go out of your way to add secondary members of Denver’s receiving corps, but, if you play in a monstrously deep format, you’ll want to know that Josh Reynolds (1%) and Utah rookie Devaughn Vele (0%) each saw eight targets in Sunday’s loss. Vele caught all of his opportunities, but finished with just 39 yards.

• Tucker Kraft (2%) played ahead of Luke Musgrave in Green Bay’s opening week loss, and he definitely passed the eye test as a rookie last season. No one is going to fight you for Kraft this week, given the Love situation, so he should be a cheap stash.

• Colby Parkinson (6%) played 89% of the offensive snaps for the Rams on Sunday night and he caught four of five targets for 47 yards. He’s a viable play in deeper formats next week at Arizona.

• Rashid Shaheed (54%) really should not be unattached in any competitive league, but maybe go check, just in case. He’d be your top WR priority if available.

Defense

Los Angeles Chargers (15%)

Without question, the Bolts defense is the top target this week for the committed streamers among you. Khalil Mack and friends are coming off a four-sack, three-takeaway performance against the Raiders and they get a date with Bryce Young next Sunday. When waivers clear this week, this group should be rostered in a majority of leagues. Bid an extra buck as needed.

FAB: $2