Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Watch Week 2: A Likely Story
Hey there. I’ll be your host for this weekly breakdown of fantasy’s most important mechanism — the waiver wire (definitely not a biased evaluation). For this year, the recommended additions will be available in more than 40% of Yahoo leagues, while the Drop List will consist of players rostered in at least 50% of leagues.
The Overall Top 10 is prioritized by relatively standard league and roster construction, with room for adjustment based on your individual situation. In a vacuum, this would be the precise order I would prioritize waiver claims heading to Week 2.
Overall Top 10
2. J.K. Dobbins
3. Jordan Mason
Honorable Mention: Khalil Shakir (technically too rostered to make the list, but I’m including him just in case — check your waivers)
5. Tank Bigsby
7. Tucker Kraft
8. Justice Hill
9. Greg Dortch
10. Tyler Johnson/Demarcus Robinson (Note: this is heavily dependent on Puka Nacua’s injury status)
Bonus: See the Jaylen Wright and Jeff Wilson Jr. blurb at the end of the RB section, following recent injury reports on De'Von Achane and Raheem Mostert.
The Drop List
RB: None
WR: Curtis Samuel
QB: Caleb Williams
TE: Cole Kmet, Luke Musgrave
There is too much need at the running back position to consider dropping anyone yet — even guys like Trey Benson, who are clearly distant backups. The closest might be Chuba Hubbard (65% rostered), who was a massive disappointment … but the Panthers were trailing literally the entire game and lost 47-10. Things should get (slightly) better.
At wide receiver, you don’t need to drop Curtis Samuel. But if you’re looking to make room for one of the top adds, he did seem to be the odd man out in Buffalo. Samuel ran just eight routes (to Keon Coleman’s 22, Khalil Shakir’s 18, and Mack Hollins’ 16) and saw the slot dominated by Dalton Kincaid, Shakir, and Hollins. Samuel needs volume to have an impact and that seems unlikely as the fourth, fifth, or sixth option in Buffalo.
Yes, Caleb Williams led the Bears to a Week 1 win … against the Titans. He also completed fewer than 50% of his passes, threw for just 93 yards and a 55.7 passer rating, fumbled once (recovered it, fortunately), and honestly just looked bad for much of the game. He may still be the savior of Chicago and will have some good fantasy days ahead. But you can’t trust him as your starter until we see a whole lot more.
Cole Kmet wasn’t a great bet entering the year, considering he’d be fourth-fiddle (at best) for a rookie QB. He saw just one target in Week 1 — and see Williams above. You can move on. Meanwhile, Luke Musgrave had a little more hype as a sleeper but was heavily out-snapped by Tucker Kraft in Brazil on Friday. See the Kraft blurb below, and send Musgrave to waivers for now.
Additions by Position
Running Backs
1. J.K. Dobbins, Chargers — Rostered in 49% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 20-22% FAAB Bid)
Week 1 was a mixed bag for new Chargers running back, J.K. Dobbins. On the one hand, he evenly split opportunities with Gus Edwards (13 for Dobbins, 12 for Edwards). On the other hand, he out-snapped Edwards 32 to 22. On the first hand, he rushed for a whopping 135 yards on his 10 carries, including scampers of 46 yards and 61 yards, along with a 12-yard touchdown. On the other hand, he seemed to lose several gears over the length of both those big runs and was easily run down and tackled on what should have been touchdowns.
The best news for Dobbins was that Edwards took his 11 carries for just 26 yards — which means Dobbins’ 13.5 yards per carry quintupled Edwards’ 2.4 (with some change). Dobbins was also more involved as a receiver. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman said before the season that the team would ride the “hot hand” at running back — through one week, that hand clearly belongs to Dobbins.
It’s entirely possible that Dobbins recovers more of his long speed further into the season (remember, he tore his Achilles exactly a year ago) and completely supplants Edwards as the lead back. It’s also possible Edwards leads the backfield in every category next week and the duo remains a conundrum all year. That’s the only reason we’re not blowing 30-40% of FAAB budgets out the gate.
Recommendation: Should be added in 10-team leagues
2. Jordan Mason, 49ers — Rostered in 37% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 12-15% FAAB Bid)
UPDATE: Christian McCaffrey was a very late inactive for Monday Night Football and Mason had a huge game in his absence; the blurb below has been edited accordingly.
Adding Jordan Mason is entirely about securing the backup to Christian McCaffrey. With former handcuff Elijah Mitchell out for the season, Mason is the clear-cut number two on one of the most fantasy-friendly depth charts in the league. McCaffrey is already dealing with injury: a calf/Achilles tendinitis issue lingering from early in training camp that kept him out of practice for roughly a month, kept him out of Week 1 against the Jets, and generates more than a little concern moving forward. In his absence on Monday Night Football, Mason was a legitimate stud, totaling 152 yards and a touchdown on 29 touches and looking absolutely elecrtic. If there was a chance McCaffrey might miss several weeks, Mason would be the top add of the week. As is, we have few reliable details on CMC, but it seems likely he will play most games but be hampered throughout the season. Mason is a top-tier handcuff and is now a must-roster running back with the developing McCaffrey news.
Recommendation: Should be added in 10-team leagues
3. Tank Bigsby, Jaguars — Rostered in 5% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 7-8% FAAB Bid)
To the delight of Tank Bigsby truthers and the chagrin of Travis Etienne managers, the two both saw 12 carries in the Week 1 loss to Miami … and Bigsby outgained Etienne by 29 yards. Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson rates decently well on the Usage/Workload portion of The Coachspeak Index, so it’s possible we should have paid more attention to his words way back in March. Pederson said via JagsWire, “We have to get Tank going, bottom line. He is too good — that's why we drafted him … He is a young player that we're excited about. Like we talked about last year, we take some burden off of Etienne a little bit, keep him healthy for the remainder of the season.”
Drafters largely agreed to ignore Pederson’s warning, taking Etienne in the second round and leaving Bigsby to the 20th. After one week, it looks like that may have been a mistake. Etienne should still be the lead back more often than not, but Bigsby could see a significant workload week-to-week and is potentially a top-tier handcuff.
Recommendation: Should be added in 12-team leagues
4. Justice Hill, Ravens — Rostered in 4% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 4-5% FAAB Bid)
Justice Hill might be one of the more popular adds of the week after he caught six of eight targets for 52 yards in the Kickoff Game last Thursday night. I’m tempering expectations a bit. The Ravens fell behind very early in the second quarter and trailed for the vast majority of the game against the ever-dominant Chiefs. That’s simply not going to be the case for Baltimore most of the season. They might enter one other game on their 2024 schedule as underdogs (at the Cowboys in Week 3) and are still among the favorites for the top seed in the AFC.
For most of the year, I expect the Ravens to be nursing a lead with Derrick Henry (who had just 13 carries in Thursday’s loss), not chasing one with Hill. Still, he’s worth a stash in deeper PPR leagues, where he could be a FLEX-able asset in the right matchups.
Recommendation: Should be stashed in 12-team PPR leagues
5. Bucky Irving, Buccaneers — Rostered in 21% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 2-3% FAAB Bid)
The Buccaneers drafted Oregon running back Bucky Irving in the fourth round as, theoretically, an alternative to Rachaad White (with a similar skillset). In Week 1, Irving was indeed an alternative (12 opportunities to White’s 21) … but he was quite an effective one. The rookie rushed for 62 yards on nine carries, including a 31-yarder, and added 14 yards receiving on two catches. His effectiveness on the ground (6.9 yards per carry) was notably better than that of White (2.1 yards per carry), who has been consistently inefficient as a runner but elite as a pass-catcher. If this continues, we may get more of an even split in future weeks, with Irving seeing more rushing snaps and White working as the primary receiving back.
Recommendation: Should be stashed in 12-team leagues
6. Ray Davis, Bills — Rostered in 19% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 1-2% FAAB Bid)
Rookie Ray Davis was not heavily utilized in the Bills’ win over the Cardinals in Week 1 — just six snaps and four opportunities — but he looked quite good on a 13-yard run and a 14-yard catch. He’s a speculative handcuff to James Cook in deep leagues.
Recommendation: Should be stashed in 14-team leagues
7. Alexander Mattison, Raiders — Rostered in 4% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 1-2% FAAB Bid)
Week 1 was not a pretty affair for the Raiders (a likely sign of things to come) but the lone “bright spot” was a 31-yard touchdown catch-and-run by Alexander Mattison. The perennial change-of-pace back added three more catches on six total targets and rushed for 19 yards on five carries. Meanwhile, Antonio Pierce and the Vegas offense were not able to get Zamir White to the coveted 20-carry range and he finished with a plodding 46 yards on 15 touches. Given how often the Raiders are likely to trail this year, and Mattison’s 22 routes in Week 1 (to White’s 9), the veteran backup is worth a speculative add in deeper leagues.
Recommendation: Should be stashed in 14-team leagues
8. Jaylen Wright, Dolphins — Rostered in 21% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 4-5% FAAB Bid)
Jeff Wilson Jr., Dolphins — Rostered in 0% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 1-2% FAAB Bid)
UPDATE: With both De'Von Achane and Raheem Mostert missing practice Monday and Tuesday, I'm adding Wright and Wilson to the waiver list as of Tuesday afternoon.
The top one or two healthy running backs on the Dolphins are going to be valuable for fantasy. The tough part right now is figuring out who those guys are. Both De'Von Achane (ankle) and Raheem Mostert (chest) are dealing with injuries coming out of Week 1, and neither has practiced so far this week heading into a Thursday Night Football matchup with the Bills. That puts both at high risk of missing the game, which would make Jaylen Wright (inactive in Week 1) and Jeff Wilson Jr. (five carries for team-high 26 yards in Week 1) intriguing plays. Given the injury history on both Achane and Mostert, this could end up being a long-term move as well. I prefer Wright by quite a lot and would raise the FAAB bid depending on how news plays out in the coming days.
Wide Receivers
1. Khalil Shakir, Bills — Rostered in 62% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 13-16% FAAB Bid)
Yes, this is technically cheating. Shakir is only 38% available in Yahoo leagues, which should make him ineligible for this column. But when one of my favorite sleepers puts together 42 yards and a touchdown with several eye-catching plays, I’m bound to break a couple of rules. Only Keon Coleman (22) and Dalton Kincaid (21) ran more routes than Shakir (16) and Shakir looked superb with the ball in his hands on all three of his catches, especially his 11-yard touchdown. I think he’s the wideout to roster in Buffalo.
Recommendation: Should be added in 10-team leagues
2. Rashid Shaheed, Saints — Rostered in 54% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 8-9% FAAB Bid)
There was some preseason interest in Rashid Shaheed as a big-play receiver who’d probably be better in best ball. Now I have some interest in him as a big-play receiver who’ll probably be better in best ball … but might also be frequently startable in lineup leagues. Shaheed caught a 59-yard bomb from Derek Carr for the opening touchdown of the Saints’ 47-10 trouncing of the Panthers and ended up tying Alvin Kamara with a team-high five targets. Shaheed totaled 95 air yards for a 41.7% air yards share (highest on the team by far), while Chris Olave saw just 13 air yards (fewer than three Saints tight ends in that metric).
Whether Derek Carr looks this good against teams besides the Carolina Panthers remains to be seen — Carr completed 82.6% of his 23 passes for 200 yards, three touchdowns, and a 142.5 passer rating. And Olave will almost certainly get him in the future. But Shaheed has flashed time and again with opportunity and could be in line for more of said opportunity after a performance like this.
Recommendation: Should be added in 12-team leagues
3. Brandin Cooks, Cowboys — Rostered in 33% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 6-7% FAAB Bid)
Last season, Brandin Cooks ended up being a viable fantasy receiver in essentially eight games with middling yards and a touchdown (to his credit, he did have 173 yards in Week 10). To start 2024 … Cooks put together a middling 40 yards and a touchdown against a tough Browns secondary. More importantly, he matched CeeDee Lamb with 29 routes run and was second on the team in targets (with seven). Moreover, Jake Ferguson is lightly to miss time with a knee injury, opening a route to additional targets and touchdown opportunities for Cooks in the near term. Dak Prescott will improve on his 19 completions and 179 yards in a blowout win over the hapless Browns in Week 1, and Cooks could be a major beneficiary in both the short and long term.
Recommendation: Should be added in 12-team leagues
4. Greg Dortch, Cardinals — Rostered in 5% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 5-6% FAAB Bid)
Good news or bad news first? Let’s go with the good. Greg Dortch led the Cardinals with six catches for 47 yards on Sunday and his eight targets were second to only Trey McBride (nine). Kyler Murray seemed to find Dortch often when it mattered. The bad news? His volume came at the expense of Marvin Harrison Jr., who saw just three targets and had just one catch. Unless MHJ is the biggest wide receiver bust in recent memory, that kind of usage imbalance will not continue in the coming weeks. The rookie led the team with 33 routes run, and Michael Wilson’s 32 also exceeded Dortch’s 23.
Dortch did see the most snaps of any Cardinals receiver out of the slot (19), which is encouraging with Harrison and Wilson dominating the outside in two-WR sets. He is an intriguing addition who could have several startable weeks throughout the season and makes for a decent PPR FLEX option.
Recommendation: Should be added in 12-team PPR leagues
5. Tyler Johnson, Rams — Rostered in 0% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 3-4% FAAB Bid)
6. Demarcus Robinson, Rams — Rostered in 6% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 3-4% FAAB Bid)
Puka Nacua is headed to IR with a knee injury and will miss at least the next four weeks. Over that span, one of Tyler Johnson or Demarcus Robinson is going to be an intriguing add as the WR2 in Los Angeles behind Cooper Kupp.
Both guys flashed on Sunday Night Football, with Robinson looking like the favorite in the red zone and Johnson showing big upside on a 63-yard catch-and-run in the second half. Robinson had a memorable stretch of startability from Weeks 13-17 last season, while Johnson’s Week 1 performance was legitimately the best of his uneventful five-year career. I’d lean towards the unknown upside of Johnson, though Robinson is a bit safer as a need-him-now FLEX play.
Recommendation: Should be added in 12-team leagues if Puka Nacua will miss time
7. Wan'Dale Robinson, Giants — Rostered in 10% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 2-3% FAAB Bid)
One of my hottest takes of the offseason was that Malik Nabers would be a bust based solely on the incompetence of Daniel Jones. Through one week, that’s looking increasingly probable — Jones completed just 52% of his 42 pass attempts in a 28-6 loss to the Vikings on Sunday — with the added threat of Wan'Dale Robinson as a target hog. The former second-round pick who has flashed in small spurts led the team with 12 targets, catching six for 44 yards and adding a rush for 14 yards. His diminutive 4.8 average depth of target won’t inspire confidence, but he still had more air yards (58) than Nabers (46).
All things considered, Robinson is more of a danger to Nabers than an exciting pickup for your fantasy squad, but if you play in a deeper PPR league, he could be FLEX-worthy on a team that will have to throw a ton this season.
Recommendation: Should be stashed in 12- or 14-team PPR leagues
8. Devaughn Vele, Broncos — Rostered in 0% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 1-2% FAAB Bid)
A seventh-round pick with decent athleticism numbers and prototypical size, Devaughn Vele started getting a little buzz at the end of Broncos camp, especially when the team moved on from Tim Patrick. It’s possible the buzz was relevant, as he started the season with eight catches on eight targets in Week 1 against the Seahawks. Granted, in a rather abysmal showing by rookie QB Bo Nix, Vele’s eight catches resulted in just 39 yards. Still, he led the team in receptions. Intriguing.
Recommendation: Should be monitored in 12- or 14-team leagues
9. Alec Pierce, Colts — Rostered in 2% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 1-2% FAAB Bid)
There will be some hoopla over Alec Pierce this week after the third-year receiver totaled 125 yards, highlighted by a monstrous 60-yard touchdown. Here are the problems (and they are numerous): 12.5 of his 20 fantasy points (in half-PPR scoring) came on a single play, Josh Downs was inactive, and Anthony Richardson completed just nine passes in the entire game. With Richardson’s arm, Pierce may find a few more of those plays this season, but they won’t be a weekly occurrence. As such, Pierce is a speculative upside add in case his performance earns him increased opportunity — but this could unironically be his best game of the year.
Recommendation: Should be stashed in 14-team leagues
Tight Ends
1. Isaiah Likely, Ravens — Rostered in 28% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 18-22% FAAB Bid)
First off, don’t panic on Mark Andrews. This recommendation does not come at Andrews’ expense and the perennial stud should get better for fantasy as he gets healthier. That said, I think Isaiah Likely could be a weekly starter at the tight end position no matter what Andrews does. We are looking at the very rare two-relevant-fantasy-tight-ends-on-a-single-team scenario.
In the kickoff game, Likely put together a nine-catch, 111-yard, one-TD performance that was half an inch away from being another catch, 10 yards, and touchdown better. He was far and away the best receiver on the team, with Rashod Bateman and Zay Flowers flashing briefly but doing little to lock down the WR1 role. Baltimore has no true alpha receiver, which means the “top dog” will likely rotate week to week depending on the opponent and situation. I think Likely ends up in that role as often as anyone, which makes him a must-add at a fantasy position that’s already looking thinner than we thought a week ago.
Recommendation: Should be added in 10-team leagues
2. Tucker Kraft, Packers — Rostered in 2% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 7-8% FAAB Bid)
Snaps: 55. Routes: 28. Those are some mighty impressive numbers for second-year tight end Tucker Kraft. Only the offensive linemen and Jordan Love had more offensive snaps, and only Romeo Doubs ran more routes (33) in Brazil on Friday. Meanwhile, fellow tight end Luke Musgrave totaled just eight routes on 15 snaps. The involvement didn’t translate into the box score for Kraft, who had just two catches for 37 yards on three targets, but playtime begets opportunity and opportunity begets fantasy points. Add Kraft now (on the cheap) before he breaks out.
Recommendation: Should be added in 12-team leagues
3. Taysom Hill, Saints — Rostered in 57% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 6-7% FAAB Bid)
If you’re in immediate need at tight end and don’t have the capital to acquire Likely, I’d point you once again to Taysom Hill. He didn’t have a monster day in the Saints’ shellacking of the Panthers — just 36 yards on seven opportunities — but he remains involved in the New Orleans offense and will have (much) bigger games in the future. Very few players at the tight end position are weekly locks (Hill outscored Mark Andrews and Dalton Kincaid, after all), and Hill offers more upside than most.
Recommendation: Should be added in 12-team leagues
4. Colby Parkinson, Rams — Rostered in 6% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 4-5% FAAB Bid)
Colby Parkinson did very, very little through four years in Seattle (logging exactly 25 catches and two touchdowns on 34 targets each of the last two seasons). But through one game in Los Angeles, I’m already intrigued. Parkinson looked extremely effective filling in for Tyler Higbee (who’s starting the year on PUP), hauling in four catches for 47 yards on five targets in the overtime loss to the Lions on Sunday night. With Puka Nacua missing the next four weeks on short-term IR, Matthew Stafford will need targets besides Cooper Kupp. Parkinson could put together the mid-range TE1 production that Higbee often does in this offense, which makes him a viable play for the near term.
Recommendation: Should be stashed in 12-team leagues
Watch List: If Jake Ferguson misses significant time with his injury, monitor the Cowboys' depth chart for a tight end of note — Luke Schoonmaker would theoretically be the next man up. Alongside Taysom Hill in New Orleans, both Foster Moreau (four catches, 43 yards, TD) and Juwan Johnson (2 catches, 26 yards, TD) are worth monitoring.
Quarterbacks
1. Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers — Rostered in 34% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 5-6% FAAB Bid)
First things first. We need to take this performance with a Washington-sized grain of salt. The Commanders were absolutely atrocious against fantasy quarterbacks last season, allowing an NFL-high 20.7 points per game to the position. Tommy DeVito and Tyrod Taylor had 20-point outings against the Commanders. Yes, you read that right. And little has changed for the better. So while Baker Mayfield’s 289-yard, four-TD performance on Sunday is shocking … it’s not that shocking.
Still, Baker was a QB1 last season and has started this season as — checks notes — the QB2 overall in 2024, behind only Josh Allen. Next week should be a tougher test against the Lions on the road, so feel free to sit on this pickup for a week. But it’s a pickup that should be made.
Recommendation: Should be added in 12-team leagues
2. Justin Fields, Steelers — Rostered in 14% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 2-3% FAAB Bid)
With Russell Wilson relegated to “third emergency QB” amid calf tightness, Justin Fields got the Week 1 start for the Steelers. He wasn’t great, completing 17 passes for just 156 yards, but in true Fields fashion, he rushed for 57 yards (on 14 carries). For as long as Fields is starting — and that feels like a currently impossible timeline to diagnose — he is in consideration as a QB1 just off the rushing upside. The Steelers are unlikely to score 18 points off field goals (and zero off touchdowns) most weeks, so Fields will find the end zone.
Recommendation: Should be stashed in 12-team leagues
3. Derek Carr, Saints — Rostered in 10% of Yahoo Leagues (Suggested 1-2% FAAB Bid)
As with Baker above, we need to be clear out the gate. Derek Carr’s 200-yard, three-TD performance on Sunday was likely as much (or more) a product of an atrocious Carolina defense as it was Carr’s competence. Still completing 83% of your passes and throwing three touchdowns (including a 59-yard strike to Rashid Shaheed) is impressive regardless of opponent, and Carr did the vast majority of his 20 fantasy points of damage without Chris Olave (who had just two catches for 11 yards). Carr gets a real test next week against the Cowboys in Dallas — I would not start him for that game, but he’s worth tucking away if you need QB depth.
Recommendation: Should be stashed in 12-team leagues
Defenses
1. Chargers — Rostered in 11% of Yahoo Leagues
Against an admittedly bad Raiders offense, the Chargers looked like a whole new defense under Jim Harbaugh on Sunday. They racked up four sacks, an interception, and two fumble recoveries and allowed just 10 points to Gardner Minshew and Co. With Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, and Derwin James, they’ve got the talent to be a weekly start for fantasy. And in Week 2, they get the Carolina Panthers. They’re a good bet for 20 fantasy points.
Kickers
1. Blake Grupe, Saints — Rostered in 3% of Yahoo Leagues
Blake Grupe kicked his second NFL season off with a bang (pun intended), nailing four field goals (including two from 50+) and five extra points in the Saints’ rout of the Panthers. New Orleans won’t score 47 points most weeks, but Grupe clearly has the leg to be fantasy-relevant.
2. Chris Boswell, Steelers — Rostered in 5% of Yahoo Leagues
If the Steelers offense is going to be this good at getting into scoring range but not into the end zone, Chris Boswell is going to be the top kicker in fantasy this year. He hit an absurd six field goals, including three from 50+ on Sunday. He’s a reliable vet on what figures to be a conservative offense with a good defense. That makes him a starting fantasy kicker.
