Week 1 of the NFL season has come and gone. The first week is always the hardest week to predict waiver wire targets as we simply don’t have anything to go off of. Most of our suggestions didn’t do the best but again, most of them were season long plays opposed to immediate impacts. We did hit some good ones in Geno Smith (18.8 points,) Brandin Cooks (14.5 points) and Juwan Johnson (10.6 points.) We now have a week’s worth of games to go off of so let’s dive into the Week 2 suggestions!
Each week, I will develop a list of must add targets for fantasy football leagues. My goal is to keep each suggestion under 40-percent owned in Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues. At least one of my suggestions will be owned in less than 10-percent of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues. I will also strive to have at least one player per position (QB, WR, RB and TE.)
Geno Smith didn’t do much with his arm in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos but scored a rushing touchdown to help his numbers. Brandin Cooks saw a healthy seven targets, grabbing four of them for 30 yards and a touchdown. He even ran the ball once. Juwan Johnson had himself a top ten tight-end performance as he caught two of his three targets for 26 yards and a score.
Week 1 Results
Will Levis (Tennessee Titans) - 8.7 Points
Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks) - 18.8 Points
Jaleel McLaughlin (Denver Broncos) - 5.8 Points
Samaje Perine (Kansas City Chiefs) - 2 Points
Jordan Mason (San Francisco 49ers) -
MarShawn Lloyd (Green Bay Packers) - 0 Points
Brandin Cooks (Dallas Cowboys) - 14.5 Points
Adonai Mitchell (Indianapolis Colts) - 1.2 Points
Ja’Lynn Polk (New England Patriots) - 1.6 Points
Cade Otton (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - 1.5 Points
Juwan Johnson (New Orleans Saints) - 10.6 Points
Week 2 Suggestions
Quarterback
Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - Owned in 34% of Yahoo and 34% of ESPN Leagues
Mayfield had himself a game to open the Buccaneers’ 2024 campaign. He threw for four touchdowns and 289 yards. Mayfield finished as the QB9 a season ago and came into this season with an offense that didn’t see much change. If you are one to stream quarterbacks, this is the chance to grab what could be your every week starter. He gets the Lions this week who just gave up 317 passing yards to Matthew Stafford last week.
Sam Darnold (Minnesota Vikings) - Owned in 10% of Yahoo and 4.2% of ESPN Leagues
Darnold flashed his accuracy in Week 1 against the New York Giants as he went 22-for-35 for 208 yards and a touchdown. Darnold’s overall fantasy numbers won’t jump off the page at you but the Vikings did not need to throw the ball in the second half as they were up big on the Giants. The Vikings offer one of the best receiving corps in the league. If he can maintain his accuracy with the weapons he has, he could be one of the best fantasy darlings of the season.
Runningbacks
Tank Bigsby (Jacksonville Jaguars) - Owned in 5% of Yahoo and 4.6% of ESPN Leagues
Bigsby matched Travis Etienne with 12 carries in the Jaguars’ Week 1 loss to the Miami Dolphins. However, Bigsby did more with his touches, out rushing Etienne 73 yards to 44 yards. Bigsby won’t eat into Etienne’s pass catching work but it appears the Jaguars will be splitting the backfield carries. If this continues to be the case, Bigsby is a must target and in the event of Etienne going down, has high-end RB2 upside.
Justice Hill (Baltimore Ravens) - Owned in 4% of Yahoo and 3.3% of ESPN Leagues
Now, Hill isn’t going to do much in terms of eating into Derrick Henry’s touches but what is promising is that Hill saw eight targets in Week 1. Hill saw eight targets, catching six of them for 52 yards. If we saw a wide receiver seeing that type of volume on the waiver wire, they would be a must add. I don’t think Hill see’s eight targets each-and-every-week, but it’s apparent that he’s going to be heavily involved in the Ravens’ passing game, especially with Henry being a career non-participant in that aspect of the game.
Bucky Irving (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) - Owned in 21% of Yahoo and 20.7% of ESPN Leagues
Bucky Irving is another back-up running back who saw a similar work load to their respective team’s starter but ran for more yards. Irving ran the ball nine times for 62 yards while catching two-of-three targets for 14 yards. Starter Rachaad White ran the ball 15 times for just 31 yards. White isn’t going anywhere but with the way this Buccaneers’ offense looked in Week 1, I want any part of it that is seeing double-digit touches.
Alexander Mattison (Las Vegas Raiders) - Owned in 4% of Yahoo and 10.2% of ESPN Leagues
Mattison ran the ball just five times in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers but did see six targets in the passing game, catching four of them for 43 yards and a score. I was huge on Zamir White heading into the season, whom I still believe in, but we can’t ignore anyone seeing double-digit chances. Mattison is my least confident of the running back suggestions I’ve made but again, double-digit opportunities can’t be ignored.
Wide Receivers
Brandin Cooks (Dallas Cowboys) - Owned in 33% of Yahoo and 29.7% of ESPN Leagues
Cooks appeared in this series a week ago prior to Week 1 and did not disappoint. He saw seven targets from Dak Prescott this week, catching four of them for 40 yards and a touchdown. I spoke about it last week, but once he got into his groove in Dallas last season, from Week 10 to the end of the season, he was the WR14 in all of fantasy football. He’s already emerged as the WR2 to CeeDee Lamb in Dallas and as Lamb will continue to draw all of the defensive attention, there will be plenty of chances for Cooks moving forward.
Greg Dortch (Arizona Cardinals) - Owned in 5% of Yahoo and 1.7% of ESPN Leagues
Dortch was arguably the biggest Week 1 waiver wire darling. Dortch led all Cardinals’ receivers with eight targets from Kyler Murray. He caught six of them for 47 yards while rushing the ball once. There’s no doubt that Marvin Harrison Jr. will eventually emerge as the WR1 in the desert but until then, nine opportunities for any receiver can’t be ignored. The Cardinals get the Rams next week which will be tough, but beyond that, get the Lions and Commanders, both plus matchups.
Wan’Dale Robinson (New York Giants) - Owned in 10% of Yahoo and 6.8% of ESPN Leagues
How do I put this nicely? The Giants stink. So why would I have one of their receivers listed? Simple. They’ll be playing from behind week-in-and-week-out. Robinson was a prime example of this in Week 1 as he saw 12 targets, which was five more than Malik Nabers who had the second most. Robinson caught six of those targets for 44 yards and added a rush for 14 yards. As I’ve been harping this entire article, volume is key and anyone seeing 12 targets any given week needs a good look at on the waiver wire.
Alec Pierce (Indianapolis Colts) - Owned in 2% of Yahoo and 0.5% of ESPN Leagues
With Josh Downs out, we thought Adonai Mitchell would be the biggest benefactor but actually it was Pierce. Now Pierce saw just three targets, but he caught all three of them for 125 yards and a touchdown. We don’t know Downs’ status for Week 2 or beyond as he recovers from a high ankle sprain but if Downs is to miss any more time, the connection between Anthony Richardson and Pierce, paired with Pierce’s big play potential, can’t be ignored.
Tight Ends
Isiah Likely (Baltimore Ravens) - Owned in 29% of Yahoo and 9.9% of ESPN Leagues
Even with a healthy Mark Andrews on the field, Likely saw 12 targets in the Ravens’ Week 1 loss to the Chiefs. He caught nine of those balls for 111 yards and a touchdown and was half-of-a-big-toe from adding a second score. Again, we don’t know if this was the result of former All-Pro Andrews not being 100-percent but once again, 12 targets can’t be ignored, especially for a tight end. Likely will likely (yes I did that,) be the top waiver wire target for Week 2.
Juwan Johnson (New Orleans Saints) - Owned in 3% of Yahoo and 14.7% of ESPN Leagues
Johnson is the second player on this list to make a second appearance on the season. I harped on Johnson during the pre-season process, deeming him a potential top ten fantasy tight end. So far (although it’s one week,) Johnson has delivered. He saw just three targets in the Saints’ Week 1 blowout of the Panthers but did find the endzone. If he continues to be a redzone target for Derek Carr and the Saints, along with how thin the tight end position continues to be, he’ll do just fine.
Opmerkingen