Fantasy Football ‘24: Waiver Wire, Week 2 Edition

Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season is almost in the books! Thankfully, after the Jordan Love injury on Friday night there weren’t too many significant injuries on Sunday. But as is the case every week in fantasy, several big-name players came up snake eyes in Week 1 (I see you, Joe Burrow, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Drake London, Marvin Harrison, Jr., Travis Kelce, and Mark Andrews managers). It’s natural that the biggest overreactions of the entire season come after Week 1. No, all hope is not lost, no matter what happened. And if you had a bad opening week, it’s natural to look at your league’s free agent (FA) pool to see if there might be players available who can improve your roster. I’m here to help.

Working the Waiver Wire is an important component of success in season-long fantasy football. Some might say it’s as important as the draft. A few key elements of the Waiver Wire experience vary by league, such as league size (the smaller the league, the better the FA pool), bench size (ditto), availability of an IR spot, and how waivers are processed. Some leagues remain in the Fantasy Dark Ages and use priority waivers. If that’s you, it’s time to be like the cool kids and change to a Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB) system for next year. If your league uses FAAB, one thing to bear in mind is that your dollars are worth a little more right now. Why? Because any player you acquire now might be with you for 13 or 14 more weeks before your playoffs start. With each passing week, that number goes down, but you’re using the same dollars. I’m not arguing that you should blow your entire budget now, and saving money for later in the season has benefits. My take: Unlike last year, which featured Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams emerging right away, the Free Agent crop this week is below average for Week 2 pickups.

The Process: Each week, I try to identify the top Waiver Wire targets and evaluate the short- and long-term prospects of those players. I also do my best to reveal which players who are coming off a big week are fool’s gold. Finally, I look at streamers who might help you in a pinch (this is usually more important during Bye weeks). Note that I’m writing this column BEFORE the Monday night game.

Some players discussed won’t be available in your league. I try to list players who are available in more than 50% of leagues. But what does that even mean? A 10-team league with six bench spots will have a much larger FA pool than a 14-team league with eight. Most leagues fall somewhere in between. This isn’t “one size fits all.” By way of example, I’m not going to discuss J.K. Dobbins, Brian Thomas, Jr., or Rasheed Shaheed because they each should’ve been drafted in the vast majority of leagues. I’ve got Dobbins on more than half of my rosters! If any of these guys are available in your league, make them priority adds.

Let’s take a look at what’s available this week.

WEEK 2 BYES: NONE

Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Week 2 Waiver Wire

Quarterback:

Baker Mayfield. Mayfield won’t be available in Superflex leagues, but he should be out there in plenty of 1-QB leagues. He finished as a Top-10 quarterback last season, and is off to a scorching start in 2024. If you read my Week 1 Preview last week, you know he was my top QB sleeper for Week 1. He won’t get to play many defenses as bad as the Commanders, and obviously that very favorable matchup is part of why he went off with four TD passes, but he’s been on a heater going back to midway through last season. He’s got the weapons to put up big numbers, and he’d be a top priority for me if I needed a fill-in for Love. He’s a good add to your roster in any case.

Matthew Stafford. Stafford is another quarterback to consider if you need help at the position. He’s always going to be slinging it in Sean McVay’s creative offense and has solid receiving weapons at his disposal, even if Puka Nacua (knee) ends up missing time. He has Top-10 QB potential.

Justin Fields. A big discussion this off-season was if and when Fields might take over for Russell Wilson in Pittsburgh. It happened immediately, due to a calf injury that sidelined Wilson for the opener at Atlanta. Fields didn’t exactly light it up at the Falcons, but his rushing prowess makes him a valuable fantasy asset any time he’s going to play. The timeline of Wilson’s return isn’t clear, and the Steelers did win on the road with Fields under center. He’s worth a roster spot.

No, I cannot in good conscience recommend Malik Willis. Just, no. If you want a shaky QB with good weapons, Sam Darnold is a better choice. He’s rostered in the majority of Superflex leagues though, and I wouldn’t bother rostering him in 1-QB leagues unless you’re desperate. Want people in your league to say “wow, that savvy manager is thinking ahead?” If you’re in a Superflex, have the space, and want a stash with upside, consider either Michael Penix, Jr. or Jameis Winston, based on what we saw in Week 1.

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

Running Back:

Tank Bigsby. Bigsby struggled as a rookie, but he had a great camp and appears to be in line for a bigger role in 2024. He and Travis Etienne each had 12 carries in Jacksonville’s loss to Miami, and he gained a lot more yards while Etienne lost a costly fumble. He’s a good add for depth to your RB corps.

Zach Charbonnet. Kenneth Walker is the clear No. 1 for the Seahawks, with Charbonnet slotted in for some third down and change-of-pace work. Walker left Sunday’s game late in the fourth quarter with an abdominal issue and while early word is that he’s fine, Charbonnet is one of those backups that would have a big role in a good offense if anything happened to Walker, plus he has stand-alone value, as he showed by getting behind the defense for a 30-yard TD catch on Sunday.

Bucky Irving. I recommended Irving as a sleeper for drafts and if Week 1 is any indication, he’s another backup who’s going to have stand-alone value and who would immediately be worth starting if anything happened to the starter (Rachaad White). He had 74 total yards from scrimmage in his NFL debut against the overmatched Commanders.

Other RB depth adds to consider: Jordan Mason (SF, playing tonight), Jaleel McLaughlin and Ty Chandler.

Wide Receiver:

Brandin Cooks. Cooks is available in well over 50% of leagues on most of the major platforms, but shouldn’t be. He’s the No. 2 wide receiver in one of the top passing offenses in the NFL and with Jake Ferguson likely to miss some time with an MCL sprain, he should be looking at more targets. Cooks scored on Sunday, and he quietly scored 8 TDs last season. He’s worth rostering.

DeMarcus Robinson. Robinson was a borderline flex play at different times last season, and if Puka Nacua (knee) misses time, Robinson will see more targets and would definitely have some appeal in 3-WR leagues or as a flex option.

Alec Pierce. Pierce got behind the Texans defense for a long TD on Sunday, and after his 100 yard day he’ll be recommended by many as a pickup. I think he’s fine to add as a speculative play, but he only caught three passes on Sunday and to me he feels like a very boom-or-bust, inconsistent option. It’s also worth remembering that Josh Downs missed this game.

Wan’Dale Robinson. Here‘s another Robinson for you to consider for WR depth. I can’t decide whether “train wreck” or “dumpster fire” is a better descriptor for the Giants’ offense on Sunday (I was there), but let’s not ignore that Wan’Dale got 12 targets while Jalin Hyatt played a total of 16 snaps.

If you’re looking for WR depth, some other names to consider are Greg Dortch and Jalen McMillan.

Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images

Tight End:

With both David Njoku and Jake Ferguson getting hurt in the DAL-CLE game, some of you might be looking for TE help on the wire this week.

Isaiah Likely. He’s likely the top name at any position this week. Get it? In past years, he showed how good he can be when Mark Andrews is out of the lineup, but didn’t hold much stand-alone value otherwise. One week is just that (one week), but Thursday night’s game looked like a pretty big indication that the Ravens are going to play a lot of 2-TE sets, and use Likely out of the slot where he’s a mismatch nightmare. We all saw his potential game-tying TD in the closing seconds negated because his toes touched the end line, but even without that, he’s by the TE1 for the week (by a mile) headed into Monday night, with 21.6 Half PPR fantasy points in the bank. Andrews is still going to have his big games, but Likely is definitely worth a priority add, as he’s in a great offense for TEs and has a legitimate shot at being a low-end TE1 this season (or higher if anything happens to Andrews).

Colby Parkinson. With Tyler Higbee on IR, Parkinson has the Rams’ top TE job locked down, in a TE-friendly and pass-happy offense. Stafford looked his way a decent amount on Sunday night, and he’d be another beneficiary if Nacua misses games. He’s a nice depth add with upside to be a starter as needed. His 4-47 stat line in week 1 is promising.

Tyler Conklin. Keep an eye on how he does on Monday night, in a tough matchup at the 49ers. He was one of my favorite TE sleepers for fantasy drafts.

PK and Streamers, Week 2 (ranked outside the Top-12):

PK: Matt Prater (vs. LAR).

D/ST:IND (@GB, just trust me on this), SEA (@NE), DEN (vs. PIT).

Good luck with your waiver claims!

***This column appears each Monday right here at Big Blue View. Each Thursday, my weekly fantasy preview with my rides, fades and sleepers (start/sit) appears here, and on Fridays you can find my weekly FanDuel Props of the week for the Giants, also right here. ***