NFL Waiver Wire: Week 2 Pickups

As it is every year, Week 1 was full of surprises. They started about a couple hours before kickoff when it was announced that both Zack Moss and Trey Sermon would be inactive for their respective teams. The 49ers could have used Sermon once Raheem Mostert went down, and it's not the time to drop or give up on him yet. The we found out as the early games were winding down that Odell Beckham was also an unexpected inactive. Might he have made a difference for the Browns against the Chiefs? Maybe. Of course, there were injuries, with the most notable fantasy-wise being Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jerry Jeudy. 

Let's look at players to targets this week on the waiver wire. After one week, don't push the panic button but also be aggressive if you need to, considering you might use this player for the rest of the season.

This column is geared toward "standard" 12-team leagues and based upon a $100 free-agent budget. Please adjust for your league based on both the number of teams (I'm in a 24-team league, for example) and remaining budget.

Quarterback

PRIMARY TARGETS

Jameis Winston, NO - Winston had about as good as debut as he could have with the Saints, throwing five touchdown passes. He is on the roster in 44 percent of Yahoo leagues, so it's essentially a coin flip as to where he's available. The Saints schedule/division doesn't appear to be too daunting, and Winston did his damage against an above-average defense in the Packers. The receiving corps looked solid even without Michael Thomas or Marquez Callaway making a big impact. Jameis also will get some extra yards with his legs — 37 rushing yards Sunday. FAAB: $10-$20

SECONDARY TARGETS

Taylor Heinicke, WAS - Ryan Fitzpatrick is going to miss a good chunk of the season (at least eight games) with a hip injury, opening the door for Heinicke to take over the starting role. In typical 12-team leagues he's nothing more but a possible backup depending on what's on the waiver wire and normally would be in the "Hail Mary" category. However, in super flex or two-QB leagues he is relevant (even Andy Dalton is gone in those). Heinicke will get a short week with the starters with the Thursday game on tap, but WFT upgraded its receiving corps this offseason, so he'll have some help. FAAB: $1-$2; 2-QB leagues: $20-$25

Running Backs

PRIMARY TARGETS

Elijah Mitchell, SF - Mitchell rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and looked  comfortable in his first professional game. He's probably the top target for most on the waiver wire despite any position you're considering. Raheem Mostert is out for at least eight weeks and even when he returns he could be eased back in if Mitchell continues playing like he did Sunday. It's almost certain Trey Sermon will be active this week. It's hard to tell if Kyle Shanahan will stick with Mitchell, give Sermon a shot or use a timeshare. It's also notable that JaMycal Hasty vultured a goal-line touchdown with his only carry. It's probably a good idea to be aggressive, as starting running backs who should see plenty of touches are hard to come by. Even if you're set at running back, take a chance on him and use him for trade bait to the next highest bidder or two. FAAB: $25-plus

SECONDARY TARGETS

Mark Ingram, HOU - I'm holding my nose as I write this given that Ingram averaged only 3.3 yards per carry, but the volume was there with 26 carries. With his touchdown, he scored 14.6 fantasy points, which is in solid RB2 territory, but the 26 carries were due to game script and it's doubtful he sees that many again this season. David Johnson and Phillip Lindsay are lurking to steal touches and they'll handle the pass-catching duties, limiting Ingram (one target Sunday) in PPR formats. It's also doubtful the Texans play in many more blowouts this season, but maybe they're better than everyone expected. FAAB: $4-$8

HAIL MARY

Carlos Hyde, JAC - James Robinson was expected to be the lead back, but it was Hyde who finished with more touches (11) for 58 yards from scrimmage. This appears to be a timeshare with Hyde getting more carries and Robinson utilized more in the passing game. It's also possible the Jaguars play the hot hand every week, which could make Hyde a headache to owners. He was worth mentioning, as the waiver wire for running back is extremely thin this week. FAAB: $1-$2

Damien Williams, CHI - Williams is clearly the backup to David Montgomery but could still have some PPR value. Williams had 10 touches (some in garbage time) but what's intriguing is that he had five targets (four catches). Williams' value would shoot through the roof if anything happened to Montgomery as Khalil Herbert didn't see any carries. FAAB: FCFS

Wide Receivers

PRIMARY TARGETS

Tim Patrick, DEN - The Jerry Jeudy injury will put Tim Patrick on the fantasy radar after being rostered on only 2 percent of Yahoo leagues. Patrick had games of 10.1 fantasy points in eight games (PPR) last season while Courtland Sutton was banged up and possesses the makeup of a No. 1 wide receiver with his size and speed. Without Jeudy, Patrick has the upside to be the top receiving option for the Broncos. Speaking of Jeudy, I doubt we see him for quite some time. Unless you have a huge bench or IR spots, he's droppable in redraft leagues. FAAB: $8-$14

SECONDARY TARGETS

Christian Kirk, ARI - Kirk was a big part of the Cardinals' victory Sunday, catching all five of his targets for 70 yards and two touchdowns. He appears to be the No. 2 target behind DeAndre Hopkins (unless you think A.J. Green has a time machine) and has a top-5 quarterback throwing to him. It would make sense to keep Kirk in the slot where he's the most comfortable, and it'll be tough for opposing teams to defend him from that position. FAAB: $4-$8

Sterling Shepard, NYG - Despite having a 9-7-113-1 line Sunday, I'm probably not as high as most on Shepard. I think games like this will happen every three or four games, and there are a few reasons I'm probably ignoring him on waivers this week. Do we really trust Daniel Jones yet? Throw in that Kenny Golladay (6-4-64) and Darius Slayton (7-3-65) are in the weekly mix and it feels like a dart throw between the three figuring out who will have the relevant fantasy week. If anything, Jones' arrow is pointing slightly up, considering this is likely the best, healthiest group of receivers he's had in a while. FAAB: $3-$6

Deonte Harris, NO - I'd love to be higher on Harris, but getting only two targets Sunday suggests he has a low floor. He's a speedster comparable to a KJ Hamler or John Brown, who will be quiet for a few games before hitting a long home run. The injuries to Michael Thomas and Tre'Quan Smith opened an opportunity for Harris, just keep in mind both are expected to return to the team once they're healed. FAAB: $3-$6

HAIL MARY

Van Jefferson, LAR - Jefferson should emerge as one of the better No. 3 wide receivers in the league this season and showed Sunday night why he could. He'd be higher on this list except Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp are clearly ahead of him and Matthew Stafford appears to have a good rapport with Tyler Higbee. Jefferson's 3-2-80-1 line shows he's not going to be a target monster and he won't get a lazy Bears' secondary to face on a weekly basis. The recommendation is if Kupp or Woods were to miss time, he'd have a lot of upside. FAAB: $1-$2

Anthony Schwartz, CLE - Schwartz got his first taste of NFL action Sunday, finishing with 96 yards from scrimmage and five targets. One of the unheralded rookie wide receivers this year, Schwartz ran a 10.15-second 100 meters as a high schooler, showing elite speed. I'd be a bit higher on him, but I expect Odell Beckham to return sooner than later. FAAB: $1-$2 

Tight Ends

PRIMARY TARGETS

Juwan Johnson, NO - I went back and forth as whether to put Johnson in the Secondary Targets section or here. I settled on here for a few reasons. Johnson had only three targets and turned them into two touchdowns. There could be a good rapport between him and Jameis Winston in the red zone and maybe 10ish touchdowns is possible. Teammate Adam Trautman finished Sunday with more targets (six) but none were in the red zone. So expecting 500-600 receiving yards and six-to-eight touchdowns seems like a reasonable forecast. Johnson also has wide receiver eligibility on some sites (Yahoo, for example), allowing a little more flexibility to use him. FAAB: $10-$15

SECONDARY TARGETS

Cole Kmet, CHI - Jimmy Graham has more of the brand name, but Kmet is easily the better fantasy player of the two given where they are in their perspective careers. Kmet had 42 receiving yards (Andy Dalton missed him early in the game when he was wide open on fourth down) and his seven targets were second only to Allen Robinson (Darnell Mooney also had seven). Going back to last season, Kmet averaged 5.7 targets in his last six games, showing the Bears were making him a bigger piece of their offense. FAAB: $3-$6

Defenses

STREAMING OPTIONS

Green Bay vs. Detroit Lions - Streaming defenses is pretty thin this week with a lot of the teams on waivers having tough matchups. Green Bay got torched by Jameis Winston, but it was a road game and the Saints are probably better than most people thought. I don't trust Jared Goff, who was Captain Checkdown last week (16 catches for D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams), and with this game being home on a Monday night, the Packers should be very motivated. FAAB: $2