Fantasy Football Week 2 Waiver Wire: Top players to add at each position, plus FAB advice

Every Monday during the season, Justin Boone breaks down his top recommended waiver-wire pickups.

Roster percentages are generated from Yahoo fantasy football leagues. Free-Agent Budget (FAB) amounts are based on a $100 salary cap. Only players rostered in less than 50% of leagues are considered.

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Key injuries to monitor

• George Kittle (hamstring)

• Jauan Jennings (shoulder)

Quarterbacks

Daniel Jones, Colts

Make no mistake, we just saw the Colts offense beat up on what appears to be a very bad Dolphins defense. So it’s possible Jones’ best game of the season has already occurred. However, with the weapons around him and his rushing ability, there’s a path for Jones to flirt with low-end QB1 fantasy stats this year. We’ve already seen him do that once before when he was the QB11 in fantasy points per game in 2022. The matchup this week with the Broncos is one to avoid, but there are plenty of favorable opponents coming up on the schedule.

Jaxson Dart, Giants

It was very evident in Week 1 that Russell Wilson will not be under center for long in New York and after the game his head coach Brian Daboll wouldn’t confirm that he’ll be the starter moving forward. Based on what we saw from Dart in the preseason, he can at least breathe some life into this offense. The first-rounder completed 68% of the passes this summer for 372 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions — while also rushing six times for 52 yards and a score. If he gets the start in Week 2, he’ll immediately be in the streamer conversation thanks to his production on the ground.

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Trevor Lawrence (at CIN) is just above the 50% rostered mark but would be the top add if available based on his matchup.

Streaming options: Matthew Stafford at TEN (27% rostered), Aaron Rodgers vs. SEA (14% rostered)

Risky streaming options: Geno Smith vs. LAC (21% rostered)

Desperation streaming options: Tua Tagovailoa vs. NE (25% rostered), Bryce Young at ARI (25% rostered), Cam Ward vs. LAR (25% rostered), Sam Darnold at PIT (13% rostered), Joe Flacco at BAL (5% rostered), Spencer Rattler vs. SF (2% rostered)

Running Backs

Quinshon Judkins/Dylan Sampson, Browns

I normally don’t include players above the 50% rostered mark in this section, but we’re making an exception for Judkins given his strange circumstances. After not signing until the eve of Week 1, Judkins sat out the opener and is targeting Week 2 for his debut, according to Adam Schefter. The rookie will first have to meet with the NFL this week regarding his investigation, so we should know more about any possible suspension soon. In the meantime, fantasy managers would be wise to scoop up Judkins if he’s still available. The second-rounder is by far the most talented back in Cleveland and shouldn’t take long to establish himself atop the depth chart.

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In his absence, Sampson caught eight passes for 64 yards, while rushing 12 times for 29 yards on Sunday. That performance could help to establish an eventual committee with Judkins as the lead back and Sampson as the primary passing-down option. If that occurs, Judkins will offer RB3 value with some upside and Sampson being a weekly RB3/flex.

High-upside backups like Ray Davis (33% rostered), Tyler Allgeier (32% rostered), and Najee Harris (43% rostered) should be rostered in most leagues.

Flex options: Trey Benson vs. CAR (39% rostered), Rico Dowdle at ARI (20% rostered)

Risky flex options: Kyle Monangai at DET (9% rostered), Rachaad White at HOU (42% rostered)

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Dart-throw flex options: D.J. Giddens vs. DEN (3% rostered), Ollie Gordon II vs. NE (42% rostered), Miles Sanders vs. NYG (2% rostered), Kenneth Gainwell vs. SEA (1% rostered)

Dart-throw flex options (if healthy): Will Shipley at KC (11% rostered)

Other backups to roster: Kendre Miller (4% rostered), Jaydon Blue (32% rostered), Blake Corum (10% rostered), Kareem Hunt (18% rostered)

Deep stashes: Keaton Mitchell (3% rostered), Tahj Brooks (2% rostered), Zamir White (1% rostered), Chris Brooks (0% rostered), Dameon Pierce (5% rostered), Sean Tucker (3% rostered), A.J. Dillon (1% rostered), Jarquez Hunter (2% rostered), Chris Rodriguez Jr. (7% rostered), Brashard Smith (2% rostered), Trevor Etienne (1% rostered), Tyler Badie (0% rostered)

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Injured-reserve stashes: Tyjae Spears (34% rostered), MarShawn Lloyd (3% rostered)

Wide Receivers

Hollywood Brown, Chiefs

With Rashee Rice suspended for the first six games, Xavier Worthy dealing with a separated shoulder that will sideline him for an unknown amount of time and Travis Kelce appearing to be in full decline, the Chiefs are in desperate need for a pass-catcher to step up. As the last man standing, Brown turned 16 targets into 10 receptions and 99 yards in Week 1. Brown is far from an ideal candidate to be Patrick Mahomes’ No. 1 receiver, but until Rice and/or Worthy return that’s exactly what’s about to happen. Though Brown is unlikely to see such an inflated amount of targets on a per game basis, he’ll still be a top-24 fantasy WR for the next month or more. The other depth wideouts in Kansas City, like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton, are very risky flex options. However, you should keep an eye on the health of rookie Jalen Royals, who could step into a starting role if he can return quickly from his knee injury.

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Quentin Johnston/Keenan Allen, Chargers

The Chargers picked up where they left off in 2024, by unleashing Justin Herbert’s arm in Week 1. This team will never abandon the run, but there’s plenty of pass volume to go around in the version of this offense we’ve seen since their bye last year. Johnston overcame a preseason concussion to deliver a 5-79-2 stat line in the opener, as a near full-time player (81.5% of the snaps). If he keeps this up, he’s more than capable of holding off rookie WRs Tre’ Harris and KeAndre Lambert-Smith, en route to being a boom-or-bust WR3/flex for fantasy.

For Allen, I’m less confident the 33-year-old will maintain his performance from Week 1 (7-68-1) over a whole season. However, it’s clear he’s comfortable back in this offense and still has fantasy value. Just know that Allen’s 10 targets came while playing just 61.5% of the Chargers’ snaps. He should be considered more of a WR4/flex who could see his numbers drop off as the season unfolds.

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Darnell Mooney is just above the 50% rostered mark but should be rostered in most leagues. He’ll be a WR3/flex as soon as he returns to the lineup.

WR4/flex options: Cedric Tillman at BAL (28% rostered),

WR4/flex options (if healthy): Christian Kirk vs. TB (40% rostered)

Flex options: Kayshon Boutte at MIA (1% rostered), Elic Ayomanor vs. LAR (5% rostered)

Risky flex options: Wan’Dale Robinson at DAL (20% rostered), Marvin Mims Jr. at IND (40% rostered), Rashod Bateman vs. CLE (45% rostered), Calvin Austin III vs. SEA (2% rostered), Romeo Doubs vs. WAS (15% rostered), Joshua Palmer at NYJ (25% rostered), Adam Thielen vs. ATL (28% rostered), Tre Tucker vs. LAC (1% rostered), Jayden Higgins vs. TB (37% rostered), Dont’e Thornton Jr. vs. LAC (21% rostered), DeMario Douglas at MIA (16% rostered)

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Risky flex options (if starter is out): Ray-Ray McCloud III at MIN (1% rostered)

Dart-throw flex options: Xavier Legette at ARI (20% rostered), JuJu Smith-Schuster vs. PHI (1% rostered), Dyami Brown at CIN (1% rostered), Jahan Dotson at KC (1% rostered), Troy Franklin at IND (2% rostered), DeAndre Hopkins vs. CLE (8% rostered), Sterling Shepard at HOU (0% rostered), Xavier Hutchinson vs. TB (0% rostered), Alec Pierce, Jalen Nailor vs. ATL (1% rostered), Malik Washington vs. NE (2% rostered), Hunter Renfrow at ARI (1% rostered), KaVontae Turpin vs. NYG (3% rostered)

Dart-throw flex options (if healthy): Jalen Royals vs. PHI (2% rostered)

Dart-throw flex options (if starter is out): Casey Washington at MIN (0% rostered), Tyquan Thornton vs. PHI (0% rostered)

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Upside stashes to roster: Isaac TeSlaa (9% rostered), Luther Burden III (22% rostered), Tory Horton (3% rostered), Pat Bryant (3% rostered), Kyle Williams (9% rostered), Tre’Harris (9% rostered), Jaylin Lane (0% rostered), Jaylin Noel (1% rostered), Jack Bech (3% rostered)

Injured-reserve stashes: Jalen Coker (10% rostered)

Tight Ends

Harold Fannin Jr., Browns

The Browns’ coaching staff hinted at using Fannin the same way he was deployed in college, as a flexible chess piece they could move around the formation. And that’s exactly what they did. The rookie immediately became a focal point of their attack, earning a team-high nine targets and catching seven of them for 63 yards. He also added another three yards on the ground. Count me among the believers that this is a sign of things to come in Cleveland this season. As I mentioned in my deep sleepers column last week, Fannin led all of college football with 117 catches and 1,555 yards last year, while also scoring 10 touchdowns and forcing 34 missed tackles. Don’t view him as the Browns’ backup tight end, but rather one of their top-three targets in the passing game. If this usage continues, Fannin will be in the low-end fantasy TE1 conversation as a rookie.

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Zach Ertz is just above the 50% rostered mark but would be my No. 3 add at tight end if available.

Streaming options: Brenton Strange at CIN (22% rostered), Chig Okonkwo vs. LAR (35% rostered), Juwan Johnson vs. SF (2% rostered)

Streaming options (if starter is out): Michael Mayer vs. LAC (0% rostered)

Risky streaming options: Jonnu Smith vs. SEA (31% rostered), Dalton Schultz vs. TB (6% rostered)

Risky streaming options (if healthy): Darren Waller vs. NE (10% rostered)

Dart-throw streaming options: Mason Taylor vs. BUF (11% rostered), Pat Freiermuth vs. SEA (11% rostered), Cade Otton at HOU (0% rostered), Tyler Conklin at LV (0% rostered), Mike Gesicki vs. JAX (6% rostered), Ja’Tavion Sanders at ARI (2% rostered), Theo Johnson at DAL (7% rostered), Tyler Higbee at TEN (2% rostered), Cole Kmet at DET (2% rostered), Noah Fant vs. JAX (0% rostered), Cade Stover vs. TB (0% rostered)

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Dart-throw streaming options (if starter is out): Jake Tonges at NO (0% rostered)

Upside stashes to roster: Isaiah Likely (13% rostered), Elijah Arroyo (4% rostered), Terrance Ferguson (1% rostered), Noah Gray (1% rostered)

Defenses

Week 2 streamers

Kickers

Week 2 streamers