14 Sep Week 2 Waiver Wire Rundown – Value Everywhere
Week 1 was fun! Let us do it again for 15 more weeks. Plenty of names popped that are worth adding from the waiver wire to your fantasy rosters heading into Week 2, including injury replacements and players who should be straight-up added in more leagues.
Quarterback
Gardner Minshew
Jacksonville Jaguars – 26% ownership Yahoo!, 15% ESPN
The Jacksonville Jaguars offense has weapons, balance, and the right quarterback running the show. Gardner Minshew will never be confused for a franchise changing QB, but he has running upside and chemistry with receivers Chris Conley and D.J. Chark that a good offense can form around.
His near-perfect completion percentage against the Colts will not be commonplace but a renewed effort to be efficient could. He has a tougher test against the Tennessee Titans in Week 2 but softer matchups against Miami and Cincinnati the following weeks.
Mitchell Trubisky
Chicago Bears – 3% Yahoo!, 2 ESPN
Fourth quarter Mitch showed up to haunt the Detroit Lions again in Week 1. Week 2 could be even better for Mitchell Trubisky as he gets a home game against the New York Giants. It will not always be pretty with Trubisky, but he has higher rushing upside than Minshew and a better 1-2 receiving punch with Allen Robinson and Anthony Miller. That trio carried the Bears offense from a 23-6 deficit. Say it with me – You could do worse!
Running Back
Malcolm Brown
Los Angeles Rams – 20% Yahoo!, 7% ESPN
Malcolm Brown logged two touchdowns in the red zone against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday night and was the clear first option inside the five-yard line. Predicting touchdowns is a fool’s errand but getting carries near the goal line is what we are looking for from the running back position.
Brown must fight for carries with Cam Akers and a healthy Darrell Henderson before he can be an every-week starter. Brown made a strong case Sunday after getting nearly 20 carries and being effective on the ground and through the air.
Joshua Kelley
Los Angeles Chargers – 11% Yahoo!, 11% ESPN
Joshua Kelley logged 12 carries for 60 yards and a red zone score and appears to be the favorite to spell Austin Ekeler. The notable issue for all Chargers running backs is QB Tyrod Taylor’s willingness to skip over RB check downs. Opportunities could be plentiful for Kelley in a potential shootout against Kansas City in Week 2 and Carolina in Week 3.
James Robinson
Jacksonville Jaguars – 53% Yahoo!, 15% ESPN
James Robinson has two more weeks to keep showing his ability to be the lead dog before the potential return of Devine Ozigbo. Robinson ran 16 times and caught one pass as the feature running back for Jacksonville. Robinson should have already been rostered in majority of leagues but is now a must own.
Nyheim Hines
Indianapolis Colts – 14% Yahoo!, 35% ESPN
Death. Taxes. Philip Rivers checks down to running backs. Nyheim Hines shone bright for the Colts (2 TDs) in their loss to the Jaguars and is now in line for a spike in touches after the season-ending injury to Marlon Mack. Hines is a PPR stud who now has value in all formats.
Wide Receiver
Allen Lazard
Green Bay Packers – 43% Yahoo!, 25% ESPN
Big fan of Allen Lazard and while he finished fourth in targets on the team, he caught the four thrown his way and found paydirt. Lazard needs to keep a consistent target flow to reap the benefits of a supercharged Aaron Rodgers. For those concerned, Lazard played 26 more snaps than Marquez Valdes-Scantling despite being out-targeted. Both will have their time to shine but I want Lazard if he continues to out-snaps MVS.
Anthony Miller
Chicago Bears – 56% Yahoo!, 38% ESPN
Anthony Miller showed the sure hands he was known for in college when Mitchell Trubisky needed him. All four of his catches were for first downs and Allen Robinson was the only player to get more targets than him. The Giants await in Week 2.
Robby Anderson
Carolina Panthers – 29% Yahoo!, 68% ESPN
The camp rumors were true about Robby Anderson surpassing Curtis Samuel as a favored target in the passing game. Teddy Bridgewater utilized Anderson and he will have to with tougher games against Tampa Bay and the Chargers on the horizon. And in case you have not heard, head coach Matt Rhule helped Anderson get to where he is at Temple University #NarrativeStreet.
Leviska Shenault Jr.
Jacksonville Jaguars – 12% Yahoo!, 7% ESPN
How good did Leviska Shenault Jr. look on his five touches? The Jaguars wanted to get him touches any way possible and did so with two carries and three receptions. The versatility is why Shenault Jr. makes the list for Week 2. Add him now before he breaks out.
Danny Amendola
Detroit Lions – 1% Yahoo!, 7% ESPN
Danny Amendola has a role for your fantasy team if Kenny Golladay is out and should be a bye week fill-in beyond that. He led the Lions in receiving yards Sunday and finished second on the team with eight targets.
Jalen Reagor
Philadelphia Eagles – 39% Yahoo!, 29% ESPN
The production of Jalen Reagor does not match the value he offers going forward. He led all Eagles receivers in snaps played and his lone catch was for 55 yards. A healthier Eagles offensive line will allow Carson Wentz more time to find his targets beyond Dallas Goedert and Zach Ertz.
Tight End
Logan Thomas
Washington Football Team – 1% Yahoo!, 0% ESPN
Get on the Logan Thomas bandwagon before it rides off. Thomas is another camp story come to fruition as the former QB has bonded with current QB Dwayne Haskins. He is a big-bodied TE that allows Haskins to break lock with Terry McLaurin and not have to worry about force-feeding passes to the talented receiver. WFT has skill on offense and should be in plenty of game scripts that require a lot of throwing.
C.J. Uzomah
Cincinnati Bengals – 1% Yahoo!, 1% ESPN
The lazy narrative is rookie quarterbacks love targeting tight ends. That narrative worked Sunday when Joe Burrow targeted C.J. Uzomah five times during Sunday’s loss to the Chargers. Uzomah finished second in receiving yards to A.J. Green. Burrow will have consistency issues as he figures out the pro game but Uzomah should receive a similar weekly target load.
Dan Arnold
Arizona Cardinals – 1% Yahoo!, 1% ESPN
Dan Arnold is more of a wait and see option, but his next two matchups are against Washington and Detroit. The two teams allowed big games to Dallas Goedert and Jimmy Graham (!) in Week 1.
Dallas Goedert
Philadelphia Eagles – 55% Yahoo!, 27% ESPN
Dallas Goedert played two less snaps than Zach Ertz Sunday while outplaying and outproducing him. Goedert is not a secret weapon that was released by the Eagles Sunday, so this success is not a surprise. It just may be time to shift focus from Ertz to Goedert as the primary tight end to target in Philly.
Jeff has been playing fantasy sports since 2001. He has covered and written about fantasy, high school, and professional sports for over five years. When not grinding articles and fantasy lineups, he spends time with his wife and two kids, runs for charity, and continues to get progressively worse at golf, no matter how hard he tries.