Fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 2 in 14-team leagues

The 2023 NFL season is finally underway and we’re almost through Week 1 of the season. The Buffalo Bills and New York Jets will face each other on Monday Night Football, but you’re probably already planning your waiver wire claims for Week 2. If you’re in a 14-team league, you’ll have fewer options to find quality players off the wire than, say, managers in 10 or 12-team leagues. But that won’t deter us from helping you target some top pickups for Week 2.

Week 2 Fantasy football waiver wire pickups for 14-team leagues

Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams

Rostership: 3.7%

If you didn’t know the name of Puka Nacua before Week 1, you probably do now. The fifth-round rookie out of BYU made a huge mark in the Rams’ 30-13 victory over the Seahawks on Sunday, hauling in 10 of 15 targets for 119 receiving yards in his debut. Those numbers earned fantasy managers 11.9 points in standard leagues and 21.9 in PPR, placing him around the top 10 in both categories. He was on the field for 63 offensive snaps, which is a good sign that he’ll get plenty of work in Cooper Kupp’s absence. He’s going to be a hot commodity this week, so shoot your shot and submit a bid ASAP.

Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams

Rostership: 7.7%

Another person who made a surprise impact for the Rams is Kyren Williams, who had 15 carries for 52 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the day. That earned managers 17.4 fantasy points, making him the sixth-ranked running back in standard leagues at the end of Sunday’s action. What’s interesting about this development is that Cam Akers entered Sunday as the starter, but Williams got significantly more work, logging 53 snaps to Akers’ 28. He’s another hot commodity that will be scooped up fast so again, shoot your shot.

Justice Hill, RB, Baltimore Ravens

Rostership: 1.7%

With JK Dobbins suffering yet another unfortunate season-ending injury, the Ravens are once again forced to turn to backups Gus Edwards and Justice Hill. The two split the work, but Hill got the slight edge in snaps with 19 to Edwards’ 15 in the team’s 25-9 victory over the Texans. He notably had two red zone touchdowns in the contest and he could be one of the top vulture tailbacks in the league this season. Consider Hill if you need a low-risk, high-reward running back on your roster.

Hayden Hurst, TE, Carolina Panthers

Rostership: 7.9%

Hayden Hurst made headlines for accidentally throwing Bryce Young’s first career touchdown ball into the stands. That overshadowed what was a pretty decent fantasy day for him in the team’s 24-10 loss to the Falcons on Sunday. He led the team in receiving by catching five of seven targets for 41 yards and the aforementioned touchdown, numbers that made him the second-ranked tight end in both standard and PPR leagues. He was on the field for 41 snaps and ran routes on 27 of them, signaling that he will be a primary target for the rookie quarterback moving forward. If you need some tight end help, look no further than Hurst.