Football is back, baby! The new NFL season opened with a boom in Week 1 with plenty of surprises, plot twists and breakout performances. Some of the big performers make great options on the Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 2 and can instantly make an impact on your season-long roster.
Whether your fantasy team dominated in Week 1—like the Saints against the Panthers—or fell flatter than the Bengals against the Patriots, don’t despair! Every season, key players emerge from the waiver wire that can help you take your team to the next level.
Each week on Sunday night, I’ll give you my top pickups who are widely available but are set up for success. These options can be your primary targets on the waiver wire depending on what your team needs, league scoring, and what your roster settings are. If you have specific questions about your roster, you can find me on X (formerly known as Twitter) @ZT_Sports, where I’ll let you know what I would do in your situation.
Here are the players who stood out in Week 1, and I’ll be looking to add from the Waiver Wire Week 2:
RB Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars
Running backs are always in high demand, but there were some interesting developments in our first look at how timeshares will shake out. Chargers RB J.K Dobbins and Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet are both available in about half of leagues and make great pickups if they’re out there. Ravens RB Justice Hill is only owned in under 5% of leagues and also has good potential if he stays involved in the Ravens passing attack.
My favorite of the widely available options, though, is Bigsby, who had a pretty even timeshare with Travis Etienne in the Jaguars’ backfield. Each running back had 12 carries and Bigsby turned his into 73 rushing yards while Etienne had 44 yards and a touchdown.
Bigsby got lots of buzz this preseason for claiming a larger role in the backfield, and that is exactly what happened for at least Week 1. The third-round pick only had 50 carries last year in his rookie season, but had 132 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. He looks primed for a much larger role this season and should be owned in almost all formats.
While having Etienne share work could make him inconsistent from week to week, Bigsby has a high ceiling and brings lots of upside in a Jacksonville offense that will face the Browns in Week 2.
TE Isaiah Likely, Baltimore Ravens
Likely was the most productive tight end of the week after his monster performance on Thursday Night Football against the Chiefs.
The Ravens started Likely alongside All-Pro TE Mark Andrews, and the third-year tight end definitely looked ready to take a leap this year into a regular role in the Ravens’ offense. He led the team with 12 targets and hauled in nine of them for 111 yards, plus the touchdown in the highlight above. Likely almost had a second score at the end of the game but came down just out of bounds as time expired.
Even though he didn’t get that critical second score, his huge role makes him worth an add in the many leagues where he’s available. Other options at the position to consider if Likely was scooped up in your league include Foster Moreau and Pat Freiermuth.
WR Wan’Dale Robinson, New York Giants
The Giants looked awful on Sunday. Not only were they wearing my least-favorite alternate or throwback jerseys of the season, but they also looked completely lost on offense. QB Daniel Jones struggled badly, and the offense didn’t score a single touchdown. However, Wan’Dale Robinson stood out as a key contributor and should have upside, especially if the Giants have to throw this much while playing from behind.
Robinson led the team with 12 targets and hauled in half of those, finishing with six catches for 44 yards, the second-highest total on the team. His 32% target share shows how much Jones relies on him, which gives him a high ceiling as long as he gets so much volume across the field from Malik Nabers, who also looked good in his NFL debut despite the team’s overall struggles.
QB Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
If you need a replacement for Jordan Love (knee) for a few weeks or are already in the market for a replacement signal-caller, Carr looked excellent on Sunday.
Carr connected on three touchdowns, all in the first half, including that beautiful throw to speedster Rashid Shaheed to open the scoring. He and the Saints had blown the game open and led 30-0 just before halftime, so they didn’t have to push the ball down the field in the second half. However, he still finished with 200 passing yards, those three scores, and added 13 rushing yards as well.
While part of his big game was definitely the awful play of the Panthers, there’s also part of his success that could be due to his new offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak. It was Kubiak’s first game calling plays, and he set the franchise record for most points in a season opener—not too shabby!
Next week, we’ll get a much clearer picture of how good the Saints’ offense is since they’ll be on the road against the Cowboys.
Chargers DST
In the final spot on the early Waiver Wire Week 2 list, I’m looking at a DST for streaming in Week 2. The Chargers looked good in Week 1 against the Raiders, and they get a very tasty Week 2 matchup at home against the Carolina Panthers.
With all but the Sunday and Monday night games in the books, the Chargers had the fourth-best Week 1 defense. They had four sacks, forced three turnovers and only allowed 10 points against the Raiders.
The Bolts are only owned in about 10% of leagues, and next week, they’ll face the Panthers, who had three turnovers of their own in Week 1 and allowed four sacks to the Saints.
Other streamers worth considering include the Texans (vs. the Bears) and the Commanders (vs. the Giants).
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
