Fantasy football is so back! Whether your team came out roaring like the Bears or started with a stinker like the Browns, there’s plenty of time to get things trending upwards as you move forward. Every year, key contributors emerge from among the players who are not on rosters in most leagues. Every week here at DK Network, we’ll take a look back at the Sunday results and pinpoint some of the top options to try and add to your squad moving forward. Let’s look at what we learned in Week 1 and pinpoint some top options to be Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 2.
Be sure to stay locked in to DK Network throughout the week and the rest of the season for all the latest news and fantasy impact. We’ll run down a few of the top potential waiver wire pickups for Week 2 in this post, but be sure to watch how the week unfolds and how players recover.
This post is designed to be an early look at some of the names to keep an eye on coming into your preparation for Week 2 and the rest of your fantasy football run to glory.
Best Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds for Week 2
One key factor to keep a close eye on every week is new injuries. Here are some new situations to monitor moving forward:
Players with new injuries from Week 1 to watch:
- QB Kyler Murray, Minnesota Vikings
- RB Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns
- WR Chris Olave, New Orleans Saints
- WR A.J. Brown, New England Patriots
- WR D.J. Moore, Buffalo Bills
- WR Zay Jones, Baltimore Ravens
- WR Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
- WR Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers
- WR De’Zhaun Stribling, San Francisco 49ers
- WR Omar Cooper Jr., New York Jets
- WR Ja’Kobi Lane, Baltimore Ravens
- TE Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
- TE Chig Okonkwo, Washington Commanders
With those injuries in mind, here are some of my early names to watch if you’re shopping on the Week 2 waiver wire.
WR Devaughn Vele, New Orleans Saints
The Saints were without Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) for their season-opener, and with Chris Olave (31.2 FPTS) dealing with multiple injuries, Devaughn Vele (19.9 FPTS) stepped up and contributed seven catches for 69 yards and a touchdown. He got nine targets from Tyler Shough (29.2 FPTS), which was second on the team behind only Olave.
Vele should remain the team’s second receiver for at least the next three weeks while Tyson is on IR, and if Olave is out or limited, Vele could be even more targeted. The Saints offense looked solid in this up-tempo matchup against the Lions, and Vele showed a strong connection with Shough to end last year and now to start this year as well.
Vele was owned in under 10% of season-long fantasy football leagues coming into the weekend, and he delivered a big Week 1 as one of my top fantasy football sleepers at WR. Based on his expected workload for the next few weeks, he’s a great add in all formats if you need receiver help.
A few other receivers with standout performances to consider include Dontayvion Wicks (15.3 FPTS) of the Eagles, Kalif Raymond (16.4 FPTS) of the Bears, Caleb Douglas (14.4 FPTS) of the Dolphins, and Kendrick Bourne (15.5 FPTS) of the Cardinals.
RB Raheim Sanders, Cleveland Browns
There weren’t many running back injuries or surprises in Week 1’s timeshares. The top performers were big stars, and most of the players who were involved were expected to play a role. One interesting option that emerged, though, is Browns RB Raheim Sanders (5.6 FPTS). Sanders stepped into a bigger role after Dylan Sampson (knee) left with an injury. While there is no diagnosis yet, Sampson left the game on crutches and in a knee brace, looking like he could miss time.
Sanders’ biggest play was a 74-yard kickoff return, but he also served as the team’s receiving down specialist after Sampson departed.
He hauled in all three of his targets for 25 yards and added one yard on his only rush. With his success as a special teams playmaker, he brings big-play potential, and if he’s on the field, the Browns offense could definitely use some of his sizzle.
Sanders was basically unowned before the week, but he makes sense as a depth pickup this week, especially if Sampson’s injury forces him to miss multiple weeks. The Browns visit the Bucs next week, before home games against the Panthers and Steelers.
Other running backs that are options to consider include Kendre Miller (9 FPTS) of the Saints, Kaelon Black (8.0 FPTS) of the 49ers, and Braelon Allen (4.0 FPTS) of the Jets.
QB Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
In a high-scoring matchup against the Bears, Bryce Young (35.44 FPTS) had the third-most FPTS of all QBs in Week 1, racking up 361 passing yards and three touchdowns with another rushing touchdown, 10 rushing yards, and an interception. He was owned in under 20% of leagues, but showed that in the right matchup, he can help the Panthers offense go off.
Young and the Panthers go on the road the next two weeks in what should be favorable matchups against the Falcons and Browns. He is coming off a strong finish to last season, and he built on that momentum in his first game of this season.
If Jalen Coker (36.8 FPTS) steps up and becomes a legitimate second receiver. Young will have an extremely high ceiling whenever the Panthers have to play from behind.
Other quarterback options to consider from the waiver wire in Week 2 include Tyler Shough (29.2 FPTS), Kirk Cousins (15.8 FPTS), and even Carson Wentz (19.22FPTS) of the Vikings.
TE Kenyon Sadiq, New York Jets
While not as many running backs emerged in Week 1, several tight ends emerged as options from the waiver wire in Week 2. One very encouraging performance was from first-round rookie Kenyon Sadiq (11.4 FPTS). Sadiq was involved in Week 1 even though he was injured for some of the preparations, and the Jets offense looked solid in the team’s 23-10 Week 1 win.
Sadiq finished with three catches on his three targets for 21 yards and scored on his one carry for three yards.
As he ramps up, he could be even more involved in the team’s plans, but they clearly are going to feature him and give the former Duck chances to make plays. He is only on a roster in 15% of leagues, but he is a player with a chance to rise as he adjusts to NFL speed.
Veterans Mike Gesicki (18.8 FPTS) and T.J. Hockenson(13.6 FPTS) had big games for their teams in Week 1 while both Noah Fant (13.3 FPTS) and Cole Kmet (11.5 FPTS) contributed double-digit fantasy points as their team’s second TE options.
Bengals DST
In Week 1, the Bengals DST (18 FPTS) tied with the Steelers DST (18 FPTS) had the highest point total of the week. While the Steelers are on a team in about 80% of leagues, the Bengals only show up on a team in 3% of leagues.
The Bengals gave up 21 points, but they had four sacks and forced four fumbles in their home win over the Bucs. They did score one touchdown, but their overall performance indicated that they have a lot of upside, even if they can’t count on scoring a touchdown every week.
