10 Best Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Adds Heading Into NFL Week 2

The Sunday of the 2025 NFL season is behind us. As usual, Week 1 was very revealing for fantasy football. Did workloads unfold the way we expected? Which players surprised with deflating or promising showings?

With that in mind, here are some of the best additions you can make to your squads heading into Week 2.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL betting odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Top Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups

Quarterbacks

Michael Penix Jr., Falcons

Our top quarterback add prior to Week 1 was Michael Penix Jr.. Following a strong performance with 24.0 fantasy points in Week 1, Penix should be an even bigger priority on the waiver wire.

The Atlanta Falcons leaned on the air attack with 42 passing attempts compared to 28 rushing attempts on Sunday. Penix was extremely efficient by totaling 0.27 expected points added per dropback (EPA/db) -- per NFL Next Gen Stats.

Sitting as QB9 for Week 1, Penix has clear upside in his first full season as Atlanta's starter. According to Yahoo Sports, he's rostered in only 32% of leagues.

Geno Smith, Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders rolled out a new-look offense in Week 1, logging 20 points and 389 total yards in a win over the New England Patriots. While Ashton Jeanty took most of the headlines prior to the season, the run game stumbled to 56 rushing yards and 2.3 yards per carry.

Geno Smith led the way by completing 24 of 34 passing attempts (70.6%) for 362 passing yards and 10.6 yards per passing attempt. His deep ball figured to provide a lift to this offense, but I didn't expect such a dramatic impact in Week 1.

His high volume and 0.29 EPA/db makes Smith a clear waiver target. Rostered in only 21% of leagues, he should offer less competition than adding Penix, as well.

Others to Consider:

Aaron Rodgers (vs. Seattle), Daniel Jones (vs. Denver), Matthew Stafford (at Tennessee), Jaxson Dart (at Dallas)

Running Backs

Trey Benson, Cardinals

Week 2's waiver running back adds won't knock your socks off. This week's all about finding handcuffs.

For the Arizona Cardinals, Trey Benson played well with 69 rushing yards on eight carries (8.6 yards per rushing attempt). James Conner still took most of the work with a 65.2% snap share, but Benson took 33.3% of the snaps. This was his highest snap share since Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season.

Furthermore, Benson totaled 4.93 rushing yards over expectation (RYOE) per carry compared to Conner's mark of -0.18. His exceptional efficiency could lead to a larger workload going forward. Benson could be difficult to acquire, though, for Benson's rostered in 39% of leagues.

Tyler Allgeier, Falcons

Similar to Benson, Tyler Allgeier is clearly a handcuff to Bijan Robinson. There probably isn't a scenario where Allgeier passes up a healthy Robinson -- who has established himself as one of the league's top backs.

Still, Allgeier totaled 10 rushing attempts to Bijan's 12. The snap share wasn't close with Allgeier at 25.0% and Robinson carrying an 82.9% snap rate.

While Robinson totaled an underwhelming -1.14 RYOE per carry, Allgeier's mark of -0.82 wasn't much better. He could still be worth a roster as he's available in 68% of leagues.

Kenneth Gainwell, Steelers

With a 34-point outburst, the Pittsburgh Steelers' offense was far more productive than most would have guessed. This means some waiver wire targets -- which includes Aaron Rodgers. In the backfield, Kenneth Gainwell draws my attention.

The rookie Kaleb Johnson took only two snaps with one rushing attempt. Gainwell has clearly established himself as RB2 of the offense, backed by a 53.6% snap share and 10 touches in Week 1.

He even enjoyed a larger snap share than Jaylen Warren (44.6%). This could truly be a 50/50 split between Warren and Gainwell. With Gainwell rostered in only 3% of leagues, this is my favorite tailback target of the week.

Others to Consider:

Miles Sanders (vs. New York Giants), DJ Giddens (vs. Denver)

Wide Receivers

Cedric Tillman, Browns

Cedric Tillman was back to his productive form by recording five catches for 52 receiving yards and one touchdown on eight targets in Week 1.

With 13.7 fantasy points in half-PPR leagues, Tillman currently sits as WR17 prior to Monday Night Football. He rarely left the field, enjoying an 88.2% snap share. Similar to last season, the Cleveland Browns mainly leaned on the pass with 45 passing attempts compared to 24 rushing attempts.

Tillman should remain a productive piece of this offense, and he's rostered in only 28% of leagues.

Marquise Brown, Chiefs

Plenty of targets were available on the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 as Rashee Rice is serving a six-game suspension while Xavier Worthy took only three snaps before suffering a shoulder injury. Marquise Brown took advantage of the opportunity by leading the team with 16 targets while recording 10 catches and 99 receiving yards.

Until Rice and/or Worthy return to this unit, Brown could be a weekly play. Even with Travis Kelce present, Brown was the most-used tool by a mile with a 42.1% target share. Despite failing to find the end zone, he still enjoyed a 60.0% red zone target share.

If Brown is available in your league (25% roster rate), this one feels like a no-brainer.

Quentin Johnston, Chargers

After ending the 2024 regular season with 13 catches for 186 receiving yards (25.1 fantasy points), Quentin Johnston continued his tear in Week 1 by logging five receptions for 79 receiving yards and two touchdowns (22.4 fantasy points).

Logging multiple touchdowns is not sustainable, but Johnston's 81.5% snap share and 20.6% target share yield some confidence. Johnston becoming a top tier fantasy wideout is extremely unlikely as Ladd McConkey (26.5%) and Keenan Allen (29.4%) still enjoyed higher target shares in Week 1.

However, Johnston's boom potential and ability to score touchdowns makes him a quality bench piece. Even better, he's rostered in only 9% of leagues.

Others to Consider:

Josh Palmer (at New York Jets), Wan'Dale Robinson (at Dallas), Calvin Austin III (vs. Seattle)

Tight Ends

Brenton Strange, Jaguars

Brenton Strange was on our waiver adds last week, and he came through by recording four catches and 59 receiving yards on four targets. His 7.9 fantasy points were nothing special, but he remains a decent bench tight end in deeper leagues.

Week 1 simply proved Strange should be on the field for most snaps. He earned a 78.8% snap share, which would have been his third-highest mark from a season ago. His target share was only 13.8% paired with no red zone targets.

If you're in a tight pinch, Strange (rostered in 22% of leagues) is a nice streaming option against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2. After giving up the second-most fantasy points per game against tight ends in 2024, the Bengals allowed 10 catches and 100 receiving yards to tight ends in Week 1.

Others to Consider:

Juwan Johnson (vs. San Francisco), Harold Fannin Jr. (at Baltimore)

Defenses

Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams D/ST showed out in Week 1 with 11.0 fantasy points against the Houston Texans. As D/ST3 of Week 1, is this unit worth a roster spot?

Week 2's opponent is the Tennessee Titans, who recorded only 12 points paired with two turnovers in Week 1. Cameron Ward had a rough debut by logging -0.50 EPA/db. His offensive line was a major issue, giving up six sacks.

The strength of the Rams' defense is rushing the passer. In fact, they logged three sacks in Week 1. Plus, L.A. forced two turnovers in route to the strong fantasy outing. Against a weak offensive line and rookie QB, the Rams D/ST is a good streaming play for Week 2.

Others to Consider:

San Francisco 49ers (at New Orleans), Dallas Cowboys (vs. New York Giants)

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.