10 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets Heading Into Week 2

The NFL's season-opening weekend is usually a pretty humbling experience for most fantasy football managers. Maybe our "perfectly" drafted team isn't flawless after all.

Turning toward the waiver wire early in the season can often lead to some big-time adds for your roster. There are already several players available in most leagues who feel like must-haves.

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 odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

10 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets

Quarterbacks

Derek Carr, Saints

The New Orleans Saints are one of the most notable teams following Week 1. How could they not be after thrashing the Carolina Panthers 47-10? Paired with a disappointing showing from the Atlanta Falcons, the Saints' odds to win the NFC South fell to +200. Derek Carr was perhaps the biggest beneficiary of the blowout win.

Prior to Monday Night Football, Carr is currently QB6 for Week 1. He logged 200 passing yards and three touchdowns paired with a 82.6% completion percentage. Perhaps the most impressive piece of Carr's performance was his 8.7 yards per passing attempt. Carr was launching it downfield for some big plays, including a 59-yard pitch and catch to Rashid Shaheed. Any managers with Shaheed rostered are also grinning from ear to ear as he tied for a team-high five targets while running the second-most routes on the Saints.

It's early, but it's hard to not be excited about Carr after this lights out performance. numberFire's schedule-adjusted power rankings have the Panthers with the 13th-worst pass defense. While Carolina could be headed for tank season, the pass defense isn't too bad. Carr is worth rostering, but he has a tough challenge against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2.

Geno Smith, Seahawks

Similar to our waiver wire targets piece prior to Week 1, Geno Smith makes another appearance on the list. He is QB7 ahead of MNF after pitching for 171 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception. His stats are not near as encouraging compared to Carr's.

The passing stats across the board are nothing to write home about, including his 6.8 yards per passing attempt. So, how did he manage to have a strong fantasy showing? Thanks to a 34-yard rushing touchdown. This is far from sustainable, with Smith recording only two total rushing touchdowns over the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

Waiting to see how Week 2 unfolds could be wise before claiming Smith. The Seattle Seahawks ran the ball more often than expected in Week 1, with 33 carries compared to 25 passes. That's a huge changeup compared to 22.5 rushing attempts per game in 2023 (second-fewest).

Others to Consider:

Sam Darnold (vs. San Francisco), Justin Fields (at Denver if no Russell Wilson), Malik Willis (vs. Indianapolis), Bo Nix (vs. Pittsburgh)

Running Backs

Tank Bigsby, Jaguars

We have several must-target running backs following Week 1. Let's look at the Jacksonville Jaguars' Tank Bigsby first.

There was some concern surrounding Travis Etienne's rushing attempts for 2024 after he logged -0.27 rushing yards over expectation per carry (RYOE/C) a season ago, per NFL's Next Gen Stats. Bigsby put up an even worse -0.66 RYOE/C in his rookie season, but he still got his shot in Week 1 of 2024.

It was a smashing success for Tank.

He posted 73 rushing yards on 12 carries (6.1 yards per attempt). The 7.3 fantasy points is far from eye-popping, but he passed the eye test. It wouldn't be a surprise to see his workload increase going forward, including on the goal line. Bigsby had 20 fewer snaps than Etienne, yet he still matched Etienne's carry count. He even showed off some big-play ability with two 10-plus yard runs and one scamper going for 26 yards. Jacksonville would be foolish to not ride the hot hand.

Alexander Mattison, Raiders

Perhaps one of the biggest surprises of Week 1: Alexander Mattison received more work than Zamir White.

After averaging 99.3 rushing yards per game over the final four games of 2023, White was likely to have the upper hand, and it seemed like it would be his job to lose. It looks like he did just that as Mattison logged 36 snaps to White's 23 in Week 1.

White still took the majority of the ground game, recording 13 carries to Mattison's 5. However, Mattison was the clear receiving back with six targets and four catches for 43 receiving yards. If he's going to get this kind of receiving work, Mattison is an enticing pick up for any PPR or half-PPR format.

The Las Vegas Raiders' scoring opportunities are still limited after putting up only 10 points against the Los Angeles Chargers, a team with numberFire's sixth-worst schedule-adjusted D coming into the campaign. Mattison was fortunate enough to come up with a 31-yard receiving touchdown, but that isn't sustainable.

Expectations for Mattison should be tampered, but his snap share from Week 1 was encouraging.

Jaleel McLaughlin, Broncos

Despite recording 12 fewer snaps than Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin still had the most touches out of the Denver Broncos' backfield. He had 10 carries to Williams' 8, and perhaps most importantly, McLaughlin recorded five catches and six targets while Williams posted zero catches and two targets.

McLaughlin could go under the radar after logging only 3.3 half-PPR points, part of which was harmed by a lost fumble. Still, he remains an intriguing option. McLaughlin recording more carries than Williams was a big surprise, and it definitely adds to his fantasy upside.

Others to Consider:

Ty Chandler (vs. San Francisco), Bucky Irving (vs. Tampa Bay), Jamaal Williams (at Dallas), Justice Hill (vs. Las Vegas)

Wide Receivers

Brandin Cooks, Cowboys

CeeDee Lamb was the ultimate workhorse for the Cowboys in 2023, leading the league in targets while logging the sixth-most routes run, according to PlayerProfiler. However, Brandin Cooks logged five more snaps and one more route than CeeDee in the season-opening game. Plus, Cooks has 7 targets to Lamb's 10.

Lamb missing some of the preseason and training camp may have had something to do with Cooks' workload, but it was a promising Week 1 nonetheless.

It led to tangible production too, as Cooks logged four catches for 40 yards and a touchdown. Prior to MNF, Cooks is WR17 in half-PPR this week. This is a very encouraging start for Dallas' WR2, one that goes hand-in-hand with his increased usage late in the 2023 regular season, which included 8.0 targets per game over the final two regular-season contests.

Also, Jake Ferguson will likely miss time with an MCL sprain, opening up even more opportunities for Cooks going forward.

Alec Pierce, Colts

It seemed as if the Indianapolis Colts drafting Adonai Mitchell in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft was the end of the road in terms of fantasy relevance for Alec Pierce. But heading into MNF, Pierce is the half-PPR WR7 this week

His 20.0 fantasy points in half PPR is a career-high, backed by 125 receiving yards and one touchdown.

While a 60-yard touchdown did a lot of the heavy lifting, Pierce did more than reel in one big play. In fact, he logged 41.7 yards per catch on three grabs. Anthony Richardson was throwing a beautiful deep ball in Week 1, as well, adding to Pierce's upside.

This wasn't stroke of good luck, either, as Pierce finished second on the team with 38 snaps and 20 routes run, closely behind Michael Pittman Jr.'s 40 snaps and 21 routes run.

Greg Dortch, Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals' receiving outlook did not go as expected in Week 1. While Trey McBride leading the team with nine targets wasn't surprising, Greg Dortch was another story. He finished second on the team with eight targets, and his 26 routes run was encouraging. Dortch even had a rushing attempt, adding to his versatility.

Six catches and 47 receiving yards isn't a big-time fantasy performance, but Dortch's target share could preface some upcoming standout games. Waiting for Week 2's results could be the wise decision, though. Marvin Harrison Jr. had only three targets after registering team-highs of 55 snaps and 36 routes run. It's likely that Harrison's targets go up, which should eat up Dortch's chances.

Others to Consider:

Jalen McMillan (at Detroit), Tyler Johnson (at Arizona), Wan'Dale Robinson (at Washington), Gabriel Davis (vs. Cleveland), Demarcus Robinson (at Arizona), Luke McCaffrey (vs. New York Giants)

Tight Ends

Isaiah Likely, Ravens

Perhaps the hottest player on the waiver wire this week is Isaiah Likely. He enjoyed a gaudy performance on national television against the defending Super Bowl champions, logging nine catches for 111 receiving yards and one touchdown. As if his 21.6 half-PPR points weren't enough, Likely was inches away from recording another catch and touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs.

There was some noise in the offseason that the Baltimore Ravens would look to deploy more two tight end sets. It happened in Week 1 as Likely recorded 53 snaps and 35 routes run to Mark Andrews' 59 snaps and 38 routes run.

We still have to consider Andrews' reputation as a great fantasy tight end, but Likely is just too good to keep off of the field -- and out of fantasy lineups -- right now.

Others to Consider:

Greg Dulcich (vs. Pittsburgh), Theo Johnson (at Washington), Jordan Akins (vs. Jacksonville), Colby Parkinson (at Arizona), Foster Moreau (at Dallas)

Defenses

Los Angeles Chargers

It didn't take long for coach Jim Harbaugh to put his fingerprints all over the Los Angeles Chargers. They logged 176 rushing yards in Week 1 while the defense gave up only 10 points.

Los Angeles' D/ST is a great target for Week 2 against the Panthers. The Chargers are tied for D/ST4 prior to MNF and get to face numberFire's second-worst offense in Week 2. We saw the Saints' D/ST benefit from this matchup in Week 1, putting up 14.0 fantasy points -- the same total as LA.

Others to Consider:

New England Patriots (vs. Seattle), Denver Broncos (vs. Pittsburgh), Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. Cleveland)

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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.