The Prodigal Son presents his Waiver Wire Week 2 pickups. Albeit with a spin on the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.
No doubt by now there are a lot of fantasy managers who are banging their heads against walls asking themselves what happened in Week 1. The waiver wire Week 2 article is here to help sort out the mess! While other managers sit back and staked their claim to wise statements of, I told you so predictions of the offseason.
Nonetheless, it is not time to panic as the IDP Guys and the Prodigal Son will catapult you into the sphere of stardom with our waiver wire Week 2 pickups column and our take on what additions you need to make to get the best player to add to your rosters.
We address a few players in several categories for fantasy managers to consider adding and, depending on how your Week 1 result went, could assist you in the coming weeks.
The categories are simple and they start from our Bullseye of the week all the way through to stashing a player on the back of an injury – looking your way Raheem ‘The Dream?’ Mostert.
This waiver wire breakdown could set you on a course of making or breaking your Week 2 match-up or possibly even the entire season.
The Bullseyes
Zach Pascal, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Juwan Johnson, TE, New Orleans Saints.
Had you tuned into FF_ProdigalSon’s Twitter feed a fortnight ago, you would have seen that Zach Pascal was the Colts receiver to own heading into Week 1.
In addition, I called for all to grab Juwan Johnson because of the 142 targets that had been vacated from Saints receivers with Jared Cook and Emmanuel Sanders leaving.
Adding to the argument of why Juwan would be the TE to own over Adam Trautman was because I believed that Trautman would still continue to play inline TE.
Also that over the last two seasons, the Saints TEs have 21 touchdowns along with the 8th most touchdowns to TEs in 2020 and tied the second-most touchdowns to TEs in 2019.
Now both will probably hit the waiver market this week, where you will either have to spend all important FAAB or miss out due to waiver priority.
Pascal had himself a day with four catches on five targets for 43 yards along with two touchdowns and was the clear RedZone threat for new QB, Carson Wentz, to rely on.
Upcoming weeks for Colts: 2: Rams; 3: @Titans; 4: @Dolphins; 5: @Ravens
The above match-ups are important because it was the Seahawks that forced Wentz to throw short in Week 1. Something that could repeat over the coming weeks.
Johnson (dual WR/TE in some leagues) only had three catches for 27 yards, but it’s where those targets happened that mattered for the converted WR who secured two touchdowns. Trautman still had six targets but the RedZone threat of Johnson and the trusting bond created for Jamies to throw to him is all but unbreakable now.
Trust in the history of Jamies and the Saint’s favorable offensive schemes to TEs and keep rolling with Juwan Johnson.
The Obvious
Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Denver Broncos
Bridgwater stakes a claim here as a streamer for Week 2 as he gets to throw against the Jacksonville Jaguars who just allowed Tyrod Taylor to look like Deshaun Watson. In Week 1, Bridgewater threw two touchdowns for 264 yards while organizing the offense really well.
If you are looking for a nice stream play in Week 2, Teddy “Two Gloves” is your bloke as the Broncos passing attack is simply far superior to that of the Texans.
Taylor Heinicke, QB, Washington Football Team
Fitzpatrick struggled in Week 1 and this was compounded by what could be a serious injury. Heinicke came in and replaced the stalwart QB going for 11/15 for 122 yards and a score to Logan Thomas. Let’s not forget Heinicke’s rushing abilities either.
Rivera was undecided leading into Week 1 on the QB because Heinicke was showing out in camp. He’s clearly earned the trust of the coaches and has a favorable QB schedule if Fitzmagic misses anytime.
Mark Ingram, RB, Houston Texans
Ingram’s touch volume alone elevates him into a must-add for fantasy managers. He won’t win you every week but getting an RB to add depth to your fantasy roster with a chance of that much volume could be a wise move.
In Week 1, Ingram had 26 carries for 85 yards whilst dominating the snap count with 35. Now all three Texans RBs scored either rushing or receiving TD in the week, but it’s no secret that they are relying on the 31-year-old this year to carry a significant load. Be mindful though, as efficient as Ingram was he does take on the Browns Week 2.
Tim Patrick, WR, Denver Broncos
Opportunity presents itself with the departure of an injured Jerry Jeudy who could miss significant time. Patrick has shown during the past that he can be a reliable receiver when given an opportunity and you can expect him to show out again in 2021.
During Weeks 6 and 11 of the 2020 season, Patrick was the WR36 with 20 receptions on 35 targets and 354 yards.
The Bold
Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Gainwell is in the bold department because of Boston Scott still being rostered and Jalen Hurts’ rushing ability. Miles Sanders has his defined role in this offense but it was Gainwell who offered his services as the change of pace back on Sunday.
Gainwell carried nine times for 37 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for six yards. He could be either a bold grab for small rosters or a stash on a deep roster. Using a lot of FAAB or high waiver priority on him should not be considered unless you are desperate.
Dynasty rosters should already have Gainwell rostered.
Trinity Benson, WR, Detroit Lions
Put $0 FAAB on him or just go get him after waivers have cleared and see what he does over the next few weeks. Detroit management traded two picks to acquire Benson from Denver on the eve of the 53 man roster cut because they didn’t want to risk losing him to another team.
They also kept comparing Trinity Benson to their current crop of WRs when making the decision to trade for him. Benson kept rising up as a number one receiver and they couldn’t pass on him. During the preseason with the Broncos, Benson caught eight passes for 80 yards while scoring two touchdowns.
The Stashes
Jeff Wilson Jr, RB, San Francisco 49ers
Raheem Mostert’s unsurprising injury left rookie Elijah Mitchell to carry the load with 19 carries. Now while others are spending high FAAB or waiver priority in getting the band-aid solution in Mitchell, start looking for Jeff Wilson Jr on the waiver and stash him. He should be available to return after the Week 6 bye and there is no reason for Kyle Shanahan not to introduce him back in this offense.
Just remember when Jeffery Wilson Jr won some fantasy managers championships in 2020 with:
Week 16: 22 carries, 183-yard rushing, 1 catch, 21-yard, and a touchdown.
Week 17 20 carries, 76-yard, 1 touchdown and 3 catches, 12 yards, and a touchdown.
Terrace Marshall Jr, WR, Carolina Panthers
PFFs number one graded rookie WR during preseason didn’t really show out in Week 1 but, Marshall was targeted six times and caught three of those targets for 27 yards.
Reuniting with former LSU college coach Joe Brady, he and Matt Rhule will continue to get Marshall more involved in this offense as the weeks progress. Get him now if he is available.
The Traps
Jameis Winston, QB, New Orleans Saints
I just don’t trust him until I see consistency week in week out. I wouldn’t be dropping someone of relevance to claim him. Let someone else do it.
Elijah Mitchell, RB, San Francisco 49ers
Trey Sermon was a late inactive and Mitchell was simply the next man up. Expect Sermon to be active next week and RBBC to be used heavily. Untrustworthy.
Thank you for reading! You can find more of my work on my IDP Guys author page. Be sure to follow me on Twitter at @FF_ProdigalSon and, while you’re there, be sure to follow @IDPGuys too!
