We had such a fun first week of football! Well, mostly. I know we are all fully tilting with the craziness of the first week, but have no fear. We are here to help with the weekly waiver wire!
I will use Sleeper HQ roster percentages for this Week 2 Waiver Wire (2024) article, as it is one of the more popular platforms. The percentages may be off for those using Yahoo and ESPN as their fantasy platforms, but there were no significant discrepancies.
Quarterback:
Baker Mayfield – Sleeper roster 41%
Many people took my Mayfield advice last week and picked him up off waivers, but he is still only 41% rostered in Sleeper leagues.
Mayfield is currently the QB2 on the week, behind Josh Allen. The Washington defense could not stop him. He has a tougher task against the Lions this week but he would be a perfect pick-up for those with an injured Jordan Love.
Mayfield completed 24 of 30 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns. Stat line alone deserves more roster-ship in deeper leagues.
Geno Smith – Sleeper roster 25%
The Seattle Seahawks weren’t a perfect team for this week, but Geno Smith ended up as the QB7 so far on the week. He threw for just 171 yards but threw a touchdown and ran in a touchdown as well.
Seattle goes to New England this week, where Joe Burrow didn’t fare well, but that was more due to his receivers. Luckily, Smith has an abundance of receivers to help him out.
Justin Fields – Sleeper roster 23%
Probably one of the best pickups for the week, even if Russel Wilson is deemed healthy enough to play.
Fields got into the run game as well, rushing 14 times for 57 yards. They take on the Broncos this week, who let the non-typical running quarterback Geno Smith scramble for a 34-yard touchdown.
Running Back:
Jordan Mason – Sleeper roster 38%
With the late injury designation for Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason should have shot up waivers and draft boards Monday afternoon.
He proved to be a good play, running for 147 yards and a touchdown against a stout New York Jets defense.
Bucky Irving – Sleeper roster 25%
Bucky Irving probably wasn’t on anyone’s radar, but he was the Buccaneers leading rusher in their game against the Commanders. He had nine carries for 62 yards.
Irving broke out for a long run for 31 yards and was on the field for 31% of snaps. He looks to be the solid backup behind White, and would be a handcuff at this point but with potential upside.
Justice Hill – Sleeper roster 11%
The waiver pick no one saw coming. Hill split time evenly with Henry, accounting for 54% snap count compared to Henry’s 46%.
While Hill may not have been the leading rusher, he was the leading running back for targets. For PPR leagues, Hill seems to be Lamar Jackson’s go-to dump-off guy.
Wide Receiver:
Rashid Shaheed – Sleeper roster 44%
Shaheed may not have been the most targeted guy on the field, but he did the most with his targets. He had five targets from Carr and caught three of them, accounting for 73 total yards and a touchdown. That put him at WR11 for the week.
Carr is in a new offensive system this year that likes to spread the ball around. Shaheed is the clear wide receiver two for the team and will be Carr’s second or third look in the field if Olave is covered.
Alec Pierce – Sleeper roster 2%
Another waiver wire pickup that wasn’t on a lot of people’s radar. Anthony Richardson targeted Pierce three times for 125 yards and a touchdown.
With the way Richardson likes to air the ball out, Pierce was a deep threat in the game who had sure hands, catching all his passes. His performance landed him in the top 10 of fantasy wide receivers.
Demarcus Robinson – Sleeper roster 12%
Fantasy managers got the unfortunate news that wide receiver Puka Nakua would be on IR starting this week, which means Robinson is in line for the starting role.
Robinson was on the field for 92% of snaps (!) behind only Cooper Kupp. He was able to grab four out of seven of his targets for 42 yards. But a week of practice as a full-time starter should solidify his place as Stafford’s number-two guy.
Tight End:
Isaiah Likely – Sleeper roster 31%
Even though I mentioned him last week, after his breakout performance in week 1, I have to bring him up again. Likely should be on a roster in your league, but if he’s not, get him on one.
He was the most targeted player in his offense, even higher than receiver Zay Flowers. He ends the week as TE1, with 111 yards and a touchdown. Even if Andrews is on the field and healthy, expect Likely to start alongside him in 12 personnel sets.
Chig Okonkwo – Sleeper roster 13%
It was a tough showing for tight ends this week (and quarterbacks and receivers…), so this is more of an upside, need in an emergency kind of tight end.
Okonkwo was on the field 59% of snaps and was a safety blanket for a struggling Will Levis. He caught 2/2 passes for 15 yards and a touchdown and will be on the field while Levis is running around, attempting to make an accurate throw.
Colby Parkinson – Sleeper roster 10%
Again, tight ends struggled for most of the week, but Parkinson saw much more involvement in the offense than expected. He caught 4 of 5 targets for 47 yards.
He was on the field for 88% of snaps and was reliable in the short yardage for Stafford. This team likes to spread the ball to different receivers, and Parkinson should have some upside without Nauca in the lineup for four weeks.
D/ST:
Detroit Lions – Sleeper roster 23%
If you’re looking for a decent streaming option for the week, the Lions look to have upside for a couple of weeks, going up against the Buccaneers, Cardinals and Seahawks.
They go up against a Buccaneers team that ran circles around Washington. But Baker Mayfield was sacked 41 times a year ago, landing him in the top 10 of most sacked QB. He also threw 10 interceptions last season.
Los Angeles Chargers – Sleeper roster 8%
It’s probably the easiest pick, but the Chargers take on a struggling Panthers this week. The Panthers made the Saint’s defense a top-five defense, according to FantasyPros.
Last week, Young was sacked four times and had two interceptions. With the Chargers’ pass rush, they should be able to easily get to Young and make some plays.
Indianapolis Colts – Sleeper roster 2%
Another streaming defense with a great matchup. The Colts draw the Packers this week, led by either Malik Willis or Sean Clifford. Either way, both quarterbacks will make plenty of mistakes.
Looking ahead, the Colts face the Bears, Steelers, Jaguars, and Titans, which are very favorable matchups for each game.
Tune in next week for your Week Three waiver wire! Also, tune in every Tuesday night at 8est for the Fantasy In Frames Waiver Wire show! Catch all my other articles over on X at @amerika108.
