Fantasy football is back and that means it's time for waivers. Below are my top adds at every position for Week 2. Every player mentioned will be available in over half of Yahoo leagues. I’ll also make notes on FAAB recommendations when necessary.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire QBs – Week 2 Adds
Daniel Jones, Colts
Jones was flirting with QB1 overall status before Sunday night’s game, though Justin Fields technically outscored his 29.48 points by a few hundredths of a point. Jones had a strong passing day of 279 yards at a stellar 9.4 YPA. More importantly, he ran seven times for 26 yards and a pair of scores. Jones ran for over 700 yards the last time he played a full year, all the way back in 2022. Even if the passing efficiency drops off, his rushing output is here to stay. However, he gets a nightmare matchup with Denver next week. Jones’s rushing output will make him playable for Week 2, but he will get a probationary period in the QB2 ranks before fantasy managers can really feel confident about starting the journeyman passer.
Michael Penix Jr., Falcons
Penix did everything that was asked of him in Week 1, completing 64 percent of his passes at 7.1 YPA for 298 yards and one score. He also added a new wrinkle to his game: rushing production. Penix ran six times for 21 yards and a score. He did not throw a pick and only took one sack. The rushing output might not be here to stay. Penix suffered multiple torn ACLs in college and was not a rusher late in his collegiate career or as a rookie. But when the game was on the line this week, he took off on a fourth-down scramble to make it into the end zone by inches.
Penix gets a tough matchup with the Vikings next week, but he is the best bet on talent off the waiver wire. With none of the waiver wire adds having phenomenal matchups in Week 2, there’s no reason not to bet on season-long upside with Penix if you need a streamer.
Joe Flacco, Browns
Attempts are a QB stat and they follow Flacco wherever he goes. He threw 45 times in his return to Cleveland and managed 290 yards with a score and two picks.
Kevin Stefanski let him air it out with a +5% pass rate over expected. Flacco averaged 41 attempts, 323 yards, and 2.6 touchdowns per game with the Browns in 2023. This is what he does. Now he gets a Baltimore defense that ranked 28th in EPA per play in the first week of the year. Flacco is the matchup-based streamer of the week.
Aaron Rodgers, Steelers
Rodgers’ debut in Black and Gold went as well as anyone could have hoped for with 244 yards and four scores. He was ultimately given a poor grade by PFF, who charted him outside of the top 20 passers for Week 1. The Steelers didn’t try to juice his stats with attempts either. They had a negative pass rate over expected and Rodgers dropped back just 36 times in the second-highest scoring game of the week. With no rushing output to speak of, Rodgers is worth an add if you're desperate, but clocks in at the back of the waiver wire ranks for Week 2.
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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire RBs – Week 2 Adds
Dylan Sampson, Browns
Warning: It’s a brutal week for running back waivers. Sampson is the only running back rostered in less than half of Yahoo leagues who scored more than nine points this week. Worst of all, he, as the best add of the week, is getting a second-round running back added to his backfield in Week 2. Now is also a good time to remind you to check your waiver wire for Quinshon Judkins.
Sampson didn’t do anything on the ground, averaging 2.4 yards per carry on a dozen totes. He was, however, electric as a pass-catcher. The rookie caught eight passes for 64 yards. He easily led all running backs (min. 10 routes) in yards per route run at 4.3. Sampson forced three missed tackles and generated nearly 100 YAC. Even with Judkins expected to return next week, Sampson should maintain a pass-catching role.
DJ Giddens, Colts
Indy didn’t bother involving their RB2 in the first half of their Week 1 win over the Dolphins. Giddens did not play a snap before halftime. However, he did relieve Taylor in the second half of the Colts’ blowout. Of note, Jonathan Taylor appeared to suffer a head or neck injury and left the game before the rest of the Colts’ starters. It didn’t appear to be serious, but it’s notable given that Giddens saw 12-of-13 backup running back carries after Taylor exited. Giddens is in line for an RB2 workload if Taylor misses time.
Kareem Hunt, Chiefs
It’s not sexy, but this is what grinding the waiver wire looks like. Hunt was on the field for every important Chiefs snap in Week 1.
He is their primary back on both passing downs and in goal line situations. A date with the Eagles in Week 2 isn’t a great spot to start Hunt, but a likely blowout win over the Giants in Week 3 could push him into the RB3 ranks. He also has the chance to consolidate touches if anything happens to Isiah Pacheco.
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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire WRs – Week 2 Adds
Hollywood Brown, Chiefs
We don’t yet have a timeline for Xavier Worthy’s return from his dislocated shoulder, but it’s safe to say it won’t happen in Week 2. It might not be until after Rashee Rice returns from his six-game suspension. That leaves Brown as Patrick Mahomes’ No. 1 receiver for up to another month of football. Brown currently leads the NFL with 16 targets. He earned an absurd 42 percent target share versus the Chargers. Brown isn’t cut out for WR1 duties. He’s barely cut out for a No. 2 role. But this is the hand the Chiefs were dealt. Brown is a fantasy WR2 for Week 2.
Quentin Johnston, Chargers
Week 1’s WR3 overall is rostered in fewer than one of every 10 Yahoo leagues. He’s a former first-round pick who doubled his yards per route run in his second season and scored eight touchdowns. Johnston then opened 2025 with another two-score outing and led the Chargers with 79 receiving yards. With three receivers capable of commanding targets in LA, Johnston’s fantasy output will be of the feast-or-famine variety. Still, it’s obvious he is here to stay as a FLEX option.
Kayshon Boutte, Patriots
Boutte operated as the Patriots’ clear WR1 in Week 1. He ran a route on 83 percent of Drake Maye’s dropbacks and tied for a team-high eight targets. This was despite briefly exiting the contest for a trip to the blue tent. Boutte topped 100 yards for the second week in a row, dating back to the end of 2024. His 139 air yards were the ninth-most of Week 1 (MNF pending). Boutte still got home despite a poor showing from Drake Maye. If the second-year passer turns the corner, Boutte could find permanent residence in the WR3 ranks.
Joshua Palmer, Bills
The Bills seemingly gave up on their 2TE dreams in Week 1, opting for 11-personnel on 86 percent of their passing plays. That left a healthy WR3 role up for grabs and free agent addition Josh Palmer took it with ease, running a route on 75 percent of Josh Allen’s dropbacks. Palmer saw 10 targets, good for a 21 percent target share at field-stretching aDOT of 14.4. Palmer will be a boom/bust fantasy option going forward, but he’s on the menu as a WR4.
Calvin Austin, Steelers
The Steelers’ base package for passing plays was 12-personnel and Austin was on the field for all but two of those snaps. They also didn’t run almost any 13 or 22-personnel looks on passing plays, meaning Austin, as the team’s WR2, ran 83 percent of the routes and was often doing so while competing primarily with tight ends for targets. This allowed him to see a target on 23 percent of his routes. He cashed in with four catches for 70 yards and a score. Most Steelers games won’t be as fun as their 34-32 barn-burner with the Jets, but Austin should be rostered in most formats.
Cedric Tillman, Browns
Just like last year, Browns receivers are once again pacing to lead the league in routes. Both Tillman and Jerry Jeudy finished inside the top 10 in routes for Week 1. Tillman’s 18 percent target share and .16 targets per route are both underwhelming, but those numbers will work when the Browns are dropping back 50 times per game. He was also on the receiving end of Joe Flacco’s only end zone target.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire TEs – Week 2 Adds
Harold Fannin, Browns
Fannin posted the greatest tight end season in college football history with 117 catches for 1,555 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024. His third-round draft capital was good but not great and the tape grinders had qualms with his play style. No prospect emdobied the boom/bust archetype better than him. He came out in Week 1 and silenced the doubters with a historic debut of seven catches for 63 yards. Both he and Tyler Warren set the record for catches by a rookie in their inaugural game. Fannin was used all over the formation in every way imaginable.
He accounted for 21 percent of the Browns' first read targets and finished second on the week in targets among tight ends. If you’re in a TE premium league and Fannin is available, this is the bet you unload the clip on.
Juwan Johnson, Saints
If you miss out on the Harold Fannin sweepstakes, Johnson is a great consolation prize. Johnson ran 51-of-53 possible routes and earned 11 targets, the most for a tight end in Week 1 before Monday Night Football. As bad as Spencer Rattler is, a tight end getting every snap on a team destined to be playing from behind every week is a likely bet for TE1 fantasy output.
Jonnu Smith, Steelers
The Arthur Smith passion project is up and running again with Jonnu Smith seeing six targets in Week 1 and finding the end zone for the first time as a Steeler.
His role is not nearly as incredible as those of Johnson or Fannin. Jonnu ran just 56 percent of the routes but still managed an impressive 21 percent target share. His first read target share of 12 percent was underwhelming. Smith is only a TE2, but he is the clear third option off waivers this week.
Patrick Daugherty
Lawrence Jackson Jr.