Having a good fantasy draft sets a team up really well, but most of the time to win a fantasy football league, acquisitions need to be made during the season. Each week there are several players worth exploring on the waiver wire. Here are five players to add in fantasy football week 2. (Note: These are best used for standard scoring leagues. All players are owned in less than 50 percent of ESPN leagues)
1. Marquise Brown, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Marquise Brown had quite the debut in his first-ever NFL game. He had four receptions for 147 yards and two touchdowns. The Ravens seem to have an exciting young duo in him and quarterback Lamar Jackson. It is always hard to project how rookies can do in follow up performances, but Brown at least has the speed to consistently get open.
There are some reasons to be concerned. Brown had just five targets and was playing against a team that is essentially trying to tank. He is still worth the pickup, just in case he is lightning in a bottle. Brown is owned in just 28.2 percent of ESPN leagues.
2. John Ross, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
A lot of what is said about Brown can be said about John Ross. The third-year player out of Washington seemed to like new head coach Zac Taylor’s system with seven receptions for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Ross was targeted 12 times, which could mean that he is going to be a big part of the Bengals’ offense this year.
His target share could decrease when A.J. Green returns from injury, but Ross is still worth the pickup while Green is out to see how Cincinnati uses him in their offense. There will likely be no problem getting Ross in most leagues, as he is owned in under five percent of them on ESPN.
3. Ronald Jones, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Ronald Jones had an awful rookie year, but seems like he is due for a better season. He had 13 carries for 75 yards against the 49ers in week 1. Jones also had one catch for 18 yards. The Buccaneers might ride the hot hand at running back all year between Jones and Peyton Barber, which could be good news if Jones keeps running this way.
Time-share running backs are always risky, but it looked like Bruce Arians liked what Jones was doing, as he had a few more touches than Barber. He is worth picking up to see how he does in the coming weeks. He is owned in just over 40 percent of ESPN leagues.
4. Adrian Peterson, RB, Washington Redskins
For the first time of his career, Adrian Peterson was a healthy scratch. Jay Gruden wants to make Derrius Guice the workhorse running back, but Guice is likely out for a few weeks now after getting an MRI early this week. Peterson should be active and get a lot of the workload.
He will likely split time in the backfield with Chris Thompson, but he did so for some of last year too and still rushed for over 1,000 yards. The offensive line is considerably worse than last season, but with Peterson getting a lot of carries over the next few weeks, he is certainly rosterable. Peterson is owned in under 30 percent of ESPN leagues.
5. Carlos Hyde, RB, Houston Texans
Hyde is another running back who is splitting time in the backfield. He’ll continue to share carries with Duke Johnson, but Hyde looked really good on Monday Night Football against a New Orleans’ defense that was good against the run last season. He had 10 carries for 83 yards and one catch for two yards.
With Deshaun Watson getting hit so many times, the Texans may want to give the ball to Hyde a little bit more. His 8.3 yards per carry indicates that maybe he should get the ball more. He is owned in under 40 percent of ESPN leagues.
Bonus Pickups for Week 2
Because it is week 2 and there are plenty of players who played well, here are some bonus players to consider.
T.J. Hockenson, TE, Detroit Lions- Hockenson is currently the top fantasy tight end in the league. The rookie played well against the Cardinals and is worth the pickup for teams that have a low-tier starting tight end.
Darren Waller, TE, Oakland Raiders- With Antonio Brown out of town, the Raiders look like they’ll utilize Waller a lot. He had eight targets, seven catches and 70 yards against the Broncos on Monday Night Football.
Giovanni Bernard, RB, Cincinnati Bengals- Joe Mixon may play this weekend with a sprained ankle, but if he can’t go, Bernard is a solid option to pick up and possibly start.
Malcolm Brown, RB, Los Angeles Rams- Brown got more carries than many expected in week 1. With Todd Gurley battling arthritis in his knee, most drafts saw rookie Darrell Henderson get drafted, but Brown got 11 carries for 53 yards and two touchdowns in week 1.
D.J. Chark, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars- He was only targeted four times, but had four catches for 146 yards and a touchdown against the Chiefs. Bakup quarterback Gardner Minshew looked good in relief of injured Nick Foles, but it will be a situation to watch.
Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Redskins- The rookie out of Ohio State proved in week 1 that he could get open deep, now it’s just a question of how many times Case Keenum can make the accurate throw downfield.
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