We’re back! Fantasy owners can finally buckle down and do the thing that makes us irrationally yell at everyone around us. Hopefully the 2019 Fantasy Football Week 2 Waiver Wire can help you get through the season with less yelling.

This was by far the craziest offseason in NFL history. Surprise retirements, frozen feet, helmet lawsuits, racial slurs, and conspiracy theories.

Antonio Brown made things fun for us, didn’t he?

After forcing his way out of Oakland and immediately signing with the Patriots, the situation stopped being funny and began to spark outrage.

The narrative changed from a talented player with a mental illness to a machiavellian genius who orchestrated his exit from the beginning. Turns out that theory might not be far off:

Antonio Brown sought advice from social media consultants on how he could accelerate his release from the Raiders, accoring to @mortreport. pic.twitter.com/lXBQmxOB4Z — NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 8, 2019

Maybe he planned it after all?

Like last season, I will focus on players that are owned in under 35% of leagues. The “other options” section will have players that cross that threshold.

2019 Fantasy Football Week 2 Waiver Wire

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Quarterbacks

Gardner Minshew, Jacksonville Jaguars (0% owned)

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After Nick Foles left the game with a broken collarbone, the 6th round pick out of Washington State filled in and played like a 10-year veteran.

Jaguars’ rookie QB Gardner Minshew’s completion percentage (88.0) Sunday was the highest in NFL history for any player with at least 15 pass attempts making their NFL debut. It is also a franchise single-game record among players with at least 25 pass attempts. — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 9, 2019

Gardner finished the game with 275 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He completed 22-of-25 passes, setting multiple records in the process.

With Foles out for a significant amount of time, Minshew will be the Jacksonville starter for the foreseeable future. He won’t be facing the Chiefs garbage time offense every week so expect the efficiency to come down.

However, he showed enough poise and accuracy to be worth a look in deep or two QB leagues.

Reports of Stafford’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. After being written off and more sparsely owned than Derek Carr, the Detroit QB put himself back into the QB1 discussion.

The Lions threw the ball 45 times after the running game was plugged up by the Cardinals defensive front. Stafford completed 27 passes for 385 yards and three touchdowns.

Keep in mind he did this in a game when Kenny Golladay was held to just 42 yards. T.J. Hockenson lived up to the hype, catching six passes for 131 yards and a touchdown, giving Stafford a real threat beyond Golladay and Marvin Jones Jr.

If Danny Amendola can stay healthy and control the slot, Stafford will have one of the deepest receiving corps in the league.

Running Backs

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One week after sitting out as a healthy scratch, Peterson will get his chance to lead the Washington backfield. Derrius Guice is likely to miss time after undergoing an MRI on his knee Monday morning.

I’m listing AD and not Chris Thompson because the latter already got 10 targets in Week 1. Thompson is already a bit injury-prone and like many passing-backs, his role won’t change much with the early-down RB out.

Peterson rushed for over 1,000 yards last season, so he’s not a threat that can be waved off. He shouldn’t completely run away with the job, but if Guice proves he can’t stay healthy, Peterson will continue eating into his carries when both are healthy.

Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati Bengals (14% owned)

The forgotten passing back in Cincinnati, Bernard may get his chance to remind people why he was the first running back off the board in the 2013 draft.

Joe Mixon suffered a “minor” ankle injury on Sunday and is expected to play in Week 2. However, ankle sprains are a tricky injury and if Mixon is limited in any way on Sunday, Bernard becomes a FLEX option in 10-team and deeper leagues. In two games without Mixon last season, Bernard performed very well, putting up 130 rushing yards and three TDs.

The Bengals will get a far easier matchup in Week 2, drawing the 49ers defense instead of the Seahawks. A full workload puts Bernard firmly in RB2 territory.

Other Options: Malcolm Brown (12% owned), Ronald Jones (28% owned), Rex Burkhead (5% owned)

Wide Receivers

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“Hollywood” rewarded everyone who believed in him as a late-round flier. Baltimore’s first-round pick went berserk in Week 1, catching four passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns in the Ravens’ 59-10 beatdown of the Dolphins.

Of course, the performance has to be taken with a grain of salt. The Dolphins are obviously tanking and they’re the team you think of when someone asks the question “Which NFL team could lose to Alabama?”.

Brown will continue to be the number one option for Lamar Jackson, which should put him into consistent WR2/3 territory so long as he stays healthy and Jackson can continue to develop.

John Ross, Cincinnati Bengals (10% owned)

Third time’s the charm? After two disappointing years, Ross is finally producing as a ninth overall receiver should. With A.J. Green on the sidelines, Ross became Andy Dalton‘s favorite target, catching 7-of-12 targets for 158 yards and two touchdowns.

Ross did leave some points on the field thanks to drops, but owners need to take notice of someone who drew 12 targets. Ross has a good opportunity to have another good game against the San Fransisco defense, but he is one of the bigger boom-or-bust options on the waiver wire.

Other options: Jamison Crowder (46% owned), D.J. Chark (2% owned), Chris Conley (1% owned), Amendola (6% owned)

Tight Ends

Vernon Davis, Washington Redskins (2% owned)

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As long as Jordan Reed is out with a concussion, Davis will be Fantasy relevant. The old-dog turned back the clock against the Eagles, catching four passes for 59 yards and a touchdown.

35-year old Vernon Davis is out here doing this. #Redskins up 7-0 over Philly pic.twitter.com/jEVjSix6OG — NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) September 8, 2019

Anyone that can still hurdle a defender deserves some consideration, even if they are 35-years old. Receivers Trey Quinn and Terry McLaurin looked good as well, but seven targets is a nice number for a TE fill-in. Especially if you own Kyle Rudolph.

Tyler Higbee, Los Angeles Rams (0% owned)

Higbee didn’t blow up like the other players on this list, but he was a consistent short-yardage target for Jared Goff. Higbee drew five targets and caught four passes for 20 yards and a touchdown.

At 0% owned there won’t be a mad rush to the wire for his services but he is someone worth watching in the Rams’ high-powered passing attack.

Deep League Specials

Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Redskins

Three Washington players. That’s probably a good indication that this season is going to be bonkers. In a surprisingly good offensive showing from the Redskins, Scary Terry caught 5-of-7 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown.

He tied Davis for the team lead in targets and could have had a second long touchdown if not for an overthrow from Case Keenum.





The Washington offense likely won’t be this smooth all season long, but McLaurin showed enough to be worth looking at in deep leagues as a bench flier.

Check out the rest of our 2018 Fantasy Football content from our great team of writers.