Waiver Wire Week Two

What a crazy start to the 2019 NFL Football season. The Ravens absolutely obliterated the Dolphins, the Titans pulled off an upset against the much-hyped Browns, we get our first tie of the season early and the Patriots are still the Patriots. Oh yeah, and if your last name is Brown, there’s a good chance you had a good fantasy day. I’m not a big fan of stating the obvious, you deserve better, so for these articles, I will be mentioning only players who are less than 60% owned. So for this week that excludes guys like Jamison Crowder, Desean Jackson, Michael Gallup, DK Metcalf, and Mark Andrews. Let’s get to it!

Rank Team Pos Waiver Rankings Standard PPR Short-Term Value Investment Value 1 RB Carlos Hyde 1 2 1 1 2 RB Ronald Jones 2 4 2 2 3 RB Chris Thompson 4 1 3 5 4 RB Giovani Bernard 3 3 4 6 5 RB Raheem Mostert 5 5 5 3 6 RB Malcolm Brown 6 6 6 4 Rank Team Pos Waiver Rankings Standard PPR Short-Term Value Investment Value 1 WR Marquise Brown 1 1 1 1 2 WR AJ Brown 2 2 2 2 3 WR Terry McLaurin 4 3 5 3 4 WR John Ross 3 4 4 4 5 WR Mecole Hardman 5 5 3 5 6 WR John Brown 6 7 6 8 7 WR Danny Amendola 7 6 7 10 8 WR Parris Campbell 8 8 8 6 9 WR Chris Conley 9 9 9 9 10 WR Phillip Dorset 10 10 10 11 11 WR Deon Cain 11 11 11 7 12 WR Demarcus Robinson 12 12 12 12 Rank Team Pos Waiver Rankings Standard PPR Short-Term Value Investment Value 1 TE TJ Hockenson 1 1 1 1 2 TE Darren Waller 2 2 2 2

Standard: standard scoring format

PPR: Points per reception

Short-Term: Stepping in for an injured player or good matchup this week

Investment: A player worth stashing for the potential of something greater down the road.

Marquise Brown

Wide Receiver 28.2% owned

Brown flashed the explosive playmaking ability that made him the first receiver selected in this year’s draft. He scored two long touchdowns and looked in sync with Lamar Jackson all day finishing with a 4-147-2 line. Now it must be noted that the Dolphins looked like a JV Highschool team out there, so this is obviously going to be a hard line to repeat, but Brown carries enough upside to be worth a look as at least a high upside WR3 moving forward.

TJ Hockenson

Tight End 30% owned

It was surprising to see Hockenson’s ownership at only 30 %, but the narrative all season has been “Rookie tight ends never produce in year one”. Well, boy, did he prove that theory to be wrong. Hockenson exploded onto the scene with a 6-131-1 line against the Cardinals. Hockenson was the consensus number one tight end coming out of the draft, not only because of his receiving prowess but because of his superior blocking as well. Being highly talented in both aspects, Hockenson is rarely going to come off the field this year as evidenced by his Week 1 72.7% snap share courtesy of FantasyData.com. In a fantasy world where good tight ends are hard to come by, Hockenson is a must-add this week if he’s available.

John Brown

Wide Receiver 35.3% owned

John Brown has always been a talented wide receiver, it’s his health that has not cooperated with him for the most part of his career. Coming off his healthiest season to date, Brown delivered with his first game as a Buffalo Bill posting a 7-123-1 line. As been the speculation all off-season, Brown showed to be an exceptional match for Josh Allen and his rocket arm as the two connected downfield consistently. Brown is the de facto number one receiver for a team who should be throwing a ton and as long as he stays healthy he carries high upside as an every-week WR3 moving forward.

Ronald Jones

Running Back 40.6% owned

Head Coach Bruce Arians stated that Ronald Jones’s performance was “Something that we could build off” and that he was very happy with the second-year backs performance. I concur. Jones ripped off 75 yards on 13 carries for a 5.8 YPC and corralled his lone target for 18 yards on a 3rd and 17. The 3rd and 17 is important because it shows the confidence Arians has in Jones as a pass-catcher. Jones looked like a different man, consistently gaining yards while looking more elusive and explosive than last year. I fully expect Jones to slowly turn into the 1A of this committee with Peyton Barber and possibly even eventually become the full-blown starter. With Winston throwing it like he is, it will be in Arians best interest to get Jones and the running game more involved moving forward.

Malcolm Brown

Running Back 6.5% owned

So much for the Todd Gurley truthers who said: “He will still get his red zone touches which he is uber-efficient in, so I’m not worried”…We’ll now we should be, as Brown out-snapped Gurley in the red zone and took all of the teams carries inside the 5-yard line. Gurley had zero. Brown vultures two red-zone touchdowns from Gurley as a result, and it looks like that could be the new norm. Darrel Henderson, on the other hand, had a big fat zero in the touches department, so it looks like Brown is the handcuff to own. So with a role already in place, behind one of the bigger injury risk backs in the NFL, Brown is an absolute must add for all.

John Ross

Wide Receiver 4.8% owned

John Ross lives!! With AJ Green dealing with a multi-week injury, it was expected that Damion Willis would be the biggest beneficiary after being named the starter across from Boyd. We were all wrong and it was none other than John Ross who made the most of that opportunity, hanging a 7-158-2 line on the Seahawks while pacing the team in targets with 12 total. Ross looked like the guy we thought he could be coming out of college. Finally healthy and looking at a big target share, Ross could be here to stay, especially if Joe Mixon’s ankle injury forces him to miss any time. That would certainly cause the Bengals to go pass-heavy once again after Andy Dalton threw for a career-high 418 yards this week.

Chris Thompson

Running Back 18.9% owned

Jay Gruden head-scratchingly made Adrian Peterson a healthy scratch this week, choosing to go with just Derrius Guice and Chris Thompson on offense, Wendell Smallwood was purely a special teams player. Guice averaged a paltry 1.8 YPC and early indications show that the injury from last year may have sapped him of some of his juice. I pegged Chris Thompson as a sleeper of mine this week and he did not disappoint with 7 catches for 68 yards and 10 yards rushing. In PPR leagues, Thompson should carry weekly RB3 value with the Skins likely playing catch-up more often than not. Even with a 17-0 lead at halftime, they somehow managed to botch it and go into catchup mode in the second half. If Peterson continues to be a healthy scratch I can see Thompson earning a few more carries a game while maintaining his pass-catching role.

UPDATE: Derrius Guice suffered a knee injury Sunday and is expected to miss some time according to Ian Rapaport via Twitter. This makes Adrian Peterson a must-add across the board after he ran for over 1,000 yards in Guice’s absence last year. I’m still high on Thompson as his role should remain the same.

Carlos Hyde

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Running Back 39.4% owned

Duke Johnson who? Carlos Hyde ran like the Texans starter, even splitting out wide at times, which you would think Johnson would be doing. O’Brien clearly thinks highly of Hyde and Hyde rewarded him with an impressive line of 10-83-0 and one reception for two yards. It’s only one game but Hyde looks like he will be an integral part of the Texans offense and should be viewed as a high-end RB3 moving forward.

Mecole Hardman | Demarcus Robinson

Wide Receiver 17.4% owned | 0.4% owned

Tyreek Hill is looking at a multi-week absence and any time you can get your hands on a part of one of the best offenses in the league you do it. Both of these guys will be seeing increased playing time during Hill’s absence. Hardman played more snaps than Robinson and looked to be the possible replacement for Hill, but don’t overlook Robinson’s familiarity with the Chiefs offense and Pat Mahomes. Hardman will most likely cost you more but it is entirely possible that Robinson, who will come cheaper, could be just as good if not better. Hardman carries more upside due to his playmaking ability but whoever takes advantage could turn into a weekly WR2 while Hill is out.

Danny Amendola

Wide Receiver 3.4% owned

Just like his teammate TJ Hockenson, Amendola looked comfortable out of the slot for his new team racking up a 7-104-1 line on a team-high 13 targets. Now buyer beware, that the Cardinals who were without Patrick Peterson and Robert Alford, may have trotted out arguably the worst group of corners this week. That being said, a team-high 13 targets is great news for Amendola and he should be a solid WR3 in PPR leagues moving forward.

Terry McLaurin

Wide Receiver 7.3% owned

Looks like we have found the number one receiver for the Redskins in Terry McLaurin. He had a great debut against the division rival Philadelphia Eagles with a 5-125-1 line on 7 targets. Mclaurin had an impressive 92.7% snap share on the day, cementing himself as the number one option on the outside. He displayed good chemistry with Quarterback Case Keenum, which is encouraging. What’s more encouraging is if the Redskins decide to see what they have in Rookie Quarterback Dwayne Haskins at some point in the season, that chemistry will just transfer right over as Haskins was McLaurin’s Quarterback in college. Locked into a big role on a team who should be passing a ton, McLaurin is primed for a nice rookie year and is looking like a low-end WR3 to begin the season.

Quick Hits

Another pair of Wide Receivers to consider on the Jaguars is Chris Conley and DJ Chark . Both had big games, but face a quarterback downgrade in Gardner Minshew due to Nick Foles’ injury and the possibility of a run heavier scheme because of it.

and . Both had big games, but face a quarterback downgrade in Gardner Minshew due to Nick Foles’ injury and the possibility of a run heavier scheme because of it. AJ Brown of the Tennessee Titans looked like the WR1 for them following Corey Davis’s week 1 good egg. He will be boom/bust more weeks than not due to the Titans run-heavy scheme and presence of Delanie Walker, but he is absolutely worth rostering in deeper leagues. His Quarterback, Marcus Mariota , is also worth a look as a QB2 after a strong game.

of the Tennessee Titans looked like the WR1 for them following Corey Davis’s week 1 good egg. He will be boom/bust more weeks than not due to the Titans run-heavy scheme and presence of Delanie Walker, but he is absolutely worth rostering in deeper leagues. His Quarterback, , is also worth a look as a QB2 after a strong game. As long as Jordan Reed is out, Vernon Davis is a fine High-End TE2 for your teams. He has consistently produced in Reed’s absence during his time in Washington.

is a fine High-End TE2 for your teams. He has consistently produced in Reed’s absence during his time in Washington. I’m staying away from Phillip Dorset and Rex Burkhead in all but the deepest of leagues. The arrival of Antonio Brown will significantly take away from their volume. Let someone else spend the FAAB on them.

and in all but the deepest of leagues. The arrival of Antonio Brown will significantly take away from their volume. Let someone else spend the FAAB on them. Giovani Bernard is a guy you will want to consider with uncertainty surrounding the seriousness of Joe Mixon’s injury. Early reports indicate that Mixon has escaped with a minor ankle sprain and may not even miss time. But if he does, Bernard will step into an every-down role.

is a guy you will want to consider with uncertainty surrounding the seriousness of Joe Mixon’s injury. Early reports indicate that Mixon has escaped with a minor ankle sprain and may not even miss time. But if he does, Bernard will step into an every-down role. Keep an eye on Raheem Mostert of the Niners. Tevin Coleman sounds like he could miss some time and Mostert should be involved in the backfield with Breida. He took 9 carries for 40 yards this week and is a great addition for those of you in deeper leagues while he is still being over-looked.

of the Niners. Tevin Coleman sounds like he could miss some time and Mostert should be involved in the backfield with Breida. He took 9 carries for 40 yards this week and is a great addition for those of you in deeper leagues while he is still being over-looked. Devin Funchess was just placed on IR with a broken collarbone. That means receivers Parris Campbell and Deon Cain will step into larger roles. Deon Cain was one of my favorite sleepers last year before his season-ending injury and should get the start outside across from Hilton. I like him over Campbell. Deep leaguers should look his way now before his price goes up in the coming weeks.

and will step into larger roles. Deon Cain was one of my favorite sleepers last year before his season-ending injury and should get the start outside across from Hilton. I like him over Campbell. Deep leaguers should look his way now before his price goes up in the coming weeks. Hard Knocks star Darren Waller was heavily targeted in last nights game against the Broncos and looks to be a focal point of this offense sans Antonio Brown. He looks like a fine low-end TE1 moving forward.