Week 2 of the AAF season helped shed a little light on some unclear positional situations in the league, but it also didn’t come without surprises of its own. We had by far the most exciting game of the season where the Orlando Apollos and San Antonio Commanders gave us our first taste of an AAF shoot out, finishing with a thrilling 37-29 victory for Orlando. That game gave us our top-two fantasy producers of the week, Garrett Gilbert and Charles Johnson.

Whether you’re playing season long leagues over at Alt Fantasy Sports or trying your luck with DFS tournaments over at Fanball.com, this article will give you a look at a few players worth adding off the waiver wire or keeping an eye on for future DFS lineups. Stats and points sourced from Fanball and NoExtraPoints.com.

Note: At the time of this writing, ownership percentages are unfortunately unavailable at Alt Fantasy Sports.

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Quarterback

Name Week 2 Rank Cmp Att Cmp% Pass Yds Y/A TD Int 2PT Rush Yds Rush TD FPTS Garrett Gilbert (ORL) QB1 19 28 67.9 393 14.0 2 0 1 5 0 29.2 Logan Woodside (SA) QB3 20 39 51.3 223 5.7 1 1 1 18 0 16.7 Matt Simms (ATL) QB5 17 25 68.0 160 6.4 1 1 0 1 0 10.5



Garrett Gilbert (ORL)

The Apollos made a statement in their Week 2 win over San Antonio, making them a candidate for the top team in the league in most power rankings. Garrett Gilbert may very well be owned already in season-long leagues but if he isn’t he is a no brainer for the top add this week. He only carried a 45% ownership level in Week 2. Gilbert has strung together back-to-back dominating performances. He is currently leading the AAF with 620 passing yards and 56.8 total fantasy points. His 64% completion percentage is also best in the league among starting QBs.

Gilbert and John Wolford are really in a league of their own with 10 combined passing TDs over the last two weeks while the rest of the QBs in the league have only managed to combine for four. A pretty staggering difference. Gilbert and Wolford should easily become the two most heavily owned QBs in DFS going forward and are weekly must-starts in season-long leagues.

Logan Woodside (SA)

Woodside has been consistent with his production over the last two weeks as he has finished as the overall QB4 in Week 1 and jumped up one spot to QB3 in Week 2. Woodside is currently second in the league with 478 passing yards, but he has only managed to score one TD while turning over three interceptions.

San Antonio is currently leading the way with their voluminous passing game. Woodside has finished with the most passing attempts in back-to-back weeks. The team also offers one of the best wideout groups in the league with Mekale McKay, Greg Ward Jr., and Alonzo Moore all finishing as top-10 WRs in Week 1 and De’Marcus Ayers stealing the show with an overall WR4 finish in Week 2.

The only cause for concern here was the emergence of fellow QB Marquise Williams to the mix in Week 2. The Commanders could potentially look to mix Williams in more often as a change of pace QB, if you will. This caps the ceiling a bit for Woodside who has already had a hard time finding pay dirt through two weeks. Woodside isn’t in the same tier as Gilbert or Wolford, but he is still a mid-range QB1 worthy of starting at a weak position.

Matt Sims (ATL)

If you are desperate at the QB position already heading into Week 3, Matt Simms may be a player worth considering as a starter. Simms showed improvement in Week 2 as he led all QBs with a 68% completion percentage while also throwing his first passing TD of the season. The Atlanta offense still looked sluggish, only managing 12 points in the game, but this is at least up from the six they scored in Week 1.

Simms is currently the overall QB6 on the season right behind Christian Hackenberg, but it shouldn’t take long for Simms to leapfrog into that QB5 spot. There isn’t a ton of upside here, but if you want to play the matchups with two lower-end QBs, Simms can be a streamable option. Week 3 isn’t a great spot right off the bat against a Birmingham Iron defense that has completely shut down QBs so far this season, but the matchups will improve with Arizona coming up in Week 4 and Memphis in Week 5. Both of those teams merely rank middle of the pack in production allowed to QBs so far this season.

Running Back

Name Week 2 Rank Rush Yds Y/A Lng TD Rec Tgt Yds Lng TD 2Pt Touch YScm Y/Tch FPts Akrum Wadley (ATL) RB5 4 12 3.0 4 0 8 8 70 33 0 0 12 82 6.8 16.2 Tim Cook (ARZ) RB7 13 73 5.6 28 0 1 1 4 4 1 0 14 77 5.5 14.7 De’Veon Smith (ORL) RB9 4 4 1.0 4 1 2 3 10 5 0 1 6 14 2.3 11.4



Akrum Wadley (ATL)

After being inactive in Week 1, Akrum Wadley burst onto the scene as a primary weapon in the passing game for a struggling Atlanta offense. Wadley led the Legends in receiving in Week 2 catching all eight of his targets for 70 yards. While it’s worth noting that Wadley accumulated some of his work in garbage time with the game nearing its end, he still looked good through the entirety of this performance.

Wadley was a dual-threat running back in college for Iowa who finished with over 1,000 yards rushing and over 300 yards receiving in each of his last two seasons according to Sports Reference. He finished top-five in yards from scrimmage in the Big 10 in both of those seasons. Wadley ran a 4.54 second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine but was not selected on Draft Day. The Tennessee Titans brought Wadley in briefly, but he didn’t quite make the cut. He presents a dangerous weapon for the Legends in a weak passing game as an elusive target out of the backfield who will be a nightmare for linebackers to try and cover.

Tim Cook (ARZ)

Tim Cook is another player who made an impact in Week 2 after not seeing the field in the season opener. While we were all set to name Jhurell Pressley the bell cow of this backfield, Tim Cook and Justin Stockton put a huge dent in that value in Week 2. Cook proved a slightly more efficient option in the running game handling 13 carries for 73 yards (5.6 YPA), outpacing Pressley’s 12 carries for 57 yards. Cook also contributed in the passing game with a touchdown reception.

Arizona suddenly has the looks of a full-blown three-man committee at running back. Cook gave us the most volume and production in Week 2 while Stockton dazzled with a big 45-yard rushing TD. Pressley was also still well in the mix with double-digit touches and above average production.

Arizona is one of the top offenses in the league and the fast-paced nature of this league means rotational RB committees will be extremely common. Cook should be considered an RB2 or Flex play going forward as more of a power-back type, but we still need a larger sample size before we can get a comfortable grasp long-term.

De’Veon Smith (ORL)

Smith has carved out a solid role on the high-powered Apollos offense as the preferred option in the red zone. He saw the most snaps of any Orlando RB in Week 2 and has now scored a rushing TD in back-to-back weeks. This is another backfield that should remain a volatile committee as Smith’s snap share only led to six touches and 14 yards from scrimmage. Fellow RB D’Ernest Johnson also continues to look impressive with the opportunities he’s been given and has averaged 7.0 YPA over the first two weeks. Smith is still a solid plug-and-play as your RB2 or Flex as his continued usage near the end zone makes him a good bet for a quick six any given week.

Wide Receiver

Name Week 2 Rank Rec Tgt Yds Lng YAC TD 2Pt Y/R FPts De’Marcus Ayers (SA) WR4 5 8 80 29 21 0 0 16.0 13.0 Malachi Jones (ATL) WR5 3 3 37 19 1 1 0 12.3 12.5 Reece Horn (MEM) WR6 5 6 56 17 16 0 0 11.2 10.6 Nelson Spruce (SD) WR8 4 6 58 29 16 0 0 14.5 9.8 Chris Thompson (ORL) WR9 2 2 70 54 10 0 0 35.0 9.0



De’Marcus Ayers (SA)

After we saw Mekale McKay, Greg Ward Jr., and Alonzo Moore all break out as top-10 wideouts in Week 1, De’Marcus Ayers came out of nowhere to supplant them all. Ayers led San Antonio in receiving in Week 2 while his eight targets were only one behind team leader, McKay. On first glance, Ayers looks like a threat mostly to Alonzo Moore’s value as the team looks to have a lot of specific gadget plays drawn up for Ward Jr.

A local product out of Houston, Ayers was used as both a wideout and special teams player in his college days. He didn’t come out of his shell until his third and final year in college where he came in second in the AAC with 97 receptions and 1,221 receiving yards. Ayers was selected in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Steelers. He wound up playing in two games that season for the team, totaling six receptions for 53 yards and one TD. He was cut after that season and spent time as a practice squad member with the Patriots and most recently the Bears.

Now in the AAF, Ayers is in a great spot to shine and get another shot at an NFL gig. He has some stiff competition in this WR corps, but luckily the Commanders have featured the highest volume pass attack in the league so far. This is a situation to monitor closely to see if Ayers has what it takes to unseat McKay as the team’s presumed WR1.

Malachi Jones (ATL)

Jones was a player I was rather fond of in my Week 2 rankings despite finishing with zero catches on six targets in Week 1. None of Jones’ targets were deemed catchable in Week 1 according to Pro Football Focus. Jones not only caught all three of his targets in Week 2, but he even found the end zone for his first TD of the season.

Though Seantavius Jones has led Atlanta’s WR crew in targets through the first two weeks, he hasn’t been able to do anything with them. There is still plenty of room here for Malachi Jones to swoop in and take over as the WR1 this team desperately needs.

Reece Horn (MEM)

We haven’t seen much in the way of production from the Memphis offense to start the season, but Reece Horn has stood out as a player worth watching. Horn has seen 11 targets through the first two games and managed to finish as the WR6 in Week 2 finishing with five catches for 56 yards.

Horn’s background is a tough one to trace. A big-bodied receiver at 6’3″ and 215 lbs, Horn holds career receiving records for both receptions (272) and receiving yards (3,562) at the University of Indianapolis where also contributed on special teams. He was awarded Conference Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015. Horn also managed some impressive Pro Day Workout numbers (compared to WRs at NFL Combine 2016) with:

18 Bench Reps – (3rd Overall)

4.01 Short Shuttle – (1st Overall)

6.71 Cone Drill – (3rd Overall)

Horn was briefly picked up by the Colts but never amounted to anything at the NFL level. He has his chance now to make an impact as the leading receiver of the Memphis Express. The team needs remarkedly improved QB play before the passing game can be a real threat, but considering the fact that Horn was able to manage a WR6 finish on a team where the QB barely threw for over 100 passing yards shows there is a ton of room to grow.

Nelson Spruce (SD)

The Fleet receiving corps has been all over the board so far dating back to the preseason when Dontez Ford was the man to watch. Brian Brown started out the regular season as the team’s top wideout and now Nelson Spruce is the man to own. Spruce had some plays dialed up specifically for him in Week 2 as we overheard coach Mike Martz saying during the game when he was mic’d up. Spruce tied for the team lead with six targets in Week 2 which is up after only seeing two targets in Week 1.

Spruce is a product of Colorado who finished his career there with back-to-back seasons over 1,000 yards. He led the Pac-12 with 106 receptions and 12 receiving TDs in 2014 and is second all-time in the Pac-12 with 294 career receptions. He was rated as a three-star recruit out of college but was not selected in the 2016 NFL Draft. He was picked up by the Rams as an undrafted free agent but was injured during an impressive preseason performance. He was eventually released after getting beat out for the starting job and never made an official start in the NFL. Spruce also had brief stints with the Bears, Chiefs, and Chargers.

With no definitive answer as to who we can expect to lead this SD Fleet passing attack each week, Spruce is worth grabbing and stashing with immediate Flex value.

Chris Thompson (ORL)

Just what we need! Another Chris Thompson to talk about! Orlando’s third wideout has gotten lost in all of the noise surrounding Garrett Gilbert, Jalin Marshall, and Charles Johnson. And rightfully so, as those guys have been on a tear, but underneath that, Thompson has finished inside the top-20 wideouts each week. Thompson has seen eight targets so far this season and showed impressive deep-ball skills in Week 2 catching two passes for 70 yards. With the way this Orlando offense has been throwing the ball, there is plenty of room for all three wideouts to be fantasy relevant on a weekly basis. Especially considering the Apollos have completely ignored their tight ends in the passing game.

Thompson is a quiet player to target at the end of your waiver priority who could very well provide us with some big-game potential of his own down the road.

Tight End

Name Rank Opp. Rec Tgt Yds Lng YAC TD 2Pt Y/R FPts Evan Rodriguez (SA) TE1 vs ORL 2 3 6 5 4 1 1 3.0 10.6 Weslye Saunders (BIR) TE2 vs SLC 3 3 21 9 16 0 0 7.0 5.1



Evan Rodriguez (SA)

Rodriguez was basically the only tight end worth mentioning this week as he was the only one in the league to find the end zone. Without that TD though, it would have been a pretty bleak game for him with only six receiving yards. Rodriguez got the start with Cole Hunt announced inactive right before game time. It may take Hunt being inactive again for Rodriguez to continue seeing lead duties, but with this position looking like a hard pass altogether, someone who has had some success in the end zone already this season is worth grabbing.

Rodriguez was a former fourth-round draft pick of the Bears back in 2012. He also briefly spent time with the Dolphins, Bills, and Buccaneers.

Weslye Saunders (BIR)

The Birmingham Iron had a sudden rash of injuries that left all but Connor Davis basically as their top tight end option. Saunders was brought in to fill out the depth chart but wound up leading all tight ends in Week 2 with 21 receiving yards. Saunders also lost a fumble in the game. Yeah, it was a rough week for tight ends altogether. Saunders is thrust into a great situation, however, and should continue to be a moderate fantasy option going forward.

Saunders spent a decent amount of time at the NFL level having seen the field with both the Steelers and the Colts. He only managed one career touchdown in the league.

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John Ferguson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from John, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyFerguson.