Week one of the 2023 NFL season is over and so is all hope. Maybe you believed Drake London and Tee Higgins would record a catch. Maybe you thought Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson would show up in their season openers. Maybe you even thought Aaron Rodgers would make it through the first quarter of his first game as a Jet. Before you give up on your fantasy season, remember that the waiver wire exists to save you from your horrible choices. I’m going to provide you with the best options available. If I don’t mention someone whom you think I should be talking about, just know there are many reasons why I overlooked them. Maybe they are owned in most leagues. Maybe they are so bad I don’t even consider them. Or, maybe it’s because your opinions cannot be trusted. After all, you are here. So let us examine who our best week two waiver wire players for your championship run are…
Week Two Waiver Wire QBs
Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers ( 20% rostered)
Jordan Love finished week one as the QB3 and is being touted as the top quarterback on the waiver wire by most publications. Personally, I do not add quarterbacks on the waiver wire in week one unless I have an injury. If I did, I would still advise caution with Love. While his 245 passing yards and 3 touchdowns look impressive, Love did this against a Chicago Bears defense that was bottom five in all major statistical categories last year. Love is definitely worth monitoring, but I’m not sure I am willing to burn my waiver priority on him quite yet.
Mac Jones, New England Patriots ( 5% rostered)
Mac Jones was the QB2 of week one with 316 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. As I said with Love, every year there is a guy who sits on the waiver wire for a few weeks despite being a QB1. My inherent skepticism of Mac Jones makes it hard for me to believe he is that guy, but there are some points in his favor. Bill O’Brian is a decent offensive coordinator, which is a huge improvement over what the Patriots had last year. They did show out against an Eagles defense that is expected to be good. Is Mac Jones that guy? I doubt it, but if you are desperate for quarterback help, this might be a decent flyer.
Sam Howell, Washington Commanders ( 13% rostered)
I’m adding Sam Howell to the list because he was a QB1, but that is more because the rest of the quarterbacks in week one did terribly than because of how he looked. With 202 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception, Howell did show flashes and is worth keeping an eye on, but he is not worth a waiver add yet.
Week Two Waiver Wire RBs
Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons (39% rostered)
For all the love we have shown Bijan Robinson, I think the rest of the fantasy community slipped when it came to noting the value of Tyler Allgeier. He showed that value in week one with 94 total all-purpose yards and 2 touchdowns. Atlanta ran the football more than anyone last season and started 2023 with the same script. Allgeier was on the field for 56% of Atlanta’s offensive plays and he was on the field for 100% of their snaps within the 5-yard line. Allgeier is going to be the most hated man in fantasy football because of how he is going to vulture Bijan Robinson. He is also the number one waiver priority add for week two.
Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams (5% rostered)
All offseason, everyone just assumed that Cam Akers was going to be the guy in Los Angeles. We believed this because we didn’t really see any alternative. In hindsight, we all should have been higher on Kyren Williams. Last year, Williams got hurt very early, but McVay was trying to use him. This past week, Kryen Williams had 15 carries for 52 yards and 2 touchdowns. More importantly, he had a 65% snap share. Kyren Williams looks like the back-to-roster on the Rams.
Joshua Kelley, Los Angeles Chargers (5% rostered)
Perhaps the most surprising running back in week one was Joshua Kelley. In the first game of the season, Kelley had 16 carries for 91 yards and 1 touchdown. Perhaps more significant is that Kelley was on the field for 48% of the Chargers offensive snaps, compared to Ekeler’s 51% snap share. With Kellen Moore the offensive coordinator for the Chargers, we might be looking at more of a running back committee. We saw it last year in Dallas. Joshua Kelley might be a very significant addition to what looks to be one of the highest-scoring offenses in football.
Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears (12% rostered)
I am bringing up Roschon Johnson for two reasons. First, he was one of my favorite deep sleeper picks at running back for the season. Second, he finished week one as the RB12. In week one, he had the highest snap share among Bears running backs at 39%. He finished with 55 all-purpose yards and 1 touchdown. He is a guy you add if you don’t need help on your bench now. The Bears run the ball more than anyone in football not named the Atlanta Falcons and the fourth-round rookie will be the lead back in that offense before the season is over. Roschon is a great long-term stash.
Week Two Waiver Wire WRs
Puka Nacua/Tutu Atwell, Los Angeles Rams (3%/3% rostered)
Last week, I saw a lot of people looking at investing in Van Jefferson shares. While Van Jefferson had the highest snap count on the Rams in week one, Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell were the guys who took on the Cooper Kupp target share. Puka Nacua had 10 catches for 119 yards and Tutu Atwell had 6 catches for 119 yards. Gun to my head, Puka Nacua is the receiver I am targeting on the waiver wire and he is my number one receiver add for the week. However, this is all speculation and if Tutu Atwell is a guy you’ve had your eye on, go get your guy.
Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars (29% rostered)
For all the love that Football Absurdity showed Christian Kirk this offseason, I am starting to think that we were very unfair to the WR26 last year – Zay Jones. In week one, Jones had 5 catches for 55 yards and 1 touchdown. Because Kirk is a slot guy, Zay Jones is going to be on the field more in what many predict to be an emerging offense. Get your Zay Jones shares before people catch on. He might not end up being a ceiling guy, but he should have a very high floor for the rest of the season.
Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers (18% rostered)
Romeo Doubs is a player I have had my eye on and in week one, he showed fairly nicely with 4 catches for 26 yards and 2 touchdowns. Even though he finished the day as a WR10 in half PPR formats, there were a couple of things that concerned me about Doubs’ performance. First, he was only fourth in snap share for the offense. This may have been a product of the Packers blowing out the Bears, but it does make me worry. Also, a lot of the attention Doubs got was because Christian Watson was out and he was playing a terrible defense. I’m not saying Doubs isn’t worth a look. Second-year guys who show out in week one are always worth a look. I’m just not sure he is a priority addition.
Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots (2% rostered)
Kendrick Bourne was the WR4 in week one with an impressive 6 catches for 64 yards and 2 touchdowns. Bourne led all Patriots receivers on snap share. The only problem I have is that Bourne has been around for a while and has never been a consistent producer. This is true of a lot of Patriots skill position players. I need more consistent production from Bourne before I trust he can be a reliable fantasy player.
Week Two Waiver Wire TEs
Hunter Henry, New England Patriots (9% rostered)
In week one, Hunter Henry locked himself in as the TE1 of the season. This would be a lot more impressive if Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews played. It would also be more impressive if he had a stat line that was a bit more exciting than 5 catches for 56 yards and 1 touchdown. As I said with Mac Jones, I need more production before I trust Henry enough to burn my waiver priority on him. In week one, my waiver focus is solely on running backs and wide receivers and Henry just wasn’t impressive enough for me to make an exception.
