Fantasy Football: Week 2’s Best Waiver Wire Options
This is the week of overreactions, where we panic about our fantasy rosters and contemplate adding any player who brought in acceptable numbers last weekend. I don’t recommend that approach. There are so many one-game-wonders in the NFL, and separating them from the guys with fantasy staying power is of utmost importance. In fact, a keen ability to do so is arguably the top skill for fantasy success. Here is my attempt at restrain and realism. I believe the players listed below add decent value, whether to your bench or in your starting lineups. Good luck picking them up, and stay tuned for my Week 2 Startability Index on Thursday morning.
Randall Cobb, Packers WR – Before Week 1, Aaron Rodgers signaled that the Packers planned to get Cobb more involved in the aerial attack. He was right as the second-year receiver had a team-high nine catches against San Francisco. How targeted Cobb will be when they play lower-end secondaries is an important consideration moving forward. But for this week, he is particularly attractive given that Greg Jennings may be out of (or limited in) Thursday’s game vs. Chicago with a groin injury.
Stephen Hill, Jets WR – Hill was stunning in his first game, bringing in 5 catches for 89 yards and 2 touchdowns. And I doubt this was an anomaly performance.. At 6’4 ad 215 pounds, Hill is a physical beast who can manhandle secondaries. Sanchez should be comfortable continuing to look Hill’s way.
Kevin Ogletree, Cowboys WR – After Thursday’s 8 catches, 114 yards and 2 TDs performance, Ogletree was the leading waiver pickup of the week. And he still is. The comparisons to Laurent Robinson, last year’s #3 WR that put up solid fantasy numbers in the mid-to-late part of the season, are fully warranted. The fact is the Cowboys really like to involve a third receiver, and Tony Romo excels in finding his second, third, fourth reads. Ogletree may have a harder time with upcoming opponents like Seattle, Chicago and Tampa Bay but he’s still worth a roster spot.
Jonathan Dwyer, Steelers RB – Dwyer is the backup to Issac Redman in Rashard Mendenhall’s absence but he’s the better runner. He finished with 9 carries for 48 yards and a 4.8 yard yards-per-carry average. Dwyer isn’t worth a start yet because he’s fighting Redman for carries Redman, but you’ll be happy he’s on your bench when he wins.
Coby Fleener, Colts TE – It wasn’t all bad for Andrew Luck on Sunday as he found college teammate Coby Fleener eight times for 82 yards. I see this trend continuing, as Fleener should be Luck’s biggest security blanket. Look for Fleener to have his better numbers against teams that play the Cover 2 like the Bears.
Alex Smith, 49ers QB – Even though he didn’t have superstar fantasy numbers, Smith played an almost flawless game on Sunday. Smith hit every receiver and seems much more adept at throwing passes all over the field than in previous seasons. Look for even better numbers than 211 yards and 2 TDs for Smith in coming weeks as his confidence grows. But don’t worry, my glasses aren’t that rosy. He still is best as a QB2 or bye-week replacement.
Where is Redskins RB Alfred Morris, you may be asking? Look, if you own Fred Jackson, DeAngelo Williams or play fantasy the way Mike Shanahan plays running back roulette, Morris is a great pickup. Shanny has already confirmed he’ll get start number two in St. Louis Sunday.
I know I’m in the minority but I wasn’t as impressed with Morris as everyone else. His 28 carries were encouraging, but I would have liked to see a higher average yard-per-carry number than 3.4 against a very poor defensive line. And Morris is a pretty one-dimensional back who was not at all involved in the passing game (0 catches).
With RG3, Fred Davis and now Pierre Garcon, Shanahan has a breadth of options where it comes to his playbook, and I expect to see it change greatly week-to-week. Matthew Stafford threw for 355 yards against the Rams on Sunday. Their secondary has significantly more holes than their line and pass rush, which is why I don’t see Morris putting up anything near the numbers he did Week 1. And with Shanahan you can’t bet on any running back past one week.
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