Fantasy Football Week 2 Waiver Wire Pickups

Waiver Wire Pickups are back for Week 2!  Get your Tony Romo, Keenan Allen, and Demaryius Thomas replacements here!

Runningbacks (RB)

Jalen Richard, RB, Oakland Raiders (currently owned in 0.1% of all ESPN leagues): The Raiders have stated that they'll do what they can do keep Latavius Murray fresh, possibly hinting at a timeshare.  Enter the undrafted, 5'7" 207 lb rookie out of Southern Miss.  In his first few NFL snaps, he ran the ball 3 times for 84 yards and a score, and caught 2 passes for  11 yards, scoring 15.5 points in standard leagues.  Granted, most of those yards came on one run for 75 yards resulting in a touchdown, and Richard posted these stats against arguably the worst defense in the league.  If this timeshare continues, dynasty leaguers and leagues with 12+ teams should grab him and stash him.  This stout, explosive bowling ball should be on your radar, and could be the next Pocket Hercules.

Wide Receivers (WR)

Victor Cruz, WR, New York Giants (currently owned in 18.7% of all ESPN leagues): September 10, 2016, was the 700th day since Victor Cruz played in a professional football game.  On the 701st day, he caught 4 passes for 34 yards and a score, became the Salsa Man once more, and it was good.  We could be witnessing the resurgence of a premier pass-catching force.  With a relatively soft schedule ahead and all of the coverage going to ODB, Cruz could have plenty of opportunities and should be picked up in all leagues.

Mike Wallace, WR, Baltimore Ravens (currently owned in 40.6% of all ESPN leagues): After a lackluster season in Minnesota, and 2 decent seasons in Miami, Mike Wallace returns to the AFC North to provide a much needed speed element.  He also seems like he's playing with a chip on his shoulder.  Wallace was compared to Antonio Brown, and is clawing his way back to the top.  He caught 3 passes for 91 yards and a score against a decent defense.  Once upon a time, Flacco threw to a duo that consisted of Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith.  Smith was the burner.  Now, another WR1 named Steve Smith Sr. will see most of the coverage, and Wallace will look to take the top off of defenses.  Wallace deserves flex consideration in all leagues and has WR2 upside with his big play ability.  Flacco developed rapport with Wallace during training camp and raved about his new weapon.  They'll both look exploit a Browns defense that gave up 278 yards and 2 scores to rookie QB Carson Wentz through the air in week 1.  Grab Wallace now.

Tyrell Williams, WR, San Diego Chargers (currently owned in 0.9% of all ESPN leagues): With Keenan Allen (ACL) possibly lost for the year, again, Williams has a chance to make a fantasy impact.  The undrafted sophomore wideout from Western Oregon stands in as the tallest wideout on the roster (6'4", 205 lbs), and has battled Dontrelle Inman for the WR3 roster spot.  However, there should be enough targets to go around in the Chargers' pass-heavy offense.  Williams is off to a good start, catching 2 passes for 71 yards.  He should have plenty of chances to prove his worth, as they face off against the soft secondaries of the Jags, Saints, Colts, and Falcons in the coming weeks. 

Eli Rogers, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (currently owned in 12.3% of all ESPN leagues): With Bryant suspended for the hear and Wheaton day to day with a shoulder injury, your streaming option could be the Steelers' new star slot receiver.  The second-year undrafted free agent out of Louisville made an immediate impact by catching 6 passes for 59 yards.  One of those catches made the highlight reel when he caught a touchdown pass from Big Ben that ricocheted off of a defender, right between the defensive back's numbers.  Coates has been unreliable and Heyward-Bey is a non-factor.  If Coats keeps up this performance, he may fill the WR3 spot even after Wheaton returns.  At the very least, grab him, stash him, and see what happens.

Cole Beasley, WR, Dallas Cowboys (currently owned in 3.0% of all ESPN leagues): Safety Valves, Checkdowns, whatever you want to call them, are often a rookie QB's best friend.  Often the third or fourth read in the QB's progression, these players, often slot receivers or backs, will often run a short route, find a hole, and sit there.  When a QB feels the heat, he'll dump it off to the checkdown.  Beasley caught 8 passes for 65 yards, proving this theory is no different. He could be a ppr and deep league gem this year.

Tight End (TE)

Eric Ebron, TE, Detroit Lions (currently owned in 46.2% of all ESPN leagues): All of Megatron's targets will trickle down to his former teammates, and Ebron should be one of those recipients.  Although he's been hampered by injuries, and Megatron taking away targets, he's poised for a breakout year this year.  If you don't have him on your team already, get him now.  He's already grabbed 5 receptions for 46 yards, and the arrow is pointing up for one of Matt Stafford's biggest targets. 

Quarterbacks (QB)

Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons (currently owned in 40.9% of all ESPN leagues): Matt Ice and the Falcons do have some pretty decent matchups on the schedule.  He also has a monster named Julio Jones, and a good offensive line and a running game to back him up.  What the Falcons don't have is a defense.  this means they'll need to take to the air more often than they'd like.  In week 1, he threw for 334 yards and 2 scores.  Not bad for a guy who's supposedly on the decline. 

Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia Eagles (currently owned in 10.8% of all ESPN leagues): The 2nd overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft threw for 278 yards, 2 scores, and a no picks.  Not bad for his rookie debut.  However, Jon Gruden warned the rookie of his mistakes and areas he needs to work on, stating Wentz needs to "become a 2-handed monster."  This became apparent when Wentz dropped the ball twice, turning it over once.  Upsides, he looked comfortable, threw the ball and connected with 6 different receivers, and is probably available in your league!