🎯 Add These 9 Players In Week 2 + Injury Report

Add These 9 Players In Week 2 + Injury Report

Injury Report

Drake London (shoulder) - Considered day-to-day, per Ian Rapoport.

Brock Bowers (knee) - Bowers himself said he was fine and has no concerns moving forward, per Tom Pelissero.

George Kittle (hamstring) - Kittle is likely out 3-5 weeks, per Ian Rapoport.

Xavier Worthy (shoulder) - The indication is that the plan is for Worthy to rehab and attempt to play with a brace rather than immediate surgery, per Ian Rapoport. Sounds like we potentially avoided a season-ending injury here, but Worthy’s rehab and recovery timeline is TBD.

Jauan Jennings (shoulder) - Injury does not appear to be serious, per Ian Rapoport. Timeline TBD. 

Brock Purdy (shoulder, toe) - Uncertain to play in Week 2, per Adam Schefter.

Evan Engram (calf) - TBD, awaiting update.

Will Shipley (ribs) - TBD, awaiting update. Tank Bigsby trade is not related to Shipley’s injury, per Eagles Beat Writer Brooks Kubena.

Add These 9 Players In Week 2

My waiver wire writeups are geared towards competitive leagues, so I focus on players rostered in 30% or fewer Yahoo! fantasy leagues. If there is a player that you are surprised is not on this list (Dylan Sampson, Michael Penix, etc.), it is likely because they are above that rostership threshold. 

1. TE Harold Fannin Jr. (2% rostered) - Harold Fannin Jr. was the most productive collegiate tight end of all time, literally. In his final season at Bowling Green, Fannin Jr. set FBS records with 117 receptions and 1,555 receiving yards, logging a 100th percentile Yards Per Route Run (3.77) and a 96.4 PFF Receiving Grade. In fact, he was PFF’s highest graded offensive player in all of college football last season. The big question as Fannin Jr. entered the pros was whether his production would translate to the NFL level given his size. At 6’3, 241 lbs., he’s smaller for the position, and profiles more as a big slot receiver than a traditional tight end. It’s safe to say, however, that Fannin Jr.’s skillset translated. Browns GM Andrew Berry called Fannin Jr. the “queen on the chessboard” after drafting him, and Cleveland heavily utilized the 3rd-round rookie right away, as he led the team with a 22% target share (9 targets), resulting in a 7-63 statline and a TE6 finish. Fannin Jr.’s 7 catches tied fellow rookie Tyler Warren for the most all-time by any rookie tight end in Week 1. While David Njoku certainly remains in the mix, Fannin Jr. isn’t limited to lining up as a traditional tight end - the Browns lined him up in the slot, out wide, and even in the backfield in an effort to get him the football. With strong usage out of the gate, the arrow is screaming upward for Harold Fannin Jr., a must-add off the waiver wire this week. 

2. WR Hollywood Brown (26% rostered) - This one isn’t rocket science. Hollywood Brown saw 16 Patrick Mahomes targets in Week 1, the most among all pass-catchers. He turned those 16 targets into just 99 receiving yards, but should continue to see opportunities while Rashee Rice is suspended and Xavier Worthy nurses his shoulder injury. Per Jacob Gibbs, Brown has an elite 39% Targets Per Route Run in his 3 games played with the Chiefs. When Rice and Worthy return to the lineup, Hollywood’s outlook will obviously take a massive hit, but for the time being, he is Patrick Mahomes’ top pass-catcher, running a team-high 93.6% of routes and dominating target share with 35.9%, per FantasyPoints.

3. TE Juwan Johnson (3% rostered) - Juwan Johnson’s Week 1 usage was incredible. His 20.0 Expected Fantasy Points led all tight ends, driven by a 27% Target Share (4th among all TEs), 96% route share (2nd), 30% Air Yards Share (3rd), and 61% Weighted Opportunity Rating (3rd, a metric created by Josh Hermsmeyer that combines a player’s air yards share with their target share), per PFF. Johnson played on all but one snap (98.6% snap share), and before Sunday, had cleared the 80% snap share mark just once in 67 career games, per David Gautieri. He converted his 11 looks into a 8-76 stat line, an incredibly promising start under new Head Coach Kellen Moore. As expected, the Saints played with pace under Moore, resulting in 46 Spencer Rattler passing attempts. Regardless of whether the Saints’ offense is any good, they’re going to run a ton of plays while frequently playing from behind, and with a 7.4 Average Depth of Target, 13th-lowest in Week 1 per PFF, Rattler should continue to help his pass-catchers rack up PPR points. Johnson will continue to be a primary beneficiary of New Orleans’ play style with Rattler at the helm.

4. WR Kayshon Boutte (2% rostered) - Kayshon Boutte is intriguing to me. While his 17.4% target share wasn’t anything special, he converted his 8 targets into a 6-103 statline. Boutte’s 2.34 Yards Per Route Run was 18th among all wide receivers, and he logged the 4th-highest PFF Receiving Grade of Week 1 with an 80.7. Additionally, Boutte had the 4th-most Air Yards (139) among all wide receivers, a promising indicator for his fantasy ceiling. A 6th-round pick in 2023, Boutte took a step forward last year, and looks to potentially be continuing his ascent in Year 3, as he has 95 or more receiving yards in 3 of his last 4 games. Once a highly touted prospect coming out of high school, Boutte was a standout freshman at LSU before suffering a season-ending ankle fracture in 2021 that required two surgeries and then taking a backseat to Malik Nabers in 2022. I like adding a young player in Boutte who led all Patriots pass-catchers in Route Share (75.5%) and tied Hunter Henry for the team-leading Target Share (17.4%), per Fantasy Points. This Patriots team under OC Josh McDaniels led the league in Pass Rate Over Expectation (+14.3%) in Week 1, so taking a shot on Drake Maye’s potential WR1 makes a ton of sense.

5. WR Elic Ayomanor (5% rostered) - While the production was not there (just 2 catches for 13 yards), Ayomanor’s Week 1 usage as a Day 3 rookie was eye-opening. He was 2nd on the team in targets (7) behind Calvin Ridley (8), and his 25.0% target share was 19th among all wide receivers. Cam Ward targeted Ayomanor downfield extensively, resulting in 129 air yards (7th among all WRs) and a 48.5% air yards share (10th among all WRs),  per FantasyPoints. Ayomanor’s Weighted Opportunity Rating, a metric created by Josh Hermsmeyer that combines a player’s air yards share with their target share, was 74% in Week 1, 11th among all receivers, per FantasyLife. Additionally, Ayomanor had the 9th-highest 1st-read target share (36.8%) at the position in his NFL debut, per FantasyPoints. Based on his usage, Ayomanor logged 11.5 Expected Fantasy Points, meaning his 3.3 PPR Fantasy Points led to a -8.2 point underperformance, the 2nd-biggest underperformance among wide receivers this week, per PFF. Look, I don’t know if this Titans offense is going to be good - they looked pretty rough out there in Week 1. However, it was Cam Ward’s first career start and it took place against one of the best defenses in the league in the Broncos, playing in Denver. I’m willing to hope for improvement and stash Ayomanor based on his usage. If Ward and the Titans turn it on, we could be looking at a legit upside rookie here. 

6. WR Calvin Austin (2% rostered) - In Week 1, Calvin Austin emerged as Aaron Rodgers’ WR2 in Pittsburgh, posting a 4-70-1 statline on 6 targets. Austin’s 20% target share was tied for 2nd on the team, and his 64% team Air Yards share was the 3rd-highest among all WRs in Week 1, per FantasyLife. Additionally, Austin was efficient - his 2.41 Yards Per Route Run was 17th at the position in Week 1, per PFF. Pittsburgh was 19th in the league in Pass Rate Over Expectation (0.6%), but Austin had the 2nd-highest route share (73.5%) on the team, with the next highest being Jonnu Smith at 52.9%, per Fantasy Points. With Aaron Rodgers looking invigorated in Week 1, the 2022 4th-rounder is worth an add in his 3rd true season given his rookie season was lost to injury. He logged a 98th percentile 40 yard dash time (4.32) coming out of college, and could finally see a breakout after the Steelers’ quarterback woes his first two seasons. 

7. WR Cedric Tillman (28% rostered) - With a 91.7% Route Share, 17.8% Target Share, and 30.7% Air Yards Share, Tillman’s Week 1 role was solid, resulting in 15.0 Expected Fantasy Points, per PFF. His 8-5-52-1 stat line resulted in 16.2 fantasy points and a WR18 finish. Per Alfredo Brown, Tillman is averaging 9.6 targets per game over his last 5 full starts, and should continue to be fantasy viable as long as Joe Flacco remains Cleveland’s quarterback. Additionally, in the 5 full games Cedric Tillman and Jerry Jeudy have played together, Tillman has outperformed Jeudy in PPR points per game with 18.0 to Jeudy’s 13.5, per Adam Pfeifer. The Year 3 wideout has shown the ability to produce for fantasy dating back to last season, and his strong usage has carried over into 2025 - he’s absolutely worthy of a roster spot. 

8. WR Quentin Johnston (9% rostered) - Admittedly, I have never been a Quentin Johnston guy. Last season, I refused to chase his fantasy points off the waiver wire given they were frequently coming on splash plays rather than strong underlying usage. And while I’m still not really a believer in the player, QJ’s Week 1 usage was strong enough to where he deserves to be on this list. His 15.5 Expected Fantasy Points were 16th among all WRs, and Johnston turned 7 targets into a 5-79-2 statline and a 24.9 fantasy point performance. His 73.7 PFF Grade was 13th among all Week 1 receivers, and his 2.19 Yards Per Route Run was 22nd, per PFF. The biggest question mark for me is whether the Chargers’ Pass Rate Over Expectation (+13.5%, 2nd in the league) is sticky, or if they’ll revert to a run-heavier offense moving forward. If they do, my concern is that there won’t be enough targets to go around to support Johnston, who is firmly behind Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen in the pecking order at receiver. Regardless, I think he’s worth an add in Year 3 with Herbert and the Chargers looking awesome out of the gate. 

9. QB Daniel Jones (6% rostered) - Daniel Jones finished as the QB3 on the week with 29.48 fantasy points, logging 272 passing yards and a passing TD, as well as 26 rushing yards and 2 scores on the ground. Whether you think Daniel Jones is any good or not, he has a talented supporting cast around him featuring a solid offensive line, an elite running back, strong receivers, and a stud rookie tight end in Tyler Warren. Additionally, we simply cannot ignore his rushing upside, a cheat code at the position. While it’s possible that this ends up being Jones’ best game of the season and he regresses back to the player we know him to be, it’s also possible that he blossoms in an improved offensive environment a la 2024 Sam Darnold. If you’re a QB-needy team, Jones is worth a look.

Thanks for reading, and good luck on the waiver wire!

-Stephen

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