So you're either basking in your Week 1 teams and your drafting genius, or you're licking your wounds. Either way, we are here to analyze the waiver wire for Week 2 and upgrade our wide receivers. Below I discuss breakout performers and overlooked wide receivers (PPR and standard leagues), to assist in making roster tweaks.
Sifting through your league's waiver wire is something that you should be doing consistently, but I'm here to help highlight some specific favorites on mine.
Some of the wide receivers discussed below are already widely owned, but those in shallow leagues may still have an opportunity to add them to your rosters. Let's get to it
Wide Receivers - Waiver Wire for Week 2
Donte Moncrief - WR, IND - 25% owned on Fleaflicker
Week 1 was a wake up call for everyone on the Indy offense, as they were taken apart by a very strong Buffalo defense. Outside of T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief was one of the bright spots for the Colts, going 6-46-1 against a secondary that seemed to have everyone blanketed the entire game. With Dorsett struggling to begin the year, Moncrief looks to have won the #3 wide receiver job to begin the season, a position that could easily bring WR3 value for the coming weeks. Indy has the Jets (who won't have Cromartie), the Titans and the Jaguars for their next three matchups. Moncrief won't be seeing any of Revis, so all of these matchups are perfect for Moncrief to establish himself as a permanent presence in one of the most deadly passing attacks in the NFL. His red zone presence is icing on the cake.
James Jones - WR, GB - 30% owned on Fleaflicker
James Jones found the perfect way to reestablish himself as a top 30 fantasy receiver -- team up with old buddy Aaron Rodgers. It looks like Jones never left Green Bay, as he and Rodgers connected for two touchdowns yesterday. And without Jordy Nelson, that number should continue to rise. Jones was a red zone force during his previous years in Green Bay, and his skills don't appear to have eroded one bit. He had what was almost a 3rd touchdown on a beautiful catch that was just a bit too far outside for Jones to stay in bounds.
It was an easy matchup for Jones against the Bears, and the next few matchups against the Seahawks, Chiefs 49ers, Rams, Chargers, Broncos, Panthers make for one of the toughest stretches a receiver can possibly face. However, the schedule after that lightens up significantly, and the fact that Aaron Rodgers is at the helm makes Jones a legitimate WR3 the rest of the year.
Jermaine Kearse - WR, SEA - 5% owned on Fleaflicker
We are digging deeper now. Kearse has always been an intriguing player since entering the league due to his red zone skills, but Seattle has never been a high volume team, making his value nearly nil. However, Russell Wilson just threw the ball a career high 41 times, and Kearse hauled in the most catches, going 8-76 against a pretty good secondary. Wilson won't be throwing it 41 times a game, but the team seems more committed to give Wilson more of an opportunity this year to throw, and Kearse is a significantly better deep threat than other primary receiver Doug Baldwin. He could be a decent FLEX play with some potential for high scoring games against the Packers, Bears, Bengals and Lions on the horizon.
Week 2 WR Waiver Pickups and Their Near Term Potential
Brian Quick - WR, STL - 27% owned on Fleaflicker
A bit surprising Quick didn't return to action, but if he suits up, he has a great match up against the Redskins then Steelers next week. Nick Foles looked more than competent against the Seahawks without a true outside threat, and Quick could be just that for the entire season.
Brandon Coleman - WR, STL - 22% owned on Fleaflicker
A decent debut for Coleman, going 4-41-1 with a very nice touchdown down the line against an above average secondary. Brees won't be throwing the ball 48 times a game, but Coleman looked like a superior target than Marques Colston, which could make him #3 in the pecking order behind Brandin Cooks and the running backs.
Stevie Johnson - WR, SD - 42% owned on Fleaflicker
Huge debut for Johnson, going 6-82-1 against a somewhat depleted secondary. Like Drew Brees, Philip Rivers won't be throwing the ball 42 times a game, but Johnson figures to be the #2 option as long as Antonio Gates is out of commission, which should be enough to keep him at WR3 value for the rest of the season.
Markus Wheaton - WR, PIT - 63% owned on Fleaflicker
Very disappointing debut for Wheaton to start the year. After all the hype, Wheaton failed to solidify himself as the #2 option in the Steelers passing attack, as he lost targets to Darius Heyward-Bay, and was clearly behind Heath Miller in the target order. Not to take away his one great catch on the sideline (mostly a beautiful throw by Big Ben), but I'm not not even making him a consideration after Bryant returns in Week 5. The Steelers have tough matchups against the 49ers, Rams, and Ravens next, making Wheaton nearly unstartable.
Eddie Royal - WR, CHI - 57% owned on Fleaflicker
An extremely disappointing opener for Royal, going only 1-8 against a beatable secondary. Cutler almost never looked his way, as he saw just 5 targets on Cutlers 36 attempts. His catches should should improve, but he may not see enough volume to hold WR3 value. I'd consider Royal a solid hold for the time being. He has a tough next two matchups, but the schedule eases up after that.
Marvin Jones - WR, CIN - 41% owned on Fleaflicker
Jones was the clear #3 option to A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert, and that should be a recurring theme for the rest of the season. A take-away from this game however is that the Bengals appear poised to increase their passing volume this year, giving Jones some solid boom-or-bust value. He's not in starting territory yet, but he may flirt with it as the season continues.
NFL & Fantasy Football Chat Room
[iflychat_embed id="c-0" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]