Fantasy Football: Waiver Wire Advice For Week 2

Wow. What an ugly opening week. Not just for Big Blue, but for the majority of the Fantasy Football community. Countless high end draft picks busted in week one, not to mention the wrist of consensus No. 1 pick David Johnson. But as I’ve always said here, fantasy chips are not won in the draft room; they’re won on the waiver wire and on the trade block. And with Week 1’s carnage now behind us, we must move forward to the wire.

Running Backs

Tarik Cohen, CHI

Who doesn’t want the "Human Joystick" on their fantasy team? Cohen’s suddenness on tape is freakish, and he was a closet darling of the draftnik twitter crowd, and now you see why. Cohen out-produced "bell cow" Jordan Howard, and should see even more targets with Kevin White hitting IR (again). Standalone flex appeal in non-ppr, and possibly RB2 production in PPR. Top add of the week.

Buck Allen, BAL

Danny Woodhead looked to pull/tear his hamstring, and it looks like it could be weeks before he touches the field again. With Kenneth Dixon already out on IR, Buck Allen is left to fill the passing down role in Baltimore. Terrance West adds nothing to the passing game, making Allen a PPR flex option moving forward.

Kerwynn Williams, ARI

Obviously there is no replacing David Johnson, and the Cardinals will most definitely lean on a running back by committee approach to fill his shoes. Williams will get first crack at the early down role, and should find success against a Colts defense that just gave up 46 points to the RAMS. If the Cardinals offense can’t get it going in Indy, then you may just need to bench the whole lot of ‘em.

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Wide Receiver

Corey Davis, TEN

The top WR in this year’s draft saw his ADP tumble in August as a hamstring kept him out for the majority of the preseason. Week 1 made clear that Marcus Mariota considers Davis his WR1, and for good reason. Davis has the total package and looks the part of a prototypical alpha WR- big, fast, athletic, and HANDS. Hopefully, he went undrafted in your league, in which case you can get a plug and play WR3.

Kenny Golladay, DET

Golladay is the rare rookie that had his preseason success carry over to Week 1. Snagging two TDs from the NFL’s richest man, Golladay solidified his role as the outside WR to own next to Golden Tate in the slot (sorry, Marvin Jones Jr).

Quarterback

Alex Smith, KC

If the Giants had any consolation prize this week, it was watching Alex Smith thoroughly outplay Tom Brady, at Gillette Stadium. Glorious. With so many QBs faceplanting week one, and other OLs looking so bad that you may not be able to trust their team’s QB, someone like Smith could come in handy. Obviously motivated to push the ball downfield with rookie Patrick Mahomes and his howitzer waiting in the wings, Smith looked fantastic on TNF, showcasing the plentiful weapons the Chiefs have compiled. It’s boring and not sexy, but if you drafted guys like Andrew Luck, Carson Palmer, or Eli Manning (COUGH COUGH), then Smith is worth a look.

Sam Bradford, MIN

Speaking of boring and unsexy, Exhibit B. Playing potentially his greatest game since donning a Sooners jersey, Bradford was about perfect against the Saints on MNF. The Vikings have built a great defense, and now may finally have the offense to contend in the NFC North. Like Smith, Bradford has a top notch pedigree and a disappointing-to-date career. He always has weapons around him, and a much improved OL. I’m a late-round/streaming QB fan, and I’m considering adding both Smith and Bradford in my main league and ham-n-egging them to the playoffs.