Early Waiver Adds :: Week 2

By: Mike Johnson (@mjohnson86)

“Work smarter, not harder.”

Most managers will wait to claim guys on Waivers in Week 3. However, you can gain an edge by getting ahead of things with some players and situations. Doing so can help you save FAAB or preserve high waiver priority in your league.

On Sundays, I will give you a few players who stand out to me as great potential additions that can give you a leg up on your league mates. You can look to add these players if you have players you are willing to drop, who get late week injuries, or who are ruled out of their games and allow you to move them to an IR spot once they are officially inactive on Sunday morning.

Derek Carr, QB, NO

Carr had a big game in Week 1 over the Panthers but most people have written that off. He has a “prove it” game this week as he travels to Dallas to face the Cowboys. In Week 3, the Saints host the Eagles (who will be playing on a short week). If the New Orleans offense proves it is for real in Week 2, Carr will be the hottest add as a streaming quarterback for Week 3. Carr is currently rostered in less than 20% of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

Isaac Guerendo, RB, SF

Christian McCaffrey is on injured reserve and out until at least mid-October, leaving Jordan Mason in a workhorse role. However, what this now means is that Guerendo is one play away from a huge increase in value. This is a dynamic athlete with an incredible physical profile – he runs a 4.33 40-yard dash at 6’0”, 221 pounds. If Mason were to get hurt in Week 2, how much FAAB would Guerendo cost in Week 3 Waivers? He is currently rostered in less than 5% of leagues on Yahoo and ESPN. Stash him NOW!

Alexander Mattison, RB, LV

Mattison surprised many by splitting backfield work with Zamir White in Week 1 and he outperformed him as well. This week the Raiders face the Ravens in a game which they are projected to trail, which would once again lead to Mattison getting a lot of work. The upside here is if anything happens to White or if White has another poor performance, Mattison could become an actual feature back. Looking ahead, the Raiders face the putrid Panthers run defense in Week 3 and Mattison could be a hot waiver pickup on Wednesday. Currently rostered in 36% of leagues on Yahoo and 32% of leagues on ESPN.

Dontayvion Wicks, WR, GB

The Packers coaching staff has raved about Wicks' talent for the last year. He is currently the odd man out in the Packers WR room, but Jayden Reed popped up on the injury report on Friday with calf/shin injuries. Reed has battled injuries before and could easily aggravate it mid-game. Likewise, Christian Watson is no stranger to the injury bug. Wicks is a player who has produced whenever given the chance. Finally, Jordan Love is going to miss some time and backup QB Malik Willis is starting now. There is a good chance that Wicks has a lot more reps with Willis than Reed/Watson/Doubs. Currently rostered in less than 20% of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

Buccaneers and Raiders Defenses

The Bucs host the Broncos in Week 3, while the Raiders host the Panthers. Those two teams (DEN and CAR) appear to be among the most inept offenses in the NFL right now and both TB and LV are solid defenses, meaning they will be terrific streaming defenses in Week 3. Both are available in almost every league right now due to tough Week 2 matchups.

Good Luck in Week 2!!