Week 2 Hot Off The Wire

With all of the NFL games completed for week 1, we head into week 2 and look at the top waiver wire picks for fantasy football.  Football is a dangerous sport, and each week there are injuries and other scenarios that help add or drop fantasy value for players.  Normally, when a player is getting a lot of buzz on the waiver it’s signaled with a red status bar and this is where the term “hot off the wire” comes from.  Most of the time it’s trending positive for a player that is really hot because he is being added, but there are some times like today when a player is really hot, but in a bad way because he is being dropped.   Either case, this column will be featured every Tuesday to keep you up on which players you should be looking to add, or drop, to your fantasy roster.  Just remember, if you aren’t making moves, or at least keeping up on things, then you aren’t in the game.

Week 2 Top Fantasy Football Waiver Pickups

  • Justin Forsett – With the news of Rice being suspended indefinitely, the waiver wire is on fire with owners quickly adding Justin to their lineup, and for good reason. The veteran back saw 11 carries for 70 yards along with a rushing touchdown, as well as 5 catches for another 14 yards.  He should see a good amount of work each week and they try not to put too much on Bernard. Also, Forsett has a career rushing average of 4.9 yards per carry and has rushed for over 500 yards twice in his career along with his rookie season where he had over 1000 all purpose yards.
  • Steve Smith Sr – Not sure why people didn’t really see this coming. The crafty veteran has been doing this for years, but certainly won’t put up those numbers every week.  He leads the NFL in targets and ranks among the top 5 in yards.  Flacco threw a lot of passes in that game and although that trend may continue some, don’t expect Smith to be WR1 like he was. He has only put up 1000 yards in twice in the last 5 seasons and has played all 16 games only 3 times over the past 10 years.  Take him for sure in PPR leagues, but with some caution.
  • Dwayne Allen – This pass catching tight-end caught the eye of many owners this past week because of the touchdown, but keep in mind that there is already another target there that will continue to see a good amount of work.  Allen should also see his fair share, but Fleener actually had more targets in the game than Allen. Fleener finished with 8 targets compared to Allen who had 5 targets. There should be plenty to go around, but you can’t expect touchdowns every week and typically I go with the player that gets more targets because he will have more chances, plus better connection with the QB.  Get him if you really need a tight-end, but the next guy is better at this point.
  • Larry Donnell – What is not to like about this guy. The Giants tried to get the ball to this guy so many times in the end-zone in one game that he could’ve have been a fantasy legend.  Granted, Eli is just not making the right throws and the offense is just really not clicking, but I would still add this tight-end. Donnell lead the team in every receiving category including targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns. At times, he seemed like the only guy Eli could find or wanted to try to find.  He is worth adding in most formats and should be considered a TE2 at this point.
  • Josh Gordon – Here is someone that you should be picking up. If he is out on the wire by any chance, you should certainly grab him now. It looks like there will be a new NFL drug policy that will allow Gordon and others to get back on the field a lot sooner that expected. He could play as early as week 2, but certainly looking probable for week 3.
  • Allen Hurns – With Shorts out, Hurns stepped in with a huge game. He caught 2 touchdowns and was targeted 9 times.  If Shorts remains out, Hurns becomes a solid WR3 option as he will see plenty of targets and get chances to make plays. He will not be catching 2 touchdowns every week so don’t expect that type of performance weekly. In fact, his week 1 game, although good in stats, wasn’t really as good as it could’ve been. He was targeted 9 times, but caught only 4 passes, which isn’t that good for a NFL player. Grab him if you really need a deep option.
  • Texans Defense – They came up big and are being added a lot this week. It makes sense given their match-up, but they lost their number 1 draft pick for a couple of weeks so don’t expect as many big plays.  Given that, JJ and his band of rustlers will certainly saddle up to brand some cattle as they face the rookie QB.  If they are out on the wire, get them if you have room.
  • Chris Ivory – He got a lot of rushing yards in week 1 with only a few carries. He is good, but don’t expect him to rush for 10 yards per carry every game. His 10 carries does give him some fantasy value, but expecting him to go over 100 yards and get a touchdown in every game is not wise. He is a flex or bye week option at best.
  • Ray Rice – Being dropped for obvious reasons. Not need to pick up at this point.