Fantasy: Top waiver-wire pickups for Week 2

Finding studs on the waiver wire is often the key to winning a fantasy championship. Check back every week to learn who's trending up.

Roster percentages are taken from Sleeper leagues. Free-Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB) amounts are based on a $100 salary cap. Only players rostered in less than 50% of leagues are considered.

Quarterbacks

Daniel Jones, Colts

We noted that Jones increased his stock during the preseason, but nobody could have expected the immaculate three-touchdown performance that has some ready to nickname the 28-year-old "Indiana Jones."

Jones led the Colts to points on every drive in their 33-8 win over the Dolphins, including a passing score and a pair of rushing touchdowns. With the performance, Indy became the first team to score on every possession since 1977. Jones was exceptionally accurate, connecting on 75.9% of his 29 passing attempts.

Replicating the Week 1 performance will be next to impossible, especially against a Broncos team that terrorized Cam Ward in their season opener. Still, Jones has earned a roster spot on plenty of fantasy teams.

Other QBs to pick up:

• Aaron Rodgers, Steelers (19%): Rodgers looked much better against the Jets than he ever did for them. The 41-year-old's 244 passing yards were relatively modest, but he tossed four touchdowns against his former team to finish as a QB1.

• Michael Penix, Falcons (35%): Penix threw the ball 42 times, passed for one touchdown, and fell just two yards shy of 300 passing yards in Week 1. He also showcased some gutsy scrambling ability and scored on the ground.

Running backs

Dylan Sampson, Browns

We're making some exceptions for the 50% or lower rostered rate for some of this week's running backs, including Sampson. The fourth-round rookie had touches on 20 of his 33 Week 1 snaps, working ahead of Raheim Sanders (three snaps) and not far behind Jerome Ford (41). Although Sampson produced inefficient rushing numbers by tallying 29 yards on 12 carries, he caught all eight of his targets for 64 yards.

Considering the Browns gave Ford more snaps in the opener and will eventually integrate Quinshon Judkins into the offense, the team's backfield is too murky to feel confident in spending a ton of FAAB on Sampson. However, the Tennessee product should continue to receive opportunities in an offense that lacks star power.

Trey Benson, Cardinals

Benson led the Cardinals with 69 rushing yards despite finishing with just eight carries on only 33% of the club's offensive snaps. While most of that production came on a 52-yard run, Benson was far more efficient than James Conner overall.

Benson will likely need Conner to miss time to reliably have a chance at finishing as an RB1 or RB2 from week to week, but the 2024 third-rounder should settle into a flex role as the season progresses. The 23-year-old is on pace for more than double the amount of carries he had as a rookie and more than triple his yards from scrimmage. Benson should still provide value even if he doesn't quite maintain that pace.

Bhayshul Tuten, Jaguars

Tuten lands on this list after the Jaguars traded Tank Bigsby to the Eagles on Monday. Bigsby played 21% of Jacksonville's offensive snaps and finished with five carries in Week 1, while Tuten logged three carries across four offensive reps. Tuten should handle the bulk of those newly vacated snaps and may eat into Travis Etienne's workload more as the season progresses.

Though he didn't produce much in his NFL debut, the Virginia Tech product is an electric athlete with virtually unlimited upside. At the combine, Tuten recorded a 4.32-second 40-yard dash, a 40.5-inch vertical, and a 10-foot-10 broad jump. His 40-yard time and vertical leap paced all running backs, and his broad jump was two inches behind the best at the position.

Other RBs to pick up:

• Kenneth Gainwell, Steelers (5%): I wouldn't spend more than your league's minimum FAAB bid on Gainwell, but he's worth a stash if you have a vacant roster spot. He finished with 11 combined carries and targets as the No. 2 back behind Jaylen Warren. However, he wasn't efficient with his looks.

• Braelon Allen, Jets (54%): Allen got just six carries in Week 1, and he turned one of those into a touchdown. The 21-year-old is more insurance for any potential Breece Hall absence than he is a true upside play at this point.

Wide receivers

Quentin Johnston, Chargers

Spending a lot of FAAB on one player early in the season can be daunting, but you don't win championships with cautious moves, and leftover FAAB doesn't score you any points. Expect multiple fantasy managers to bid for Johnston after the 6-foot-2, 208-pounder caught a pair of touchdowns and recorded 79 yards against the Chiefs.

Johnston took a step forward in 2024 after an underwhelming rookie campaign in 2023, notably having a 186-yard performance against the Raiders in the Chargers' regular-season finale. The 24-year-old likely won't match that total in Week 2, but he's poised to start the 2025 campaign with back-to-back strong outings.

Kayshon Boutte, Patriots

Boutte set a new personal best with eight targets and posted his second-most receiving yardage in a game (103) versus the Raiders. Additionally, the LSU product paced the Patriots in receiving yards and tied for the team lead in both targets and receptions.

New England's lack of a true WR1 keeps the door open for Boutte to maintain his momentum in Week 2 and beyond. He's recorded at least five receptions and 95 yards in three of his last four contests dating back to the 2024 season.

Other WRs to pick up

• Hollywood Brown, Chiefs (31%): Brown could be set up for a strong fantasy run with Xavier Worthy potentially missing time and Rashee Rice still suspended for the next five games. Brown finished with a strong 16 targets, 10 receptions, and 99 yards to open the campaign.

• Calvin Austin, Steelers (7%): Austin caught four of his six targets for 70 yards and a touchdown in Week 1. He appears locked in as the Steelers' WR2.

• Romeo Doubs, Packers (24%): Doubs finished with 68 yards and two receptions on four targets against the Lions. He likely would've seen more targets had the NFC North contest been closer.

• Cedric Tillman, Browns (34%): Cleveland's offense remains a tough sell overall, but Tillman was the only Brown to haul in a receiving touchdown in the team's opener. He posted an 88% snap share, eight targets, five receptions, and 52 yards.

Tight ends

Juwan Johnson, Saints

New starting quarterback Spencer Rattler targeted Johnson 11 times in the Saints' 20-13 Week 1 loss. The Oregon product caught eight of those looks for 76 yards while playing 99% of the club's offensive snaps. He almost hauled in a contested touchdown, too.

Johnson has capitalized on tight end being a shallow fantasy position, delivering strong relative showings on occasion over the last three years. However, he hasn't been consistent enough to warrant spending a lot of FAAB to acquire him. He's better suited as a matchup-specific option than a weekly starter.

Other TEs to pick up:

• Jake Tonges, 49ers (0%): Tonges caught his first three NFL receptions Sunday, finishing with 15 yards and a touchdown. He's immediately relevant with George Kittle set to miss multiple weeks.

• Michael Mayer, Raiders (2%): Mayer has been underwhelming since being drafted 35th overall in 2023, but he could see plenty of opportunities if All-Pro Brock Bowers misses time due to injury.

• Harold Fannin, Browns (6%): The third-round rookie led the Browns with nine targets and finished just behind Sampson with seven receptions. Although Fannin played nine fewer offensive snaps than David Njoku, he finished with more targets, receptions, and yards than Njoku.

Other players to pick up

These players are well over the 50% rostered threshold but are still available in a good number of leagues and had strong Week 1 performances that warrant mentioning.

• QB Justin Fields, Jets (60%): Fields had one of the best fantasy performances by any signal-caller in Week 1 despite facing a loaded Steelers defense. While a lot of managers drafted Fields as a backup quarterback with elite upside, he could force his way into weekly starting lineups with more performances like his opener.

• RB Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Commanders (76%): Jayden Daniels finished as the only Commander with more rushing attempts, and no one on the team outrushed Croskey-Merritt. The preseason star finished his first regular-season contest with 82 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

• RB Javonte Williams, Cowboys (82%): Dallas squashed in Week 1 any questions surrounding which back would lead its backfield. Williams had 11 more carries than the next closest Cowboy and found the end zone twice.

• WR Keenan Allen, Chargers (60%): Allen's reunion with the Chargers got off to a hot start. The veteran hauled in seven of his 10 targets for 68 yards and a touchdown.

• WR Keon Coleman, Bills (76%): The NFL needs to watch out if the 2024 second-rounder can keep his momentum rolling. Coleman led the Bills in targets (11), receptions (eight), receiving yards (112), and receiving scores (tied with one) in the team's comeback win against the Ravens on Sunday Night Football.