Hopefully, you did not panic after Week 2 by dropping Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley or Deebo Samuel. Coupled with the hope you did not overreact after losing in Week 2, I am here to scold you if you did not heed my advice and add Jordan Love, Tyler Allgeier and Puka Nacua.
Regardless of which course you charted after Week 1, you are either sitting at 2-0, 1-1, or 0-2. If you are leading the pack, now is the time to open a dialogue with an 0-2 team that may be in panic mode. If you are 0-2, now might be the time to find a trade partner to replace the injured players you may have lost early. My firm advice is to stay the course. Even at 0-2, your season is far from over. You need to scour the wire and find a couple of gems or look to trade a big-name asset for a couple of names to ultimately help your squad.
Without going too far into injuries, make sure you keep an eye on these names that experienced an injury in Week 2: Jaylen Waddle, Anthony Richardson, Saquon Barkley, Joe Burrow, David Montgomery, Odell Beckham Jr., Darnell Mooney, and Logan Thomas.
Also, remember to check in with the @Razzball NFL team of writers as we host our Sunday Morning Start/Sit podcast every week, starting three hours before kickoff all the way up to the official start of the early games. @BobbyLaMarco, @SkyGuasco, The Lineup Builder @Derek_Favret, and me, Mitch Staniger @stiles08, will be answering all your questions to help you win your weekly matchups. Come for the analysis, and stay for the laughs!
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WAIVER ADD OF THE WEEK:
RB: My favorite, non-injury-related add this week is Jaylen Warren, PIT, who passes the eye test and is a better RB for the Steelers. He looks faster and more decisive. While Najee Harris looks to be running in quicksand, Warren looks like he is shot out of a cannon at times. Warren is currently available in almost 60% of Yahoo! leagues and now is the time to snatch him up while other managers are forced to look at RBs to work as fill-ins for injured RBs (keep reading for those names). I like 10% of your free agent acquisition budget (FAAB) to land Warren before he becomes a must-add. I said this during draft season and am doubling down today… Warren will be the starter by Week 12. After last night’s performance, where he clearly looked like the better back, I see him as the Steelers starting RB no later than Week 8. Truth be told, I have been a Najee denier for years and watching Warren on MNF solidified that position.
With that mini rant over, let’s move on to the other names you should be looking at heading toward Week 3.
QB: We were all down on Matthew Stafford, and he is here to prove us doubters (haters?) wrong. I know, I know, I know…he only has one passing TD through two weeks. In the QB world, volume is key, and with two 300+ yard passing games to start the campaign, it is time to pay some attention to this QB available in 65% of Yahoo leagues. Consider Stafford if you need an Anthony Richardson replacement or if you are not feeling the nagging Joe Burrow injury and stats. Can you imagine a Stafford-Puka stack? Oh my, this is what fantasy dreams are made of. The Rams are scoring but not through the air, as is evident by the one passing TD. So, where are all the scores being logged? Keep reading….
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
C.J. Stroud, HOU: 384 passing yards and 2 TDs in Week 2 (9% rostered)
Derek Carr, NO: Solid Week 1; not the Week 2 we would normally write home about. Still, someone we should consider, especially with Olave, Thomas and Shaheed catching passes from him. (40% rostered)
Baker Mayfield, TB: Laugh all you want. Dude has 490 passing yards and 3 TDs (0 INT) through two weeks for the 2-0 Bucs! (15% rostered)
RB: As much as I hate to type these words, the Nick Chubb injury means it is time to fire up Jerome Ford for the Browns. After the horrific, season-ending knee injury to Chubb, Ford came in and delivered 130+ total yards and a TD receiving. That is only a positive thing for his best ball owners today and possibly a look at the 2023 future of the Browns backfield. Other names that you may want to look at when placing your waiver claim are Pierre Strong Jr., Kareem Hunt (undoubtedly already linked to the Browns by many people) and Cam Akers, who is on the trade market by the Rams.
RB: Could it be that Matt Breida, NYG szn is about to start? With the news Monday that Saquon Barkley will likely miss three games due to an “ordinary ankle injury,” we need to get after the next man up for the Giants, and that appears to be Breida. Currently, Breida is available in 98% of Yahoo leagues, so you have a decent shot at landing him when waivers run overnight tomorrow. His first matchup will be against his former 49ers team that boasts a strong defense. Regardless, you cannot accept the zero from an injured Barkley. Take your medicine and add Breida on waivers vice hoping he will clear waivers.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Kyren Williams, LAR: Still available in 38% of Yahoo leagues and is a must-roster at this point. He will not be cheap this week, so be prudent with your FAAB bids. I would go in the 30-35% range in an attempt to land Williams.
Roschon Johnson, CHI: 32 rushing yards, 2 catches for 10 yards (he is the guy I want if I cannot afford Williams). His Week 1 stats are more likely to stick over his Week 2 stats. (38% rostered)
Ty Chandler, MIN: Disregard current stats and stash him in case Mattison continues to struggle. (5% rostered)
WR: Josh Reynolds, DET was the enemy of Amon-Ra St. Brown owners in Week 2, posting a respectable 5-66 line. Shrug your shoulders all you want but keep reading. There are two reasons Reynolds is on the list: (1) The Lions will have to throw to win, especially if the David Montgomery injury pushes into Week 3, and (2) Reynolds just burst onto the 2023 scene with 2 massive TDs in Week 2 netting 23 PPR points. For a WR currently only 12% rostered, it is time to pay attention and consider Reynolds as an add and the clear WR2 for Detroit. Temper your expectations with Reynolds, as St. Brown is the obvious season-long play. Maybe offer $3-7 as your Reynolds FAAB bid.
WR: With the news that the Steelers are placing WR1 Diontae Johnson on the IR means we have to look at Allen Robinson II. If you are reading this and subsequently shaking your head left and right in a ‘no way’ motion, trust me, so am I. Robinson has not been good enough to roster in some time, but we must at least consider him now. I do feel Robinson needs a QB that can elevate him, and the jury is still out on Kenny Pickett being that guy. Matthew Stafford was that guy, and it worked with Robinson for a short while, but those days are over. We are hoping for a healthy target hog like Robinson of seasons past. If we can get some of that guy now, it will be a coup. He is currently available in 82% of Yahoo leagues and should be rostered for at least the next four weeks while Diontae sits on IR. Robinson had five catches on eight targets in Week 1 and two catches on three targets on MNF. This less-than-stellar performance on MNF will probably ensure his price stays low. Do not bid more than about $5 for ARob.
Honorable Mention/Cheaper Options:
Tank Dell, HOU: 7-72-1 (5% rostered)
Jayden Reed, GB: 4-37-2 (10% rostered)
Nelson Agholor, BAL: 5-63-1 (0% rostered)
DON’T PANIC:
Tight end is a mess right now. If you waited to draft the position, like I did, then you get what you see through two weeks….TRASH! Continue to stream, and I wish you the best of luck. In my two most important leagues, I streamed Luke Musgrave and Adam Trautman. Musgrave looked good to start then he and Jordan Love disappeared in the 4th quarter of a tough loss at Atlanta. Trautman, even with Dulcich going to the IR, only had one target. Said target was in the end zone, but that means nothing. There are no moral victories in fantasy football.
Follow me @stiles08 on Twitter/X and send questions and comments at the bottom of this article. Make sure you jump around the Razzball site for all your fantasy football needs.
-Mitch-
