Fantasy Football Week 2 Waiver Wire Rankings

The waiver wire can make or break your fantasy football season, and Week 2 gives us our first opportunity to react to real regular-season usage. Below are my Week 2 waiver wire rankings, followed by breakdowns of the top players to target, including their Week 1 roles, usage, and fantasy outlook moving forward.

Write-ups on some of the best waiver wire pickups ahead of Week 2

Kaelon Black, RB (SF)

Rostered: 26%

Kaelon Black is one of the most interesting waiver-wire additions this week because San Francisco actually followed through on its offseason talk of reducing Christian McCaffrey’s workload. Black didn’t just handle garbage-time touches in the 49ers’ 27-7 win over the Rams. He was involved immediately, playing five snaps on San Francisco’s opening drive and consistently rotating with McCaffrey on early downs. Black ultimately led the team with 14 carries, turning them into 65 yards while adding one reception for five yards. McCaffrey finished with only 10 carries. PFF noted that the early-down work was split far more evenly than we’ve typically seen during McCaffrey’s time in San Francisco, while Jordan James being a healthy inactive confirmed Black as the clear RB2.

I don’t expect Black to out-carry McCaffrey every week. McCaffrey was dealing with cramps in Australia, but remained San Francisco’s preferred option on third downs, in short-yardage situations, and near the goal line, and should still be the centerpiece of this backfield. The important part is that Black appears to have standalone involvement rather than being strictly a handcuff. He averaged 5.7 yards per carry with 3.63 yards after contact per attempt during his final season at Indiana, and his physical running style fits what San Francisco wants from its complementary back. Week 2 could also give us another opportunity to see Black heavily involved with the 49ers hosting Miami after the Dolphins allowed Las Vegas to control their Week 1 matchup. He’s one of my favorite adds of the week and becomes an immediate priority for anyone rostering McCaffrey.

Caleb Douglas, WR (MIA)

Rostered: 12%

Caleb Douglas isn’t on this list simply because he led Miami with 94 receiving yards in his NFL debut. The usage was even more encouraging than the production. Douglas caught five of seven targets for 94 yards against Las Vegas while operating as an every-down receiver. According to PFF, he played more than 90% of Miami’s offensive snaps, while additional usage data had him running a route on 86% of Malik Willis’ dropbacks. He commanded a 26% target share and an even more impressive 40% first-read share. Miami completely rebuilt its receiver room this offseason, and after one game, the third-round rookie looks much closer to one of the focal points of the passing game than a developmental receiver who needs time before becoming fantasy relevant.

The biggest concern is going to be Miami’s passing volume. The Dolphins posted a negative pass rate over expectation in Week 1, and Willis attempted only 27 passes while taking five sacks. That could make Douglas inconsistent, especially against a much better San Francisco defense in Week 2. Still, I’m chasing the role here rather than worrying too much about one difficult matchup. Douglas was productive during his final season at Texas Tech with 823 receiving yards, seven touchdowns and 15.5 yards per reception, and we’ve now seen Miami immediately trust him as an every-down NFL receiver. A rookie commanding a 26% target share and 40% of his quarterback’s first reads in his first NFL game is exactly the type of profile I want to bet on before the rest of the season develops. Douglas is one of my highest-priority waiver additions this week.

Tyler Shough, QB (NO)

Rostered: 40%

Tyler Shough’s Week 1 performance was far from perfect, but the fantasy environment surrounding him is becoming extremely interesting. Shough completed 35 of 56 passes for a career-high 410 yards and three touchdowns against Detroit, overcoming a disastrous start to nearly lead New Orleans back from a 21-point deficit. The 56 attempts are the number that really stands out. New Orleans ran 81 offensive plays, 13 more than any other team entering Monday night, and its pass rate over expectation jumped from -2.9% last season to +4.1% in Week 1. Some of that came from overtime and negative game script, but Kellen Moore has already shown a willingness to operate at a fast pace and put the offense in Shough’s hands.

This also isn’t coming completely out of nowhere. From Weeks 12-18 last season, Shough was the QB6 in fantasy points per game while ranking seventh among qualifying quarterbacks in passing yards per game and adding 25 rushing yards per game. Now he has Chris Olave coming off a 182-yard opener, Devaughn Vele emerging behind him, and Juwan Johnson remaining involved over the middle. Shough threw two interceptions and committed another turnover against Detroit, so I’m not expecting 400-yard games to suddenly become normal. I am interested in a quarterback attached to what could become one of the league’s highest-volume passing attacks. New Orleans enters Week 2 against Baltimore in another game where Shough could be forced to throw aggressively, making him one of my favorite quarterback streamers and a strong addition in Superflex leagues.

Tyjae Spears, RB (TEN)

Rostered: 39%

Tyjae Spears won’t generate nearly as much attention after producing only 24 total yards in Week 1, but his usage is why I want to get ahead of this backfield. Spears carried three times for 12 yards and caught two of four targets for another 12 yards while Tony Pollard finished with eight total touches. More importantly, PFF found that Tennessee moved closer toward using its backs interchangeably. From Weeks 6-17 last season, Pollard handled more than 70% of the early-down snaps while Spears dominated third downs at 82%. Under the new coaching staff in Week 1, Pollard’s early-down rate dropped to 65.7%, while Spears remained heavily involved on third down at 72.7%. Pollard still won the touch battle 8-5, but the gap between these two backs is becoming smaller.

That makes Spears more of a proactive pickup than somebody I’m rushing into my Week 2 lineup. His four targets, despite receiving only five total opportunities, are encouraging for PPR formats, and his receiving role gives him a path to production whenever Tennessee falls behind. The more important upside comes if he begins taking additional early-down work from Pollard. PFF specifically noted that Spears could eventually become the primary early-down back if he proves to be the more effective runner. Tennessee gets Philadelphia in Week 2, so I’m not adding Spears because I love the immediate matchup. I’m adding him because we’re one Pollard injury—or one shift in this already-tightening rotation—away from Spears becoming substantially more valuable. If he’s still available, I’d rather roster him now than wait for the workload to change completely.

Devaughn Vele, WR (NO)

Rostered: 7%

Devaughn Vele might be one of the least exciting names on the waiver wire, but his Week 1 role is difficult to ignore. With Jordyn Tyson on injured reserve, Vele operated as New Orleans’ clear No. 2 receiver opposite Chris Olave. PFF noted that Olave and Vele were the two receivers on the field in two-receiver sets, with Bryce Lance joining them when the Saints went to 11 personnel. Vele ultimately ran a route on 92% of Tyler Shough’s dropbacks and turned nine targets into seven receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown. He also accumulated 70 air yards, so this wasn’t simply a handful of manufactured underneath touches in a high-volume passing game.

The concern is obvious: New Orleans isn’t going to throw 56 times every week. Even so, Vele doesn’t need that type of volume to remain fantasy relevant if he’s going to be an every-down receiver. Over his final five games last season, Vele had already started showing signs of becoming more involved, posting a 15.9% target share and 1.64 yards per route run. Now he’s playing almost every passing snap in an offense that appears willing to throw considerably more under Kellen Moore. Tyson’s eventual return could complicate things, but that isn’t enough for me to ignore what Vele showed in Week 1. He profiles as a useful WR4 with more value in PPR leagues, and another potential high-scoring game against Baltimore gives him immediate streaming appeal.

Deebo Samuel, WR (SF)

Rostered: 49%

Deebo Samuel’s return to San Francisco couldn’t have gone much better from an efficiency standpoint. Samuel caught six of seven targets for 48 yards and a touchdown while also receiving a carry, immediately looking comfortable again in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. His playing time wasn’t nearly as impressive as the box score, however. Samuel played only 27 offensive snaps and ran roughly half of San Francisco’s routes while splitting work behind Mike Evans and rookie De’Zhaun Stribling. Despite that limited route total, Samuel still tied Evans for the team lead with seven targets and produced 2.53 yards per route run, the best mark on the team. Six of his seven targets came within nine yards of the line of scrimmage as Shanahan immediately returned to using Deebo as a quick-game weapon.

The reason I’m aggressively adding him now is what happened around him. Stribling suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter and is expected to miss an extended period, which should create significantly more routes for Samuel beginning in Week 2. If he can earn seven targets while running only around half of the routes, the ceiling becomes considerably more interesting once his playing time increases. Samuel also gets Miami next, giving San Francisco another matchup where Shanahan should have plenty of opportunities to manufacture touches for him. I’m not expecting the peak version of Deebo to suddenly return at age 30, but he doesn’t need to. His Week 1 target rate combined with Stribling’s injury gives him a legitimate path toward becoming a weekly WR3/flex option, and I’d add him anywhere he’s still available.

Michael Mayer, TE (LV)

Rostered: 26%

Michael Mayer is primarily a short-term waiver target, but that’s completely fine at a position where finding usable weekly production can be difficult. Brock Bowers missed Week 1 after undergoing a meniscus procedure, and Mayer immediately stepped into the lead tight end role. PFF noted that he played the clear majority of snaps in every situation, while he ran a route on 77% of Las Vegas’ dropbacks and commanded a 24% target share. Mayer turned those opportunities into six receptions on seven targets for 32 yards. The yardage wasn’t impressive, but seven targets from a tight end playing an every-down role is exactly what I’m looking for on waivers.

We’ve also seen Mayer produce when Bowers is unavailable before. In four games without Bowers last season, Mayer played at least 90% of the offensive snaps in each game and combined for 18 receptions, 196 yards and a touchdown on 24 targets. His underlying efficiency was solid throughout 2025 as well, producing 1.57 yards per route run while being targeted on 23% of his routes. The obvious problem is that Bowers could return as early as Week 2, which would immediately lower Mayer’s ceiling. Until that happens, though, Mayer is a viable fantasy starter. Las Vegas faces the Chargers next, and if Bowers remains out, Mayer should once again be one of the Raiders’ primary receiving options. Tight-end-needy managers should add him now and monitor Bowers’ practice participation throughout the week.

San Francisco 49ers DEF

Rostered: 9%

San Francisco is my favorite defensive waiver target for managers looking to stream the position in Week 2. The 49ers just held one of the NFL’s most talented offenses to seven points, limiting Matthew Stafford to 155 passing yards before he was pulled late in the game. Los Angeles finished only 2-of-9 on third down and committed multiple turnovers, while Fred Warner and Nick Bosa both looked healthy after their injury concerns entering the season. Bosa earned an 86.2 PFF grade in the opener, while Warner graded at 91.1. San Francisco’s defensive line may not have the depth we’ve seen in previous seasons, but Week 1 was an encouraging reminder that this unit still has enough high-end talent to create problems.

Week 2 is where the waiver appeal really comes from. San Francisco returns home to face a Miami offense that struggled badly against Las Vegas. Malik Willis attempted only 27 passes in the opener, took five sacks and finished with a QBR of 29.4. Miami managed just 13 points, with its only touchdown coming after the offense was handed the ball near midfield following a turnover. The 49ers opened as nearly two-touchdown home favorites, creating exactly the game environment I want when streaming a fantasy defense. If San Francisco gets ahead early and forces Willis into obvious passing situations, the sack and turnover opportunities should follow. This isn’t just a one-week desperation streamer; it’s one of the strongest D/ST plays on the Week 2 slate.