Latest / Upper Hand Fantasy / 2026 Week 2 Waiver Wire: Who's Worth a Bid and Who to Stash

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2026 Week 2 Waiver Wire: Who's Worth a Bid and Who to Stash · Upper Hand Fantasy

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: This might be one of the most underwhelming waiver wires we've had in a while, and I want to be honest with you about that up front, especially after waiting since basically February for the season to actually start.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: So this is not the week one waiver wire I think any of us were hoping for.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_00: So if you're looking to blow your fab budget, I'd actually pump the brakes on that.
• 0:17
  SPEAKER_00: But here's the thing underwhelming doesn't mean there's nobody to pick up.
• 0:21
  SPEAKER_00: There's a few genuinely smart pickups buried in here if you know what you're looking for.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: And a couple of stashes that could matter a lot more in a few weeks than they look like they matter right now.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: So that's what we're gonna do today.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna walk you through exactly who's worth a bid, who's a free stash, and who you should just leave alone, even though everyone's gonna be asking about them.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna mix it up a little bit, so let's get into it.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Let's start with the name from last night, Pat Bryant.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: The Broncos offense couldn't get anything going at all on Monday night, and they'll bounce back after a tough matchup.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: But one of the biggest surprises was how involved Pat Bryant was.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: He led the team with six targets, and his 42 receiving yards led the wide receivers, and that was by halftime.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: Cortland Sutton and Jalen Waddle combined for a whopping three catches for 13 yards total.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: I think Waddle's gonna be fine after a brutal start, but Bryant was gonna design touches after getting a lot of hype out of camp.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: So we kind of have to pay attention here.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: If this offense moves closer to our preseason expectations of them and Bryant continues to be a factor, he could end up being the second most valuable wide receiver on the team ahead of Sutton.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: We could see a potential shootout the next several weeks too.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_00: Jacksonville, the Rams, the 49ers, the Chargers.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_00: We could see some numbers out of this offense over the coming games because of that.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm willing to spend maybe up to 10% if I really need some wide receiver help, but probably not going higher than that.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: Next up on this list is Devon Velle.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: He had a big day, seven catches, 69 yards, and a touchdown, and nine targets.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: Sounds great, right?
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: Well, that's because Shug threw it a ton.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: And because of that, his nine targets accounted for just a 16% target share.
• 1:47
  SPEAKER_00: That's not something we should feel great about starting moving forward.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: However, the Saints are playing the Ravens this week, so we should expect Shug to throw a ton once again to keep up with them.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Veli could be in line for another good game if you need a streamer.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: Next up is Antonio Williams.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: He simply looked great out there, man.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_00: He looked like a guy that if you pepper him with volume, he will come through.
• 2:08
  SPEAKER_00: He's my favorite pickup if you don't need a starter and you're willing to be patient.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: The obvious problem will be trying to find where the volume will come from, right?
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: Terry McLaurin, you know, he's gonna have better matchups and have better games.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Diggs will get his.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Chico Congo could be a factor once he's healthy.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: By the way, he did get banged up on Sunday.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: So we could see more three wide receiver sets while he's out, but we can't ignore what Williams did in week one on just 11 routes.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: Four targets came out to a 36% target rate.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: He caught all four of them for 64 yards and a touchdown.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: Four catches, 64 yards and a touchdown on 11 routes run.
• 2:41
  SPEAKER_00: So he also had some really nice plays, like just watching him play, like you're like, this guy belongs, right?
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: So I think he's a perfect bet on talent at the end of your bench if you can afford to be patient.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: Next up is Caleb Douglas.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_00: He caught five passes for 94 yards in week one, 26% target share, full-time role.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: That makes him the you know, number one waiver wire pickup of the week.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: If Jalen Coker isn't available in your league.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_00: Now, if Coker is available, he's the player I'd spend a good amount of fab on instead.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: You know, maybe up to 15%, maybe 20% if you're if you're desperate.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: But the biggest issue for Douglas is the offense, right?
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: Malik Willis, you know, just a 51% on target throw percentage in week one that ranked 32nd among quarterbacks, and even came in behind Cooper Rush.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: This also looks like it'll remain a relatively low volume passing offense overall.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, that strong 26% target share only turned into seven raw targets, right?
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: So Douglass can be used as a desperate flex in week two if needed, but I wouldn't spend all your fab on him.
• 3:40
  SPEAKER_00: Also, keep an eye on Chris Bell as he ramps up from a torn ACL.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: He only ran around on 54% of dropbacks.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: But once his role becomes full time, he could start eating into Douglas's opportunity a little bit.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: So either way, I think about 10% fab or so makes sense at most.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: All right, now we're getting into some names here, right?
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_00: Kendrick Bourne baby.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: This is the type of pick you want to make like in week nine when you're decimated with injuries and you're ridiculously desperate.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_00: But hey, like if you look at last year, he did have two straight games of 142 receiving yards last year.
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_00: You know, Michael LaFleur is part of that same coaching tree.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: Really trying to make a case here, right?
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: But you know, I think PPR dart throw flex play at best every now and then.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: I mostly view him as a roster clogger.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but in a deeper league, he might be appealing if you really need some help.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: A guy I rather have just straight up is Adnai Mitchell.
• 4:28
  SPEAKER_00: Geno Smith had the highest on-target percentage of any quarterback in week one.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: We told you the Jets receivers were in better hands this season.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: And now Omar Cooper is out for a few weeks with a high ankle sprain.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: Plus, Kenyon Sadiq's still ramping up, although I would stash him if I can over any of the short-term receivers on this list.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: Mitchell only caught three of his passes for 60 yards, but Gino only threw it 24 times.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: The Jets will be throwing a lot more against Green Bay next week, Detroit the following week, and Chicago after that.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, so the big plays were there for Mitchell.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: He could end up being a legit boom bust play all season long, which is better than his value was coming into the season.
• 5:08
  SPEAKER_00: Next up is Denzel Boston, man.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: I want to bet on the talent here.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: He ended up catching a long touchdown at the end of the game from Deshaun Watson.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: And it seems like he's gonna have, you know, to live and die on those long throws, you know, if his role doesn't change that much.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: He's playing that X receiver role, which he's gonna play all season, but he's basically being targeted only downfield, right?
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_00: 29-yard average depth of target, not a super fantasy-friendly role right now.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: But the good news is that, you know, given he's the X receiver, he's running the most routes among all the Browns' wide receivers.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: They're gonna be losing by a lot, uh, a lot of games.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: So there will be a lot of garbage time.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: Boston's just a good talent.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: He should be stash at least for a couple of weeks.
• 5:44
  SPEAKER_00: Shadur Sanders will also likely be starting soon, and he's more likely to throw it downfield for those big plays.
• 5:49
  SPEAKER_00: Next up is Talas Shug.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: Shug threw the ball a lot on Sunday.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: If you waited on quarterback and whoever you grab just isn't what you hoped, Shug could be throwing the ball a lot again this week against the Ravens.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_00: He was the overall QB6 on the week going into Monday night, and he could be a solid streamer for you this week.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe he'll put together another string of games like he did once he took over last year.
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_00: And he was throwing the ball a lot to this guy, Juwan Johnson.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: He was one of my main streamers for week one, and he ended up, he ended up coming through, but it's because Chuck had to throw the ball a lot.
• 6:18
  SPEAKER_00: And again, I'm gonna say this again, he's gonna have to throw a lot this week against the Ravens.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: So if you want to make sure that you have a solid tight end this week in case you won't have like Brock Bowers again, for example, go ahead and stream Johnson.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Someone who I'm not necessarily, you know, ready to stream just yet, but I do want to stash is Kenyon Sadiq.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, he's not running a full complement of routes just yet, but he's healthy.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: And I would imagine they're gonna ramp him up to a point where he's gonna be pretty involved in the offense.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: He got the goal line rushing touchdown.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: He was targeted on 25% of the routes that he did run.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: So with more routes, hopefully the target share would follow.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: And Omar Cooper Jr.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: is gonna miss the next few weeks with a high ankle sprain.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: So something to keep in mind.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: If you're looking for a running back on the waiver wire, Tajay Spears might be one of your best bets.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: He and Tony Pollard split snaps down the middle 50-50.
• 7:02
  SPEAKER_00: Pollard had nine opportunities, but Spears had seven.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: You know, Spears did have, you know, both shortage yards, short yardage snaps.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know what's gonna happen at the goal line.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: We'll see.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, they didn't have any of those in this game.
• 7:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, he did get both of the two-minute snaps as well, most of the third third down work, 34% of the early down snaps.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: Obviously, Pollard getting most of that.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but I think it's enough to say that he's a legit part of the backfield.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: He's definitely the more versatile of the two backs.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll see which direction they end up going in.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_00: The offense definitely stinks, but I think for now, Spears shouldn't be on waivers.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: I think he's a solid depth ad for now.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: I think I have to address Khalif Raymond, right?
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I mean, do you really want to pick him up?
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: Do we really think he's gonna be earning targets over Colson Loveland, Luther Burden, and Romo Dunze?
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: Come on.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_00: This is basically Olame Zacchaeus all over again, just to a lesser extent.
• 7:49
  SPEAKER_00: So I'm including him here because people will ask about him.
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: Loveland got a 91% route participation with zero production.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_00: The other wide receivers basically didn't do anything, right?
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: So this is not what we should expect moving forward.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: I'm leaving him on the waiver wire.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: Let's talk about Dontavian Wicks.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: He had some big plays in this one, man.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: Two catches, two big plays, one huge long play down the sideline, looked really good.
• 8:12
  SPEAKER_00: Another red zone catch, uh target in the end zone.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, and he came through.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: Devontae Smith, you know, 24% target share.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's solid, but I'm expecting that to actually go up.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, Wicks only had a 16% target share.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: So to me, Wix is just this, you know, boom bust guy at best.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, with the potential chance that, you know, uh Lemon starts running over him at some point.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but we'll see.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um I think he's worth rostering just to see how things shake out over the next week or two, but I'm not really spending anything on him on waivers.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: Let's talk about Malik Willis.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: By the way, this is probably the most depressing waiver wire list I've ever seen, especially early in the season.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: Hopefully he's better in going into week three.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: But anyway, Malik Willis is available on a lot of waiver wires.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: He had 39 rushing yards and a touchdown.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_00: I think there's more where that came from, especially if he's gonna continue to be, you know, not be able to connect as much with his receivers, right?
• 9:02
  SPEAKER_00: He ranked 32nd in on target rate, so he might be asked to use his legs even more than he did in week one.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: I think he's a streamer type for now at best.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: Michael Mayer, a lot of you guys streamed Michael Mayer uh in week one without Bowers.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and in that role without him, he ran a route on 81% of Kirk Cussen's dropbacks, which is great.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: He led the team in targets with seven.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: That was awesome.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: 23% target share, extremely solid for a tight end.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_00: He just couldn't get much going after the catch, right?
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_00: Only 32 yards on six catches.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I think he's a fine streamer this week if you really need it.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: But again, I probably prefer Juwan Johnson if I had to choose between the two.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: Caitlin Black, the talk of week one, man.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm treating him like a premium handcuff only.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: And here's why the Christian McCaffrey usage was definitely head scratching, right?
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_00: But when Kyle Shanahan was asked about it, he did say that CMC was dealing with cramps during the game.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: So I would not expect this type of usage moving forward.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: Um, however, Shanahan did say that they came into the game wanting to balance it out a little bit more.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: Now, he's said this a bunch of times in the past, never really happened.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, while he might not have intended for Black to get as much work as he did, it is possible Black would have seen some work, just maybe not as much.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: Either way, I think Kalen Black looked good with his opportunities.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: So at least we can have an idea of how he would look if CMC, you know, were to miss some games.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: I do think he is now one of the best handcuffs to roster.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just not sure he'll have much standalone value.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: All right, so we have a couple of injuries to the Ravens wide receiver core.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: So let's talk about Rashad Bateman real quick.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: Zay Flower is dealing with a hamstring injury, but apparently he's day-to-day, which is great news.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_00: Jacoby Lane would be the guy I'd much rather roster right now, just in general, over Bateman, given his usage and how he's looked in this game on Sunday and in the preseason too, right?
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but in this game, a couple of end zone targets even had a touchdown call back.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, if you can just stash Lane for a few weeks in your IR spot, I would do that.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: But in the meantime, maybe Bateman could get some good usage, especially only if Zay Flower, Zay Flowers were to also miss this game.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: I just loved how Declan Doyle used Zay in this week one matchup.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, if Zay were to miss and uh Lane were to miss, I'd expect Bateman, you know, to be schemed up in a positive way.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_00: But hey, like it could be the rookie Elijah Surratt coming in and doing his thing.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: So um not the best waiver wire pickup in the world.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I probably prefer the next guy here, which is Trey Harris.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: Trey Harris, you know, could see some extra playing time like he did in week one.
• 11:30
  SPEAKER_00: If Met Lad McConkey is going to miss some time with that chest injury, um Harris should take his spot like he did in Sunday's game.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_00: He was targeted on 22% of his routes in week one.
• 11:40
  SPEAKER_00: So not a bad start if you're desperate enough this week.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I really like him as a spot start over a lot of the other wide receivers here in this list, but it is possible that McConkie doesn't actually miss any time given the team just said that they'll be monitoring him over the week, which likely means he didn't fracture any ribs, which is a great sign.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_00: But guys, I have all of these waiver wire pickups on our website, upperhandfantasy.com.
• 12:03
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you guys so much for watching this waiver wire video.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: We'll be back tomorrow with trades.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: We'll be back the next day with our start sits.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: Appreciate you guys a ton.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: Peace.