Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 2 ...Middle East

It can be hard to sort out what is real and what is a mirage after Week 1. Our suggested Week 2 waiver wire pickups are all players that could be more than one–week wonders.

The waiver wire before Week 2 might be the most chaotic one of the season.

It’s hard to parse what is real from the first week of the season and what was a mirage. In Week 1 of 2024, Rhamondre Stevenson rushed for 120 yards. He never rushed for even 90 yards the rest of the season. Allen Lazard had 89 receiving yards and a touchdown. He followed that up with 11 receiving yards in Week 2.

But you can’t simply dismiss everything as an outlier that doesn’t matter for the rest of the year, either. It would’ve been easy to say four-touchdown performance to start last season was a fluke, but he went on to throw for 41 touchdowns.

So how do you know which players are legitimately worth grabbing off the waiver wire for Week 2? You check our model, of course!

Here are the best waiver-wire targets for Week 2.

Week 2 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups

RB Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals

Dylan Sampson was our recommendation in Week 1 to plug and play, as he outplayed Jerome Ford and amassed 93 total yards and had eight catches in the opener. He continues to be the best option if you need someone to start this week and he’s available, as he’ll probably be useful until Quinshon Judkins gets up to speed. But since we already discussed his case, let’s discuss a draft and stash who could be used in an emergency this week.

Benson rushed for a career-high 69 yards on eight carries and caught his only target for six yards. He only exceeded nine touches twice last year, as the Cardinals seemed to reward him with some extra looks for being effective.

He clearly outperformed James Conner (12 rushes, 39 yards) and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the exciting sophomore continue to look like the better rusher than the 30-year-old veteran. Benson was the 66th overall pick last year, meaning the Cardinals drafted him with the belief that he’d be a big part of their future backfield. If he continues to perform, he’ll get more opportunities.

Even if Conner remains the 1A in the offense, he’s played 13 or fewer games in five of his last seven seasons. He’s likely to miss some weeks and Benson is startable whenever Conner is shelved. Don’t play him this week unless you’re desperate, but Benson is a solid long-term add.

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WR Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers

Some fantasy managers will be looking for help at receiver right away after the injury to Xavier Worthy. They might want to look at the receiver who faced Worthy’s team in Week 1.

The Los Angeles Chargers selected Johnston in the first round in 2023, and he disappointed in his rookie season.

He bounced back a little in his sophomore year with 711 yards and eight touchdowns, and looked even better in Week 1 of 2025, hauling in five of his targets for 79 yards and two touchdowns. His 24.9 fantasy points in PPR were good for the third-most among wide receivers.

The big question for Johnston (and Keenan Allen) is how many pass catchers the Chargers’ offense can support. Both Ladd McConkey (the No. 1 receiver in the offense) and Allen had more targets and catches than Johnston in Week 1. Things worked out for Johnston and Allen because they combined for three touchdowns, but will the Chargers throw enough to support both players in coming weeks?

It’s possible airing it out was specifically a plan for the game against the Kansas City Chiefs, and Greg Roman reverts to a lot of ground and pound the rest of the year. But Justin Herbert looked phenomenal in Week 1 (318 passing yards and three touchdown passes), and looks a great deal healthier than last year. If Herbert continues to be unleashed, both Johnston and Allen could be solid flex plays moving forward with more upside.

If the Chargers lean more on the run game, it’ll probably come down to one of Johnston or Allen emerging as a player that can be started every week. But, with the uncertainty in both the pecking order of the receivers behind McConkey and how frequently the Chargers will pass in neutral situations, both players are worth a roster spot at the moment.

WR Kayshon Boutte, New England Patriots

Johnston will likely be the top waiver claim in most leagues among the wide receivers, but there’s an argument to be made that it should be Kayshon Boutte.

Boutte hauled in six of his eight targets for 103 yards in the opener, continuing a strong stretch to end last season. He had 117 receiving yards and a touchdown in the final week of 2024. While that was mostly with Joe Milton, he had 95 yards and touchdown.

So, over his last four games dating back to last year, Boutte has 343 receiving yards, which is fifth in the NFL in that span.

Boutte was once considered an elite prospect before a serious ankle injury derailed his college career and caused him to fall to the sixth round in 2023. He looks healthy and impressive now and could easily take over as the leading receiver on a team looking for dynamic weapons.

It helps that Boutte can be plugged in this week against a Miami Dolphins defense that made Daniel Jones look like Josh Allen in Week 1. Boutte can be started by receiver-desperate teams this week and should be rostered in almost all leagues.

TE Hunter Henry, New England Patriots

It’s dangerous to recommend two players from an offense that wasn’t particularly impressive in Week 1, but the Dolphins defense looked a lot worse than the Patriots offense.

It should be noted that Zach Ertz, last week’s recommended add, scored a touchdown and is once again the top tight end if he’s still on your waiver wire.

But if Ertz is gone, Henry is a perfectly capable starter against a suspect defense. He’s on the field a ton and caught four of his eight targets for 66 yards. Those eight targets were tied with Boutte for the most on the team.

Boutte, Henry and Stefon Diggs look like the clear top weapons in the Patriots receiving games. Henry will likely be hit-or-miss (it’s hard to expect a breakout season when this is his fifth year in New England after signing as a free agent in 2021), but his chances of hitting this week are likely the highest of any you’ll find on the waiver wire, provided Ertz is already gone.

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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 2 Opta Analyst.

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