It’s Week 2, but it can pay to be looking ahead to Week 3 and beyond to consider the players on waivers that you might stash. Go ahead and grab them now rather than having an all-out waiver-wire war with your fellow league mates in a few days’ time.
This column will take a look ahead each week at players rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues.
- Waiver Wire Advice
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Week 2 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Stashes for Week 3
Matthew Stafford (QB – LAR) – 35% Rostered
The Stafford fade went too far this offseason with him dropping as far as QB18 in ADP. All reports as far back as OTAs suggested that Stafford was in good shape and moving around better than he had done in the last couple of years. Drafters still worried that he could retire at any moment, which, while we’re here, is highly unusual for a player with tens of millions of dollars on the table.
In Week 1, Stafford looked good despite not having All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp. Stafford threw for 334 yards, as the Rams beat the Seahawks. In Week 3, the Rams play the Bengals followed by the Colts in Week 4. Nothing we’ve seen from those teams so far suggests they’ll hinder Stafford’s fantasy output in the weeks ahead.
Justice Hill (RB – BAL) – 43% Rostered
The Ravens lost JK Dobbins to another long-term injury. As sad as all these injuries are, in fantasy football, we have to look forward and consider the role it opens up for others.
In years past, Gus Edwards would have been a lock for the goal-line work in a Greg Roman offense. Now, Todd Monken seems to think of Hill as more of his cup of tea, using him at the goal line twice in Week 1. Hill found the end zone both times.
Aside from Edwards, Hill only faces competition from serial fumbler Melvin Gordon, who is yet to be added to the active roster. Even if we only get a few usable weeks from Hill, that’s worth the roster spot, especially since he’ll have the hurry-up work for a team that is missing key pieces on defense.
Jaylen Warren (RB – PIT) – 41% Rostered
We’re going to keep putting Warren in this column until he reaches 50%. He remains one of the best values in fantasy football. In the post-Roethlisberger era, Warren has been the better receiving back, putting up 8.3 yards per reception to Harris’s 5.5.
In Week 1 against the Niners, Warren tied Harris for touches with eight each. It’s clear that the Steelers don’t view Harris as an every-down back, and in more friendly matchups, Warren should have standalone value.
Romeo Doubs (WR – GB) – 47% Rostered
I’m not sure how often we’re going to able to write up a wide receiver who is a firm starter in two-WR sets and coming off a week in which they scored two touchdowns. Yes, Doubs didn’t do a huge amount (4 rec, 26 yds) outside of the touchdowns, but the Packers won’t have it so easy every week. Most other teams should be able to push the Packers more and help generate more passes.
Michael Gallup (WR – DAL) – 24% Rostered
Brandin Cooks is dealing with a sprained MCL that might keep him out of Week 2. If we see Gallup return to his explosive pre-injury self, then he could be a hot name on the waiver wire.
Last year, when Gallup returned from his ACL injury, he wasn’t his old self. His ability to get downfield suffered, which in turn meant his average depth of target dropped to a career low. Now, a year further removed, it shouldn’t be surprising to see that corrected. Gallup could return to the player the Cowboys thought they had when they moved on from Amari Cooper.
Jake Ferguson (TE – DAL) – 37% Rostered
What if I told you there was a tight end who had seven targets in Week 1 and you could grab him off the waiver wire right this second? Well, that’s what we have in Ferguson. He saw five red-zone targets to boot. The Cowboys have always leaned into the tight-end position, and with what we saw in Week 1, that doesn’t look like it’s going to change.
Kansas City Chiefs – 40% Rostered
In Week 3, the Chiefs play the Bears. With Justin Fields taking sacks like chocolate bars, the Chiefs will be a lock for points that week. In Week 4, the Chiefs follow up with a matchup against Zach Wilson and the New York Jets.
Washington Commanders – 43% Rostered
Less intriguing than the Chiefs, the Commanders have a healthy Chase Young available and look like a team that can rack up sacks. In fantasy, we don’t need to worry about points conceded, but rather the events that can lead to points. On defense, sacks and takeaways are the name of the game. The Commanders have enough firepower to get after opposing QBs more often than not.
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