Welcome to the 2022 Weekend Waiver Wire Stashes column. Each week I’ll be helping you get ahead of your league mates and stash players who have interesting matchups in the weeks ahead. The players in this column will be rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues, giving you an excellent shot at sneaking in there and picking them up before your league mates turn their attention to them.

Top QB Pick-up for Week 2

Matt Ryan (QB – IND) – 43% rostered
Week 2 matchup – Jacksonville Jaguars

The Colts take on the Jaguars in Week 2, and Matt Ryan will continue his tour of the AFC South after facing the Houston Texans in Week 1. Neither defense should be particularly troubling for Ryan and the Colts. The real key comes down to whether the passing game is needed or if Jonathan Taylor runs all over these teams. I’m confident that the Colts come out with a mixed approach and Matt Ryan looks good behind this strong Indianapolis offensive line. If you have concerns about your quarterback and their Week 2 matchup, then stashing Matt Ryan is a sensible low-risk move.

High-risk QBs for Week 2

• Justin Fields (QB – CHI) faces the Packers
• Tua Tagovailoa (QB – MIA) faces the Ravens
• Mac Jones (QB – NE) faces the Steelers

Top RB Pick-ups for Week 2

Rachaad White (RB – TB) – 38% rostered
Week 2 matchup – New Orleans Saints

It’s a little surprising that a rookie with a clear path to touches in an elite offense isn’t rostered more heavily than 38%. The Buccanneers aren’t in the habit of drafting players who will take time to develop as their window to win another Superbowl remains open whilst Tom Brady is still under contract. The Saints will be a tough Week 2 matchup for the Bucs, having gotten the better of Tom Brady twice in 2021 and returning many of the same defensive starters. If that kind of game script puts White into the game more often, then he could see the kind of high-value touches he was well regarded for coming out of college.

J.D. McKissic (RB – WAS) – 29% rostered
Week 2 matchup – Indianapolis Colts

With the unfortunate news surrounding Brian Robinson ahead of the season, it made the Commanders’ backfield slightly clearer for the time being. Until Robinson recovers from the gunshot wounds he sustained, J.D. McKissic will handle passing down work as well as splitting time with Antonio Gibson. The team has shown us by now that they don’t have as much belief in Gibson as some of us would like. Gibson fumbled the ball six times in 2021 and also put the ball on the ground during a preseason game. We should expect McKissic to be consistently involved until we see otherwise. In PPR, McKissic’s value is even higher, but half-PPR managers should have no qualms about rostering McKissic either.

Top WR Pick-ups for Week 2

Marquez Valdes-Scantling (WR – KC) – 49% rostered
Week 2 matchup – L.A Chargers

The Chiefs will follow up Week 1’s potential shootout against the Cardinals with an in-division matchup against the L.A. Chargers. These are exactly the type of matchups in which fantasy managers should be starting Valdes-Scantling. We’ve yet to see whether the Chiefs expand MVS’s route tree more than he was used in Green Bay, where he primarily ran deep routes with little else mixed in. Camp reports were positive, and whilst the floor is very low, the ceiling is very high on MVS, with matchup-winning potential. Valdes-Scantling’s reputation as a ‘dropper’ is overblown. In 2021 he dropped zero catches, and if there’s a chance the Chiefs do get a better version of him, then I’m happy to keep him stashed on my bench to decide when I can use him.

Treylon Burks (WR – TEN) – 46% rostered
Week 2 matchup – Buffalo Bills

Usually, highly-drafted wide receivers are the types that fantasy managers flock toward. However, Treylon Burks’ asthma and general fitness issues have led to fantasy managers believing that even if the opportunity is there, they’re not entirely sold. That opportunity is key, though. Burks was drafted directly to replace A.J Brown. He faces competition at the receiver position from Robert Woods, who is coming off an ACL injury, and a bunch of receivers that, at best, can be described as average depth players. The simple matter is that the Titans need Treylon Burks to be useful, and if a team needs a player to be useful, fantasy managers can benefit. Burks has a tough matchup in Week 2 against the Bills, but if that sends the Titans into a negative game script, perhaps he can see some solid opportunities. Ideally, Burks can be held on your bench for a couple of weeks to see how he starts.

Garrett Wilson (WR – NYJ) – 22% rostered
Week 2 matchup – Cleveland Browns

Another wide receiver who is about to start his NFL career is Garrett Wilson. It’s not long since Dynasty managers were salivating over Garrett Wilson in the draft, but here we are, and 78% of Yahoo managers have declined the chance to have him on their rosters. It’s understandable that people might have an air of trepidation around the Jets. After all, starting quarterback Zach Wilson is sidelined until at least Week 4, and Joe Flacco hasn’t been elite in quite some time. Garrett Wilson also has to compete with the promising second-year receiver Elijah Moore. Whilst the Jets start the season with tricky games against the entirety of the AFC North, who all happen to have good pass defenses. Wilson might start slow, but by the bye weeks, he could be a very useful player to have as he finds his feet.

Top TE Pick-ups for Week 2

Gerald Everett (TE – LAC) – 22% rostered
Week 2 matchup – Kansas City Chiefs

Last year wasn’t the kind of year the Seahawks hoped for from Gerald Everett, and now he finds himself on the Chargers, his third team in three years. Recently both Justin Herbert and Chargers head coach Brandon Stayley raved about Everett’s training camp and talked up how much they expect him to be a key part of the Chargers offense this year. With Jared Cook no longer on the team, there is a clear path to opportunities, and Justin Herbert has often looked to his tight ends in the red zone. It’s unlikely that Everett ever gives you an elite ceiling, but if the Chargers are capable of putting up points like many of us expect, then a player like Everett should be rostered heavily.

Noah Fant (TE – SEA) – 18% rostered
Week 2 matchup – San Francisco 49ers

Not many people feel good about very many things around the Seahawks right now, but it’s worth remembering that Noah Fant was a player the Seahawks wanted as part of the Russell Wilson trade. Geno Smith is not a quarterback who inspires when it comes to fantasy football. Still, the Seahawks’ passing game should be very condensed, and if the Seahawks find themselves in catchup scenarios often, then there’s an argument Fant could see enough volume to be relevant. In Weeks 3 and 4, the Seahawks will also play the Lions and the Falcons, who will provide easier matchups.

Top DST Pick-ups for Week 2

Pittsburgh Steelers – 30%
Week 2 matchup – New England Patriots

The Steelers have problems as a team and might not be as appealing for fantasy as they once were, but the Steelers’ defense isn’t as problematic and shouldn’t be viewed as such. In Week 2,  they play the Patriots, who are all kinds of a mess, In Week 3, they take on the Jacoby Brissett Cleveland Browns and then in Week 4, the New York Jets, with either Joe Flacco under center or Zach Wilson in his first start of the season.

Philadelphia Eagles – 41%
Week 2 matchup – Minnesota Vikings

The Eagles look the complete package this year and are starting to become a trendy pick for the Super Bowl. The defense contains several savvy veterans, and Darius Slay can hold his own against many of the top receivers in the league, not to mention the defensive line features freak athlete Jordan Davis and the veteran Fletcher Coz. After Week 2, the Eagles have back-to-back friendly fixtures against the Commanders and the Jaguars.