3 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups to Avoid (Week 2)

Let’s take a look at players who had strong weekly performances, but our fantasy football analysts aren’t buying it as they look ahead to this week and beyond. Here are a few players to avoid when making your fantasy football waiver wire pickups. And check out all of our fantasy football waiver wire advice for Week 2.

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups to Avoid

FOOL’S GOLD

Noah Fant had four catches for 26 yards and a touchdown in his Bengals debut. Fant out-snapped Mike Gesicki 26 to 16, but ace blocker Drew Sample led the Cincinnati tight ends with 36 snaps. The bottom line is that neither Fant nor any of the other Cincy tight ends are likely to be consistently fantasy-viable behind the dynamic duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

Rashid Shaheed played 85.3% of the Saints’ offensive snaps in Week 1 and ran a team-high 46 routes. He finished with six catches for 33 yards on nine targets. Shaheed got off to a fast start in 2024, with 20 catches for 349 yards and three touchdowns in his first six games before sustaining a knee injury that knocked him out for the season. Shaheed has big-play ability, but he needs a capable quarterback to unlock it, and it’s hard to imagine him being consistently useful to fantasy games when he’s catching passes from either Spencer Rattler or Tyler Shough.

Speedy KaVontae Turpin had 2-18-0 receiving and 2-9-0 rushing for Dallas in Week 1 while playing 45.9% of the offensive snaps. It was a performance that probably didn’t go unnoticed in the NFL’s nationally televised Thursday-night season opener. But Turpin is only rosterable in the deepest of leagues, and it’s hard to imagine circumstances that would make him startable.

Successful In-Season Fantasy Football Management

Once your fantasy football team is drafted, the work is not over. Successful in-season management is crucial to a winning fantasy football season. Here are some tips to help you manage your team effectively throughout the season:

Stay up to date on player news
Keep track of player injuries, suspensions, and other news that may impact their performance. This will help you make informed decisions about which players to start each week.

Monitor the waiver wire
Keep an eye on the waiver wire and be ready to pick up players who may be undervalued or overlooked by other teams. This can provide valuable depth to your roster. Use our waiver wire assistant to view optimal lineups, waiver and trade suggestions, and league analysis.

Analyze matchups
Analyze the upcoming matchups for your players and opponents to determine which players to start in your lineup each week. Look for favorable matchups and take into account the strength of the opposing team’s defense.

Stay active in trades
Be open to trading players with other teams if it will benefit your team. Analyze the potential impact of a trade before making a decision and negotiate with other teams to find a mutually beneficial agreement.

Be prepared for bye weeks
Plan ahead for bye weeks by having backup players ready to fill in for your starters. Avoid having too many players with the same bye week, which can leave your team short-handed.

Don’t overreact to one bad week
Avoid overreacting to one bad week of performance by a player. Take a long-term view of their performance and evaluate their potential moving forward.

Continuously evaluate your roster
Continuously evaluate your roster throughout the season and make adjustments as needed. Be willing to drop underperforming players or make changes to your lineup if necessary.