With the injury to Brock Purdy, fantasy football managers are left with a void on their roster. Let’s check out the extent of the injury and players you can target on your fantasy football waiver wire this week. And also be sure to check out all of our full fantasy football waiver wire advice for the week.
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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Injury Replacements
Injury Outlook
Brock Purdy (shoulder, toe) uncertain for Week 2
49ers QB Brock Purdy is dealing with a left shoulder and toe injury that makes him uncertain to play in Sunday’s matchup with the Saints.
Fantasy Impact
Head coach Kyle Shanahan stated that they will wait and see how practice goes this week. Mac Jones would be in line to start for the 49ers, which would result in an immediate downgrade for the team’s pass catchers.
– Jesse Garcia
Waiver Wire Replacements to Target
Daniel Jones (QB – IND): 5% Rostered
- Next Opponents: DEN, @TEN, @LAR
- True Value: $2
- Desperate Need: $4
- Budget-Minded: $1
Analysis: Daniel Jones became the first quarterback since 1991 to lead his team to points on every single drive over a full game. (That stat is courtesy of legendary RedZone host Scott Hanson.) We all knew the Dolphins were a questionable team, at best, heading into the season. What most didn’t envision was Danny Dimes posting a record-breaking performance against Miami and leading the Colts to their first Week 1 win in 11 years. They say lightning never strikes twice. If it does, Jones could become the latest quarterback to resurrect his career, joining Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold. Jones has a tough matchup this week against the Broncos. However, Cam Ward managed to keep his team competitive against Denver in Week 1 despite taking a few embarrassing sacks. We saw Jones record two goal-line scores in Week 1 and have a few throws worthy of his Dimes nickname. Jones is probably going to be a high-upside, low-floor play for fantasy, but if he can come through for the second straight week, you may find yourself with a weekly starter.
Geno Smith (QB – LV): 21% Rostered
- Next Opponents: LAC, @WSH, CHI
- True Value: $1
- Desperate Need: $2
- Budget-Minded: $0
Analysis: The Raiders’ offense came out flying in Week 1. Geno Smith‘s first three completions were gains of 23 yards to Brock Bowers, nine yards to Dont’e Thornton and a 26-yard touchdown to Tre Tucker. Although the scoring slowed down, the yardage was just getting started. Smith finished with 362 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception. The big yardage total was partly a result of the Patriots limiting the Raiders’ ground game to 2.3 yards per carry. That includes holding Ashton Jeanty to 38 yards on 19 carries. This week, the Raiders face a Chargers team that allowed the Chiefs to average 5.8 yards per attempt (YPA) in Week 1. Although YPA is not the most indicative statistic, the Raiders will likely have more success on the ground this week and will want to control possession against gunslinging quarterback Justin Herbert. As a result, Smith might not see the same yardage totals, but a steady ground game will help his efficiency. If Herbert continues his Billy the Kid impression, the Raiders may be forced to throw downfield to keep pace in a potential shootout.
Matthew Stafford (QB – LAR): 27% Rostered
- Next Opponents: @TEN, @PHI, IND
- True Value: $1
- Desperate Need: $1
- Budget-Minded: $0
Analysis: The Rams attempted a quarterback sneak with Matthew Stafford from the goal line in Week 1. Let me rephrase that. The Rams elected to charge their 37-year-old quarterback, with a history of back and neck problems, into a brick wall of 300-pound men. What could go wrong? Thankfully, nothing went wrong, except that they failed to get into the end zone. This could be taken as a sign that Stafford is feeling 100%, but I think we’d all prefer that Sean McVay not test that theory again. It may be difficult to justify bidding for Stafford after a week in which the Rams only scored 14 points, but better days are ahead. The Texans have one of the better defenses in the league and put it on display against a powerful Rams team. This week, the Rams face the Titans, who are coming off a surprisingly close game against the Broncos. This Titans team had an impressive outing at Mile High in Week 1, but will likely have its hands full trying to guard both Davante Adams and Puka Nacua. With Stafford’s negligible rushing work, he is very dependent on touchdown production. With a pair of star receivers to target, Stafford is a safe bet for middling fantasy production.
Bryce Young (QB – CAR): 25% Rostered
- Next Opponents: @ARI, ATL, @NE
- True Value: $1
- Desperate Need: $1
- Budget-Minded: $0
Analysis: Harvey Dent, reincarnated, might actually be Bryce Young. The iconic two-face villain from Batman is a perfect metaphor for Young. In Young’s two seasons and one game, we have seen one player who looks poised and controlled, and another who looks like a deer in headlights on Sundays. Unfortunately, we saw the latter in Week 1. In what was expected to be a high-scoring affair, the Panthers lost 26-10 to the Jaguars. Young’s fantasy day was saved by two plays. The first was a 22-yard rush in the second quarter. (He finished with 40 rushing yards.) The second was a garbage-time touchdown pass to Chuba Hubbard down 23-3 with under five minutes left to play. This week, Young faces a Cardinals team that nearly allowed Spencer Rattler to lead a game-tying drive in the final seconds. It seems to be a coin flip on which Young we will get. If we don’t get the 2024 end-of-season experience from Young in this matchup, the alarms will be ringing.
Quarterback Stash Candidates
The Giants’ offense was not functional in Week 1. As a result, head coach Brian Daboll failed to name the Week 2 starter in his postgame press conference. We knew it was a matter of time before we saw rookie Jaxson Dart take the field, but it may be sooner than anyone expected.
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