Last-Minute Waiver Wire Pickups & Injury Replacements (Fantasy Football)

Fantasy football can be an extremely fun game to play. It can also be highly frustrating at times. Nothing is more annoying than needing to make a last-minute waiver-wire move because someone in your starting lineup is out for the week. Sadly, there isn’t much you can do about it. However, I’m going to try to help.

Every week, I will have six players you can grab off the waiver wire at the last minute and throw into your lineup. Some will succeed, while others will fail. Unfortunately, that’s how the game of fantasy football is played. Let’s dive into my six last-minute waiver wire targets for Week 2.

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Last-Minute Waiver Wire Pickups & Injury Replacements

All the players in this article are rostered in under 35% of ESPN leagues.

Michael Penix Jr. (QB – ATL) vs. Minnesota Vikings (27.4% Rostered)

Unfortunately, the Falcons’ top two wide receivers are dealing with shoulder injuries. However, Drake London and Darnell Mooney will play in Week 2. Penix was outstanding in Week 1, despite Mooney missing the game and London leaving the fourth quarter. The former Washington star completed 64.3% of his 42 pass attempts for 298 yards and a touchdown. He also made an impact on the ground, totaling six attempts for 21 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. Furthermore, Penix has two rushing touchdowns in his past two regular-season outings.

Minnesota made several additions on defense in the offseason, including Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave. While the Vikings played well in the second half of Monday’s matchup against the Chicago Bears, Caleb Williams still finished Week 1 as the QB9, scoring 24.2 fantasy points. He completed 60% of his 35 pass attempts for 210 yards and one touchdown. More importantly, Minnesota will be down multiple starters on defense. Jeff Okudah and Andrew Van Ginkel have been ruled out because of concussions. Meanwhile, Harrison Smith is questionable with an illness.

Kenneth Gainwell (RB – PIT) vs. Seattle Seahawks (8.8% Rostered)

Finding running backs off the waiver wire late in the week can be difficult. However, Gainwell is a solid option for fantasy players, especially in deeper leagues. The veteran was the RB41 in Week 1, totaling seven rushing attempts for 19 yards and 5.3 PPR fantasy points. More importantly, while he had only four receiving yards, Gainwell caught three of his four targets, leading the backfield in receptions and targets. Furthermore, the veteran out-snapped Jaylen Warren (30 vs. 25), including all but one of the Steelers’ 10 third-down snaps.

While fantasy players shouldn’t start Gainwell over Warren, both Pittsburgh running backs could have fantasy value in Week 2. Last week, the San Francisco 49ers’ backfield had 31 rushing attempts for 102 yards and 33.1 fantasy points. Furthermore, the backfield was a significant factor in the passing game, totaling 12 receptions on 14 targets for 109 receiving yards, totaling 22.9 fantasy points in the air. Aaron Rodgers targeted his running backs on 20% of his 30 pass attempts against the New York Jets. Expect a similar result on Sunday.

Dare Ogunbowale (RB – HOU) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0.2% Rostered)

The Texans’ run game vastly struggled in Week 1. Unfortunately, Joe Mixon is out at least another three weeks, if not likely longer. Last week, Nick Chubb had 13 rushing attempts for 60 yards and six PPR fantasy points, leading the team in every category. However, Ogunbowale and not Woody Marks was Houston’s pass-catching running back. The veteran ran more routes (eight vs. three) and had more targets (two vs. zero) than the rookie. Furthermore, Ogunbowale was the only member of the backfield to have a reception.

Despite only scoring 2.6 fantasy points last week, fantasy players in deeper PPR leagues should add Ogunbowale because of his potential passing game role. The Buccaneers have one of the top run defenses in the NFL. However, they have struggled to stop running backs in the passing game. Last season, Tampa Bay gave up 85 receptions to running backs, the fifth-most in the league. Furthermore, they surrendered six receptions for 100 receiving yards, a touchdown, and 22 fantasy points in the air last week to the Atlanta Falcons’ running backs.

Kayshon Boutte (WR – NE) vs. Miami Dolphins (23.3% Rostered)

Many have high hopes for Stefon Diggs in 2025 with Drake Maye under center. However, he had a quiet Week 1 performance, playing only 41% of the snaps, totaling less than Boutte (82%), DeMario Douglas (63%), and Mack Hollins (56%). While the veteran should see more work as the season progresses, Boutte is currently Maye’s No. 1 wide receiver. He finished Week 1 as the WR18, scoring 16.3 PPR fantasy points against the Las Vegas Raiders. Furthermore, Boutte led the Patriots in receptions (six), targets (eight), and receiving yards (103).

Fantasy players should feel confident starting the former LSU star as a WR3 in Week 2. The Dolphins’ defense had no answer for Daniel Jones last week. Miami gave up 245 receiving yards and 51.3 fantasy points to the Indianapolis Colts’ pass catchers. Furthermore, Michael Pittman Jr. had no problem picking apart the Dolphins’ awful secondary, totaling six receptions on eight targets for 80 receiving yards, a touchdown, and 20 fantasy points. Don’t be surprised if Boutte finishes as a top-20 wide receiver for the second consecutive week.

Josh Palmer (WR – BUF) vs. New York Jets (13.4% Rostered)

Keon Coleman had an outstanding performance in Week 1, ending the week as the WR2, totaling eight receptions on 11 targets for 112 receiving yards, a touchdown, and 25.2 PPR fantasy points. Unfortunately, his prominent performance likely means Sauce Gardner will shadow him after the star cornerback traveled with DK Metcalf last week. However, that’s excellent news for Palmer’s Week 2 fantasy outlook. Last week, the veteran wide receiver had five receptions on nine targets for 61 receiving yards and 11.1 fantasy points, ranking second on the team in targets.

While Gardner did a solid job containing Metcalf, the rest of the Jets’ secondary struggled against the Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receiver corps. They gave up 92 receiving yards, two touchdowns, and 26.3 fantasy points to the Steelers’ wide receivers not named Metcalf. Furthermore, Aaron Rodgers repeatedly went after Brandon Stephens, the starting outside cornerback opposite Gardner. According to PFF, Stephens ranked 79th out of 111 cornerbacks in coverage in Week 1. Expect Josh Allen to repeatedly target Stephens, who should be matched up with Palmer for most of the game.

Brenton Strange (TE – JAC) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (25.7% Rostered)

The Jaguars’ passing attack had high expectations in Week 1 with Liam Coen taking over on the sidelines. Unfortunately, their passing offense struggled last week. However, Strange had a solid performance against the Carolina Panthers, totaling four receptions for 59 receiving yards and 9.9 PPR fantasy points, ending Week 1 as the TE17. The former Penn State star finished third on the team targets (four) behind Travis Hunter (eight) and Brian Thomas Jr. (seven). More importantly, Strange could have a larger role on Sunday against a struggling Bengals pass defense.

Reportedly, Hunter will see more snaps on defense because of the matchup against Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. Last week, the superstar rookie only played six snaps at cornerback against the Panthers. Therefore, Strange should see an uptick in targets with Hunter spending more time and energy on defense. More importantly, Cincinnati had no answers for the Cleveland Browns’ tight ends in Week 1. They gave up 10 receptions on 15 targets for 100 receiving yards and 20.3 fantasy points to David Njoku and Harold Fannin Jr.

Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.