Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Early Week 2 Adds (2026)

All the drafts, hypotheticals, and predictions are done. The NFL season has started, and it is officially time to get to work. These are the fantasy football waiver wire pickups you should be targeting going into Week 2.

Fantasy Football Early Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 2

It is important to note that this is being written before the Sunday night games and during the 4:30 p.m. games. This article will focus on players rostered in fewer than 50% of leagues.

Quarterback Waiver Wire Pickups

Tyler Shough (QB – NO)

While it wasn’t pretty in the first half, Tyler Shough eventually figured it out. He had 56 pass attempts, threw for 410 yards and three touchdowns. Against the Lions, the Saints were 7-point underdogs. Going into Week 2, the Saints are 7.5-point underdogs to the Baltimore Ravens. I expect another game where Shough will need to pass the ball a lot, with the Saints likely playing from behind. He is a good plug-and-play quarterback for Week 2.

Carson Wentz (QB – MIN)

The Bears just gave up 478 total yards of offense and 353 passing yards to Bryce Young and the Panthers. Young has thrown for over 350 yards only one other time in his career. If Kyler Murray doesn’t clear concussion protocol, Carson Wentz would be a good streaming option simply because of the matchup. Throw in the fact that Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison are better than the Panthers’ entire receiving room, and Wentz finds himself in a favorable spot.

Running Backs Waiver Wire Pickups

Kaelon Black (RB – SF)

Last year, Kyle Shanahan was calling timeouts to make sure Christian McCaffrey was on the field. This year, on the first drive of Week 1, third-down rookie Kaelon Black played five snaps to McCaffrey’s nine. By the end of the night, Black had established himself as the clear RB2 in this backfield, even with Deebo Samuel working in. While the Niners went up early and held the lead most of the night, Black finished the night with 15 opportunities.

McCaffrey managers should roster Black all year. In deeper leagues, he brings his own value. While CMC will still dominate most of the passing-game work, the Niners have consistently led the league in scoring. If the rookie’s usage ramps up as the season goes on with the goal of keeping CMC healthy, he could bring weekly touchdown upside.

In Week 2, the 49ers play the Miami Dolphins at home. San Francisco is projected to win by 10.5 points, which is the largest spread of the week and tied for the fifth-largest spread of the season. If the Niners go up big and early, I expect a healthy dose of Black.

George Holani (RB – SEA)

While Jadarian Price is the primary running back, George Holani handled all of the third-down and passing-down work, including the two-minute drill. If Sam Darnold‘s injury lingers for a couple of weeks and Drew Lock is throwing passes for the Seattle Seahawks, Holani should see plenty of usage. That is especially true if the Seahawks are playing from behind.

We also still haven’t seen who will handle the goal-line work in this offense. If Holani earns that role as well, he will bring plenty of value moving forward.

Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups

Devaughn Vele (WR – NO)

Chris Olave was in and out of the medical tent all day. Jordyn Tyson is on IR. This comes down to a process of elimination. Devaughn Vele was the second pass-catching weapon in this offense behind only Olave. Before overtime started, Vele had 10 targets, eight receptions, 88 yards, and one TD.

The Saints play the Ravens in Week 2. They are projected to be 7.5-point underdogs and should be playing from behind all game. Kellen Moore runs the fastest offense in the NFL on a per-play basis. If you need to fill your WR3 spot, Vele could be a sneaky Week 2 play. If Olave misses any time, this elevates Vele to a WR2.

Romeo Doubs (WR – NE)

Doubs is slightly over 50%, but given the injury to A.J. Brown, he’s a top priority where available

A.J. Brown is expected to miss at least four weeks after suffering a high-ankle sprain. While Mack Hollins might seem like the obvious pickup, Romeo Doubs is the wide receiver to have while Brown is sidelined.

While Hollins played more and was part of the starting offense, his main role was to block in a run-heavy approach early. He has never been a dominant receiver, and he is 32. Even though DeMario Douglas saw seven targets, he played over 80% of his snaps out of the slot.

Doubs was just signed to a four-year, $68 million contract. In the second half of Week 1, after the A.J. Brown injury, he had a 76% route share, second only to Douglas. New England plays the Steelers in Week 2 as 4.5-point favorites. They shouldn’t be playing from behind, which makes Douglas much less enticing in Week 2. If we are betting on a wide receiver to find value from the A.J. Brown injury, I am going to choose the player who was just paid, is 26 years old, and should be on the field running the most routes for the team.

Dontayvion Wicks (WR – PHI)

Dontayvion Wicks was playing the WR2 role alongside DeVonta Smith. Sean Mannion is the new offensive coordinator in Philadelphia and appears to be a major upgrade over Kevin Patullo. Under Patullo, the Eagles had one of their worst offensive seasons of the Jalen Hurts era. Mannion already appears to be a significant upgrade for this passing offense.

In 2025, Hurts’ average depth of target was 9 yards. Per PFF, in Week 1, that number nearly tripled. Dontayvion Wicks is a great deep-ball threat in an offense that appears to be looking to stretch the field.

DeMario Douglas (WR – NE)

Even though I prefer Romeo Doubs, Demario Douglas brings his own value out of the slot. Per Fantasy Points Data Suite, Douglas saw seven targets on 14 dropbacks in 3-WR sets. When he was on the field, he was highly targeted.

In Week 2, as long as the Steelers can keep the game close, Douglas should run enough routes to have a respectable fantasy performance. His value is much higher in PPR leagues because of the type of role he plays.

Tight End Waiver Wire Pickups

Mike Gesicki (TE – CIN)

The most important thing for a tight end is being on the field and running routes. In Week 1, Mike Gesicki played the WR3 role in this high-powered Joe Burrow-led offense. Per PFF, he ran 81% of his routes out of the slot while also lining up outside on 18% of his routes. He finished with seven targets, five receptions, 78 yards, and a touchdown.

While the Bengals have Houston in Week 2, the Buffalo Bills just gassed them for 36 points and 410 total offensive yards. If you need a tight end in a pinch, he is your guy.

Michael Mayer (TE – LV)

Brock Bowers is projected to be out for at least the next couple of weeks. Michael Mayer just signed a three-year, $45 million contract extension. In Week 1, the Raiders led Miami for all of the game. Even in a positive game script, Mayer still saw five targets, catching four passes for 26 yards through the first three quarters.

In Week 2, the Raiders are 9.5-point underdogs to the Chargers. This is the second-largest spread in Week 2. The Raiders are projected to play from behind, which should give Mayer, arguably the best receiving weapon outside of Ashton Jeanty in that offense, plenty of opportunities.