The Desai Guys continue their Waiver Wire Fantasy Football coverage this week with injury updates and replacements.
Fantasy Football Updates: Week 1 Injuries And Waiver Wire Week 2
J.K. Dobbins, QB – Baltimore Ravens
- Suffered a torn Achilles in the 2nd half of the game against the Houston Texans
- Scored a touchdown earlier in the day, but unfortunately will miss the remainder of the 2023 season
- Gus Edwards and Justice Hill stepped in for Dobbins after he went down
- Hill scored twice in the red zone for the Ravens and Edwards was able to pile up some yards on early downs
- Melvin Gordon was just elevated from the practice squad to add to this backfield
- Hard to say who will lead this backfield going forward
- Worth noting as well that offensive tackle, Ronnie Stanley, and interior lineman, Tyler Linderbaum, left the game with injuries as well and no news has surfaced yet on their availability going forward
Jakobi Meyers, WR – Las Vegas Raiders
- Took a big hit in the 2nd half of the game against the Denver Broncos
- Suffered a concussion and was removed from the game
- He will go through the concussion protocol and possibly could be in danger of missing Week 2
- Hunter Renfrow and DeAndre Carter would be the next man up in this wide receiver room or possibly this could mean more targets for Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs
- Meyers had 10 targets, Adams had nine, Jacobs had three, and one target went to Carter, Zamir White, Austin Hooper, and Ameer Abdullah
Diontae Johnson, WR – Pittsburgh Steelers
- Left the game against the San Francisco 49ers in the third quarter with an apparent hamstring injury
- Did not come back into the game and he will be sidelined for at least two weeks
- Look to add Allen Robinson from the Steelers roster with Johnson being out for a short while
- George Pickens is a good addition as well, but most likely already drafted to another team
- Robinson led the team in targets with eight on Sunday and could be a bigger factor in the Steelers offense if Johnson misses time
Pat Freiermuth, TE – Pittsburgh Steelers
- Suffered a chest injury after taking a couple of big hits in the game on Sunday against the 49ers
- Mike Tomlin said that Freiermuth is ‘limited’ heading into this week.
- He scored the lone touchdown for the Steelers on Sunday and could weaken this offense if he has to miss time
- Connor Heyward would be the player to add if Freiermuth does have to miss time, but overall if this Pittsburgh offense continues to look like this, then it’s best to avoid this offense in fantasy
Aaron Jones, RB – Green Bay Packers
- Suffered a hamstring injury during his game against the Chicago Bears
- Was removed from the game, but it doesn’t look to be serious
- He told teammates that he could have returned to the game if needed but they kept him out as a precaution
- Doesn’t look to be a serious injury, but just something to keep aware of going forward
Tyler Lockett, WR – Seattle Seahawks
- Took a big hit in the third quarter in the game against the Los Angeles Rams
- Was ruled out of the rest of the game and evaluated for a concussion but was deemed healthy
- Should be able to play in Week 2, but monitor the situation in case something springs up over the course of the week
- If he can’t go, expect Jaxon Smith-Njigba to see an increase in targets opposite of DK Metcalf
- Another thing that is concerning for Seattle is that both their starting left tackles left the game with injuries
- Charles Cross is dealing with a toe injury and we’ll wait to see if he can play this coming week
- Abraham Lucas is dealing with a sore knee and there’s no guarantee that he can go in Week 2 either
- The Seahawks have signed Jason Peters to make up for the loss.
Anthony Richardson, QB – Indianapolis Colts
- Took a big shot at the goal line towards the end of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars
- Ended up leaving the game with a bruised knee but it doesn’t look to be serious
- He is currently listed as questionable for playing next week, but just a cautionary tale to head coach Shane Steichen to limit his aggressiveness at times otherwise they may be looking for another quarterback to start for them…
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”1405731″ player=”32134″ title=”Aaron Rodgers Injury Fantasy Impact – Week 2 Waiver Wire Targets & NFL Injury Updates” duration=”2546″ description=”Aaron Rodgers is likely going to miss significant time after suffering an injury on Monday night. Who are some key quarterback waiver targets to help your team make up for his absence? JK Dobbins was enjoying a good week with the Ravens before suffering a torn Achilles. Could the Los Angeles Chargers have the key player to replace him? We break down the top NFL Week 2 waiver wire targets at every position in our latest episode as we discuss the biggest NFL injury updates. Find out who are some of the best fantasy football tight ends to help shore up your roster, streaming defenses, and more in the latest Desai Guys episode!” uploaddate=”2023-09-12″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/22501/snapshot/1405731_th_64fff3e366e9e_1694495715.jpg” image=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/22501/snapshot/1405731_sd_64fff3e366e9e_1694495715.jpg” contenturl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/22501/sd/1405731.mp4″ width=”16″ height=”9″]
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 2 Picks
Waiver Wire Week 2 Quarterbacks
Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints vs. CAR (Roster Percentage ESPN – 28.1%, Yahoo – 38%)
- Carr threw for over 300 passing yards and a passing touchdown last weekend against the Tennessee Titans
- In an upcoming divisional game, expect Carr to take another leap forward and maybe increase that passing touchdown total
- The Saints take on the Carolina Panthers this coming week, who just gave up 24 points to the Atlanta Falcons
- They only allowed 115 passing yards, but that’s also because they were going against Desmond Ridder
- Expect Carr to get more comfortable with his receivers and make this offense more credible through the air
Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers vs. LAR (Roster Percentage ESPN – 24.5%, Yahoo – 56%)
- 16 points may not jump off the page to some people but some important things to remember:
- He had multiple fumbles because T.J. Watt is an absolute monster so it’s hard to blame him there
- The 49ers were up so big early that he only had to pass it 8 times in the second half
- He does look like the real deal – the 49ers may finally have the guy that takes them all the way
- Plus look at his schedule ahead: The Rams next week and their secondary looked really bad versus the Seahawks, the Giants (40-0 ring a bell?), and the Cardinals
Waiver Wire Week 2 Running Backs
Joshua Kelley, Los Angeles Chargers vs. TEN (Roster Percentage ESPN – 11.3%, Yahoo – 5%)
- His 16 carries were initially very surprising for me but then I remembered who their new offensive coordinator is
- Kellen Moore did exactly this last year – made two running backs in Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott fantasy-relevant
- I think that going forward in the season, Kelly will continue to receive enough attention to make his bottom a solid FLEX option
- Plus Austin Ekeler may not be able to suit up next weekend so his volume share could really explode
Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens vs. CIN (Roster Percentage ESPN – 21.4%, Yahoo – 20%)
- Already spoke about the news that J.K. Dobbins will be out for the entire season with a busted Achilles
- While Justice Hill scored two rushing touchdowns against the Houston Texans, the carries were split down the middle at eight a piece
- Edwards actually had the most rushing yards among the Ravens running backs with 32
- While the addition of Melvin Gordon could make things more interesting, Edwards should take the majority of the rushing duties in this offense
- Hill holds value too, but is purely touchdown-dependent
Waiver Wire Week 2 Wide Receivers
Robert Woods, Houston Texans vs. IND (Roster Percentage ESPN – 2.7%, Yahoo – 4%)
- While the Texans offense is not exactly a boon for fantasy prospects, the veteran Woods showed he’s still a worthy roster addition
- He’s showing he can be a reliable weapon for the rookie CJ Stroud as he totaled six receptions off of 10 targets
- Nico Collins led the team with 11 targets, but Woods looks to be more reliable
- Also, a good addition if you need receiver depth on your team
- Nico Collins led the team with 11 targets, but Woods looks to be more reliable
- Heading into Week 2, Woods and the Houston offense will take on the Indianapolis Colts and this is a good team to finally hit the end zone against
- While this offense may not be strong all season long, if you need a spot start with a good matchup, look no further than Woods
Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams vs. SF (Roster Percentage ESPN – 2.5%, Yahoo – 7%)
- Sometimes the most obvious answer is the right one
- The one receiving stat I value above all else when it comes to fantasy football receivers is targets – the higher it is, the more I trust this is a consistent player and not a flash in the pan
- He had a ridiculous 15 targets
- Matthew Stafford looked good so I trust him moving forward if his offensive line can keep him healthy
- Cooper Kupp is officially on the IR so worst case scenario, Nacua is fantasy relevant for the next three weeks, best case he becomes the number two receiver moving forward for the rest of the year
- Bonus pick: Go for Jakobi Meyers or Zay Flowers if they’re available
Waiver Wire Week 2 Tight Ends
Logan Thomas, Washington Commanders vs. DEN (Roster Percentage ESPN – 2.8%, Yahoo – 2%)
- I was tempted to go with Sam LaPorta or Luke Musgrave but I’m not totally convinced in Jordan Love quite yet and LaPorta is in a crowded offense
- I was really happy to see that Thomas finally looks like his healthy self again against the Cardinals
- Cole Turner does invite some competition but I think for the most part, he’s the unquestioned top tight end on that roster
- He also saw eight targets so I think as per usual, he’s going to be Sam Howell’s safety blanket
Hayden Hurst, Carolina Panthers vs. NO (Roster Percentage ESPN – 4.8%, Yahoo – 11%)
- Hurst led the Panthers in targets against his former team in Atlanta with seven
- He also scored the only touchdown for Carolina and seemed to be a safety blanket for the young quarterback, Bryce Young
- Hurst is a dependable option in any offense, but you can expect with the unproven rookie at the helm for the Panthers, Hurst may have his number called quite a bit this season
- While the face a tough defense in New Orleans this week, Hurst could be a garbage time fiend for your fantasy roster this week
Waiver Wire Week 2 Defenses/Special Teams
Indianapolis Colts vs. HOU (Roster Percentage ESPN – 0.9%, Yahoo – 2%)
- Oh my god, Tad Desai’s favorite team might have a defense!
- Sure they gave up a lot of points but the Jaguars offense is one of the best in the AFC. What impressed me was the amount of turnovers they generated
- An interception, a fumble recovery, and two sacks saved their fantasy performance
- Their next game will be against a Houston offense that predictably looked very young and will be prone to turnovers just like they were against Baltimore
- The only bummer is they’re a one-week rental because the two weeks after that, they have some tough opponents and I’m not sure if I trust them that much yet
Detroit Lions vs. SEA (Roster Percentage ESPN – 2.2%, Yahoo – 6%)
- Detroit had a good defensive gameplan in the kickoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs
- They held Patrick Mahomes to under 250 passing yards, and the team to under 100 rushing yards, and forced a turnover that led to a defensive touchdown
- While we don’t know if the Lions can sustain this all season long, they have an appealing matchup this coming week against the Seahawks
- Seattle only totaled 180 total yards and only 13 points against a Rams defense that is nowhere near as good as the Lions
Waiver Wire Week 2 Kickers
Dustin Hopkins, Cleveland Browns vs. PIT (Roster Percentage ESPN – 10.1%, Yahoo – 1%)
- Hopkins can hopefully bring more stability to the kicking game compared to Cade York
- In his first game with his new team the Browns, Hopkins made all three of his field goals and also booted an extra point try as well
- This coming week, Cleveland takes on Pittsburgh in a divisional clash that could lead to lots more field goal opportunities for Hopkins to prove his worth further
Nick Folk, Tennessee Titans vs. LAC (Roster Percentage ESPN – 2.6%, Yahoo – 20%)
- He scored 18 points in Week 1, is that sustainable? Probably not
- However, I think there is a lot of promise here
- The Titans offense looked more competent than I gave them credit for but their offensive line looked like it’s really going to struggle when that field gets shorter and defenses bring more pressure
- As a result, I think they’re going to be in that kicker sweet spot of finding themselves in enemy territory but going three and out a lot