Last Minute Waiver Wire Pickups Week 2: Matthew Stafford, Baker Mayfield, Zack Moss, Joshua Kelley
The waiver wire period has come and gone and you may have missed out on the guy you wanted. Jared Goff and Puka Nacua are long gone and you're still looking to fill out your roster and maybe even your lineup. These are the late waiver wire adds that you should be picking up.
Sync your league with the Fantasy Assistant to get rankings, waiver help, trade suggestions, optimal lineups, and more. Not sure Who You Should Start? We can help. Utilize our fantasy football trade analyzer for trades.
Last Minute Waiver Wire Pickups
Quarterbacks
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Rostered: 26%
The rumors of Matthew Stafford's demise may have been greatly exaggerated. He looked outstanding last week against a Seattle Seahawks team that has a very talented secondary. His final stat line was 24 for 38 for 334 yards. While he didn't throw a TD the more important takeaway was that he looked healthy and the offense was able to move the ball. We weren't sure if the Rams would be the worst team in the NFL and they came out and dropped 30 on a playoff team from last season. Stafford is a potential long-term add, however, his matchup this week isn't good against the 49ers so you may want to stash him for a week.
Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Rostered: 4%
Mayfield didn't look bad last week throwing for 173 yards, two TDs, and no interceptions. He looks to have good chemistry with Mike Evans and their passing rate could go up because the rushing attack is putrid. You aren't going to want to hang on to Baker for the long run, but he has an outstanding matchup this week against the Chicago Bears. They made Jordan Love look so good last week that the Packers' fans are already starting to forget about Aaron Rodgers. If you are in a pinch and need someone to plug in this week, Mayfield may be a decent option in SuperFlex leagues.
Running Backs
Zack Moss, Indianapolis Colts
Rostered: 16.2%
Moss is expected to return this week and he's going to get every opportunity in the world to earn the starting job in Indy. He may earn the job simply by not being Deon Jackson who came down with a bad case of fumbleitis in Week 1. Beyond his two lost fumbles, Jackson also carried the ball 13 times for 14 yards which is a 1.1 yards per carry average. Evan Hull who was supposed to have a role also landed up on IR after one NFL carry. So Moss is going to be the guy for the Colts. We aren't sure how much value that has, but you don't leave a starting running back on the wire. He would be a very risky play this week, however, he is matched up against the Texans who are miserable against the run.
Joshua Kelley, Los Angeles Chargers
Rostered: 16.4%
Kelley looked great in Week 1 and there is a chance that Austin Ekeler could be ruled out or at least be limited due to an ankle injury. There is a real chance he is the lead back on a very good offense this week. Last week, he rushed for 91 yards on 16 carries and scored a TD. The matchup is tough this week against the Titans, but if Ekeler is out it would be hard not to get him in your lineup.
Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears
Rostered: 6.6%
You aren't starting Johnson this week, but he is definitely worth stashing. He could seize the starting job for the Bears who are expected to be very near the top of the league in rushing attempts. Every year a few rookie running backs come out of nowhere and play like league winners. Johnson has as good an opportunity as anyone coming off a Week 1 in which he led all Bears in receptions and targets.
Wide Receivers
Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints
Rostered: 26.3%
Get this man on your roster now because you won't be able to in a few weeks. He may be a bit boom or bust, but he has star potential. Shaheed has already shown the ability to be one of the most dynamic big-play weapons in the league. In Week 1 he posted 100 yards from scrimmage and another 40-plus yard TD. That's just what he does.
Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars
Rostered: 39.5%
It seems no matter what Jones does he can't get the respect he deserves. Perhaps he still has that Raider stink on him that's so difficult to scrub off. Ge may not be a superstar, nevertheless, he is a good player and starting wideout on an excellent offense. Last week, he put up 55 yards and a TD on five receptions. You can expect these types of performances from him most weeks which is exactly what you want out of a spot start waiver wire add. The Jags should have plenty of passing yards this week against the Chiefs.
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
Rostered: 7.1%
We don't mean to just keep shoving Rashee Rice down your throat, but you're going to take your medicine because it will make you better. We told you all summer that he was a steal in Round 2 and has a shot to be the best rookie wide receiver this season. All he did in Week 1 was see two end zone targets and score the Chiefs' first TD of the season. He will ultimately be Parick Mahomes's WR1 by the end of the year. You should be stashing him on your bench now.
Tight Ends
Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
Rostered: 13%
There is no excuse for LaPorta to only be rostered in 13% of leagues right now. If you don't have one of the top six or seven TEs in the league, you should be replacing your TE with LaPorta. He's going to finish as a TE1 and this is from a guy who is adamantly against rookie TEs. We saw him have a massive role in the offense in Week 1 and it's only going to grow as the season goes on.
Zach Ertz, Arizona Cardinals
Rostered: 8.9%
If your first thought when you saw Ertz here was "gross", don't feel bad, we said the same thing. However, if you are in desperate need of a tight end in a PPR league Ertz is an option. He led all TEs in Week 1 with 10 targets. He caught six of those targets for 21 yards. Not great, but if he can find the end zone that's a solid week for a streaming option. The bottom line is that he is a top target on an offense that lacks any size in the passing game and that isn't going to push the ball downfield much. It's going to be really ugly but he's going to see a ton of targets this season.
