Top Players to Add in Week 2
Dearest reader,
Welcome to my first article of the 2025 season. After taking a year off, it brings me great pleasure to return to the written word. As a reminder, I’ll be covering Waivers every Tuesday morning right here on football.pitcherlist.com. You can also catch me and Brian Hartman (aka @TooMuch_Brian) on the Waiver podcast every Tuesday morning and the Start/Sit podcast every Thursday morning, wherever you listen to podcasts. If you like my work, give me a follow on Twitter @marioadamojr. With that out of the way, let’s dive into it.
A great draft can make a great team, but leagues are won on the waiver wire. Injuries happen, top draft picks become busts, and no names become household names. Successfully navigating the waiver wire will lead to a winning season.
Here are my top five targets, as well as some honorable mentions, to help you win through the wire this week.
An important thing to consider: this article focuses on players who are rostered in 50% or fewer of leagues. There could be players rostered in over 50% of leagues that are available in your league. Be vigilant; watch your league’s Free Agency pool and look for players who were given up on too early.
1. Marquise Brown – With definitely no Rashee Rice, probably no Xaiver Worthy (at the time of writing, it’s not looking optimistic), that means the targets need to go somewhere. You would think Patrick Mahomes was from Los Angeles with the way he’s looking at Hollywood. Brown’s 16(!) targets were the most in Week 1, with only bona fide head-and-shoulders above the rest of their team WR1s Drake London, CeeDee Lamb, Chris Olave, and JSN coming close. Brown was made for the redzone; his three redzone targets are the most in Week 1. On Monday, the Eagles worked out former Bengals CB Mike Hilton. That tells me they aren’t confident in their DBs, and the way the Cowboys moved the ball pre-lightning delay on Thursday, I wouldn’t be either. While I’ve been a Juju believer in the past (and we’ll get to him later), I think this week we’re asking what Brown can do for us. Brown is my top WR target.
2. Cedric Tillman – Who could have predicted Cedric Tillman would be the top Browns receiver? Anyone who listened to our Week 1 Start/Sit knew ahead of time, thanks to the callout from none other than yours truly. Tillman’s 8 targets tied with three other Browns players and didn’t even lead his team; we’ll get to who did later. Tillman passed the eye test over the other Browns wide receiver to register 8 targets, Jerry Jeudy. Jeudy’s first catch came inside the two-minute warning of the first half, and he padded his stats with a 25-yard catch on the final play of the game. For a more detailed breakdown of the game action, check out our What We Saw article. All this tells me that Tillman is the true number one receiver of this Browns offense. When an offense throws the ball 45 times, only behind New England, Buffalo, and New Orleans, I want the number one receiver of that offense.
3. Dylan Sampson – Back-to-back Browns to start the waiver season, just like we all predicted. Dylan Sampson’s 8 targets only trailed Christian McCaffrey and Jahmyr Gibbs amongst running backs. I mentioned it above: when an offense throws the ball 45 times, I want the lead pass-catchers. Jerome Ford’s -3 receiving yards give me confidence that there is only one pass-catching back in Cleveland. Sampson’s contributions weren’t exclusively through the air either–his 12 carries totaled half of the team’s rushing attempts, doubling Jerome Ford’s 6. We chase volume and opportunities, and Sampson is primed for both. Sampson is my top RB target.
4. Trey Benson – I want to start by saying I’m a huge James Conner believer. I think his job is safe, and he will continue to be an RB1 going forward. That being said, there is no denying Benson saw the ball and took advantage of his opportunities. Benson’s 8 carries to Conner’s 12 shows this coaching staff is ensuring Conner doesn’t get overworked and that Benson will get some form of split. While 52 of Benson’s 69 rushing yards came from a single carry, we chase opportunities, and that’s what Benson has been given. Again, this backfield belongs to Conner, as proven when looking at snap rates. Conner’s 65% snap rate dwarfed Benson’s 35%, but in a world where Brian Robinson Jr. is rostered in 91% of leagues and Zach Carbonnet in 79.5%, Trey Benson needs to be in the same stratosphere.
5. Keenan Allen – 77% rostered in either league would normally disqualify a player from this piece, but I can’t not give love to a long-time favorite of mine, Keenan Allen. Allen’s one-year stint in Chicago was hardly memorable; once he donned the bolt, he went back to his old, target monster self. His 10 targets led the team, including over second-round ADP Ladd McConkey. Is Allen the throwaway Chargers WR to win leagues this year? We expected the Chargers to look like Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan title-winning team: run the ball and dominate on defense. With the way Harbaugh preaches about Justin Herbert, maybe his real plan is to air it out 30+ times a game. If Allen is available, he is a must-add.
Others Receiving Votes
Harold Fannin Jr., CLE (1% ESPN, 2% Yahoo) – Sorry, David Njoku truthers, there’s a new tight end in Cleveland. Harold Fannin Jr. led the Browns in targets with 9. Fannin, Tyler Warren (who was likely drafted in your league), and T.J. Hockenson are the only tight ends to debut with 9 targets in the last decade! Fannin seems like a Flacco favorite and a fantastic fantasy asset going forward. Fannin is my top TE target.
Juwan Johnson, NO (1% ESPN, 2% Yahoo) – All this raving about a tight end with 9 targets, imagine one with 11! Juwan Johnson has the makings to be a top tight end, especially in PPR and Half-PPR formats. Will Spencer Rattler throw the ball 46 times every week? Not likely, but new head coach Kellen Moore needs to find out if he has his QB of the future. While he does, I expect Rattler to be pushing the envelope and the ball. I expect Juwan to be a high-priority target for this offense, and that translates to a high-priority target for your fantasy team.
Daniel Jones, IND (5% ESPN, 5% Yahoo) – Daniel Jones is a culture changer. When was the last time the Colts won a home opener before this season? 2013. Starting now, I’m upgrading him from Danny Dimes to Daniel Dollars. Will Jones continue to have two rushing touchdowns every week? Not likely, but can he continue to post a 75% completion rate while providing rushing upside? That I can see. If you punted on QB in the draft, I love Jones as an upgrade. Though I wouldn’t fault you for waiting to start him until Week 3, when he faces the Titans as opposed to Week 2 against the Broncos.
Quentin Johnston, LAC (4% ESPN, 9% Yahoo) – While Quentin Johnston might be the talk of the town and the Chargers wide receiver you might be tempted to snag, I don’t expect his two-touchdown performance to be repeatable. He did have two red zone targets to Keenan Allen’s one, but I’ve been burned from dropping too much FAAB on QJ before to make the same mistake again. If you throw caution to the wind and refuse to learn from my mistakes, he is definitely worth a flier.
JuJu Smith-Schuster, KC (1% ESPN, 1% Yahoo) – JuJu Smith-Schuster caught all 5 of his targets last week. He has the potential to see a bigger role if Worthy misses extended time, but just like QJ, I’ve been burned too many times trying to force Smith-Schuster into my lineup. In deeper leagues, he’s worth the dart throw, but otherwise call me an aspiring young actor, because I’m Hollywood or bust.
Defense Wins Championships
San Fransico 49ers (50%) travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints. Spencer Rattler looked rattled last week, as the Cardinals deflected a league-high 9 passes. I expect San Fran’s defense to turn those deflections into turnovers. The 49ers are my top D/ST target.
Dallas Cowboys (14%) host the Giants. Russell Wilson and the rest of the Giants’ offense looked abysmal last week. The Cowboys couldn’t stop a runny nose to start the game against the Eagles, but in the second half, they only allowed a field goal. Their low rostered percentage makes them an excellent option in most leagues.
Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@kurt_player02 on IG & Threads, @kuwasemiller on Bluesky)