The second week of the 2024 season left many fantasy rosters in shambles as we saw injuries knock out some of the best players in the NFL and some of our favorite players for fantasy football. We have lost players like Christian McCaffrey, AJ Brown, Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp, Deebo Samuel, Isiah Pacheco, and Evan Engram. While they are all going to miss a varying degree of games, it leaves managers with enormous holes to fill, and it also creates opportunities for those who aren’t afraid to seize them!
More than just your standard waiver wire article, 5 Moves to Make will highlight players to watch, cut, and trade for, as well as players you should prioritize before waivers run. It’s your one-stop shop for improving your team week to week. I am excited to bring this article to QB List, and you can look for it EVERY SINGLE TUESDAY MORNING!
Now grab your caffeine, put on your do not disturb Teams and Slack statuses, and let’s get better for Week 3 together.
1. Trade for Brandon Aiyuk
Brandon Aiyuk was one of the most talked about players this offseason, as he was in a heated contract dispute that had him holding in all the way up to the first week of the season. As often is the case, Aiyuk’s holdout has led to a very slow start to the season. After Week 2, he has just six receptions and 71 total yards. The 49ers, after losing Christian McCaffrey and now Deebo Samuel for at least a few weeks, leave Aiyuk with the chance to step up in a significant way. Aiyuk has seen his snap share increase from Week 1 to Week 2 by nearly 30%. The slow ramp-up has been intentional, and the breakout looks to be coming to fruition in Week 3. Aiyuk has been one of the most elite seprators and efficient pass catchers in the league. His one obstacle has been earning alpha target volume with such heavy competition for touches. He could be in line for that volume for at least the next few weeks.
Some players I would trade for Aiyuk or Aiyuk+: Travis Etienne, Brian Robinson, OR DJ Moore.
2. Buy High on THESE 3 WRs
I am buying high on these three wide receivers wherever I can: Malik Nabers, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Quentin Johnston. Yes, you read that right, Quentin Johnston. Johnston is tied with Ladd McConkey, leading the Chargers in target share of over 23%. Not only that, but across the first two weeks in the NFL, Johnston is in the top three wide receivers in first-read target share according to Fantasy Points Data. I would not expect multiple touchdown games moving forward, but Johnston is getting on the field and earning targets at a high clip. You can BUY HIGH on Johnston by spending around 8-15% of your FAAB and lose virtually nothing if it doesn’t work out.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba finally had his breakout performance, earning 16 targets and a 36+% target share in Week 2. Njigba has solidified himself as the 1b in this offense, and the Seahawks finally started using both Metcalf and JSN correctly. With Kenneth Walker missing time due to injury, injury, the offense went pass-heavy, and that may be something we see continue as Zach Charbonnet looked less than impressive. Not only that, but he is seeing more work downfield with an aDOT of over 10.5 yards, a number he was only able to eclipse four times all of last season. Players I would trade for JSN: Jaylen Waddle, James Conner, David Montgomery, Aaron Jones, and Derrick Henry.
Some very promising signs on #Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba:
1. Has run 69 routes on 76 Geno dropbacks this season. That's more than Tyler Lockett (62).
2. Still getting a lot of short-area targets, but now mixing in deeper routes. Average depth of target yesterday was 10.6… pic.twitter.com/45PT8IlzFM
— Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) September 16, 2024
Finally Malik Nabers. Speaking about target earners, Nabers was a highlight of Week 2. He saw 18 targets (67% target share), eclipsed 120 receiving yards, and found the end zone. He looks to be the real deal, and while Daniel Jones cannot do much as a passer, he knows how to lock in on his elite pass catcher. Across the first two weeks of the season, Nabers has a nearly 40% target share while running routes on 90% of the Giants snaps. He should flirt with WR1 numbers for the rest of the season. Players I would trade for Malik Nabers: James Cook, Rhamondre Stevenson, Travis Etienne, DK Metcalf, Tyreek Hill, and Jaylen Waddle.
You may be surprised to see Hill and Waddle in that list above, so it’s important to note that the Dolphins wide receivers are going to be plummeting in my ROS rankings with Tua likely to be done for, at the very least, the next few weeks. Trading a receiver with high name value like those two Dolphins pass-catchers may allow you to nab Nabers and a nice piece on top to improve your team.
3. Pick one Isiah Pacheco Replacement
This one will be brief. With Isiah Pacheco heading to IR, there is an enormous vacuum of touches on the Kansas City Chiefs. The reality is the answer is going to be more than one player. We are looking at a pass-heavy offense with a committee backfield for the rest of the way. That being said, it is worth picking one of the likely replacement options and getting them off of Waivers for anywhere from 6-10% of your FAAB. Carson Steele should get the early down work and the scoring opportunities, while Samaje Perine should get some early down work but primarily function as the pass-catching option out of the backfield. Of course, this assumes that the Chiefs do not sign Kareem Hunt. If that is the case, I would still prefer Carson Steele on the gamble that he has a little more athletic juice than Perine, and he should see nearly 100% of the scoring opportunities.
4. Don’t Panic on Caleb Williams
The Caleb Williams experience in the first two weeks of the season has probably lost managers matchups. Williams has yet to throw his first touchdown in the NFL. If you are in one quarterback leagues, there are options you are tempted to jump to, and I don’t blame you. I will advise those managers to not drop Caleb Williams. He has played strong defenses in each of the first two weeks of the season, which has been an enormous obstacle for the young signal caller. The Bears’ interior offensive line is not getting better anytime soon, but the good news for Williams is that he faces four top 25 ranked pass rushers (according to PFF) across the next six weeks combined. There are better days ahead for this Bears offense. Keenan Allen has a chance to be back for Week 3, and if he does return, we could be in for a very productive series of games from Week 3 through Week 9 until Williams faces another tough test, assuming health.
5. Sell Travis Etienne
Once again, I need to remind everyone. When I say SELL a player, it is not for whatever you get offered; it is for the right price. We will dive into that more in a moment. Travis Etienne is a phenomenal playmaker with incredible straight-line speed. He saw just under 75% of snaps with Tank Bigsby out due to injury. We do not know how long or if Bigsby will miss this or any other games with his shoulder injury. In Week 1, Bigsby saw over 30% of snaps and outperformed Etienne. I do not see Bigsby ever overtaking Etienne, but we could be headed toward a 60/40 or 50/50 split when both players are healthy. That is not something I want to wait and see on. Right now, you can move Etienne after a strong week for some of the names I listed above. If you can get one of those players, you make the move. If you don’t, then hold him and temper expectations for Etienne to be more of an RB2 than a true workhorse player at the position. My favorite players to target for Etienne: Brandon Aiyuk, Malik Nabers (may need to add something), and Jaxon Smith-Njigba (can likely get JSN+).
Photos by Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Aaron Polcare (@bearydoesgfx on X)