Week 2 Waiver Wire Pickups
The first week of the NFL season is over and we are looking for the surprises that can help our fantasy teams. Whether your roster was hit by injuries or just lackluster performance, these are some players that can help.
QB, Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs, 19.7% owned
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Smith completed 22 of 33 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 15 yards rushing to give him a total of 23.2 points in Week 1. Smith still has not thrown a touchdown to a wide receiver, but two to his tight end and one to a running back will keep fantasy owners happy.
The next few weeks will be tougher, with the Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, and Cincinnati Bengals coming up. The Broncos gave up only 117 yards passing and had two interceptions, the Packers gave up 225 yards with an interception, and the Bengals only gave up 142 yards and had an interception.
RB, Dion Lewis, New England Patriots, 17.1% owned
Lewis had 15 carries for 69 yards and he also had four receptions for 51 yards, which was good for 16 points in Week 1. LeGarrette Blount returns from his suspension in Week 2, which will take playing time away from Lewis, but Lewis should still get enough touches in the passing game to be effective, especially in PPR formats.
The Patriots play at the Buffalo Bills this week and home against the Jacksonville Jaguars at home in Week 3. The Bills only gave up 64 yards rushing last week, but they jumped out to an early lead that forced the Indianapolis Colts to throw the ball. Don’t expect the Bills to take an early lead like that against the Patriots. The Jaguars gave up 104 yards rushing against the Carolina Panthers.
WR, James Jones, Green Bay Packers, 30.5% owned
Jones had four catches for 51 yards and two touchdowns, good for 21.1 points. With Jordy Nelson out for the year, the other Packer receivers needed to step up and Jones did his part; he will continue to be a target for Aaron Rodgers this season.
The next two opponents coming up for Jones and the Packers are the Seattle Seahawks, who gave up nearly 300 yards in the air, and the Kansas City Chiefs, who gave up over 300 yards. Jones figures to have big games in those two matchups.
TE, Jordan Reed, Washington Redskins, 32% owned
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Reed had seven catches for 63 yards and a touchdown, good for 19.3 points in Week 1. He and Kirk Cousins have become a solid combination and should have more productive games in the coming weeks.
The Redskins are going up against the St. Louis Rams and the New York Giants in the next two weeks. Tight ends Jimmy Graham (6 catches, 51 yards, 1 TD, 17.1 pts) and Jason Witten (8 catches, 60 yards, 2 TDs, 26 pts) each had big weeks against these teams.
