Fantasy Football: 6 Hot Waiver-Wire Names You Must Avoid

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Week 2 of the fantasy football season has been full of great performances from unsuspecting characters. With the waiver wire already in your mind, who should you put a request in for and who should you avoid?

Some players that did well in Week 2 will not repeat these performances and aren't worth the extra spot on your fantasy team. Many players that have good weeks follow up with an emotional letdown of a week and cost fantasy owners their matchups. 

Here are six players you should avoid picking up off the waiver wire this week.

1. Brandon Weeden, QB Cleveland Browns

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Branden Weeden had a much better start in his second career NFL game than his negative fantasy point Week 1. In Week 2, he threw for 322 yards and two touchdowns, much better than his four-interception embarrassment in his first start. 

Although he looked much more comfortable in this battle against the Bengals, Weeden won't play close to this for the rest of the season. He may have a game or two that looks like this, but even Blaine Gabbert had a few decent games in 2011. 

Let him sit on the waiver wire. If he heats up, you can put a request in later weeks for the rookie quarterback, but as of now, his resume through two games isn't good enough to warrant a pickup. 

2. Ryan Tannehill, QB Miami Dolphins

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As you can tell from the first two slides, I'm not too sold on rookie quarterbacks, and for good reason—a reason which has come back to bite me from being too waiver-happy. A good week from a rookie should be considered a rare occurrence, and multiple solid weeks shouldn't be added to your team, even to take up a valuable bench spot.

Ryan Tannehill had 200 passing yards and a passing touchdown; he added 16 rushing yards and a score on the ground. One reason not to pick him up due to his decent point performance is the rushing touchdown. He's decent moving around the pocket, but one or two rushing touchdowns are all that Tannehill should score this season.

Another, Reggie Bush, was such a beast that he opened up the passing game for Tannehill as well. Bush can't be expected for that kind of production week in and out; Tannehill will have to produce for himself.

3. Jackie Battle, RB San Diego Chargers

With Ryan Matthews out once again, Jackie Battle got the call to carry the team through the running game during Week 2. He surprised with two rushing touchdowns, coming along with a 4.9 yards per carry and 69 total yards. 

You shouldn't pick him up off the waiver wire because Ryan Matthews has full clearance to play, but because of a lack of practice time didn't get to be with the team this week. Week 3 will be different, though, and Matthews will be back to take the majority of the carries from Battle and sizably reduce his load. 

With a lack of carries, it's unlikely Battle will have another game like this in 2012. Lack of carries is reason enough to keep him on the waiver wire. 

4. David Wilson, RB New York Giants

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David Wilson has had a solid rookie year so far backing up Ahmad Bradshaw. In the New York Giants Week 2 matchup, Bradshaw sustained a head injury and Wilson and Andre Brown took over the running back duties. 

Brown was very impressive and reportedly has passed Wilson on the depth chart. This makes Wilson a bad pickup and somebody to avoid. The rookie will be getting more carries than usual, but with his fumbling issues seeming to carry over from college, Wilson is a bad fantasy pickup.

5. Mike Goodson, RB Oakland Raiders

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Darren McFadden is as injury-prone as they come, so naturally, picking up his backup is a good idea. It really isn't, though. McFadden has been healthy all year, and the Raiders offense has been a little better than pitiful. 

Mike Goodson is a solid backup and had an above-average Week 2, but as long as McFadden stays healthy, it just doesn't make sense to pick up Goodson off waivers. Keep an eye on Goodson for now if McFadden goes down, but he should stay off your Week 3 request list.

6. Brandon Tate, WR Cincinnati Bengals

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Brandon Tate had a touchdown in the Bengals victory over the Cleveland Browns in the second half. He added a couple other receptions. 

You shouldn't pick him up off waivers because he was the fifth-most targeted receiver; it's just unreasonable to pick up a receiver who is the fifth option for surging quarterback Andy Dalton. 

Tate may turn out to be a good option later in the season, but just this week, he was passed up on the depth chart. Don't pick him up if you've expected even WR3 production out of Tate.