Week 2 Waiver Wire: Top Pickups and Drops
Injuries, breakout performances, disappointing outings and more. For many fantasy football owners, it's back to the drawing board in Week 2 of the 2016 NFL season.
From a fantasy standpoint, the biggest news out of Week 1 might be the injury to San Diego Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen, who went on season-ending injured reserve Monday after tearing his ACL in the second quarter of the Bolts loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Sure-handed and a phenomenal route runner, Allen is one of the best wideouts in the league when healthy, and was a top pick for many fantasy owners.
Now, fantasy owners are scrambling to find a replacement.
Hot starters like Pittsburgh's Eli Rogers or Houston's Will Fuller might be seen as viable replacements, while still others might opt to go with a wideout moving up the depth chart in San Diego.
There's plenty more to dissect after just one week of action. If you're willing to let the wisdom of the crowds dictate your fantasy decisions this week, here's a look at the top pickups and drops from Yahoo Sports (subscription required) and ESPN fantasy football leagues.
For the top drops, this list excludes players owned in more than 50-percent of leagues to account for the larger 12- and 14-player leagues, although exceptions are made for particularly notable swings in ownership. Drops excludes players who aren't on a team or were placed on IR prior to Week 1. For drops, players owned in more than 50 percent in leagues may be included to showcase players that are falling out of favor early on.
| Player | % Owned | % Change Last 7 Days |
| Clive Walford, TE, Oakland Raiders | 43.6 | _23.7 |
| Marshawn Lynch, RB, Seattle Seahawks | 10.3 | +9.4 |
| Charcandrick West, RB, Kansas City Chiefs | 23.1 | +8.9 |
| Alex Smith, QB, Kansas City Chiefs | 25.8 | +5.5 |
| Pierre Garcon, WR, Washington Redskins | 39.8 | +4.6 |
| Tajae Sharpe, WR, Tennessee Titans | 41.8 | +4.3 |
| Carson Wentz, QB, Philadelphia Eagles | 10.9 | +4.1 |
| Kyle Rudolph, TE, Minnesota Vikings | 23.4 | +3.6 |
| Jesse James, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers | 10.2 | +3.3 |
| Mike Wallace, WR, Baltimore Ravens | 40.6 | +3.2 |
| Player | % Owned | No. of Monday Pickups |
| Eli Rogers, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers | 8 | 20,295 |
| Tyrell Williams, WR, San Diego Chargers | 3 | 13,450 |
| Will Fuller, WR, Houston Texans | 51 | 12,151 |
| Theo Riddick, RB, Detroit Lions | 35 | 11,931 |
| Mike Wallace, WR, Baltimore Ravens | 36 | 10,700 |
| Tevin Coleman, RB, Atlanta Falcons | 43 | 6,910 |
| Jesse James, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers | 21 | 6,502 |
| Jalen Richard, RB, Oakland Raiders | 1 | 6,501 |
| Victor Cruz, WR, New York Giants | 19 | 6,249 |
| Mohamed Sanu, WR, Atlanta Falcons | 45 | 6,110 |
| Player | % Owned | % Changed |
| Jay Ajayi, RB, Miami Dolphins | 60.4 | -10.8 |
| Robbie Gould, K, Chicago Bears | 4.1 | -10.7 |
| Kamar Aiken, WR, Baltimore Ravens | 36.2 | -9.1 |
| Terrance West, RB, Baltimore Ravens | 42.9 | -7.1 |
| Tevin Coleman, RB, Atlanta Falcons | 51.6 | -7 |
| Javorius Allen, RB, Baltimore Ravens | 15.3 | -6.7 |
| Laquon Treadwell, WR, Minnesota Vikings | 24.3 | -6.4 |
| Rishard Matthews, WR, Tennessee Titans | 19.0 | -6.2 |
| Jerick McKinnon, RB, Minnesota Vikings | 28.9 | -6.1 |
| DeAndre Washington, RB, Oakland Raiders | -26.3 | -5.9 |
| Player | % Owned | No. of Monday Drops |
| Keenan Allen, WR, San Diego Chargers* | 94 | 47,810 |
| Robert Griffin III, QB, Cleveland Browns* | 20 | 19,960 |
| Jared Cook, TE, Green Bay Packers | 73 | 9,324 |
| Tyrod Taylor, QB, Buffalo Bills | 84 | 6,584 |
| Kamar Aiken, WR, Baltimore Ravens | 56 | 6,289 |
| Gary Barnidge, TE, Cleveland Browns | 95 | 6,116 |
| Martellus Bennett, TE, New England Patriots | 84 | 5,293 |
| Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys | 54 | 5,100 |
| Rishard Matthews, WR, Tennessee Titans | 42 | 5,073 |
| Devin Funchess, WR, Carolina Panthers | 54 | 5,060 |
Victor Cruz Might Be A Week 2 Savior
Perhaps, as a fantasy owner, you're uncomfortable with targeting a rookie like Fuller or Rogers, or the largely untested Tyrell Williams in San Diego, after just one week of action in 2016. It's understandable, as Fuller doesn't have the most reliable quarterback situation in Houston and both Rogers and Williams are playing alongside far more talented wide receivers.
If you're not sold on the rookies or don't think you'll be able to snag them in the waiver-wire frenzy, you could target the New York Giants' Victor Cruz in Week 2.
Cruz busted out his signature salsa dance for the first time in nearly two years on Sunday, catching four passes on four targets for 34 yards and a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys.
Cruz is working his way back from a torn patellar tendon, and impressed with a heavy workload on Sunday. According to NJ.com's Dan Duggan, Cruz played in 50 of the team's 56 offensive snaps, consistently working alongside Odell Beckham Jr. and rookie Sterling Shepard, who made a great touchdown catch.
While Shepard showed potential and Beckham Jr. is nothing if not a clear-cut No. 1 wideout, where does Cruz's fantasy value come from in Week 2?
The simple fact that the Giants are playing the New Orleans Saints at home. The Saints defense looked incapable of stopping anyone in a 35-34 loss to the Oakland Raiders in Week 1. Saints cornerback Delvin Breaux broke his fibula in the contest, per the team's official Twitter account, stretching an already thin, inexperienced secondary.
The Saints offense is in fine working order with Drew Brees at the helm, so there could be a shootout looming at MetLife Stadium. Indeed, the Giants lost a 52-49 road thriller last year to the Saints, a game in which Eli Manning threw for six TDs and Brees seven.
If this matchup is even half as eventful as last year's, Cruz could get plenty of work and bust out the dance moves for the second week in a row, a welcome sight after his long struggle with injuries.
The rookies and young wide receivers will be the priority for most, but grabbing Cruz early could look like a genius move if he flashes more signs of his former self against the Saints.
Theo Riddick is the Priority, But Tevin Coleman's Prospects Are Looking Up
It's only one week, but the early returns suggest Tevin Coleman might very well turn the Atlanta Falcons backfield into a committee.
Coleman racked up 117 yards of offense on Sunday, while Freeman had just 40 on a similar amount of touches and snaps. Here's ESPN's Matthew Berry and numberFire's J.J. Zachariason to scare the Freeman fantasy faithful even more:
The fact that Coleman produced well in the passing game and was no worse than Freeman on the ground means Atlanta can continue to throw him in on any down, not just as a 3rd-down back or in specific game situations.
It appears most fantasy owners are still sleeping on Coleman, but that's changing fast. If he's still available in your league and you need a running back, he's a must add.
Freeman will probably still get more chances early on due to his history of production, but you're rarely seen as better than your last game in the NFL, especially at a position like running back where players are more often being seen as expendable and interchangeable.
With all that said about Coleman, if you have to grab one running back this week, make it Theo Riddick. Competing for playing time with Ameer Abdullah in the Detroit Lions backfield, Riddick had an, ahem, ridiculous day against the Indianapolis Colts, rushing seven times for 45 yards and a score while hauling in five receptions for 63 yards and another touchdown.
The Ringer's Robert Mays was very impressed with the fourth-year back and his role in the offense:
"The Lions do an excellent job of both using route combinations to manufacture space near the goal line and giving Riddick chances to take advantage of all that green. On their touchdown drive to open the second quarter, they isolated Riddick on an angle route against linebacker Josh McNary, a matchup sure to end in carnage for any defense. But Cooter’s real flourish came on Detroit’s tiebreaking touchdown late in the fourth.
By clearing tight end Eric Ebron out from the right side, the Lions ensured that Indy linebacker D’Qwell Jackson, no. 52, would be sucked the other direction. That left Sio Moore alone to cover half of the field, with right guard Larry Warford barreling his way. A numbers advantage and Riddick’s elusiveness in space make that a win for the Lions every time.
"
Riddick performed better than Coleman on the ground, and his backfield competition in Abdullah doesn't have the nearly the same credentials as Freeman.
While it may take some time for him to create separation from Abdullah, who had 120 total yards of offense and a touchdown on Sunday, Riddick looked like the real deal on Sunday and should get plenty of work going forward.
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