Week 2 Waiver-Wire Pickups: Sleepers Who May Still Be Available

The fantasy football waiver wire doesn't take any weeks off, having already helped owners in need to start the season.

Maybe a team needed a wide receiver. The wire gifted guys such as Will Fuller of the Houston Texans (16 points) and Mike Wallace of the Baltimore Ravens (16 points). At running back, Jamaal Charles' stand-in with the Kansas City Chiefs, Spencer Ware (25 points), provided owners with a big boost in Week 1.

More examples exist, though the point merely repeats: Owners willing to put the time in can always find necessary production on the wire.

Week 2 isn't any exception. It's a hard rule—like the Cleveland Browns struggling to find a quarterback or the New England Patriots leaping any hurdle in style.

Sleepers Who May Be Available

Victor Cruz, WR, New York Giants (19.7 percent)

Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports

New York Giants wideout Victor Cruz returned to fantasy relevance in a big way to start the season, hitting a salsa in the end zone for the first time since 2014. 

This wasn't a novelty touchdown or anything of the sort. Cruz might find himself in something of a battle with rookie Sterling Shepard for snaps, but Eli Manning still hit him with four targets, which he turned into four catches for 34 yards and a score.

Cruz finished with only nine points despite the hype. Yet it seems clear he won't fall far behind Shepard or Odell Beckham Jr. in the pecking order, not after last week's warm-up. Heck, he might even benefit from the attention opposing defenses have to throw at the other two guys.

Such a scenario figures to occur as soon as Week 2, when the Giants host the New Orleans Saints, a team that has been fielding a miserable secondary for years. The trend continued last week, as the unit allowed 32 points to Oakland Raiders wideouts.

Seeming like one of those pickups able to contribute right away and as the season progresses, Cruz is a priority target.

Jalen Richard, RB, Oakland Raiders (0.2 percent)

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

A running back who posts big numbers is always worth an add after the first week. 

This rule makes Jalen Richard of the Oakland Raiders a hot commodity. The fantasy community got this one wrong in Oakland, pegging DeAndre Washington as the guy to own behind starter Latavius Murray.

Richard, an undrafted rookie who got invited to a tryout and wound up making the team, had plenty to say on the matter. He rushed for 84 yards and a score against the Saints last week, including a 75-yard touchdown run.

NFL captured the play:

Some might attempt to discredit the run as lucky, but keep in mind that it came in the fourth quarter. Richard, status aside, received key carries from the coaching staff and wound up out-snapping Washington 10-8, per Rotoworld's Patrick Daugherty.

Perhaps a better change-of-pace back than Washington, Richard might see more and more work as the season continues. The performance and situation make him worth an add in all formats.

Eli Rogers, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (12.3 percent)

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press/Associated Press

It's a similar situation with Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Eli Rogers.

Recognizable names such as Sammie Coates and Darrius Heyward-Bey figured to threaten Rogers' ability to make an impact—hence his ownership percentage.

Yet in Week 1 against Washington, Rogers received seven targets, catching six of them for 59 yards and a score, which was good for 11 fantasy points. He even grabbed a 20-yard catch over the head of Josh Norman.

Detractors will point out the score was fluky and that Markus Wheaton didn't play, but the Steelers have talked up Rogers as a threat out of the slot for weeks.

"The more he can work the middle, the more safeties will have to respect him and stop cheating on [Antonio Brown]," quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said of Rogers, per ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler.

With teams focusing on Brown and Le'Veon Bell in the backfield when he returns from suspension, Rogers could wind up as one of the more productive slot players in the league, making him a top waiver target.

Name	Pos.	Team	Percent Owned
Alex Smith	QB	KC	25.7
Carson Wentz	QB	PHI	11.0
James White	RB	NE	38.9
Quincy Enunwa	WR	NYJ	0.3
Chris Hogan	WR	NE	40.0
Davante Adams	WR	GB	6.7
Nelson Agholor	WR	PHI	5.1
Kyle Rudolph	TE	MIN	23.4
Jack Doyle	TE	IND	0.0

All scoring info and statistics courtesy of ESPN.com standard leagues, as are points-against info and ownership stats.