Week 2 Waiver Wire: Breakout Fantasy Football Pickups After Opening Sunday
The bulk of NFL Week 1 play has concluded, and as is always the case with the opening weekend of any football season, there were plenty of surprises in store.
Perhaps nothing so far in Week 1 has topped the Detroit Lions embarrassing the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in their home, but they only squeaked by with one point. No one could have expected the Cleveland Browns would trounce the Cincinnati Bengals, another Super Bowl hopeful, 24-3.
When it comes to fantasy, we similarly saw some unexpected players rise to the top of the stat sheet this week. As you look to put in your first waiver claims of the 2023-24 season, we'll break down some breakout players you should consider taking a flier on ahead of Week 2.
We're considering players "breakouts" if they were rostered in fewer than 50 percent of leagues as of Sunday.
Hayden Hurst, TE, Carolina Panthers
1 of 4
Rostered: 10 percent
Week 1 stats: 7 tgt, 5 rec, 41 red yd, 1 rec TD, 15.10 pts (PPR)
On one hand, it's completely fair to question Carolina Panthers tight end Hayden Hurst's situational awareness after his Week 1 performance. Hurst was the recipient of Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young's first-ever NFL touchdown pass...and the veteran tight end promptly launched the ball into the stands.
On the other hand, when you rewatch said touchdown, you can't help but marvel at the skilled footwork that allowed Hurst to keep the touchdown in play. After breaking the tackle, he makes sure to tap that foot into the end zone and bring the ball across the plane before stepping out of bounds.
Hurst wasn't a popular choice at tight end in this summer's fantasy drafts; with an ADP of 263 (TE31), he's not even rostered in most 12-player leagues. But every rookie quarterback needs a go-to tight end as a safety blanket, and Hurst, save for his lapse in judgment with Young's milestone ball, showed the young signal-caller that he can lean on him.
After the early games Sunday, Hurst was the top fantasy tight end, with 15.10 points. Of course, this Atlanta Falcons defense is particularly friendly to tight ends, giving up the third-most fantasy points to the position last season, so we'll see if Hurst can keep up his production in Week 2. Still, he could prove to be a good option to stash on your bench for when your starting tight end is on bye.
Rashid Shaheed, WR, New Orleans Saints
2 of 4
Rostered: 15 percent
Week 1 stats: 6 tgt, 5 rec, 89 rec yds, 1 rec TD, 19 pts (PPR)
The conventional wisdom during this summer's fantasy drafts was that second-year New Orleans Saints wideout Rashid Shaheed was best considered a depth option on your bench. With an average draft position (ADP) of 246, (WR82), it's likely he's not even rostered in your league.
That Shaheed would be a good pickup ahead of Week 2 for bench depth alone is obvious. But is the 25-year-old set for a bigger season than we expected?
Obviously, Shaheed is in the WR3 role in New Orleans behind Chris Olave and Michael Thomas. But just as he defied expectations in his rookie year after signing with the Saints as an undrafted free agent, putting up nearly 500 yards on the season, his performance in Week 1 signaled that he might similarly be ready to make a jump.
Shaheed was the highest-performing Saints receiver in fantasy on Sunday, though Olave had more targets (10) and yards (112). Thomas had more targets (8) than Shaheed but fewer receiving yards.
Ultimately, you can't depend on Shaheed to find the end zone every week for the Saints. But especially in PPR leagues, he's absolutely worth adding to your bench as we wait and see what his role in 2023 looks like.
Zay Jones, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
3 of 4
Rostered: 31 percent
Week 1 stats: 7 tgt, 5 rec, 55 rec yd, 1 rec TD, 16.50 pts
Though we still have Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football to get through, it seems safe to say that Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Zay Jones has the catch of the week. You can watch this pass from Trevor Lawrence multiple times and still think that there's no way Jones is going to be able to bring it in.
Jones is no stranger to the waiver wire breakout report; he appeared on it ahead of Week 4 and also ahead of Week 15 last season, and finished that campaign with 82 receptions, 823 yards (both career bests) and five touchdowns.
Yet when fantasy drafts concluded, Jones found himself on just 31 percent of rosters, likely because of his undesirable situation in Jacksonville. Calvin Ridley and Christian Kirk are ahead of him on the receiver depth chart, and tight end Evan Engram is heavily involved in the passing game as well, putting up 73 receptions and 777 yards for four receiving touchdowns last season.
Still, you could say any WR3 (fantasy WR4) has an unpredictable target share. Jones is a great option for bench depth with the ability to move up into your flex slot with favorable matchups.
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Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
4 of 4
Rostered: 3 percent
Week 1 stats: 15 tgt, 10 rec, 119 rec yd, 21.90 pts
Winning this week's "biggest sleeper" award, Los Angeles Rams rookie wideout Puka Nacua is about to be rostered in a heck of a lot more than 3 percent of leagues by the start of Week 2.
Nacua was the eighth-best fantasy receiver after the late afternoon slate of games, stunning both fantasy league managers and NFL evaluators alike. The fifth-round rookie came into Sunday as an unknown outside of the Los Angeles locker room but quickly established himself as a reliable target for quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Nacua ended his day with 10 receptions on 15 targets for 119 receiving yards, becoming the first rookie receiver to top 100 receiving yards in their NFL debut since...NFL superstar Ja'Marr Chase in 2021.
While many of his receptions moved the chains, they weren't all quick throws, with this impressive catch among his highlights for the day:
With Cooper Kupp on Injured Reserve and mising at least the first four games of the season, the Rams will be looking to distribute his catches elsewhere, making Nacua an intriguing pickup in both standard and PPR leagues.
ADP and scoring figures via FantasyPros
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