Week 2 Waiver Wire: Breakout Fantasy Football Pickups After Opening Sunday

It was a wild start to the 2017 fantasy football season in Week 1, as plenty of NFL players came out of nowhere to contribute in a big way for their teams.

There was the Falcons' Austin Hooper pulling in an 88-yard touchdown reception. On Thursday Night Football, Alex Smith came out of nowhere and established himself as a deep-threat quarterback. And if you hadn't heard the name Tarik Cohen before Sunday, you sure are going to hear it a lot now.

Luckily for fantasy owners, some shrewd moves on the waiver wire this week can allow those players to come up big for your team, too.

These pickups would be especially clutch if you happen to play in a deep league (think 12 or 14 teams).

Players were considered potential waiver-wire options if they were owned in less than 60 percent of Yahoo Fantasy leagues as of Sunday. Scoring stats are in PPR leagues.

Week 2 Waiver-Wire Pickups

Quarterbacks

Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs (39.02 PTS, 22% own)

DeShone Kizer, Cleveland Browns (20.58 PTS, 10% own)

Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams (18.44 PTS, 6% own)

Running Backs

Tarik Cohen, Chicago Bears (25.30 PTS, 7% own)

Chris Thompson, Washington (15.60 PTS, 17% own)

Mike Tolbert, Buffalo Bills (12.40 PTS, 1% own)

Wide Receivers

Danny Amendola, New England Patriots (16 PTS, 45% own)

Nelson Agholor, Philadelphia Eagles (20.60 PTS, 12% own)

Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams (17.60 PTS, 25% own)

Tight Ends

Austin Hooper, Atlanta Falcons (20.80 PTS, 53% own)

Charles Clay, Buffalo Bills (15.30 PTS, 10% own)

Jesse James, Pittsburgh Steelers (22.10 PTS, 5% own)

Players to Watch

Tarik Cohen, RB, Bears

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

If Bears running back Jordan Howard happens to be on your fantasy team, handcuffing him with his backup, rookie Tarik Cohen, is a no-brainer.

But even if you don't own Howard, with a couple more performances like this, Cohen could demand to be picked up on waivers in his own right.

The rookie rusher had 66 yards on five carries in the Bears' 23-17 loss to the Falcons and added 47 yards on eight receptions and a touchdown catch. The fourth-round draft selection proved his versatility as a weapon on the ground or through the air for Bears quarterback Mike Glennon.

Add in some special teams yardage, and Cohen set a Bears record for total yards in a debut, per The Athletic's Dan Durkin:

All indications point to this explosive, shifty weapon being able to keep it up in future weeks, especially with the breaking news on Sunday that Bears wideout Kevin White may have suffered a broken collarbone, as ESPN's Dan Graziano reported.

Cohen is especially valuable in PPR leagues given his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.

Austin Hooper, TE, Falcons

David Banks/Getty Images

Especially if your league rules allow you to play a tight end in your flex slot, you should have two startable options on your roster.

And after his performance Sunday, it's hard to argue that Falcons tight end Austin Hooper doesn't deserve a spot as your No. 2.

Hooper went off against the Bears, ending his day with only two receptions...but still gaining 128 yards.

One of those receptions was for 88 yards and a touchdown—Matt Ryan's only passing touchdown of the day.

Given those stats, you could start Hooper in your flex spot in PPR scoring leagues if you don't have a better option, but he's a great option in standard leagues.

Hooper is only owned in 53 percent of leagues, but he's one of the best sleepers available per Fox Sports' Peter Schrager:

Scoop him up now before someone else does.

Nelson Agholor, WR, Eagles

Mark Tenally/Associated Press

Sure, the Eagles added a few weapons for Carson Wentz in free agency in wideouts Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith.

But that doesn't seem to explain quite why fantasy owners bought so low on Nelson Agholor, who is owned in only 12 percent of leagues.

The third-year player disappointed fantasy owners in his first two seasons, with 283 yards and one score in 2015 and 365 yards and two touchdowns last season. But he also didn't play a full 16 games in either year.

Now, Agholor has done just enough in Week 1 of the 2017 season to give fantasy owners fits about whether he deserves a spot on their bench or not. In the Eagles' debut, he had six receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown.

So what's the deal? Will he be a consistently frequent target for Wentz?

If you ask the people closest to him, his teammates, the answer is yes, per Philly Sports Network's Tyler Steege:

Trust the source and put in a waiver request on Agholor Tuesday.

Scoring stats and ownership stats via Yahoo and current as of Sunday, Sept. 11.