Waiver Wire Week 2: Top Pickups and Drops

Fantasy owners must avoid impulsive waiver-wire decisions after Week 1. A poor or exceptional opening-week performance shouldn't always lead to a roster transaction. However, in some cases, you have to move on or acquire a player before it's too late.

Of course, when dealing with long-term injuries, it's best to move forward in leagues without an injured reserve spot. A few notable players left games with pending results on their ailments. Fantasy owners should cut ties with one quarterback who's riding a troubling trend and dealing with an injury after Week 1.

Initially, the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks didn't look like a gold mine for fantasy football purposes, but two players have emerged as solid pickups.

The top additions and drops have been listed below as of Tuesday at 4:36 a.m. ET. Among the trends, we'll take a deeper look at four players who should catch your attention.

Top Pickups

1. TE Jared Cook, Oakland Raiders (1,994)

2. WR Quincy Enunwa, New York Jets (1,677)

3. RB Phillip Lindsay, Denver Broncos (1,643)

4. RB T.J. Yeldon, Jacksonville Jaguars (1,050)

5. WR Brandon Marshall, Seattle Seahawks (983)

6. DEF Chicago (951)

7. TE George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers (930) 

8. WR Geronimo Allison, Green Bay Packers (793)

9. TE Eric Ebron, Indianapolis Colts (781)

10. TE Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks (754)

Top Drops 

1. TE Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans (5,375)

2. DEF Detroit (2,479)

3. DEF New Orleans (1,414) 

4. RB LeGarrette Blount, Detroit Lions (1,315)

5. QB Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans (981)

6. WR Doug Baldwin, Seattle Seahawks (671) 

7. TE Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers (640)

8. RB Alfred Morris, San Francisco 49ers (629) 

9. RB Ronald Jones, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (574)

10. WR Allen Hurns, Dallas Cowboys (477)

Pickup: TE Jared Cook, Oakland Raiders

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The Los Angeles Rams completely shut down Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr's perimeter weapons Monday. Wideouts Amari Cooper and Jordy Nelson notched a combined four catches for 32 yards.

As a result, Carr took what the defense allowed, yards down the seam and in the middle of the field. Tight end Jared Cook logged nine catches for 180 yards on 12 targets. 

In 2017, Cook averaged 5.4 targets per game. It's unrealistic to expect him to double that amount with Cooper and Nelson healthy. However, he's still a solid pickup for owners who dropped Delanie Walker because of his season-ending ankle injury, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. 

Last year, in a down season for the Raiders offense, Cook led the team in receiving yards with 688 in 16 starts. For those who land him off the waiver wire, don’t expect Rob Gronkowski-type numbers every week, but 50-60 yards and a touchdown seem reasonable.

Pickup: RB Phillip Lindsay, Denver Broncos

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When breaking down the Denver Broncos backfield, most of the preseason hype went to running back Royce Freeman. However, undrafted rookie Phillip Lindsay earned the spotlight Sunday against the Seahawks.

Freeman and Lindsay logged 15 carries apiece, but the latter scored on a 29-yard pass from quarterback Case Keenum, which put him on the fantasy football radar.

It's also noteworthy that running back Devontae Booker, who didn't look impressive during the exhibition period with nine carries for 33 yards, recorded two rush attempts Sunday. 

Lindsay isn't likely to average 17 touches per game with Freeman and Booker still in the picture, but he's worth an add for those who want another flex option. Keenum doesn't have a reputation for airing it out, but he's comfortable targeting pass-catchers out of the backfield.

In 2017, as the primary starter for the Minnesota Vikings, Keenum targeted Jerick McKinnon 68 times, and the running back finished with 51 catches for 421 yards and two touchdowns. Lindsay could finish with similar numbers as a receiver. He may also log 150-plus carries for the year.

Drop: QB Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans

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According to Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, there's optimism but no clarity on Marcus Mariota's elbow injury:

While there's focus on the injury, the quarterback didn't play well through a prolonged game due to a weather delay. He completed 9-of-16 passes for 103 yards and two interceptions Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.

Perhaps the interruptions affected Mariota's rhythm, but he's been an average-to-below-average QB, in terms of fantasy production, for little more than a year. The Titans signal-caller hasn't thrown more than two touchdown passes in a game since Week 10 of the 2016 campaign. 

This year, Mariota is taking direction from a new coaching staff with a second-year play-caller in Matt LaFleur, who served under Sean McVay on the Rams staff in 2017. When factoring the injury concern into the fourth-year quarterback's projection, it doesn't look good. 

Despite Mariota's upside as a ball-carrier, fantasy owners can do better with Cleveland Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who scored 24.58 points in standard Yahoo Leagues, which ranked sixth at his position for Week 1.

Pickup: WR Brandon Marshall, Seattle Seahawks

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It's a blast from the past. Managers should pick up wide receiver Brandon Marshall who could deliver the goods as a viable red-zone threat in Seattle. 

According to Schefter, wide receiver Doug Baldwin suffered a partial MCL tear in Sunday's contest with the Broncos:

For whatever reason, some players struggle through the year with multiple injuries, which limit their fantasy production. It's could be that type of season for Baldwin.

Fantasy owners should acquire Marshall because of the potential boost in targets to go around without Baldwin in the lineup. He's 6'5", 232 pounds, so it's not a surprise if quarterback Russell Wilson looks his way inside the opponent's 20-yard line to close drives. 

If someone with a higher waiver priority swipes tight end Will Dissly, Marshall would suffice as an alternative pass-catching option in Seattle's passing offense.