Waiver Wire Week 2: Marquise Brown, John Ross Highlight Piayers to Know

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With the advent of Week 1, there is new blood on the waiver wire, and the fantasy sharks are primed to feast. Fortunately, there weren't many injuries to shake up depth charts and, consequently, player relevances. Instead, this week featured some impressive performances that engender waiver consideration. 

While there were some big games from players who may be on some waiver wires, we're only considering those who are owned in less than 33 percent of Yahoo leagues. 

That means no discussion of DK Metcalf (38 percent owned, six targets, four receptions, 89 yards), Jamison Crowder (46 percent owned, 17 targets, 14 receptions, 99 yards, one carry, four yards) or T.J. Hockenson (50 percent owned, nine targets, six receptions, 131 yards, one TD). 

Here are some waiver targets to either go after for Week 2 or keep in mind as the season progresses as well as some discussion of the top three pickups: Malcolm Brown, Marquise Brown and John Ross.

Week 2 Waiver-Wire Targets

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• Marcus Mariota, QB, TEN (7 percent owned)

• Malcolm Brown, RB, LAR (11 percent owned)

• Danny Amendola, WR, DET (5 percent owned)

• Marquise Brown, WR, BAL (31 percent owned)

• D.J. Chark, WR, JAX (2 percent owned)

• Chris Conley, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (1 percent owned)

• KeeSean Johnson, WR, ARI (2 percent owned)

• Terry McLaurin, WR, WAS (2 percent owned)

• DeVante Parker, WR, MIA (14 percent owned)

• John Ross, WR, CIN (9 percent owned)

Malcolm Brown, RB, LAR (11 percent owned)

Brown had 11 carries for 53 yards and two touchdowns in the Los Angeles Rams' win over the Carolina Panthers. In a tight contest, Todd Gurley had 14 carries (97 yards, zero touchdowns) and his formerly presumed handcuff, third-round rookie Darrell Henderson (67 percent owned) had just one (zero yards). 

If Brown is going to be nearly matching Gurley's carries, in a close game nonetheless while earning the goal-line work, then he becomes both a valuable handcuff and a potential flex with standalone value.  

Marquise Brown, WR, BAL (31 percent owned)

Despite being the first wide receiver drafted in the 2019 NFL draft, our list's second Brown is owned in just under one-third of fantasy leagues. Maybe it's because of concern over his recovery from Lisfranc surgery or skepticism that Lamar Jackson could actually throw the ball, but Hollywood's ownership ought to jump after a statement against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1. 

Brown received five targets, pulled in four and converted them into 147 yards and two touchdowns. Given how quickly the Dolphins game got out of hand, his five targets actually equated to about 19 percent of Jackson and Robert Griffin III's 26 total pass attempts—a welcome sign for the speedy playmaker.

John Ross, WR, CIN (9 percent owned)

After disappointing rookie and sophomore seasons, 2017 first-round pick John Ross got less attention from fantasy analysts than Tyler Boyd and even Damion Willis in the wake of A.J. Green's injury this July. 

While those two did earn targets in Week 1 (11 and five, respectively), it was Ross who garnered the most attention (12 targets), yards (158) and touchdowns (two). The 23-year-old finally put his 4.22 40-yard speed to use as he nearly doubled his career yardage total while the Cincinnati Bengals nearly defeated the Seattle Seahawks. 

As for the others, here are some stats and minor notes on their potential:

Marcus Mariota, QB, TEN

• 7 percent owned

• Passing: 14-of-24, 248 yards, three TDs

• Rushing: three rushes, 24 yards

• The Cleveland Browns might be bad, or Mariota may be a quarterback with rushing upside and a passing corps that's improved by Delanie Walker's return and the additions of Adam Humphries and AJ Brown. 

Danny Amendola, WR, DET

• 5 percent owned

• Receiving: 13 targets, seven receptions, 104 yards, one TD

• Paced the Detroit Lions in targets during a close game and could mean value in PPR. 

D.J. Chark, WR, JAX

• 2 percent owned

• Receiving: four targets, four receptions, 146 yards, one TD

Chris Conley, WR, JAX

• 1 percent owned

• Receiving: seven targets, six receptions, 97 yards, one TD

KeeSean Johnson, WR, ARI 

• 2 percent owned

• Receiving: 10 targets, five receptions, 46 yards

Terry McLaurin, WR, WAS

• 2 percent owned

• Receiving: seven targets, five receptions, 125 yards, one TD

• McLaurin showed serious speed and the ability to catch contested balls. He had the most receptions among Washington receivers and could carve out an even larger role in the offense.

DeVante Parker, WR, MIA

• 14 percent owned

• Receiving: seven targets, three receptions, 75 yards

• The Dolphins are going to throw a lot, and the 6'3", talented-yet-inconsistent Parker had the largest slice of that target-allocation pie in Week 1.