2011 NFL Fantasy Football Week 2: Waiver Wire Pickups

Good or bad, the first week of the fantasy football season never ceases to amaze me.

We find out which players are ready for a breakout year, what to do with star talents who get hurt and those players who lost value from more than just a loss on the scoreboard.

It’s easy to overreact to the first week because football has been away for awhile.

I can’t tell you how many teams that end up winning championships in December start out slow to open the year.

That said, it’s time to look at some waiver wire options to help your squad improve, especially if you have St. Louis Rams players you were counting on like Steven Jackson, Danny Amendola and Sam Bradford. 

 More Week 2 Rankings - QB | RB | WR | TE | K/D | DL | LB | DB | Waiver Wire | Start/Sit |

Cam Newton

Welcome to the NFL, Cam Newton. Rookie quarterbacks with no OTA time, starting week one are supposed to have it harder than throwing for over 400 yards and collecting three touchdowns in the game.

The Cardinals are going to have serious struggles against the pass this year, but Newton’s numbers are very encouraging for Panther fans and those who own him in dynasty leagues.

I wouldn’t look to Newton as a starter just yet as Carolina plays the Packers, but he’s worth stashing on your bench. At this point, Steve Smith is the big winner in Carolina if Newton should continue to play well. 

Ryan Fitzpatrick

While I still believe the loss of Lee Evans will hurt this team in the long run, Ryan Fitzpatrick’s four touchdowns in Kansas City were impressive.

The Bills got a break when Chiefs' star safety Eric Berry had to leave the game early with a knee injury.

They clearly didn’t look as good in the secondary as last year without him. Fitzpatrick gets a good matchup against the Raiders this week, and should be viewed as a viable backup on fantasy rosters moving forward. 

Cadillac Williams

Not a whole lot of losses at running back this week except for Steven Jackson, as he went out of the game early with a quad pull.

Not sure how long Jackson will be out, but he’s a fringe start this coming week against the Giants if he’s not ruled out. Williams is a decent depth option and if you're desperate for running help, he can be of service to you in the early going if Jackson is out. 

Jacoby Jones

With Kevin Walter likely out for most of the season with a broken collarbone, look to Jacoby Jones as the favorite to start opposite Andre Johnson.

Jones was a sleeper option for many last summer but he was likely doomed to fail when the team resigned Walter to be the No. 2 receiver. Now, Jones will have the opportunity to help fantasy owners and he’s worthy of targeting on waiver wires. 

Fred Davis

If you paid attention to our articles last week, you know I was high on Fred Davis as an option to pickup off the waiver wire, a worthy start in week one.

Chris Cooley has a bad knee and it’s likely to cost him a good amount of time this year. Davis is ready to make an impact and we saw him excel in the second half of the 2009 season.

If you’re in need of help at the tight end position, give Davis a shot and roll with him in your starting lineup until Cooley gets back on the field.