Fantasy Football Week 2 Waiver Wire: Quarterbacks to stream and start, wide receiver help on the way, more

We went into Week 1 with injury concerns about Christian McCaffrey (calf), but thankfully he was fine with 31 total touches for 172 total yards at Seattle. Three of his teammates, however, are now banged up heading into Week 2 at New Orleans.

George Kittle (hamstring), Brock Purdy (toe/shoulder) and Jauan Jennings (shoulder) all left Week 1, and we’ll have to monitor their status prior to facing the Saints. Other prominent injuries from Week 1 also include Xavier Worthy (shoulder), Drake London (shoulder), Brock Bowers (knee) and Evan Engram (calf).

We’ll hopefully have updates on these players prior to Tuesday night when waivers run in the majority of leagues. But be prepared to spend some FAB if you need replacement options, and there could be solid wide receivers and tight ends to add to your roster, as you’ll read below.

Editor’s note: For this waiver wire column, we are mainly looking at players rostered in less than 65 percent of CBS Sports leagues.

Week 2 Waivers

Injuries: Brock Purdy (toe/shoulder)

Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Trevor Lawrence (76 percent rostered) and J.J. McCarthy (72 percent). It wasn’t the ideal start for Lawrence against Carolina since he was 19-of-31 passing for 178 yards, one touchdown and one interception, along with four carries for 12 yards. But I still expect him to have a standout season, and we could see a shootout for him in Week 2 at Cincinnati. … McCarthy got off to a slow start Monday night at Chicago, but he finished with a flurry and scored 25 Fantasy points on 13-of-20 passing for 143 yards, two touchdowns and one interception and two carries for 25 yards and a touchdown, with a two-point conversion. He’s worth using as a borderline starter in all leagues in Week 2 against Atlanta.

Drop candidates: C.J. Stroud (80 percent rostered) and Tua Tagovailoa (61 percent). If you want to hold onto Stroud to see what he does in Week 2 against Tampa Bay or Week 3 against Jacksonville then that’s fine. And maybe a healthy Christian Kirk (hamstring) will improve Stroud’s outlook. But he looked bad at the Rams with 19-of-27 passing for 188 yards, no touchdowns and one interception and five carries for 32 yards, and his sophomore struggles from 2024 carried over to Week 1, which isn’t ideal. … Tagovailoa was awful in Week 1 against the Colts with 14-of-23 passing for 114 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions and a lost fumble. He returns home to face New England in Week 2 if you want to give him another chance, but it’s hard to trust any Dolphins right now after losing 33-8 at Indianapolis to open the season.

Add in this order: 

Injuries: None of significance

Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Brian Robinson Jr. (81 percent rostered), Braelon Allen (77 percent), Najee Harris (76 percent), Jaydon Blue (74 percent) and Bhayshul Tuten (71 percent). These are all high-end handcuffs worth rostering in the majority of leagues. … Robinson is the clear backup to Christian McCaffrey, and Robinson had nine carries for 33 yards and one catch for 4 yards on two targets against Seattle. … Breece Hall looked awesome against the Steelers, but Allen scored a touchdown with six carries for 9 yards. … Harris didn’t do much as the backup to Omarion Hampton, but Harris is still working his way back from an eye injury. He had one carry for 5 yards and one catch for 5 yards on one target against the Chiefs in Brazil. … Blue was a healthy scratch in Week 1 against the Eagles, but Miles Sanders had a costly fumble. I’d roster Blue for another week to see what happens with the Dallas backfield. … Tuten had a minimal role (three carries for 11 yards and no targets) in reserve of an outstanding Travis Etienne in Week 1 against Carolina, but I still would add Tuten in all leagues, especially with Tank Bigsby now traded to the Eagles. Tuten should be a big factor in Jacksonville as the season goes on.

Drop candidates: Jerome Ford (81 percent rostered), Raheem Mostert (36 percent) and Chris Rodriguez Jr. (23 percent). Ford flopped in what might be his only chance to be the lead running back for the Browns in Week 1 against Cincinnati with six carries for 8 yards and one catch for minus-3 yards on one target. Dylan Sampson was the best Cleveland running back against the Bengals, and Raheim Sanders scored the lone rushing touchdown. Quinshon Judkins could be active in Week 2 against Baltimore, and Ford might struggle to see the field. … Mostert was a healthy scratch in Week 1 at New England, which means Zamir White (2 percent rostered) is the handcuff for Ashton Jeanty for the foreseeable future. … Rodriguez Jr. was a healthy scratch in Week 1 against the Giants, which means the Commanders are comfortable with Austin Ekeler and Jacory Croskey-Merritt leading their backfield. Rodriguez might be relevant down the road, but there’s little reason to roster him now. 

Add in this order:

Injuries: Drake London (shoulder), Xavier Worthy (shoulder), Chris Godwin (ankle), Darnell Mooney (shoulder), Jauan Jennings (shoulder), Christian Kirk (hamstring), Brandon Aiyuk (knee), Jalen Coker (quadriceps), Christian Watson (knee) and Jalen McMillan (neck).

Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Darnell Mooney (82 percent rostered), Khalil Shakir (81 percent), Josh Downs (73 percent), Jayden Reed (72 percent) and Christian Kirk (66 percent). Mooney will hopefully be ready to play in Week 2, and he could be the No. 1 receiver for the Falcons if London is out. … While Keon Coleman looks poised for a breakout season, Shakir will still have a prominent role for the Bills and remain viable in PPR. He had six catches for 64 yards on nine targets in Week 1 against Baltimore. … Downs took a backseat to Michael Pittman and Tyler Warren in Week 1 against Miami with two catches for 12 yards on three targets, but don’t forget about him. Big games are coming, especially if Daniel Jones can perform at a high level. … Reed will play through his foot injury, and he performed well in Week 1 with three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown on five targets. When healthy, he could be a No. 3 Fantasy receiver in all leagues. … Kirk could be out again in Week 2, but when he returns he should have a prominent role for the Texans and could be a top-30 Fantasy receiver in all leagues. He’s worth stashing if you can.

Drop candidates: Rashod Bateman (69 percent rostered), Marvin Mims (52 percent) and Xavier Legette (33 percent). Bateman will have his moments, but he will likely need touchdowns to help his Fantasy production, which could be a problem now with the addition of DeAndre Hopkins and the eventual return of Isaiah Likely (foot). … Mims will do better moving forward than he did in Week 1 against Tennessee with three catches for 12 yards on four targets, but Troy Franklin could be a problem for Mims this year. Maybe Evan Engram (calf) being out will help Mims if you want to hold him for Week 2. … Legette got seven targets in Week 1 at Jacksonville, but he only managed three catches for 10 yards. He will hopefully continue to be involved from Bryce Young, but so will Tetairoa McMillan and Hunter Renfrow. I’m not confident in Legette heading into Week 2 at Arizona, and there are better options on the waiver wire to add in his place this week.

Add in this order:

Injuries: George Kittle (hamstring), Brock Bowers (knee), Evan Engram (calf), Isaiah Likely (foot) and Darren Waller (hip).

Check to see if available in shallow leagues: Kyle Pitts (69 percent rostered), Dalton Kincaid (66 percent) and Jake Ferguson (66 percent). Pitts was great in Week 1 with seven catches for 59 yards on eight targets against Tampa Bay, and he would benefit in a major way if Drake London (shoulder) and Darnell Mooney (shoulder) were out in Week 2 at Minnesota. … Kincaid got off to a good start in Week 1 against Baltimore with four catches for 48 yards and a touchdown on four targets. Hopefully, he can stay healthy and have a breakout season in 2025. … Ferguson had a quiet game in Week 1 with five catches for 23 yards on six targets, but he should continue to be involved from Dak Prescott and remains a low-end starter in all leagues heading into Week 2 against the Giants.

Drop candidates: Darren Waller. It was a good week for tight ends, so there’s not a lot of guys to move on from as of now. Waller didn’t play in Week 1 at Indianapolis, and we don’t know when he’ll be ready to go. Given the options on the waiver wire, anyone counting on Waller should find a replacement prior to Week 2.

Add in this order:

DST streamers

• Rams (42 percent rostered) at TEN
• Cowboys (25 percent rostered) vs. NYG
• Lions (58 percent rostered) vs. CHI
• Patriots (28 percent rostered) at MIA

Kicker streamers

• Brandon McManus (63 percent rostered) at WAS
• Chris Boswell (54 percent rostered) vs. SEA
• Cam Little (47 percent rostered) at CIN
• Spencer Shrader (34 percent rostered) vs. DEN