2014 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups - Week 2

Rules.

As NFL players vote tomorrow, we could soon have a new drug policy in the NFL that will include testing for hGH but could have a major impact in 2014 fantasy football leagues this year.

While it’s not a done deal yet that both Josh Gordon and Wes Welker would be reinstated, it at least seems to be the most-likely scenario.

If Gordon is available in your league(s) and he’s currently available in 49 percent of Yahoo! leagues, he should be added as soon as you’re able to do so.

Gordon would immediately become the WR1 on the majority of fantasy rosters over night. Even though he missed two games to begin last season, Gordon led the NFL in receiving yards (1,646) and all wide receivers in fantasy points.

Rules.

When it comes to listing players on my waiver-wire posts, I have a self-imposed rule that the player has to be available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues. While Gordon misses that threshold by one percent, you should add him. NOW!

The same applies to many other players that may be owned in more than 50 percent of leagues. Even though I use the 50-percent cutoff to try to give you players that are more likely to be available, this list does not include every player that you should add, if available.

That said, here are some players to consider adding to your fantasy roster(s) (positions sorted by Yahoo! ownership, most to least):

QB – Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans (12 percent)

While Ryan Tannehill may have more rest-of-season value, there’s no quarterback likely on your league’s waiver wire that I’d prefer to add more for this week than Locker. Building upon a solid preseason, Locker completed 22 of 33 pass attempts for 266 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Week 1. A better athlete than his Week 1 rushing numbers (six carries for 14 yards) show, Locker has ideal matchup this week against the Cowboys, which gives him QB1 upside.

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RB – Terrance West, Cleveland Browns (39 percent)

Even if his preseason numbers were a bit uninspiring, I’m surprised that West is available in almost two-thirds of fantasy leagues given the durability track record of Ben Tate. Playing only 40 games in his previous four years, Tate left yesterday’s game early with a knee injury and it’s unclear if Tate will play in Week 2. Even if he does play, however, there’s a good chance he won’t play all remaining 15 games this season.

Working with fellow rookie Isaiah Crowell to fill Tate’s void, West rushed for an even 100 yards on 16 carries (6.25 yards per carry). West put up video game-like numbers at Towson and he’s a powerful 225-pound runner with good vision.

RB – Shonn Greene, Tennessee Titans (32 percent)

As the team’s starting running back, for now at least, Greene carried the ball 15 times for 71 yards against the Chiefs. By the end of the season, he may no longer be leading the backfield in touches, but for now he stands to be the most productive member of the running back group. And with a primo matchup against the Cowboys this week, Greene should be at least a flex option this week if you need a running back in Week 2.

RB – James Starks, Green Bay Packers (16 percent)

If Eddie Lacy (concussion) is unable to go this week, Starks would move into the RB2 range as the lead back of one of the league’s most-explosive offenses. That said, the strength of the Jets’ team is their defensive line and run defense. The Jets allowed just 25 rushing yards and 1.7 YPC on Sunday to the Raiders and ranked third in run defense (88.3 YPG, league-low 3.4 YPC) in 2013.

RB – Justin Forsett, Baltimore Ravens (nine percent)

One day after benching Bernard Pierce for a lost fumble, the Ravens cut Ray Rice, who wasn’t going to be available for this week’s game anyways. That said, the Ravens have a quick turnaround as they host the Steelers on Thursday Night Football and Forsett appears to be in line for the start. With his unexpectedly expanded role on Sunday, Forsett rushed 11 times for 70 yards and a touchdown and added five catches for 14 yards. The Steelers allowed 183 rushing yards (6.1 YPC) to the Browns in Week 1. While Forsett may lead the team in touches for a game or two, he’s better suited for a change-of-pace role.

RB – Bobby Rainey, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (four percent)

Even though Doug Martin‘s knee injury doesn’t appear to be serious, Rainey would be the back to own if Martin were to miss any time.

RB – Isaiah Crowell, Cleveland Browns (three percent)

Although off-the-field issues got him kicked off the Georgia Bulldogs football team, Crowell never lacked talent as a former five-star recruit although he went undrafted due to character concerns. Like West, Crowell saw an expanded role with Tate leaving Sunday’s game early and he capitalized by averaging more than six yards per carry. Crowell had five carries for 32 yards and two touchdowns.

RB – Lorenzo Taliaferro, Baltimore Ravens (one percent)

The Ravens running backs played the following snaps on Sunday: Forsett (57), Pierce (eight) and Taliaferro (three). In other words, it’s unclear how large a role Taliaferro will have in Week 2.

Although Pierce was benched for his lost fumble and Forsett was the primary back after that, I expect either Pierce (most likely) or Taliaferro to be the team’s primary early-down back this season. If Pierce loses another fumble or struggles, Taliaferro could certainly see his role increase, perhaps significantly, at the expense of Pierce. That said, it’s important to keep in mind that it was Pierce’s first fumble in 266 career NFL carries.

WR – Greg Jennings, Minnesota Vikings (39 percent)

Of course, I would prefer to own Cordarrelle Patterson over Jennings, but Jennings should be owned in more than 39 percent of leagues. Much more productive when Matt Cassel was under center last year, Jennings had 6/58/1 on Sunday and there will be many more productive outings for Jennings this season.

WR – Andrew Hawkins, Cleveland Browns (25 percent)

Hawkins had a team-high 10 targets, eight receptions and 87 yards on Sunday. While Jordan Cameron left the game early as he aggravated a shoulder injury and Gordon could be reinstated, Hawkins still would have some fantasy value if Gordon returns, especially in PPR formats.

WR – Marqise Lee, Jacksonville Jaguars (14 percent)

Although fellow rookie Allen Hurns had a huge 4/110/2 game, I would actually prefer Lee over Hurns. Considering Cecil Shorts (hamstring) missed Week 1, Hurns moved into the starting lineup opposite Lee. Lee had a slow start on Sunday, but he finished with six catches for 62 yards. Several of those catches came in garbage time, but there could be quite a bit of garbage time for the Jags going forward.

WR – Allen Hurns, Jacksonville Jaguars (12 percent)

Hurns did something only 11 other rookies have done — 110 receiving yards or more in Week 1. With Shorts out, Hurns finished with four receptions for 110 yards and two touchdowns. As an undrafted rookie out of Miami (FL), Hurns had a 62-1,162-6 line in his senior season and led all of the NFL with 232 receiving yards this preseason. While you obviously shouldn’t expect 4/110/2 every week, Hurns will have some solid weeks, especially considering the Jags could be playing from behind often.

WR – Brian Quick, St. Louis Rams (four percent)

Drafted with the 33rd overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft out of Appalachian State, Quick did not do much in his first two NFL seasons despite his combination of size and speed, but he had generated some buzz this offseason. In the opener, the Rams offense other than Quick struggled big time as they were beat down by the Vikings, 34-6. That said, Quick was clearly the most productive of the team’s receivers offensive players with seven catches for 99 yards on nine targets.

WR – Robert Woods, Buffalo Bills (four percent)

Woods got the start opposite Sammy Watkins and also ranked second among the receivers in snaps. Woods had four catches for a team-high 78 yards in their Week 1 upset over the Bears. Even though E.J. Manuel did not play horribly in Week 1, the quarterback situation is less than ideal and the team agrees as they paid a lot of money to sign Kyle Orton as a backup.

TE – Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs (36 percent)

After missing all of his rookie season, Kelce made some noise in the preseason with a couple of long touchdown receptions, which showcased his mismatch-creating size and athleticism. With Dwayne Bowe suspended for the opener, Kelce had 3/49 on five targets. Kelce played only 20 snaps in the opener and is currently behind Anthony Fasano (52 snaps) on the depth chart, but Kelce’s role should continue to expand within the Chiefs’ offense.

TE – Dwayne Allen, Indianapolis Colts (seven percent)

Allen had a solid rookie season (45/521/3), but he was lost for the season in Week 1 last year after hauling in one 20-yard touchdown reception. So far, so good this year as Allen had four catches for 64 yards and a touchdown on Sunday night. Even though Fleener (50) played more snaps than Allen (39), Allen is a better red-zone threat and I expect him to put up better overall numbers this season than Fleener. He’s a TE2 with some upside.

My Playbook by FantasyPros: An easy way to gain an edge on your opponents is to use the My Playbook tool from FantasyPros to give you tailored advice for waiver-wire and start/sit decisions based on your specific teams as it syncs up with your existing ESPN, Yahoo!, CBS, NFL.com, etc. leagues.

Tomorrow, I will release my initial Week 2 fantasy rankings.

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