Well, I hope you weren't saving your FAB budget for Week 2 of the Fantasy Football season. Because, while Week 1 had potential league-winners like Puka Nacua and Kyren Williams emerging, there doesn't appear to be anyone who looks like a true must-add player this time around.
Injuries could, of course, change that between Sunday evening and Tuesday night when waivers run. We might find out Craig Reynolds is in line for a significant role in Week 3, or that seemingly minor issues for Travis Etienne and Calvin Ridley last Sunday were more serious than they appeared, pushing Tank Bigsby and Zay Jones into must-start territory. But, as things stand at the end of the 4 p.m. games on Sunday afternoon, it doesn't look like there's going to be anyone available in most Fantasy leagues who is worth a big FAB bid, despite a handful of pretty significant injuries Sunday.
Which is fine! Every week won't have an obvious must-add-and-start-immediately option, and as long as you go into your bidding process knowing that, you can still take your shots and add some useful players. Just don't expect anyone here to win your league for you
Here's who we're going to be looking at adding heading into Week 2 of the Fantasy Football season.
Week 3 Early Waiver Targets (Add/Drop)
Even the ankle injury that forced Saquon Barkley out of Sunday's game doesn't necessarily look like it'll lead to an obvious, must-add option on the wire, though the short turnaround before their Week 3 game against the 49ers Thursday night doesn't bode well for his chances. The problem is, are you really going to want to use Matt Breida or Gary Brightwell against the 49ers even if Barkley is out? I'd guess Breida is the lead back if Barkley is out, but only managed 11 PPR points in his only start last season despite eight targets and four carries; Brightwell had 7.3 points on 11 carries and three targets. In fairness, that was with the team's backup QB, so maybe they can manage better with Daniel Jones in Week 3. But I can't imagine ranking either back as more than an RB4 if Barkley is out Thursday.
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Lost amid Puka Nacua's second massive game to open his career is Atwell having another big game. This one wasn't quite as big as Week 1, but he still earned eight targets in each of the first two games, with 196 combined receiving yards on 13 catches. Atwell clearly has a role here, and while Cooper Kupp's eventual return might crowd him out, Atwell looks like he should be pretty useful over at least the next couple of weeks.
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We thought Moss would be the lead back after Deon Jackson's struggles last week, and there was no doubt about it Sunday – he played 52 of 53 snaps Sunday! More than that, though, Moss actually looked pretty good, totaling over 100 yards from scrimmage on 22 touches, with a touchdown. The four catches on four targets were especially promising, as Moss only had four catches total in four games as the Colts lead back. He's now averaging 84.4 rushing yards in five games as the Colts lead runner, and should continue to have that role for at least the next few weeks – Jonathan Taylor is eligible to return from IR in Week 5, so Moss may have a short shelf life of Fantasy relevance. However, if you lost David Montgomery this week or were planning on relying on Cam Akers as your RB2, Moss looks like a solid starter for at least the next couple of weeks.
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It did not take long for Dell to establish himself as one of the Texans top options. Coming off a terrific preseason and training camp, Dell played less than half the team's snaps in Week 1, but actually led their wide receivers in snaps and Sunday, while running a route on 44 of 54 dropbacks. He turned that into a team-high 10 targets, and while he wasn't as productive as Nico Collins, he did have a very strong performance, including his first career touchdown. Dell has showed a quick rapport with C.J. Stroud, and I have to give the Texans credit for the faith they're showing in their rookie QB – they've dropped back to pass over 50 times in each of his first two games, despite missing four starting offensive linemen this week. I don't know how sustainable that is, but Dell is already playing a full-time role in what looks like one of the league's most pass-heavy offenses, and that's worth chasing.
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I'll be honest: I don't really buy what we've seen from Reynolds so far, but I can't just ignore him coming off a two-touchdown game. That, of course, coming off a four-catch, 80-yard effort in Week 1. We saw some stretches like this from Reynolds last season – he had 19 catches for 269 yards over a three-game stretch last season and followed it up with 41 yards over his next three games. Hence my skepticism. Still, the Lions offense looks dangerous yet again, and Reynolds is a big part of it right now. If you need WR help, he'll probably be in the WR3/4 range with upside for Week 3 against the Falcons.
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It's hard to know how much of Reed's showing in Week 2 we can project forward, given that the Packers were playing with Christian Watson and Aaron Jones, their two best offensive players. But we're going to take notice anytime a second-round rookie plays a prominent role, and Reed played a very prominent role Sunday. His eight targets were double anyone else on the Packers in a low-volume passing day, and it gives him a very solid 13 through two games. The caveats, of course, are that it was without Watson and Jones, and that he hasn't shown much efficiency yet, catching just six of those 13 targets to date. I wouldn't view Reed as a starting option for Week 3, especially if the Packers are closer to full strength. But if I'm aiming for long-term upside, I think I'd prioritize him over Reynolds.
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I'm not quite sure what to make of Love's performance through two games. I mean, six touchdowns, no interceptions speaks for itself, so he's obviously been pretty good. But his completion percentage is also below 56% overall, and he hasn't attempted more than 27 passes in either game so far. Still, he's taking his shots down the field, the Packers offense seems well designed, and again, he's about to get his two best weapons back, hopefully.
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Edwards is what he is: An early-downs plodder with no receiving role, whose Fantasy appeal is entirely tied to his ability to get into the end zone. The good news is, he scored from 1 yard out Sunday, so he had a nice Fantasy game. The bad news is, that Justice Hill out-carried him overall (11 to 10) and inside the 10-yard line (two to one), so it's hard to get too excited about Edwards moving forward. The role should give him 10-15 carries most weeks, but you'll almost never be happy you started him unless he gets into the end zone. That's an RB4; worth having on your bench, but not someone you break the bank for on waivers.
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