Aaron's 2022 Week 2 Waiver Wire Pickups
Every Tuesday, I will be bringing to light the best potential waiver wire additions across fantasy football. Let’s begin with some basic principles for each article and some of the qualifiers that will
be used each week.
Ground Rules
1.) First off, the minimum rostered percentage threshold that I will be using is 50%, so any player that is rostered in ESPN leagues above that percentage will not be written about (until near the end of the season when it gets harder to wade through the constantly thinning waiver wire.)
2.) Second, not all waiver wire additions are created equal and all are dependent on the roster you have. Each week, I will be writing about players and the potential they bring to your fantasy roster, but I obviously don’t know who is on your team or what you may need in terms of roster construction. If I say a quarterback is the top waiver wire addition for the week, and you have Patrick Mahomes, that doesn’t mean you need to add that player to your team while dropping a potentially valuable player in order to do so.
3.) Third, I will frequently be using the abbreviation FAAB, which refers to Free Agent Acquisition Budget. This refers to the potential amount you might spend to acquire someone off the waiver wire if your league has that as a part of their system.
Week 1 Waiver Wire Picks
Darrell Henderson Jr.- Running Back, LAR
ESPN Roster Percentage- 45.8%
Among the Week 1 standouts was Darrell Henderson Jr., who despite the tough matchup against the Bills managed 12.1 fantasy points. While that’s not all that impressive, the underlying numbers are what intrigue me more. Henderson Jr. and Cam Akers where the only running backs to get snaps for the Rams and Henderson dominated in total snaps, 55-12, total rushes, 13-3, and total targets, 5-0. Now, while this level of workload split is not what I expect to continue, it's nice to see Henderson has earned the trust of the coaching staff, with Cam Akers earning some not so complimentary comments from head coach Sean McVay. Henderson is available widely throughout ESPN and should be the main waiver wire target. He would draw a 30-35% FAAB offer from me.
Jeff Wilson Jr.- Running Back, SF
ESPN Roster Percentage- 3.5%
Another year, another Week 1 running back injury for the 49ers. Elijah Mitchell is expected to be out 2 months with an MCL injury, leaving the 49ers looking to fill an envious role, starting running back for a Kyle Shanahan offense. Jeff Wilson is the clear candidate in my eyes and looked to be the choice on Sunday. Wilson Jr. was the only non-Elijah Mitchell running back to take a snap during Week 1, and while it wasn't very productive or impressive, it was clear he was the only trusted active running back to be placed in the game. I would use a high priority waiver claim and a nice 15-20% FAAB bid to add Wilson Jr. to my roster.
Carson Wentz- Quarterback, WAS
ESPN Roster Percentage- 16.6 %
I feel gross writing this right now and it may be from the McDonalds I had for dinner. It could also be because I'm about to advocate for fantasy managers to pick up Carson Wentz. Either way, Carson Wentz is a viable streaming option for at least the next two weeks with matchups against the Lions and Eagles. The Lions gave up the 4th most quarterback points to Jalen Hurts led Eagles, and it could have been significantly worse if not for 3 short yardage rushing TDs by Eagles running backs. Wentz put up the 3rd most fantasy points for a quarterback and is gifted the opportunity to continue that performance heading into Week 2. He is worth nothing more than a low-level waiver priority and a 0% FAAB offer.