Waiver Wire Tuesday: Who to pick up to bolster your team now

Photo Caption: Daniel Jones in the pocket, prepping to make a pass from the pocket during Indianapolis’ preseason game against the Green Bay Packers on August 16, 2024. Photo Credit: Zach Bolinger/AP

Week 1 is officially in the books, and fantasy managers are either savoring a sweet victory or scrambling to figure out just where they went wrong on draft day. If you are the latter, fret not, for here are a few names you could pick up off waivers ahead of week 2 to aid your team back to the promised land. There will be a couple of names in each position group in this article.

Quarterbacks

Daniel Jones (Indianapolis Colts) - The former New York Giant embraced and thrived in his new home. Jones had one of his best performances of his career against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. He threw 22 passes on 29 attempts for 272 yards and one touchdown. 

Jones currently sits on 4.9% of ESPN Fantasy rosters and looks to be a huge asset one can add to their quarterback room. Jones was also a top-10 quarterback in rushing in fantasy in 2022, getting 708 yards rushing and seven touchdowns, so he has some history of producing valuable points. 

Aaron Rodgers (Pittsburgh Steelers) - Rodgers walked away from New York with the last laugh after defeating his former team 34-32 on Sunday. The four-time NFL MVP dazzled in his revenge game as he completed 22 of 30 passes for 274 yards and four touchdowns. 

There were many questions about Rodgers going into this season, specifically his age and the legacy of the Jets’ impact on him. However, after that performance on Sunday, he brought back his former self and can easily be added as a depth piece at the quarterback position. 

Running Backs

Dylan Sampson (Cleveland Browns) - Rostered on 32% of fantasy rosters, Sampson proved to be valuable in more ways than one. He scored 17.3 PPR points against the Bengals on Sunday, with a lot of those points coming from receptions. He caught eight receptions for 64 yards, making him a name to look out for as a pass-catching back.

Isaac Guerendo (San Francisco 49ers) - Christian McCaffery started and performed admirably against the Seahawks on Sunday. However, he once again entered the game hampered by a calf injury. It is a fact that scares both the 49ers and fantasy managers alike. If you have McCaffery, it would be smart to pick up Guerendo, who may have to step up if McCaffery has to miss some time. 

Wide Receivers

Quentin Johnston (Los Angeles Chargers) - Johnston had a fantastic performance against the Chiefs’ defense in Brazil on Friday. He caught five passes for 79 yards and two touchdowns and led all Chargers receivers in stats. If things stay consistent, he can become a solid receiver to have in rotation for a lot of fantasy managers.

JuJu Smith-Schuster (Kansas City Chiefs) - The Chiefs, on the other hand, are desperate for receivers to step up. With Rashee Rice suspended and now Xavier Worthy injured, players like Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster have to lift their share to keep Kansas City’s offense moving. I chose Smith-Schuster over Brown because he is less likely to be available, with nearly 50% of fantasy managers having him rostered while only about 1% have JuJu rostered.

Tight Ends

Harold Fannin Jr (Cleveland Browns) - The Browns’ third-round pick got to see a lot of action on Sunday with starting tight end David Njoku. Fannin had a great performance too, catching seven passes on nine targets for 63 yards, amounting to 13.6 PPR points. Njoku will still likely be the main guy in Cleveland, but keep an eye out for Fannin, who could keep a consistent scoring trend going. 

Juwan Johnson (New Orleans Saints) - Johnson could be another solid option to have, especially with Taysom Hill out with a knee injury until at least Week 5. He has been a solid tight end in years past, being a top-10 tight end in PPR in 2022. 

Defense/Special Teams

Green Bay Packers - Everyone knew adding Micah Parsons to the defense would make the Packers a better team, but no one expected their defense to look as scary as it was against the Lions on Sunday. The former Cowboy had a sack and a tackle for loss in his Green Bay debut. If the Parsons trade had happened a month before it did, this defense would have been drafted by everyone. However, there is still a good chance this unit is still available on waivers, but you’ll have to act fast.

Indianapolis Colts - Even though Miami looked subpar offensively against the Colts, being able to hold a Dolphins offense with many talented players to only eight points was still impressive. The Colts face Bo Nix and the Broncos next, which, if they played as shaky as they did against the Titans, the Colts could be seeing another favorable matchup for their defense.

Thanks for reading!

Make sure to stay tuned for all types of sports articles. I release these Waiver Wire articles on Tuesdays, Patriots player spotlights on Fridays, and collaborate on Fantasy Power Rankings on Saturdays.

@JoeMclaughlin04 on Twitter

-Joe McLaughlin