Week 2 Waiver Wire Additions: Isaiah Likely Leads the Way

Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season has come and gone, and while it was disappointing on some levels (*cough Amon-Ra St. Brown cough*), there were plenty of exciting and surprising moments that reminded us why we love this game. Rhamondre Stevenson crushed the Cincinnati Bengals, Baker Mayfield looked like the gunslinger of old, and the kickers showed everyone why we still need them in our fantasy leagues! However, with the good comes the bad, and there were several injuries that fantasy managers would have to compensate for. Puka Nacua landed on injured reserve, Jordan Love will be out 3-6 weeks with an MCL sprain, David Njoku suffered a high-ankle sprain, Jake Ferguson went out early…ugh, the list goes on and on.

Fortunately for y’all, I’m here with a few waiver wire pickups that can help you shore up your team and get you through the quagmire of injuries and underperformers. Are you ready? Because I’ve been itching to get to this faster than a hot knife through butter. With that, let’s hit some of the top waiver wire options for Week 2.

Week 2 Waiver Wire Additions

Isaiah Likely, TE, Baltimore Ravens

Available in 71% of Yahoo leagues, 90% of ESPN leagues, and 69% of Sleeper leagues

I’m not going to bury the lede here. Isaiah Likely is “likely” to be at the top of every waiver wire list you come across this week. Still, we have to talk about him because if you’re playing in a league with FAAB (free agency acquisition budget), you need to know how much to spend to add him to your roster. But before we get to that, let’s recap Likely’s amazing first week of 2024.

It’s worth noting that the Ravens utilized 12 personnel (two tight end sets) on an astounding 52.7% of their offensive plays against the Kansas City Chiefs, a higher rate than they ever used last season. However, even with Mark Andrews on the field for 59 of the Ravens’ 80 offensive snaps and Likely slightly lower at 53, the younger tight end saw a target share of 29% compared to Andrews’ paltry 5%. If the target share wasn’t eye-popping enough, look at the box score. Likely finished with nine receptions, 111 yards, and one* touchdown (note to Likely: wear white cleats next game, and you might have had two).

So, how much FAAB should you spend on him? While I’d advise to keep it in check, as Andrews will end up getting his eventually, there is room for both tight ends to have stellar seasons. I’d suggest around 10% in less competitive leagues and increasing it to 15%-20% of your budget in deeper leagues.

Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, New York Giants

Available in 90% of Yahoo leagues, 93% of ESPN leagues, and 81% of Sleeper leagues

Queue the “Eeeeew, a Giants wide receiver” comments, but let me make my case before you jump to judgment. Yes, Daniel Jones looked really bad (putting it mildly) in Week 1. But! Sometimes, just sometimes, that can benefit wide receivers due to the scoring margin and garbage time points. Any time you see double-digit targets, you have to perk up. Still, in addition to that, his rushing opportunities after the loss of Saquon Barkley and Robinson may just have the right combination for fantasy goodness. 

The Giants’ upcoming strength of schedule is a little up and down, but next week, they do face the Washington Commanders. In case you missed it, Dan Quinn’s squad allowed 37 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and in particular, rookie slot cornerback Mike Sainristil earned a dismal PFF grade of 40.8 in coverage. With Robinson playing 37 of his 47 snaps out of the slot in Week 1, he’s set up to have another huge role next week. With everyone out on the Giants offense as a whole, you can likely get Robinson at a discount of only 3%-5% of your FAAB budget.

Demarcus Robinson, WR, Los Angeles Rams

Available in 94% of Yahoo leagues, 85% of ESPN leagues, and 88% of Sleeper leagues

Robinson was already on my radar, but with news coming out Monday afternoon that fellow wide receiver Puka Nacua will be placed on injured reserve, slap me silly and call me Sally! Out of Los Angeles’ 78 offensive snaps, Robinson played a remarkable 72 of them (92%), with the aforementioned Nacua exiting the game midway through the second quarter. While Cooper Kupp saw most of the action, expect Robinson to have more of a role going forward as the Rams incorporate him into their game plan.

Their upcoming schedule is a little daunting, but if you don’t want to spend all your FAAB after Week 1, Robinson could offer sneaky upside as teams key in on Cooper Kupp. If you’re just looking to add to your options and build your team, don’t spend more than 2-3%, but if you’re one of the unfortunate ones who lost Nacua, I’d go as high as 8% of your total budget. 

Justice Hill, RB, Baltimore Ravens

Available in 96% of Yahoo leagues, 97% of ESPN leagues, and 89% of Sleeper leagues

After Derrick Henry signed with the Baltimore Ravens during free agency, Justice Hill became an afterthought in fantasy drafts. To everyone’s surprise, however, Hill saw a decent number of snaps, seeing the field a little more than 50% of their offensive snaps. He also had heavy involvement in the receiving game, finishing with six receptions and 54 yards on eight targets.

If Lamar Jackson continues to dump the ball off as he did Thursday night, Hill could continue to see a heavy workload in the receiving game. (In case you missed it, Jackson’s average depth of target (aDOT) was only 6.7 yards, which is a career low.) Henry may be the punisher in the run game, but Hill is the shifty one in this backfield. An added bonus? You don’t have to break the bank to add him to your roster, as 4-5% of your budget should be enough to beat out your leaguemates. 

Alexander Mattison, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

Available in 96% of Yahoo leagues, 90% of ESPN leagues, and 90% of Sleeper leagues

Did you draft Zamir White and feel the physical tilt after Alexander Mattison put on a show Sunday afternoon? You’re not alone. Mattison was persona non grata this season after an extremely poor showing in Minnesota last year, but it looks like he’s regained his spark with the Raiders. While his running efficiency was still shaky, with only 19 yards on five carries, he had a very large role in the receiving game, finishing with 43 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. He also played 36 snaps to White’s 23, so the bell-cow role we were hoping for White has turned into a committee at best.

Mattison may not have the best matchup next week against the Baltimore Ravens, but in Week 3, he gets the Carolina Panthers, who allowed 180 yards on the ground on Sunday. He may not be a plug-and-play option, but he has way more value than we gave him credit for in the preseason. You may have to spend a little more FAAB than you like due to the scarcity at the running back position, but 8-11% should still get the job done.

*Bonus Pick*

Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Available in 65% of Yahoo leagues, 66% of ESPN leagues, and 58% of Sleeper leagues

Unless you lost Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Jordan Love, not many of you will be in the market for a signal caller at this point in the game, but I would be remiss not to mention Baker Mayfield. Yes, he was playing against a VERY BAD Washington Commanders secondary, but Mayfield has shown marked improvement since getting a taste of that Florida orange juice.

He finished as the overall QB10 last season, and even with offensive coordinator Dave Canales now with the Carolina Panthers, he doesn’t look any less capable. With all of last year’s weapons still at his disposal, Mayfield should continue to be one of the top fantasy quarterbacks in the league. Depending on how needy you are, you can spend anywhere from 5%-11% of your budget to add one of last year’s QB1s.

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Be sure you’re following Britt on Twitter! Also, you can find our Week 2 rankings here and the rest of our Week 2 content here!