Week 2 Waivers

Yo! Real quick, before we get to the picks →

Novig users are 10x more likely to profit compared to competitors.

Same games, better odds, built only for sports.

New to Novig? Deposit $10, get $25.

Now, on to the picks…

WR: Dontayvion Wicks (PHI)

10% Rostered in ESPN leagues

After one game, Wicks actually looks like the primary beneficiary of Philadelphia’s wide receiver shakeup. He lined up as the clear WR2 opposite DeVonta Smith, and he now looks like the favorite to hold that job all season.

  • Caught 4 targets with a touchdown in Week 1 as Philly pushed the ball deeper downfield than we've seen from this offense in years.

  • New OC Sean Mannion has nearly tripled Jalen Hurts' average depth of target compared to 2025… that’s a full scheme shift toward vertical shots.

  • Wicks enters the year with a career 11.2 air yards per target and already flashed a real ceiling last season, hauling in 6-of-7 targets for 94 yards and two scores in a Week 13 breakout.

If Philadelphia keeps hunting shots over the top, Wicks is one of the cheapest big-play threats sitting on any waiver wire.

QB: Malik Willis (MIA)

21% Rostered in ESPN leagues

Miami's offense is kind of a mess, but Willis is giving fantasy managers the kind of floor a rebuilding team's quarterback rarely provides.

  • Completed 15-of-27 passes for 220 yards in his Week 1 start, adding 6 carries for 39 yards and a rushing touchdown, which was top-5 among all QBs in rushing production.

  • His best career start came under a similar dual-threat script last season: 18-of-21 passing for 288 yards and a TD, plus 60 rushing yards and 2 rushing scores.

  • The math is simple. If he runs 6-8 times a game, that alone gives him a usable QB2 floor even when the passing numbers are ugly.

The Dolphins' passing attack will have bad weeks. Willis's legs make sure his fantasy line usually doesn't.

RB: Kaelon Black (SF)

15% Rostered in ESPN leagues

This isn't really an injury-handcuff story anymore… it's starting to look like San Francisco managing touches on purpose.

  • Black out-carried Christian McCaffrey 14-to-10 for 65 rushing yards on 28 snaps in Week 1, finishing with 15 total opportunities.

  • That workload came despite Black needing to beat out Jordan James for the backup role all camp… he's already the clear early-down complement, not a distant third option.

  • Volume this real behind a 29-year-old workhorse is rare. It points to a deliberate plan to keep McCaffrey fresh over 17 weeks, not a one-week blip.

San Francisco looks like it's protecting its star's tread, and Black is banking real production while he waits for a bigger role.

RB: Kendre Miller (NO)

1% Rostered in ESPN leagues

While Alvin Kamara sits out, New Orleans has made it clear who gets the ball near the end zone.

  • Split carries evenly with Travis Etienne in Week 1 (9 apiece), and turned his share into an inside-the-10 touchdown.

  • That's specifically interior and red-zone work, not passing-down snaps, which is the far more valuable job to hold in a crowded backfield.

  • Kamara's recent contract restructure already signaled a reduced role for him even once healthy, which only raises the ceiling on Miller's touches until he's back.

Etienne owns the passing downs, but Miller looks like a hammer New Orleans keeps trusting near the goal line… and that's touchdown-dependent flex value you can roster for free right now.

WR: DeMario Douglas (NE)

1% Rostered in ESPN leagues

In theory, Romeo Doubs should be next man up now that A.J. Brown is on IR. But Doubs’s performance in Week 1 was concerning, and Douglas is already a trusted presence for Drake Maye, especially as a PPR-friendly receiver.

  • Ran over 80% of his snaps out of the slot and posted a massive 50% target rate per dropback in 3-WR sets: 7 targets on just 14 dropbacks.

  • Romeo Doubs should step into the primary perimeter role vacated by Brown's high-ankle sprain, which leaves Douglas as New England's designated underneath safety valve.

  • That role is tied directly to game script: trailing and forced into more 11-personnel passing snaps is exactly when his target rate spikes.

He won't win you a week outright, but as a specialized slot option in an offense that will spend a lot of time passing the ball, Douglas gives you a real PPR floor off the wire.

TE: Mike Gesicki (CIN)

1.5% Rostered in ESPN leagues

Cincinnati didn’t use Gesicki like a tight end in Week 1… they used him like their third receiver, and it's given him a rare TE target floor.

  • Ran 81% of his routes from the slot and just 18% lined up wide, catching 5-of-7 targets for 78 yards and a touchdown.

  • Led the entire Bengals offense in catches, targets, and receiving yards in Week 1, with Joe Burrow working the middle of the field directly through him.

  • If that slot-heavy usage is a role, it's a far more stable path to targets than the blocking-first tight ends most streamers are stuck rostering.

If Cincinnati keeps deploying him as a big slot receiver, Gesicki has a weekly target share that most streaming tight ends would kill for.

That’s the list. Add these guys if you have needs at their positions, and be ready for Week 2.

-Joe

P.S. you can get $100 after playing just $5 on NOVIG if you sign up using code HOLKASHOW