Fantasy Football Week 2 (2026)

Fantasy football waiver wire rankings for Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season. Top free agent options to add off waivers, and our rankings will help you prioritize.

After an exciting weekend of NFL action, it's time to hit the waiver wire to help find that player who can bolster your roster. At RotoBaller HQ, we have freshly updated our waiver wire rankings to account for the latest news and injuries with our fantasy football waiver wire rankings before Week 2 of 2026. Whether your fantasy football team crushed it or struggled, we ranked the top 85 players and who you should be prioritizing on the waiver wire.

Several players still have low ownership percentages but could make an impact or will have a bigger role now due to injuries. With Zay Flowers and Ja'Kobi Lane both dealing with injuries, does Rashod Bateman become the de facto Ravens WR1 if Flowers or Lane were to miss time? Is Michael Mayer worth adding despite the reports that superstar tight end Brock Bowers could be back by Week 2? Is Devaughn Vele the No. 1 wideout to pick up after catching seven of nine targets for 69 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's loss to the Lions?

Our Week 2 fantasy football waiver wire rankings will help answer these questions and many more -- they've been a staple on RotoBaller for years, bringing readers a quick-hit list of the top 75 fantasy football player names to consider as free agent pickups. For those new to this article series, RotoBaller's lead NFL analyst Nick Mariano brings you these waiver wire rankings in priority order. Good luck on waivers!

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Waiver wire pickup options, including how to prioritize them for your league, depending on the league size. Quarterbacks and Defenses (D/ST) are grouped together at the bottom of the list:

Rank Player Name Position % Ros. Baller Move 1 Jalen Coker WR 61 Add in All Leagues 2 Wan'Dale Robinson WR 66 Add in All Leagues 3 Devaughn Vele WR 7 Add in 10+ Team PPR Leagues 4 Xavier Worthy WR 56 Add in 10+ Team PPR Leagues 5 Jakobi Meyers WR 51 Add in 10+ Team PPR Leagues 6 Chris Rodriguez Jr. RB 60 Add in 10+ Team Leagues 7 Kaelon Black RB 26 Add in 10+ Team Leagues 8 Romeo Doubs WR 55 Add in 10+ Team Leagues 9 Tyjae Spears RB 39 Add in 10+ Team PPR Leagues 10 Tyler Allgeier RB 51 Add in 10+ Team Leagues 11 Deebo Samuel Sr. WR 49 Add in 10+ Team PPR Leagues 12 Khalil Shakir WR 43 Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues 13 Woody Marks RB 50 Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues 14 Tre' Harris WR 4 Add in 12+ Team Leagues 15 Kendre Miller RB 1 Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues 16 Mike Washington Jr. RB 54 Add in 12+ Team Leagues 17 Braelon Allen RB 15 Add in 12+ Team Leagues 18 Keaton Mitchell RB 40 Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues 19 Tre Tucker WR 36 Add in 12+ Team Leagues 20 Dalton Schultz TE 48 Add in 12+ Team Leagues 21 Keenan Allen WR 27 Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues 22 Rashod Bateman WR 2 Add in 12+ Team Leagues 23 Rashid Shaheed WR 47 Add in 12+ Team Leagues 24 Brenton Strange TE 31 Add in 12+ Team Leagues 25 Denzel Boston WR 28 Add in 12+ Team Leagues 26 Caleb Douglas WR 12 Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues 27 Dontayvion Wicks WR 16 Add in 12+ Team Leagues 28 Kendrick Bourne WR 1 Add in 12+ Team Leagues 29 Ryan Flournoy WR 8 Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues 30 Michael Mayer TE 26 Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues 31 Terrance Ferguson TE 23 Add in 12+ Team Leagues 32 T.J. Hockenson TE 22 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 33 Pat Freiermuth TE 6 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 34 Mike Gesicki TE 1 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 35 Adonai Mitchell WR 16 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 36 Antonio Williams WR 2 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 37 Malachi Fields WR 12 Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues 38 Samaje Perine RB 4 Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues 39 Jonah Coleman RB 33 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 40 Tank Bigsby RB 34 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 41 Kenyon Sadiq TE 14 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 42 Brian Robinson RB 25 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 43 Emmett Johnson RB 19 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 44 David Njoku TE 3 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 45 Ray Davis RB 16 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 46 Ted Hurst WR 2 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 47 George Holani RB 4 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 48 Sione Vaki RB 1 Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues 49 Emari Demercado RB 3 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 50 Malik Washington WR 14 Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues 51 Chris Bell WR 9 Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues 52 Demarcus Robinson WR 1 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 53 Jaylin Noel WR 2 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 54 Kalif Raymond WR 1 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 55 Elijah Sarratt WR 1 Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues 56 Pat Bryant WR 7 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 57 Seth McGowan RB 1 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 58 Raheim Sanders RB 1 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 59 Chris Brooks RB 2 Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues 60 Devin Singletary RB 1 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 61 Jahdae Walker WR 1 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 62 Eli Raridon TE 1 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 63 Jordan Love QB 68 Add in 12+ Team Leagues 64 Tyler Shough QB 40 Add in 12+ Team Leagues 65 Baker Mayfield QB 58 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 66 Malik Willis QB 40 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 67 C.J. Stroud QB 29 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 68 Bryce Young QB 13 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 69 Daniel Jones QB 25 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 70 Jacoby Brissett QB 7 Add in 2QB Leagues 71 Aaron Rodgers QB 10 Add in 2QB Leagues 72 Kirk Cousins QB 4 Add in 2QB Leagues 73 Geno Smith QB 5 Add in 2QB Leagues 74 Drew Lock QB 1 Add in 2QB Leagues 75 Cam Ward QB 12 Add in 2QB Leagues 76 Carson Wentz QB 1 Add in 2QB Leagues 77 Baltimore Ravens DST 70 Add in 12+ Team Leagues 78 Tampa Bay Buccaneers DST 3 Add in 12+ Team Leagues 79 San Francisco 49ers DST 9 Add in 12+ Team Leagues 80 Cincinnati Bengals DST 3 Add in 12+ Team Leagues 81 Green Bay Packers DST 15 Add in 12+ Team Leagues 82 Chicago Bears DST 8 Add in 12+ Team Leagues 83 Carolina Panthers DST 1 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 84 Atlanta Falcons DST 2 Add in 14+ Team Leagues 85 New York Jets DST 3 Add in 14+ Team Leagues

Top names include Kendre Miller, Bryce Young, Mike Gesicki, George Holani, and Devaughn Vele. We recap why these players rostered under 55% in Yahoo! leagues should be on your waiver wire radar before Week 2:

Kendre Miller, RB, Saints

Week 2 Waiver Wire Ranking: 15

New Orleans Saints running back Kendre Miller rushed for 30 yards on nine rushing attempts and a touchdown in Sunday's 31-30 loss to the Detroit Lions. Miller logged the Saints' first touchdown with an eight-yard score to cut the lead to 21-7. Surprisingly, the 24-year-old was heavily used in the running back rotation and even vultured starter Travis Etienne Jr.'s touchdown. Miller and Etienne both had nine rushing attempts on Sunday.

Etienne was more efficient on the ground, averaging 5.1 yards per carry compared to Miller's 3.3. Still, Miller's usage is puzzling since the Saints signed Etienne to a four-year, $52 million contract this offseason. Miller wasn't targeted, but did log 26 snaps and six routes run. Fantasy managers searching for help at running back can look to add Miller as he's widely available and only rostered in 1% of Fantasy Yahoo leagues. He's a desperation FLEX at best in a road matchup against the Ravens in Week 2.

Bryce Young, QB, Panthers

Week 2 QB Waiver Wire Ranking: 6

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young completed 23 of his 37 pass attempts for 361 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and one interception during Sunday's 59-37 loss against the Chicago Bears. He also logged an additional 10 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown, bringing him to a total of four touchdowns on Sunday. Other than the loss, the only real blemish on Young's stat line was the one interception. He did take two sacks, but that's not an alarming number considering he attempted 37 passes, and the Panthers' offense ran 62 plays.

It's fair to assume that Young's counting stats will come back down to earth in a lower-scoring game that doesn't require him to pass as much, but at least he showed that he's capable of going toe-to-toe against one of the best teams in football. He should remain in the low-end QB1 tier for next week's very favorable matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

George Holani, RB, Seahawks

Week 2 Waiver Wire Ranking: 47

Seattle Seahawks running back George Holani was relatively involved in Seattle's win over the New England Patriots. Rookie running back Jadarian Price drew the start, but Holani entered the game on the first drive, played 46% of the snaps, and recorded eight carries to Price's 10. Holani did not catch his only target of the game. Although Holani received a fair number of touches relative to Price, he was far less explosive. Price averaged 5.2 yards per carry to Holani's 3.6.

However, it is clear that the Seahawks would like to work at least two running backs into the offense. As the offense improves, so too should the effectiveness of both backs. If Holani's yards per carry increase and he catches a couple of targets per game, he may garner flex appeal as long as Zach Charbonnet (knee) is out. Holani was also active when the Seahawks were near the goal line, suggesting that he possesses potential touchdown upside. He is worth rostering to see what happens over the next couple of weeks.

Mike Gesicki, TE, Bengals

Week 2 Waiver Wire Ranking: 34

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki caught five passes for 78 yards and a touchdown in the 33-27 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Gesicki stepped up to the plate in a big way in the season opener, finishing with the most receptions, targets, and receiving yards on the team. Despite being entrenched in a deep tight end room in Cincinnati, Gesicki was able to make his mark. Star receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins combined for fewer receiving yards than Gesicki in an outstanding performance on Sunday.

Fantasy managers may want to consider adding Gesicki heading into his Week 2 matchup against the Houston Texans. The Texans are a tough matchup, but most of the defensive focus should be on the wide receivers and star running back Chase Brown. Gesicki could establish himself as a sneaky TE option moving forward, but fantasy managers may need to see some consistency out of him before plugging him into lineups.

Devaughn Vele, WR, Saints

Week 2 Waiver Wire Ranking: 3

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Devaughn Vele caught seven of nine targets for 69 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 31-30 loss to the Detroit Lions. Saints quarterback Tyler Shough found Vele for a one-yard touchdown in the third quarter to cut the lead to 21-14. Vele lined up as the Saints WR2 behind Chris Olave and was second on the team in receptions, receiving yards, and targets. His longest catch of the day was a 31-yard reception, which led to a Saints field goal.

The 28-year-old will see an uptick in snaps and targets in the short term with rookie Jordyn Tyson (hamstring) on injured reserve. Vele logged 82 snaps, had 58 routes run, and had a good rapport with Shough in Sunday's loss. With Tyson injured, Vele carved himself out a role and could become a key part of the Saints' offense along with Olave, Juwan Johnson, and Travis Etienne Jr. Vele is RotoBaller's No. 3-ranked waiver wire pickup and will look to build on Sunday's performance against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 2.

Running Backs - Week 2 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Player Name Position % Ros. Baller Move Chris Rodriguez Jr. RB 60 Add in 10+ Team Leagues Kaelon Black RB 26 Add in 10+ Team Leagues Tyjae Spears RB 39 Add in 10+ Team PPR Leagues Tyler Allgeier RB 51 Add in 10+ Team Leagues Woody Marks RB 50 Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues Kendre Miller RB 1 Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues Mike Washington Jr. RB 54 Add in 12+ Team Leagues Braelon Allen RB 15 Add in 12+ Team Leagues Keaton Mitchell RB 40 Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues Samaje Perine RB 4 Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues Jonah Coleman RB 33 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Tank Bigsby RB 34 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Brian Robinson RB 25 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Emmett Johnson RB 19 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Ray Davis RB 16 Add in 14+ Team Leagues George Holani RB 4 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Sione Vaki RB 1 Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues Emari Demercado RB 3 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Seth McGowan RB 1 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Raheim Sanders RB 1 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Chris Brooks RB 2 Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues Devin Singletary RB 1 Add in 14+ Team Leagues

Wide Receivers - Week 2 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Player Name Position % Ros. Baller Move Jalen Coker WR 61 Add in All Leagues Wan'Dale Robinson WR 66 Add in All Leagues Devaughn Vele WR 7 Add in 10+ Team PPR Leagues Xavier Worthy WR 56 Add in 10+ Team PPR Leagues Jakobi Meyers WR 51 Add in 10+ Team PPR Leagues Romeo Doubs WR 55 Add in 10+ Team Leagues Deebo Samuel Sr. WR 49 Add in 10+ Team PPR Leagues Khalil Shakir WR 43 Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues Tre' Harris WR 4 Add in 12+ Team Leagues Tre Tucker WR 36 Add in 12+ Team Leagues Keenan Allen WR 27 Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues Rashod Bateman WR 2 Add in 12+ Team Leagues Rashid Shaheed WR 47 Add in 12+ Team Leagues Denzel Boston WR 28 Add in 12+ Team Leagues Caleb Douglas WR 12 Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues Dontayvion Wicks WR 16 Add in 12+ Team Leagues Kendrick Bourne WR 1 Add in 12+ Team Leagues Ryan Flournoy WR 8 Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues Adonai Mitchell WR 16 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Antonio Williams WR 2 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Malachi Fields WR 12 Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues Ted Hurst WR 2 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Malik Washington WR 14 Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues Chris Bell WR 9 Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues Demarcus Robinson WR 1 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Jaylin Noel WR 2 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Kalif Raymond WR 1 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Elijah Sarratt WR 1 Add in 14+ Team PPR Leagues Pat Bryant WR 7 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Jahdae Walker WR 1 Add in 14+ Team Leagues

Tight Ends - Week 2 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order:

Player Name Position % Ros. Baller Move Dalton Schultz TE 48 Add in 12+ Team Leagues Brenton Strange TE 31 Add in 12+ Team Leagues Michael Mayer TE 26 Add in 12+ Team PPR Leagues Terrance Ferguson TE 23 Add in 12+ Team Leagues T.J. Hockenson TE 22 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Pat Freiermuth TE 6 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Mike Gesicki TE 1 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Kenyon Sadiq TE 14 Add in 14+ Team Leagues David Njoku TE 3 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Eli Raridon TE 1 Add in 14+ Team Leagues

Quarterbacks - Week 2 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 2:

Player Name Position % Ros. Baller Move Jordan Love QB 68 Add in 12+ Team Leagues Tyler Shough QB 40 Add in 12+ Team Leagues Baker Mayfield QB 58 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Malik Willis QB 40 Add in 14+ Team Leagues C.J. Stroud QB 29 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Bryce Young QB 13 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Daniel Jones QB 25 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Jacoby Brissett QB 7 Add in 2QB Leagues Aaron Rodgers QB 10 Add in 2QB Leagues Kirk Cousins QB 4 Add in 2QB Leagues Geno Smith QB 5 Add in 2QB Leagues Drew Lock QB 1 Add in 2QB Leagues Cam Ward QB 12 Add in 2QB Leagues Carson Wentz QB 1 Add in 2QB Leagues

Defenses (D/ST) - Week 2 Waiver Wire Rankings

Pickups are in priority order, with emphasis on Week 2:

Player Name Position % Ros. Baller Move Baltimore Ravens DST 70 Add in 12+ Team Leagues Tampa Bay Buccaneers DST 3 Add in 12+ Team Leagues San Francisco 49ers DST 9 Add in 12+ Team Leagues Cincinnati Bengals DST 3 Add in 12+ Team Leagues Green Bay Packers DST 15 Add in 12+ Team Leagues Chicago Bears DST 8 Add in 12+ Team Leagues Carolina Panthers DST 1 Add in 14+ Team Leagues Atlanta Falcons DST 2 Add in 14+ Team Leagues New York Jets DST 3 Add in 14+ Team Leagues

Week 2 Waiver Wire Articles

After diving into the Week 5 rankings, read about some other free waiver wire resources available at RotoBaller:

Week 2 waiver wire pickups (all positions)

Week 2 FAAB waiver wire bids

Week 2 running back waiver wire pickups

Week 2 wide receiver waiver wire pickups

Week 2 tight end waiver wire pickups

Week 2 quarterback waiver wire pickups

Week 2 defense (D/ST) streamers and pickups

Week 2 kicker streamers and pickups

Each week, our NFL team puts out a complete array of fantasy football waiver wire articles to complement our slick Who Should I Pickup? Waiver wire player comparison tool. Bookmark it!

In addition, be on the lookout for our other waiver wire articles all season long. We will be releasing weekly waiver wire articles for each position, FAAB bidding recommendations, streamers, and more. Stay tuned!

Who Should I Pickup Tool

Trying to decide who to pickup off the waiver wire? Check the Who Should I Pickup tool here:

Who Should I Pickup? Some common 2026 fantasy football waiver wire decisions are regarding players like Devaughn Vele, Kaleon Black, Tre'Harris, Kendre Miller, Braelon Allen, Rashod Bateman, Denzel Boston, Ryan Flournoy, Michael Mayer, Mike Gesicki, George Holani, and Jaylin Noel. But not to worry, we are here to help make these waiver wire decisions and build winning teams in 2026. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups in 2026. Our free Who Should I Pickup? tool will help make your fantasy football waiver wire decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to pick up... all free! Make the right decisions.

2026 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Mike Washington, MarShawn Lloyd, Najee Harris, Tre Tucker, Jalen McMillan, Terrance Ferguson, Najee Harris, Ryan Flournoy, Rashod Bateman, Emmett Johnson, Caleb Douglas, Malachi Fields, Pat Bryant. These are some common searches for 2026 fantasy football waiver wire pickups.

Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player name. In the second box, search for the second player name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Pickup? button to see who the recommended waiver wire pickups are based on fantasy football rankings, projections, and more.

Recent Improvements For Who Should I Pickup? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Pickup? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win on the waiver wire in 2026. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, stats, projections, strength of schedule, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!

How It Works. Our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football waiver wire rankings and projections based on their research, and updates them constantly throughout the week. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked.

Popular Waiver Wire Searches. Curious to see some tough waiver wire decisions for 2025? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Pickup? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.

Popular Player Comparison Searches - Who To Pickup

Below are some popular searches and comparisons from our Who To Pickup tool for 2026 for Devaughn Vele, Kaleon Black, Tre'Harris, Kendre Miller, Braelon Allen, Rashod Bateman, Denzel Boston, Ryan Flournoy, Michael Mayer, Mike Gesicki, George Holani, and Jaylin Noel:

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