Fantasy football waiver wire targets for Week 2

Every Monday during the NFL season, I am going to be presenting you with my top three waiver wire claims to prioritize for your fantasy football teams. I will also include a shortlist of “other options.” These are players worth consideration if your team is in a bind, but not ones that take priority over the top three. I will also make a point to focus on players that are rostered in under 50% of ESPN leagues.

Week 1 has come and gone quicker than you can say FTN. After an array of unfortunate injuries, breakout games, and a handful of upsets, there’s sure to be an influx of attention on the waiver wire.

Below are my top three priorities.

Juwan Johnson is a breakout tight end | Fantasy football waiver wire targets

(1.3% rostered in ESPN leagues)

The tight end position is a wasteland, as it is every season. It’s the most popular skill position to stream, and that makes Juwan Johnson the perfect target. The volume isn’t necessarily what stuck out in a game where Jameis Winston only saw 20 pass attempts, as Johnson was the recipient of only three targets. It was about the quality of the targets, as a pair of them ended up as end-zone targets resulting in touchdowns, giving him a total 3-21-2 stat line.

With Winston at the helm, it’s only right to expect a massive uptick in passing volume, which could benefit Johnson and his 15% target share, especially if he continues to dominate the red-zone usage.

Nelson Agholor has high upside in New England | Fantasy football waiver wire targets

(30.0% rostered in ESPN leagues)

All of the hype in the Patriots’ receiver room has been surrounding Jakobi Meyers, and admittedly Meyers did lead the team in targets Sunday, but Nelson Agholor quietly tied teammate James White for the second most (7). Agholor’s 10.3 yards per target were the highest mark of any receiver on the team, and his 14.4 yards per reception led the team among players with more than one catch.

Given how comfortable and effective Mac Jones looked, Agholor should continue to produce given the connection that they showed early and often.

Elijah Mitchell could have an every-week role | Fantasy football waiver wire targets

(0.7% rostered in ESPN leagues)

With Trey Sermon a surprise inactive for the 49ers leading up to kickoff Sunday, the assumption was that Raheem Mostert was primed to tear up the Lions’ porous run defense. He did … for two carries. As we’ve become accustomed to, Mostert dominated his carries on a yard-per-carry basis (two carries for 20 yards) and then got hurt and never returned. Enter Elijah Mitchell. A running back who was said to have a stronger camp than Sermon, Mitchell torched the Lions’ defense for 104 yards on 19 carries and ripped off a beautiful 38-yard touchdown.

The verdict is still out on the status of Mostert’s injury, but given the Niners’ history of deploying committees and riding the hot hand, I have a hard time seeing Mitchell going away. On one of the most run-heavy teams in football, Mitchell has an astronomical ceiling.