Top fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 2

Man, tough week for big name running backs.

David Johnson could miss extended time with a wrist injury, Le’Veon Bell didn’t look great and Jordan Howard was out snapped by rookie Tarik Cohen. Blarg. As a Howard owner myself, I’m not thrilled about what I saw last week in Chicago.

[queue the inspirational music]

But fantasy football isn’t a game where we droop our heads in defeat after one week of football. NO! To be the best, you have to play the best and that means attacking the waiver wire with focused aggression and cunning. Let your fellow league members wallow in their self pity, you’ll be too busy improving your team by adding any one of these guys.

Professional hype speech over.

You’re welcome.

Here are the guys you should be instantly trying to add to your fantasy team (percent owned in Yahoo leagues).

RB Tarik Cohen, Chicago Bears (13 percent owned)

It will shock no one to find Cohen on this list as he immediately made a name for himself both in the passing game and on the ground in the Bears’ near win over the Falcons. Cohen was one of Mike Glennon’s favorite targets (had 12 of them), catching 8 balls for 47 yards and a touchdown. Oh, and he added 66 yards on the ground on five carries. I’m not going to freak out quite yet about what this means for Jordan Howard—who did have a decent game—but Cohen clearly will have a role in the Bears’ offense moving forward.

RB Javorius Allen, Baltimore Ravens (1 percent owned)

Danny Woodhead looked great. But then he got injured. Terrance West looked good. But yet Allen had more carries and plays then him. Allen offers a little bit of everything for the Ravens offense and it’s clear that with Woodhead set to miss time, he could be in for a big role in Baltimore. Allen out carried West 21-19 and racked up 71 yards on the ground. If this is an indication for how the backfield will play out, I’m buying Allen stock.

WR Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams (26 percent owned)

Before I get into Kupp, I do want to say that I said Jared Goff could be a surprising fantasy player this week. I’m taking his week one performance as a win. But it was an even bigger win for Kupp who, after a strong preseason, just kept on chugging with four catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. He also led the Rams in targets with six. I’m jumping head first into the Kupp cup and adding him in every league which he’s available.

WR Kenny Golladay, Detroit Lions (18 percent owned)

Another preseason star who carried it right into the regular season, Golladay had himself a week one with two receiving touchdowns. One of these touchdowns was a pretty stunning full extension dive right into the end zone. His chemistry with Matthew Stafford is only going to improve and I wouldn’t be surprised if he quickly becomes on of the Lions’ go-to options. Get. Him. ASAP.

WR Marquis Lee/Allen Hurns, Jacksonville Jaguars (16/9 percent owned)

Allen Robinson is out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. Long live our #GetAllenRobinsonARealQB movement. It sadly did not end the way I thought it would. Naturally, this means it’s time to fill the void with players who will fill his role. The Jaguars clearly want to run the football at every turn but they will have to pass the ball sometimes and it’s very likely those balls—regardless how over or underthrown they’ll be—will be targeted at one of these two receivers. Like I always say, opportunity is the best tunity.

TE Charles Clay, Buffalo Bills (10 percent owned)

Here’s all you need to know about the Bills’ passing attack and where Clay fits into it: Charles Clay had nine targets against the Jets. The rest of the Bills receivers had combined 11. There. Done.