We've put a bow on Week 2 of the 2022 NFL season — now it's time to gaze into the crystal ball and see which players we should target on the waiver wire now for a big payoff later.
Week 4 Early Waiver Wire Targets
Romeo Doubs, WR, Packers (22% rostered)
Four Green Bay receivers popped up on the Thursday injury report, which means the Packers could be extremely shorthanded come Sunday against the Buccaneers. Sammy Watkins and Christian Watson are dealing with hamstring injuries, Randall Cobb was out with an illness and No. 1 receiver Allen Lazard is dealing with an ankle injury. It's unclear if Lazard's injury is the same one he suffered earlier in the season and held him out of Week 1 after being stepped on in practice, though it does seem likely.
I don't think all four will sit out, though Doubs may not have a better opportunity to shine than this. The preseason phenom has yet to live up to his lofty hype, logging just six catches for 64 yards over two games. His underperformance means he was likely dropped in shallower leagues. The injury attrition could give him a boost this week. Buy the dip and grab him while you can.
Russell Gage, Breshad Perriman and Scotty Miller, WR, Buccaneers (40%, 0% and 0%)
Both teams could enter this Week 3 matchup extremely hobbled at receiver. Mike Evans will miss the game as a result of his actions against Marshon Lattimore in Week 2 and the statuses of Julio Jones and Chris Godwin remain very much up-in-the-air. Jones and Godwin missed practice once again on Thursday dealing with knee and hamstring injuries, respectively. The Buccaneers were without both in Week 2, forcing them to turn to Perriman, Miller and Gage. Perriman was the lone offensive player to find the end zone last week, while Miller saw a team-high eight targets and caught three passes for 34 yards. Gage was also benefitted from the leaner depth chart and caught five of six targets (second on the team).
Gage would probably be my preferred add, though at 40% rostered, he is much less available than Perriman or Miller (both less than 1%). All could have upside past this week if any combination of Evans, Godwin or Jones miss time in the future, which is looking more and more like a possibility.
Skyy Moore, WR, Chiefs (18%)
Moore was relatively expensive in fantasy drafts based on how high he was selected in the 2022 NFL Draft and the inherent upside of catching passes from Patrick Mahomes without competition from Tyreek Hill. Moore has been a dud thus far, however, logging one catch for 30 yards in Week 1 and zero targets in Week 2. Even worse, the rookie played in just two offensive snaps in the effort.
His complete lack of production means he was likely dropped in a lot of leagues and Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy says that Moore will see more opportunities moving forward.
“You know, Skyy (Moore) is doing a heck of a job for us,” Bieniemy said via Chiefs Wire. “We’ve just got to make sure that we’re getting him in and giving him more opportunities to do the things that we know he’s capable of doing. I love the way he works. Obviously, he didn’t play as much (in Week 2), but moving forward I guarantee you he gets more than two snaps throughout the course of the season because the kid brings a lot to the table.”
Bieniemy might be blowing smoke, but I am inclined to buy into the upside Moore offers on the Chiefs, whose WR1 spot is still very much up for grabs. Moore is worth a speculative add now in hopes he breaks out against the winless Colts.
James Cook, RB, Bills (42%)
Through two weeks, the Bills have one of the more confusing backfields for fantasy. In Week 1, Devin Singletary led the squad with 10 touches for 52 all-purpose yards while Zack Moss saw 12 touches for 36 all-purpose yards; Cook was a non-factor. In Week 2, Cook led the backfield with 11 carries for 53 yards; Singletary had eight touches for 21 scrimmage yards and Moss had three carries for 17 yards. Cook's snaps also increased from three to 18 week-over-week while Moss's decreased from 22 to 13; Singletary's remained fairly steady from 35 to 37.
My takeaway is that none of these running backs can be trusted at this time. That said, I think Cook has longer-term upside and is the only back of the three who I think could separate himself in this ugly committee. He is worth an add in deeper leagues.
D'Onta Foreman, RB, Panthers (6%)
Foreman and Chuba Hubbard have seen next to zero involvement through two games. The pair have collectively tallied five attempts for 17 yards and are averaging 7.5 combined snaps per game. That could change, however, with star running back Christian McCaffrey popping up on the injury report on Thursday. McCaffrey was limited in practice with an ankle injury which doesn't sound serious yet.
Regardless, concern is warranted any time a first-round running back with a speckled health history pops up on the injury report. Foreman would be the preferred add over Hubbard based on his previous production as Derrick Henry's backup. He is a valuable insurance policy for McCaffrey managers, or managers who are lean at the running back position.
Logan Thomas, TE, Commanders (32%)
Thomas was one of three Washington pass catchers to find the end zone in the Commanders' Week 2 loss. He caught three of five targets for 37 yards and was the TE5 in half PPR scoring for the week. As such, he was a popular waiver add with his rostership percentage jumping from 14% to 32%.
Thomas’ 2021 season was marred by injuries, though he was still the TE10 last season on a per-game basis. I've suggested picking him up in multiple waiver articles as I believe he will be valuable on a Commanders team that may find itself in garbage time more frequently than not. Thomas is a nice add for anyone with a banged up tight end (see: George Kittle or Dalton Schultz), or as a backup plan for managers with underperforming tight ends like Kyle Pitts, T.J. Hockenson or Cole Kmet.
