DFS Army’s Gthom goes over the waiver wire targets for this week. These waiver wire targets are normally available in 50-percent of ESPN leagues.
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Denver Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin (11) celebrates a touchdown Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, during a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
QUARTERBACKS
Daniel Jones (IND) – 21% Rostered
After a 29-point fantasy game in Week 1, Jones solidified himself as fantasy-relevant by finishing with a 22-point fantasy effort against a well-respected Denver defense in Week 2. He threw for 316 passing yards and one touchdown, while rushing six times for two yards and one touchdown.
His next game will be an away contest against the Titans, who have been decent against opposing quarterbacks since last season—allowing 17.4 FPPG to opposing quarterbacks in 2024. The edge here is that Jones can run the football. He has 13 carries in two games and three rushing touchdowns.
Jake Browning (CIN) – 1% Rostered
Joe Burrow has a nasty turf toe injury, and a multi-week absence is being reported. Browning is the backup quarterback and can be inserted right into your starting lineup in 2QB leagues He can serve as a deep-league starter, or be a stash for BYE weeks in most single-QB leagues.
Browning finished with 17.7 fantasy points on 241 passing yards, three interceptions, two passing touchdowns, and added one carry for one rushing yard and one rushing touchdown.
This is no surprise to savvy fantasy managers. Browning averaged 18.8 PPG in 2023, in Weeks 11–18, when he filled in for an injured Joe Burrow. That average would have ranked as QB11 during that stretch.
Michael Penix Jr. (ATL) – 28% Rostered
While it was not the fantasy performance managers would have hoped for, Penix Jr. had a great game by NFL standards. The Falcons got the road win in primetime against a tough Viking defense. Penix and company played with the lead the entire time, which allowed the Falcons to run the ball 39 times—a very high total.
Now, fantasy managers can consider Penix for what he is: a boom-or-bust player who can be started in the right matchups. Remember, Penix has only started five NFL games. In two of those starts, he has scored 24 or more fantasy points, while the other three have been 12.2 points or fewer. In Week 3, he faces the Carolina Panthers, who can be beaten in multiple ways. The risk here is that the Falcons can run the ball at will, but if they do not, Penix could very easily finish the game with 18 or more fantasy points.
Penix can be added as a stream option or a second quarterback for 2QB leagues. Otherwise, he is a stash candidate who leads an offense with extremely good weapons around him.
RUNNING BACKS
Quinshon Judkins (CLE) – 57% Rostered
The man was drafted to be a starter. In his first appearance of the season, he finished with 10 carries for 61 rushing yards and added three receptions for 10 receiving yards.
Even with a “limited” snap count and a bad game script, Judkins still managed to amass 10.1 PPR points.
If this man is on your waivers, you need to be aggressive in getting him, maybe around 25–35 percent of FAAB. I would not classify him as a “league winner,” but you have a plug-and-play RB2 with upside to be an RB1 as the season unfolds. He will continue to split snaps with two other running backs, but Judkins is seen as the “alpha” of this committee.
Bhayshul Tuten (JAC) – 8% Rostered
His teammate, Tank Bigsby, was shipped off to Philadelphia, which made Tuten the clear RB2. He delivered with eight rushing attempts for 42 yards, while adding two receptions for 32 yards and one touchdown.
It will be interesting to see Tuten’s role as the RB2 unfold. He can catch passes and deliver additional value in PPR formats. His 5.3 yards per carry was also impressive.
Treat Tuten as an early-season speculative addition. He has the potential to be an every-week FLEX play as the season unfolds. For now, he is a handcuff to Travis Etienne.
Running Back Handcuffs with Low-End FLEX Usage
- Trey Benson (ARI) – 56% Rostered
- Tyler Allgeier (ATL) – 34% Rostered
- Rachaad White (TB) – 47% Rostered
- Kareem Hunt (KC) – 24% Rostered
- Brian Robinson Jr. (SF) – 51% Rostered
Running Backs to Stash Only
- Kenneth Gainwell (PIT) – 10% Rostered
- Kyle Monangai (CHI) – 2% Rostered
- Woody Marks (HOU) – 8% Rostered
- Jeremey McNichols (WAS) – 1% Rostered
WIDE RECEIVERS
Cedric Tillman (CLE) – 43% Rostered
He continues to deliver fantasy-relevant box scores, and somehow he is still available in 57 percent of ESPN leagues. In Week 2, Tillman finished with two catches for 22 yards and one touchdown on seven targets. For the 2025 season, he has seven receptions, 15 targets, 74 receiving yards and two touchdowns. He is one of four receivers who have two or more touchdowns this season.
The Browns will be trailing a lot, and it may leave the offense on the field in many passing situations. This benefits Tillman’s fantasy stock, but there are other pass catchers who will be featured besides Tillman, which may create volatility week to week. What seems to be clear is that Tillman will be a part of the game plan every week.
Troy Franklin (DEN) – 2% Rostered
Franklin went from a 54 percent snap count in Week 1 to a team-leading 83 percent in Week 2, among receivers. The second-year man out of Oregon seems to have a bond with quarterback Bo Nix, who was also his quarterback in college. Franklin’s respective stat lines through two weeks are four catches for 44 yards on six targets, and eight catches for 89 yards and one touchdown, plus one carry for 11 yards. Those are fantasy-relevant stats that can be cashed in for FLEX production today. If the Denver offense continues to get better, Franklin may turn into a weekly WR2.
Franklin is a FLEX-worthy player managers can add heading into Week 3. He will always be fighting with his teammate Courtland Sutton for targets, especially in the red zone. Franklin’s upside is limited because of this, but he is the top receiver to add this week if players like Cedric Tillman are already rostered.
Wan’Dale Robinson (NYG) – 29% Rostered
Robinson has hung around fantasy circles for a while, and he is doing the same in 2025. He has seen at least eight targets in both of his 2025 games, and he has at least six receptions in each of those games. He reached the end zone in Week 2, finishing with eight catches for 142 yards and one touchdown for 28.2 PPR points.
Robinson is a PPR-only addition for fantasy managers needing help at the receiver position. He likely won’t have any more 20-point fantasy games, but he certainly can finish with double-digit points throughout the season.
Hunter Renfrow (CAR) – 2% Rostered
In Week 1, he saw six targets and turned it into two catches for 11 yards. Then in Week 2, he exploded for seven catches for 48 yards and two touchdowns. This line should not cause managers to drop all of their FAAB in acquiring Renfrow, but it puts him into the sphere of potential fantasy assets. Quarterback Bryce Young clearly needs help with pass catchers, and Renfrow may become his go-to.
Renfrow operates in the same role that Jalen Coker occupied until he landed on injured reserve before the season started. Young loves to throw to slot receivers, and Renfrow may benefit greatly in the short term.
Romeo Doubs (GB) – 20% | Dontayvion Wicks (GB) – 1% Rostered
Either one of these players is now in FLEX consideration as long as teammate Jayden Reed is hurt. Both Doubs and Wicks have stepped into this role before, and Green Bay commands one of the most lethal and efficient offenses in the league. Doubs finished Week 2 with three catches for 28 yards and one touchdown, while Wicks finished with four catches for 44 yards.
Prioritize Doubs, as he has the clearest role in this offense. Wicks can be added too, but there is a reasonable chance he falls behind rookie Matthew Golden or even tight end Tucker Kraft. Both players can be volatile, as the Packers are notorious for rotating their receivers and not having an alpha.
Eric Ayomanor (TEN) – 8% Rostered
Seven targets and six targets in two games put you on the fantasy radar as a WR3/FLEX consideration. Ayomanor is a rookie receiver trying to establish himself within this offense, which is also led by rookie quarterback Cam Ward.
It has been up and down for fantasy, despite a solid target share. In Week 1, he finished with two catches for 13 yards for 3.3 PPR points. He found the end zone in Week 2, finishing with four catches for 56 yards and one touchdown.
Ayomanor has a long way to go to elevate himself to his team’s WR1, and as a fourth-round selection, it is unlikely to happen this season. However, if he continues to see this level of production, he can be a low-end option for managers during the upcoming bye weeks.
Deandre Hopkins (BAL) – 9% Rostered
He has four total catches, and two of them are touchdowns. What could go wrong? While Hopkins likely does not have much to offer fantasy managers, there is a chance he becomes a red-zone threat for the Ravens to utilize. For the season, Hopkins currently has four catches for 99 yards and two touchdowns on four targets, and he continues to make difficult catches in the end zone for his quarterback, Lamar Jackson.
The fantasy floor does not exist, but perhaps Hopkins can carve out a role as a dependable red-zone option in a potent, high-powered offense.
TIGHT ENDS
Juwan Johnson (NO) – 48% Rostered
Johnson comes off back-to-back weeks of 15-plus PPR points. He ended Week 2 with five receptions for 49 yards and one touchdown.
In each start, Johnson has seen at least nine targets, a 24 percent or better target share, and a 93 percent or better route rate. He has also been a consistent feature in the Saints’ red-zone passing attack.
This is the top tight end on waivers, and if you do not get him this week, he will be gone. Be aggressive in acquiring him, as the tight end position can be the hardest position to find consistent fantasy value. Johnson certainly appears to be that.
Harold Fannin Jr. (CLE) – 28% Rostered
Fannin disappointed in Week 2, but he must be on fantasy rosters going forward. Through two games as a rookie, among all tight ends, he has the fifth-most targets and receiving yards. He’s eighth in air yards, ninth in yards after catch, and has two big plays over 20 yards.
This team will be throwing the ball a ton, and that will benefit all Cleveland pass catchers. Fannin does have concerns to overcome. While he is an obvious piece they already gameplan for, he has three other legitimate pass catchers who will demand targets. This may lead to more volatile moments in the near future.
Zach Ertz (WAS) – 50% Rostered
Despite being 34, Ertz continues to cash in for fantasy managers. Through two games, he has had two double-digit outcomes in PPR formats: 11.6 and 18.4. Additionally, he has seen nine receptions, 13 targets, 90 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. The 13th-year pro averaged 10.4 PPR points per game in 2024. Ertz is a reliable option for any fantasy manager looking to fill the tight end position, but don’t expect him to win you a week.
Ja’Tavion Sanders (CAR) – 1% Rostered
A nine-target afternoon is hard to ignore from an athletic, second-year tight end like Sanders. The Panthers will have to throw the ball a ton this season, as their defense continues its best impression of Swiss cheese. Additionally, other pass catchers are just not working out—look up Xavier Legette’s stats this season for a nice chuckle—and you can quickly understand the urgency of getting other pass catchers going.
Sanders finished Week 2 with seven catches for 54 yards on nine targets for 12.4 PPR points. This is an early speculative add that you can leave on your bench for now, but the Panthers drafted Sanders to be a vertical threat at the tight end position.
DEFENSES TO STREAM
- Packers D/ST @ Cleveland Browns
- Buccaneers D/ST vs New York Jets
- Colts D/ST @ Tennessee Titans
- Chiefs D/ST @ New York Giants