Doing your weekly waivers in fantasy football can be more stressful than performing life-saving surgery on a loved one without any professional tools or medical knowledge. While that might be a slight exaggeration, deciding which players to add off the waiver wire each week can be stressful.
Finding and adding the right guys in shallow leagues is simple, as there are plenty of appealing options, and the waiver wire is full of talent. Unfortunately, making your waiver wire claims in deeper leagues can be a massive pain in the neck.
However, I’m here to help by giving fantasy players seven waiver wire targets they should add in deeper leagues in Week 2.
Deep League Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets
All the players in this article are rostered in under 25% of ESPN leagues.
Michael Penix Jr. (QB – ATL): 20.1% Rostered
Penix was a sneaky starting option in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Despite not having Darnell Mooney and losing Drake London in the fourth quarter to a shoulder injury, the former Washington star completed 64.3% of his 42 pass attempts for 298 yards and a touchdown. More importantly, the second-year pro used his legs, totaling six rushing attempts for 21 yards and a touchdown, making plays at the most critical parts of the game.
While Penix finished with 24 fantasy points in the loss to the Buccaneers, fantasy players should be more encouraged by his play late in the game. Despite missing his top two wide receivers, the former Washington star marched the Falcons downfield, giving Younghoe Koo a chance at a game-tying field goal. More importantly, Penix has several appealing matchups over the next several weeks, including against the Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders, and Miami Dolphins.
Jaxson Dart (QB – NYG): 4.5% Rostered
Many expected Dart to spend his rookie season as the Giants’ No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart, not seeing the field until the end of the year. However, the former Ole Miss star beat out Jameis Winston for the backup role in the preseason, making him active for Week 1. While Dart didn’t see the field on Sunday, Russell Wilson struggled, completing 45.9% of his 37 pass attempts for 168 yards, zero touchdowns, and 11.1 fantasy points.
Furthermore, Wilson repeatedly failed to connect with Malik Nabers. The superstar wide receiver only caught five of his 12 targets (41.7%). More importantly, head coach Brian Daboll wouldn’t commit to Wilson starting next week. While Dart likely won’t be a fantasy star as a rookie, he would provide more value than Wilson when he takes over under center. The former Ole Miss star averaged 12 fantasy points per game and 0.77 fantasy points per attempt in the preseason.
Kenneth Gainwell (RB – PIT): 1.9% Rostered
Finding running backs off the waiver wire is difficult in standard-size leagues, so finding appealing options in deeper leagues is nearly impossible. However, Gainwell had a meaningful role for the Steelers in their Week 1 win over the New York Jets. The veteran had seven rushing attempts for 19 yards and three receptions for four receiving yards, scoring 5.3 PPR fantasy points. While Jaylen Warren had more touches in the game, Gainwell played over half the snaps.
The veteran running back played 52% of the snaps in Week 1, including all but one of the 10 third-down snaps. Meanwhile, Warren was the team’s guy in scoring position, playing 46% of the snaps, including all three inside the five-yard line. Unfortunately, Kaleb Johnson only played 4% of the snaps and had one rushing attempt for negative yards. Until the rookie earns more of a role on offense, Gainwell should continue to see meaningful playing time.
Quentin Johnston (WR – LAC): 3.6% Rostered
Yes, Johnston still has issues catching the ball sometimes. However, the former TCU star had one of the best games of his career on Friday night. He was the Chargers’ highest-scoring wide receiver, totaling 24.9 PPR fantasy points against the Kansas City Chiefs. Johnston caught five of his seven targets for 79 receiving yards and two touchdowns, leading the team in yards and scores. More importantly, he was part of a three-headed attack.
Los Angeles threw the ball 34 times in Week 1. By comparison, Justin Herbert averaged 29.7 pass attempts per game in 2024. Keenan Allen (10), Ladd McConkey (nine), and Johnston (seven) were the only Chargers with more than two targets against the Chiefs. More importantly, he had only one fewer first-read target (six) than McConkey (seven) and Allen (seven), per Fantasy Points Data. Johnston will have weekly high-upside flex value if Herbert keeps throwing 30-plus times a game.
JuJu Smith-Schuster (WR – KC): 0.9% Rostered
Unfortunately, the Chiefs can’t face the Los Angeles Chargers early in the season without seeing one of their star wide receivers leave with an injury inflicted by a teammate. Last year, Rashee Rice had a season-ending knee injury when Patrick Mahomes hit him trying to make a tackle. Meanwhile, Xavier Worthy suffered a dislocated shoulder injury when Travis Kelce ran into him on Friday night. Hopefully, Worthy’s injury isn’t significant. However, he will likely miss some time.
Therefore, Marquise Brown (50% rostered) and Smith-Schuster will have to pick up the slack with Worthy out and Rice suspended. While Brown led the team with 16 targets in Week 1, Smith-Schuster finished second with five. He caught all five for 55 receiving yards and 10.5 PPR fantasy points. While Brown is the better option, fantasy players in deeper leagues who need a replacement for Worthy should make Smith-Schuster their top priority off the waiver wire.
Harold Fannin Jr. (TE – CLE): 0.8% Rostered
Fannin was one of my favorite picks in dynasty rookie drafts. However, I thought he would have little value in 2025 with David Njoku on the roster. Yet, the former Bowling Green star stole the show in Week 1. Fannin had seven receptions on nine targets for 63 receiving yards and 13.6 PPR fantasy points. By comparison, Njoku finished with three receptions on six targets for 37 receiving yards and 6.7 fantasy points, seeing fewer targets than Dylan Sampson (eight).
More importantly, Fannin’s nine targets led the Browns in Week 1. However, it wasn’t in garbage time, as Cleveland nearly won the game. While Quinshon Judkins could make his NFL debut next week, don’t expect that to keep Joe Flacco from ranking among the league leaders in pass attempts. Furthermore, Njoku is in the final year of his contract. Cleveland could move him before the trade deadline, opening up more work for the rookie tight end.
Jake Tonges (TE – SF): 0.0% Rostered
Raise your hand if you knew that Tonges was on the 49ers roster 48 hours ago. Now put your hand down because clearly you’re lying. Unfortunately, George Kittle left Sunday’s win over the Seattle Seahawks with a hamstring injury. Furthermore, Jauan Jennings suffered a shoulder injury in Week 1. Therefore, Monday will be a massive day for San Francisco, as both veterans will have MRIs to determine the extent of their injuries.
While Ricky Pearsall was the star of the 49ers’ passing attack, Tonges stepped up late in the game, making two massive catches. The unknown tight end had three targets on Sunday. However, he pulled in all three targets for 15 receiving yards and a game-winning touchdown with under two minutes left in the contest. More importantly, Brock Purdy showed faith in Tonges on the game-winning touchdown. He could have fantasy value if Kittle and Jennings miss significant time.
BROCK PURDY. JAKE TONGES. @49ERS LEAD!
SFvsSEA on FOXhttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/CA4vq52rKd
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.