Dynasty Waivers of the Future: Week 2

My colleague Jeff Blaylock and I gaze into our crystal footballs each week to find players who may become popular waiver targets in the future so that you can pick them up now for next to nothing. We'll start with our priorities, then gaze deeper for lightly rostered gems who have been largely overlooked by dynasty managers so far. We'll indicate the percentage of Sleeper dynasty leagues rostering each player we discuss.

Accountability Corner: Notes on Last Week's Calls

Blaylock: Last week, I mentioned Olamide Zaccheaus as a priority pickup. Against the Vikings on Monday night, he finished second on the Bears in targets, catching four for 42 yards. Luther Burden III, who many presumed would be the primary slot receiver, was targeted once. Hopefully, you picked Zacchaeus up last week, because he will likely cost more this week.

Fahlsing: I'm headed down to the Bayou to see how much of a difference the new wide receivers in New Orleans made, and, well, this call will require some patience. I noted last week that after trading for Devaughn Vele, the Saints also added Trey Palmer to the 53-man roster through waivers. I thought there could be room for one to emerge, and while I preferred Palmer, Blaylock liked Vele. Neither one set the world on fire. Palmer didn't play, and Vele saw just 14 snaps, two targets, and one catch. The Saints aren't going to be very good, though, so keep an eye on these two players if you're looking for some young lottery ticket wide receivers. Be patient.

Dynasty Waiver Priority Pickups

Even the deepest rosters don't have unlimited bench space. If you have room for just one player, then one of these options might be your best bet. They either have potentially immediate roles in their respective offenses, or they have clear paths to fantasy-relevant work if a regular starter were to miss time.

WR Tyquan Thornton, Kansas City Chiefs (27% rostered)

Fahlsing: Jeff, you were on him for week one, but he didn't make the cut for the final column. Allow me to fix that for us in week two. Thornton was rostered in 25% of leagues at this time last week, and he's only jumped to 27% as we sit here on Tuesday morning. I expect that number to jump again by the time the dust settles on initial waiver wire runs tomorrow, so he's my priority pickup for the week. With Rashee Rice suspended and Xavier Worthy knocked out of the game early, Thornton was given a chance to step up. He found himself in on 42 snaps and ran a route on 31 of those. He was only targeted four times, but he caught two of those targets for 41 yards. Thornton was already going to get a chance to fill the speed role that Justin Watson played for the Chiefs the past few years, but now he finds himself with a chance to spend a few weeks as one of Patrick Mahomes II's main targets. Thornton brings speed to the table. He accounted for the fastest individual speed of week one, hitting 21.48 miles per hour on a kick return, and also hit 19.88 miles per hour on his longest reception of the day, good for the 19th fastest speed of the week. He can get loose, he plays with a quarterback who can find him and deliver the ball when he does, and he should have increased opportunities while Worthy works through his injury and the Chiefs await the return of Rice.

Blaylock: Good call, Josh. I like Thornton and will continue to like him, right until the moment the Chiefs trade for Tyreek Hill.

Fahlsing: Well, that's just mean.

Blaylock: I've got another preseason riser as my priority pickup for this week, who also could have been part of our initial set of picks.

WR Xavier Hutchinson, Houston Texans (16% Rostered)

Blaylock: If you follow our team's excellent preseason reports, then you know Hutchinson's ascendancy in the Texans' offense was “the surprise of training camp.” He appeared to have vaulted over rookies Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel. That pecking order persisted on Sunday, with Hutchinson playing nearly as many snaps (43) as Higgins and Noel combined (44), and he ran the second-most routes on the team behind Nico Collins.

Christian Kirk's hamstring injury, which kept him out of Sunday's game and may continue to do so, does not appear to explain Hutchinson's usage because he lined up outside nearly 80 percent of the time. Kirk is primarily a slot receiver. This suggests that Hutchinson may have staying power after Kirk returns to the lineup. If so, Hutchinson becomes a potential flex play for bye weeks and as an injury replacement this year. His growing connection with C.J. Stroud, who was part of the same rookie class, could keep Hutchinson on the edge of fantasy relevancy for several seasons. Right now, he'd be a reasonably inexpensive waiver-wire add, but another week or two of high snap counts could increase interest in him.

Fahlsing: That one doesn't make me happy, Jeff. Not because I dislike Hutchinson, but because, wow, do I have plenty of shares of Higgins and Noel. If you're counting on them like I am, the time might be right to listen to Jeff and add Mr. Hutchinson. As long as we're discussing guys we almost included last week, let me move on to a running back I wanted to talk about last week but left off the list.

Deep Darts