Top fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 2

Elijah Mitchell, San Francisco 49ers | RB

Yahoo: 1% owned | ESPN: 0% owned

By Week 5, Trey Sermon will probably be the lead running back, with JaMycal Hasty filling in as the change-of-pace back and Mitchell riding the pine for most of the game. No, not really, but it's hard to rule anything out when you're dealing with a Kyle Shanahan backfield, especially after the player who seemed like the lead back — Raheem Mostert — is out for at least eight weeks.

Mitchell was the one who stepped up in Week 1, finishing with 104 rushing yards and a touchdown, so he's the one that we're going to go with here. That doesn't mean you should drop Trey Sermon — you absolutely shouldn't do so — but a considerable chunk of FAAB on Mitchell might pay off if it means you get the lead running back in this potent attack.

Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles | RB

Yahoo: 8% owned | ESPN: 4%

Gainwell surprised everyone — even optimistic Eagles fans who were intrigued by the rookie's talent — by completely taking Boston Scott out of the game script. He was in for 35% of snaps, while lead back Miles Sanders was in for 66% of them, and Gainwell even got the work during a full two-minute drill at the end of the first half. It was also nice to see him get goal-line work after Sanders did most of the heavy lifting throughout the drive.

If Gainwell can keep up his workload — or even see it increase? — he's definitely worth a roster spot and could even warrant flex consideration in future weeks.

Mark Ingram, Houston Texans | RB

Yahoo: 20% owned | ESPN: 11% owned

Two running backs had 25 or more carries in Week 1. One was Joe Mixon, which isn't all that surprising, seeing as he's a bellcow in Cincinnati so long as he stays healthy. The other was a bit less expected: Ingram, the 31-year-old who joined the Texans this year along with Phillip Lindsay. Both of them joined David Johnson in an old, crowded Houston backfield.

But instead of a somewhat equal split, Ingram completely dominated the touches. Though all three backs found the end zone, you've got to go with the player who had the most opportunities, and though Ingram wasn't all that efficient, he sure got a lot of touches.

For what it's worth, I'd also keep an eye on Lindsay. Should he run with more efficiency going forward, he might be the Texans back to own — if there even is one worth owning as the season moves forward.

James White, New England Patriots | RB

Yahoo: 33% owned | ESPN: 47% owned

Ol' reliable did what he does in Week 1, hauling in six receptions for 49 yards and adding 12 more yards on the ground. It's boring, but those numbers are perfectly usable as a fill-in running back, especially when so many fill-in options have low floors. As one of just eight running backs with seven or more targets this past week, White seems to have the same role for this iteration of the Patriots with Mac Jones at the helm, as he has had in other years with the team.

Pick him up if you don't have a lot of depth at the position or need a safe player to replace Raheem Mostert or -- going back to the preseason -- J.K Dobbins and Gus Edwards.

Nelson Agholor, New England Patriots | WR

Yahoo: 33% owned | ESPN: 30% owned

In what was by no means an easy matchup against the Miami Dolphins, Agholor stepped up and provided Jones with another reliable receiver. Leading the team with 72 receiving yards and a touchdown, Agholor picked up right where he left off after a strong 2020 season and could foreseeably be the Patriots' top pass-catcher on the outside going forward.

Christian Kirk, Arizona Cardinals | WR

Yahoo: 13% owned | ESPN: 4% owned

This feels like an obligatory suggestion, seeing as Kirk hauled in two touchdowns in Week 1, but that doesn't mean we're just going off of past production and not looking toward what he can do in the future. In fact, the future could hold a lot for Kirk, especially if games like this one help his cause as the Cardinals' WR2 behind DeAndre Hopkins. With Kyler Murray looking like a real star as he begins Year 3 in the NFL, picking up his WR2 in a high-powered offense would be a no-brainer.

Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears | TE

Yahoo: 34% owned | ESPN: 22% owned

Kmet dominated the snap count at the tight end position for Chicago, and the offense can only go up from here -- especially if Justin Fields takes over sooner rather than later. That bodes well for Kmet, who had a respectable stat line of five catches for 42 yards on seven targets in Week 1. Seeing as the Rams are an especially stingy defense and the Bears can't possibly have a less exciting passing effort too many more times this year, I like Kmet's chances to be a relatively safe TE option.