in the NFL the Mantra next man up rings true and this principle applies to fantasy football leagues as well while you might have built your team during the preseason draft it's the Strategic moves you make throughout the season that will ultimately determine your playoff fate each week we'll help you identify players available in over 50% of ESPN leagues whose stock has risen making them worthy additions to your roster either as starters or valuable bench stashes this week a major development affects the Los Angeles Rams wide receiver pukan nakua suffered a knee injury in the first half of Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions and has been placed on IR due to a sprained PCL nacua who set rookie records with 105 receptions and 1,486 receiving yards last season will be sidelined for at least four games with his earliest return possible in week seven due to the Rams Buy in week 6. I enlight of ncua's absence consider the following players for your waiver wire asterisk asterisk Tyler Johnson as RIS asterisk unrusted in ESPN leagues and Demarcus Robinson 14.8% rostered stepped up in ncua's absence Johnson recorded seven targets and 12.9 fantasy points while Robinson managed seven targets and 8.2 points given Robinson's higher snap count and Route involvement he's a more promising waiver claim last season he averaged 6.8 targets and 63.8 yard per game making him a solid Flex option against the Arizona Cardinals asterisk asterisk Rashid Shahed asterisk asterisk 42% rostered from the New Orleans Saints saw an uptick in targets with Michael Thomas out Shahed made the most of his opportunities catching three of five targets for 16.3 fantasy points known for his deep threat ability Shahed is worth adding despite facing a tough Dallas Cowboys defense in week two asterisk asterisk Brandon Cooks asterisk asterisk 29.7% rostered of the Dallas Cowboys had a strong weak one with seven targets and 14.5 fantasy points despite the Challenge from the Saints marsan Latimore Cooks remains a viable option if you're looking to strengthen your receiving core asterisk asterisk Wale Robinson asterisk asterisk 6.8% rostered led the Giants with 12 Targets in week one he's a key player for Daniel Jones and with the Washington Commander secondary struggling Robinson is worth considering for deeper leagues asterisk asteris Greg dorch asterisk asterisk 1.6% rostered from the Arizona Cardinals had a solid performance with six ctions for 47 yards but his limited usage in 3wr sets might restrict his impact he's a better fit for deeper leagues asterisk asterisk Alec Pierce asterisk asterisk 0.5% rostered of the Indianapolis Colts had a standout game with 21.5 fantasy points though his limited targets may affect consistency he's a stash in deeper leagues asterisk asterisk Devon V asterisk asterisk 0.1% rostered with the Denver Broncos showed chemistry with rookie QB Bon Knicks catching all eight targets for 11.9 fantasy points he's worth considering for deeper leagues for quarterbacks Baker Mayfield 34% rostered is a top B after a strong Week 1 performance while Matthew Stafford 35.8% rostered remains a solid option despite pukan akua's injury other notable players include Justin Fields 11.1% rostered Derek Carr 4.4% rostered and Sam darnold 4.2% rostered each with varying degrees of potential based on recent perform performances for running backs Jordan Mason 23.7% rostered and Bucky Irving asterisk asterisk 20.7% rostered are worth stashing especially with Christian mcaffrey and Racket White's injury concerns Jaylen Wright 22.4% rostered is a strong bench stash if the Dolphins running backs are limited. in the tight end Department Isaiah likeley 99.8% rostered should be a priority at after his involvement in Baltimore's passing game while Colby Parkinson 1.5 5% rostered is a solid fallback option with Tyler Higg out these insights should help you navigate your waiver wire and strengthen your fantasy football roster as the season progresses