Patriots WR Julian Edelman kicks off Fantasy Knuckleheads' new individual Week 2 Waiver Wire pieces for the new season. We'll still include a full waiver wire list, like you saw on my Week Two Waiver Wire piece from Monday. But with these guys, they are the crème de la crème. The guys you should be looking at more than the other guys I listed Monday and Tuesday.
So lets start off with Tom Brady's old reliable receiver Edelman. Looking at the old receiving corps from 2012 and the new corps going into the regular season for Week One, does it really surprise anyone that Edelman caught 7 passes for 79 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Bills? Brady has to have faith in someone outside of Danny Amendola. Kenbrell Thompkins certainly didn't do that after catching 4 out of 14 targets. No that's not a typo. Thompkins, the darling of the preseason, is going to have to improve vastly from that low percentage or he'll be phased out completely. TE Zach Sudfeld, who we had ranked rather high, put up a goose egg and also suffered a hamstring injury.
It should also be known that Edelman played a good deal of snaps. 83-of-94 offensive snaps to be exact, according to ESPN Boston. This shows me he will continue to be a big part of the offense going forward because he's the most trusted. For now at least.
IN CONCLUSION
I listed a lot of receivers on my Week 2 Waiver Wire list, but Edelman should be one of the first free agents on your list if you have a guy who either didn't pan out, or didn't even start. Is Ryan Broyles ever going to get on the field? Because of a groin injury, big surprise, Edelman rotated with Amendola in two-receiver sets. But he was on the field in all three-receiver formations. As the primary slot guy, the role Wes Welker had in all those high-reception years, Edelman could wind up making a name for himself as one of the more consistent WR3 options going forward. With so many new guys on the field, Brady will need a familiar face. Edelman provides that stability heading into Week 2 against the Jets.