Fantasy Football waiver wire Week 2: Add Marcus Mariota, Titans D/ST

The Tennessee Titans have two fantasy football assets you need to add from the waiver wire in Week 2: Marcus Mariota and the Titans D/ST.

If you’re one of the unfortunate owners of Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles or another disappointing QB, or your D/ST simply let you down in Week 1, consider adding Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota and/or the Tennessee Titans D/ST.

Mariota should be available in almost all leagues, while the Titans D/ST is rostered in less than half. Here’s what you need to know about both.

Note: Owned percentages are based on ESPN leagues. 2018 fantasy rankings are courtesy of Fantasy Pros.

Add: Marcus Mariota, QB

Mariota got off to a slow start in Week 1, but really turned it on as the game progressed.

In the second half, Mariota went 6-of-6 for 140 yards and three touchdowns. In total, he finished with 248 yards through the air and the three scores, while also adding 24 yards on the ground. Mariota could have had even more if not for a few missed throws during the game.

The Oregon product earned the fifth-best passer rating (133.3) among all NFL quarterbacks in Week 1.

It isn’t just his raw numbers that have us excited, though. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith gets it, and he showed that by making play-calls that prove he knows how to exploit a defense.

Smith also showed his dedication to giving Derrick Henry the rock (159 total yards and two touchdowns), and Mariota was able to abuse the Browns defense via the play action after Henry got going. Smith already looks like the best OC Mariota has ever had.

On top of that, he has plenty of weapons, like his favorite target, tight end Delanie Walker (five catches for 55 yards and two touchdowns) and rookie wide receiver A.J. Brown, who burst onto the scene in his debut with three catches for 100 yards. The Titans’ group of pass-catchers is even deeper than that, as Mariota hasn’t even utilized Adam Humphries or Corey Davis yet.

It’s time to shed the usual thinking that the Titans’ passing game doesn’t produce in fantasy and start to embrace the fact that Tennessee can throw the football. Mariota is setup for a great season when you also factor in his dual-threat ability.

At worst, Mariota is a streaming option from here on out if you use more than one QB, but he could eventually take command as an every-week starter the rest of the way.

Add: Titans D/ST (Owned: 40.1 %)

The Titans defense was one of the week’s top performers among D/STs. Against a hyped-up and dangerous Browns offense, the Titans made it look easy and turned Baker Mayfield and Co. inside out.

Tennessee’s pass-rush totaled five sacks and a safety, and didn’t even get a sack from arguably its best pass-rusher, outside linebacker Harold Landry. Edge rusher Cameron Wake had 2.5 of those sacks, which are more than Tennessee’s two starting edge rushers had all of last season.

The secondary was also sensational, as it totaled three interceptions, one touchdown and 1.5 of the aforementioned sacks. One of those picks was a 200 IQ play by the best safety in the NFL, Kevin Byard.

A year after the Titans D/ST finished as the No. 11 fantasy unit, Tennessee’s group looks like it can be the No. 1 D/ST this season. While the Titans D/ST was already the No. 3 scoring unit in the NFL last season, there was some question as to whether or not this team could get to the quarterback and create turnovers.

The Titans did both of those things in Week 1. As I see it, the sky’s the limit for what this defense can do in 2019. The Titans D/ST is a must-start every week in all formats from here on out.