Fantasy football waiver wire for Week 2: Pick up Elijah Mitchell and Jameis Winston

Don’t beat yourself up too much if you left points on the bench.

Conversely, don’t pat yourself on the back too hard if you made a great call.

It’s all about to change as a new cast of players breaks out in Week 2. That just goes with the territory this early in the fantasy football season.

Nevertheless, we all have started the rush to the waiver wire looking to ride the hot hand or land players who could take advantage of injuries.

Unfortunately, some candidates, such as New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marquez Callaway and Baltimore Ravens running back Ty’Son Williams, already have been claimed in most leagues, so they won’t be featured here.

For other players who flashed in Week 1, look deep into their situations before spending a waiver-wire pick on them.

For example, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Trent Sherfield scored while Brandon Aiyuk was a virtual no-show, but there’s an explanation.

“Aiyuk’s only been back for a week after he tweaked his hamstring. We wanted to be smart with that,” coach Kyle Shanahan said via the Bay Area News Group.

Week 2 is about prioritizing the free agents who are in high demand versus prospects for whom you can afford to wait a week or two to see how their situations pan out.

Here are the top 10 pickups for Week 2.

Elijah Mitchell, RB, San Francisco 49ers

Leave it to Coach Shanahanigans to zig after watching us all zag.

We accepted there would be a timeshare between Raheem Mostert and Trey Sermon, but Mostert left with a knee injury after two carries and Shanahan scratched Sermon.

Insert Mitchell, whom the 49ers drafted three rounds after Sermon.

The rookie put up 104 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, and Mostert will miss the rest of the season with chipped cartilage in his knee, according to reports.

“I thought he did a real good job,” Shanahan said about Mitchell via the Bay Area News Group. “It’s what we expected him to do, but it’s always tough in your first game. He went in there and didn’t hesitate.”

Niners coaches suggested Mitchell outperformed Sermon in training camp.

“You want to put them out there with their teammates when they’re ready,” offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel said. “So every day we’re evaluating Trey.”

But don’t expect this expect this pecking order to stand forever — nothing ever does with Shanahan.

“We rotate everybody — the ones, twos and threes — throughout camp. Nothing is ever firm, to tell you the truth,” Shanahan said.

Meanwhile, JaMycal Hasty vultured a score on his lone carry. That will happen if you deal with the 49ers.

The good news is their running game tends to be matchup-proof, so feel free to start Mitchell against the Philadelphia Eagles. Just be warned he might have less appeal in PPR leagues.

Jameis Winston, QB, New Orleans Saints

Drew Brees, commenting during NBC’s “Football Night in America” on a replay of Winston’s 55-yard touchdown bomb to Deonte Harris, had to poke fun at himself.

“I guess apparently this is what the Saints have been missing over those last couple of years,” Brees said.

Maybe Brees, who acted as Winston’s mentor before he retired after last season, and coach Sean Payton were what Winston was missing during all those turbulent years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

I mean, who throws five touchdown passes in just 14 completions?

Obviously you can’t expect Winston (or any quarterback) to be that efficient every week — and certainly not against the New England Patriots in Week 2 — but this represents a 180-degree turn for a player who had to fling it all over the field to reach those kinds of numbers with the Bucs — interceptions be damned.

“Drew always preached it’s about the decision, not the result,” Winston said, according to the Times-Picayune.

Winston is rostered in just 26% of ESPN leagues.

Sterling Shepard, WR, New York Giants

Last year we had to wait until the last game of an injury-marred season to see Shepard’s first 100-yard performance, which included just his third touchdown. And that outing came against the hapless Dallas Cowboys defense.

Shepard wasted no time busting out in Week 1 with seven catches for 113 yards and a score against a formidable Denver Broncos defense. Maybe he benefited from Kenny Golladay drawing coverage, or perhaps it was just his turn among a good crop of receivers.

In any event, Shepard is rostered in 39% of Yahoo leagues and 25% on ESPN.

Mark Ingram, RB, Houston Texans

If this backfield committee isn’t settled, it certainly has tipped in Ingram’s favor. He had 26 carries compared with a combined 11 between Phillip Lindsay and David Johnson. Johnson got the edge in the passing game.

Ingram compiled 85 yards and a touchdown but averaged only 3.3 yards and had no catches and one target.

Even if the Texans are supposed to be the league’s worst team on paper, someone has to produce yards and score. And there are no young players waiting in the wings to eventually steal touches, just other journeymen like Ingram.

Just be judicious about starting him against teams such as this week’s opponent, the Cleveland Browns, who allowed the seventh-fewest points to running backs last season (Yahoo format).

Nelson Agholor, WR, New England Patriots

You have to give it up to Agholor. He’s treated like week-old leftovers by fantasy and real-life general managers alike, but he continues to come through.

New England is the latest landing spot, and in his debut Agholor outplayed Jakobi Meyers with 72 yards and a touchdown on two fewer targets.

Latavius Murray, RB, Baltimore Ravens

After the Ravens lost J.K. Dobbins, Justice Hill and Gus Edwards to season-ending injuries, they signed Le’Veon Bell, Devonta Freeman and Murray to join Ty’Son Williams.

If this were 2017, that would be quite the haul.

Who knows how this shakes out in the long term, but one thing we know about Murray is he’s one of the best there is in the red zone. He has 35 total scores inside 20 yards and 31 inside 10.

Christian Kirk, WR, Arizona Cardinals

Just when the fantasy world had given up on Kirk, he goes and puts up two scores in Week 1.

Perhaps A.J. Green’s arrival was viewed prematurely as a vote of no confidence in Kirk, or maybe it was a kick in the pants.

Still, it’s one week and Kirk has had “breakout” games before.

Quintez Cephus, WR, Detroit Lions

You could look at the bright side and point out that Cephus got seven targets and punched one into the end zone. You also could look at the negative: His quarterback, Jared Goff, is the bane of fantasy owners, and their three hookups yielded just 12 yards.

If you have the room to stash him, Cephus might pay long-term dividends.

Tyrell Williams is in concussion protocol, and none of the downfield threats outside of tight end T.J. Hockenson has distinguished himself.

Zach Pascal, WR, Indianapolis Colts

It was an abysmal day all around for the Horseshoes, but Pascal made the most of it. While he put up only 43 yards, he had the most targets (five) among the wide receivers and tight ends and turned two into scores.

With T.Y. Hilton on the shelf, Pascal’s chief competition for attention — other than a great stable of pass-catching running backs — is Michael Pittman Jr.

Tevin Coleman, RB, New York Jets

I know Coleman belongs on this list, but I don’t have to feel good about it.

The Jets backfield already is taking cues from its 49ers progenitor, with Ty Johnson and Michael Carter getting significant touches too and bogging things down in committee.

But in Week 1, Coleman got the most carries and could see first crack from the goal line.