Week 2 of the 2017 NFL season is in the books, and while we still have more questions than answers regarding many of the teams and players throughout the league, we're starting to get an idea of how the rest of the season will shake out. The first few weeks of the season can be difficult in Fantasy Football, but we've now seen some surprise players make an impact on the field. If you can snag a few of these players off the Waiver Wire, you could have a solid chance at shooting up the standings of your fantasy league in the coming weeks. As always, most of these players come with some risk, but here are the players available in 50 percent or more of Yahoo leagues who are most likely to help your fantasy team.

Alex Smith, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

I try to stick with only players who are available in at least 50 percent of leagues, but Alex Smith will be an exception because he's barely under the threshold (49 percent) and the waiver-wire quarterback pool isn't offering much this week. It's still early, but Smith has gotten off to perhaps the best start of his career, averaging 309.5 yards and 2.5 touchdowns per game. Those numbers are inflated by a dominant game against a New England Patriots defense that looked terrible in the season opener, but consider that after allowing a 148.6 passer rating to Smith, the Patriots held Drew Brees in check with a modest 99.9 rating.

Smith has long been a rock-solid quarterback, but his fantasy ceiling was limited by an unwillingness to push the ball downfield.

With rookie gunslinger Patrick Mahomes now waiting in the wings, Smith seems to have added more of a downfield dimension to his game to hold off the youngster, and it's returning strong results. He has a diverse set of weapons in running back Kareem Hunt, gadget speedster Tyreek Hill, and imposing target Travis Kelce, and head coach Andy Reid has long had a knack for getting the most out of his signal-callers.

With not much on the waiver wire in the way of quarterbacks, owners looking to upgrade at the position could do worse than Smith.

Jay Cutler, QB, Miami Dolphins

Jay Cutler will probably have some huge busts this year due to his risk-taking style of play, but he already looked comfortable with his new team in a road win against a San Diego Chargers defense that allowed just 21 touchdown passes last season and led the league with 18 interceptions.

Reunited with his former offensive coordinator Adam Gase, who is now the Miami Dolphins' head coach, Cutler has a solid stable of weapons in perimeter threat DeVante Parker, security blanket Jarvis Landry, and running back Jay Ajayi. In addition, the Dolphins just kept top-flight pass-rusher Joey Bosa from sacking Cutler after the 22-year-old notched 1.5 sacks against the Denver Broncos in Week 1.

As mentioned, Cutler is risky, but he is playing in a familiar offense with strong weapons and a pair of first-round offensive tackles (Laremy Tunsil and Ja'Wuan James). He is willing to chuck the ball deep, as evidenced by seven of his 33 pass attempts traveling 20-plus yards downfield, so he should have some big games over the course of the season.

He gets the New York Jets in Week 3 after Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr roasted them for three touchdowns and 8.2 yards per pass attempt in Week 2.

Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks

I spoke last week about how Chris Carson may take the lead in the Seattle Seahawks backfield, and that seemed to come to fruition in the team's Week 2 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers. Carson had 20 carries for 93 yards in that contest, while the only other running back to get a carry was Thomas Rawls, who posted a disastrous four yards on five carries. Carson is now averaging 5.1 yards per carry on the season, while no other Seahawks running back has a YPC above 2.8. Carson is also averaging the most yards per reception among his position group in Seattle at 8.5.

Rawls could be worked in more as he gets in game shape after missing the season opener with an injury, but Carson is the Seattle running back to own at the moment, and he could be a big factor for fantasy teams for the rest of the season.

Darren Sproles, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles have completely shied away from the run game so far this season, ranking 26th in rushing attempts and putting the ball in the hands of impressive young quarterback Carson Wentz. LeGarrette Blount contributes very little in the passing game, and Wendell Smallwood hasn't shown an ability to produce, leaving Darren Sproles as the top fantasy option in the Eagles backfield.

Sproles, still electrifying at the age of 34, now has 12 rushing attempts and 12 targets (seven receptions) through two games.

If he can post double-digit touches per game, which it looks like he might be able to do going forward, he could return value in PPR leagues—just don't expect much of a ceiling.

Rashard Higgins, WR, Cleveland Browns

Top receiver Corey Coleman is on injured reserve after breaking his hand for the second consecutive season, and Kenny Britt has looked terrible through two games with his new team. That may leave the Cleveland Browns with Rashard Higgins as their top option in the passing game.

"Hollywood" Higgins was a prolific pass-catcher at Colorado State, racking up 238 receptions for 3,648 yards and 31 touchdowns during his three seasons there, and he was impressive in Week 2 with seven receptions for 95 yards on 11 targets.

Higgins is risky after being signed off the practice squad just a few days ago, but there is a ton of opportunity for him on a team that has scarce pass-catching talent and will likely find itself trailing often this season.

J.J. Nelson, WR, Arizona Cardinals

John Brown is a sensational talent for the Arizona Cardinals, but his recent injury woes have been as troublesome as those of any player in the league, and he is expected to miss Week 3 with a quad injury. That creates a great opportunity for J.J. Nelson opposite the great Larry Fitzgerald. Nelson took full advantage of that opportunity when Brown missed the Week 2 game against the Indianapolis Colts, snagging five balls for 120 yards and a touchdown.

He also narrowly missed a second score, barely failing to get both feet inbounds.

Nelson had just seven targets in Week 2, but if Brown continues to miss time, Nelson's target rate should go up, especially with star running back David Johnson (wrist) out for the foreseeable future. It looks like Nelson has the talent to cash in on his increased looks.

Danny Amendola, WR, New England Patriots

We don't want to fall too hard for the Danny Amendola hype—after all, he has averaged just 42.3 catches for 431 yards and 2.5 touchdowns per full season since signing with the New England Patriots in 2013. But Amendola did show some impressive receiving skills in Week 1 with six receptions for 100 yards on just seven targets.

Of course, health is always the concern with Amendola, who seems to be the only player in the league who manages to pick up multiple injuries at once (he missed Week 2 with a concussion and a knee issue).

That being said, Amendola is looking at a great opportunity whenever he returns. Quarterback Tom Brady is missing one of his favorite receivers in Julian Edelman (knee, out for season), and he has yet to click with new weapon Brandin Cooks (five catches for 125 yards and no touchdowns on 11 targets through two games). Brady seems to trust Amendola, so the injury-prone pass-catcher could put up more lines like the one he posted in Week 1 if he can get back on the field.

Ben Watson, TE, Baltimore Ravens

All-but-retired tight end Dennis Pitta was targeted 121 times in the Baltimore Ravens offense last season, and those targets will have to go to someone else with Pitta now off the squad. Ben Watson was the guy in Week 2, seeing eight targets from quarterback Joe Flacco and catching all of them for 91 yards. Athletically limited but generally reliable, Watson should continue to get looks for an offense that wants to make safe throws and lean on its defense rather than look for explosive plays in the passing game.

Evan Engram, TE, New York Giants

Evan Engram is fits the mold of a modern tight end: He's essentially a big wide receiver who lines up inline with some frequency.

The rookie has looked pretty good in his first two NFL games, catching eight-of-12 targets for 93 yards and a touchdown. The New York Giants passing game is a mess in large part due to miserable offensive-line play, but that could actually benefit a player like Engram in the box score—with little time to throw, quarterback Eli Manning may start to frequently look for a big, sure-handed target on short routes over the middle. At just 23 years old and with only two NFL games under his belt, Engram obviously has the potential to make significant improvements over the course of the season.

Jared Cook, TE, Oakland Raiders

He has just nine catches for 81 yards and no touchdowns through two games, but Jared Cook has been involved heavily on a per-pass-play basis, seeing targets on 11 of Derek Carr's 60 pass attempts so far this season.

The Oakland Raiders have been somewhat run-centric to this point (they rank 12th in rushing attempts and 23rd in passing attempts), but with question marks on the defense and a superstar quarterback behind center, they are likely to end up among the league leaders in passing offense. An impressive athlete with a great quarterback throwing him the ball, Cook could end up with some strong numbers in games in which the Raiders have to pass the ball more.

Philadelphia Eagles defense

Though they rank 20th in points allowed, the Philadelphia Eagles also rank 12th in yards allowed and fifth in takeaways so far this season. They have talent at every level of the defense, especially on the defensive line. The Eagles pass rush is likely to destroy Ereck Flowers and the New York Giants' pathetic offensive line in Week 3, making the Eagles a great defense to stream and a possible every-week starting option.

Green Bay Packers defense

The Green Bay Packers were just bullied on national television by the Atlanta Falcons, but the Falcons boast an elite offense. The Cincinnati Bengals have failed to score a touchdown in two home games this season and will head to Lambeau Field to face the Packers in Week 3. The Packers beat up on the Seattle Seahawks' struggling offense at Lambeau in Week 1, and they'll do the same to the struggling Bengals this weekend.
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