The first few weeks of every new NFL season tends to see at least a handful of unheralded players rise up to become major fantasy football assets. While these players may not be stars just yet, their performances over the first two weeks of the campaign has them well on their way to attaining that status.

After two straight weeks of strong play, it's clear that these aren't fluke outings and are instead the start of a trend that managers cannot ignore. While some of these players are still sitting in their league's free-agent pile, that won't be the case for much longer as many are looking like hot waiver-wire pickups ahead of Week 3.

With that in mind, here are some underrated players who have become fantasy football must-starts following two great games to open 2024.

Roster percentages courtesy of Yahoo! Sports.

Fantasy point, ranking and average draft position (ADP) data courtesy of FantasyPros and uses PPR metrics.

QB Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Baker Mayfield is the top scoring quarterback in fantasy football over the first two weeks of the season. While Mayfield had a relatively strong initial campaign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year, few expected the veteran signal-caller to truly break out as a must-start fantasy weapon in 2024.

The 29-year-old has established himself as the guy in Tampa, leading the Bucs to a 2-0 record in statement fashion. He opened the year with a QB2 performance, eviscerating the Washington Commanders on 24-of-30 passing for 289 yards and four touchdowns. While he came down to earth a bit in Week 2, he still finished as a top-five fantasy QB after completing 12-of-19 throws for 185 yards and a TD while also punching in another score on the ground.

It's some incredible output for a player who had an ADP of just 166.6 this year, meaning Mayfield wasn't even drafted in many formats. Even now, he's still available in over two-thirds of leagues, meaning managers have a realistic chance to hop onto the waiver wire and go claim him before he puts together another scintillating showing against a beatable Denver Broncos defense in Week 3.

Putting a waiver claim in for Mayfield would be a wise move, especially for those who drafted disappointing talents like Caleb Williams or already lost a top quarterback such as Tua Tagovailoa or Jordan Love to injury.

Thanks to the immense receiving talent around him and the fortune to stay within the same scheme for a second consecutive season, Mayfield is finally realizing the vast potential that made him the top overall pick in the 2018 draft. Don't be shocked if he parlays that into a top-five fantasy finish at his position this year.

RB J.K. Dobbins, Los Angeles Chargers

J.K. Dobbins' tenure with the Baltimore Ravens will be remembered as one of the great "what ifs" of recent NFL history. While the 2020 second-round pick flashed immense potential during his first four seasons in the league, he spent most of his time with the organization on the sidelines and wasn't able to emerge as the squad's much-needed lead back.

Dobbins finished a four-year run with the Ravens having averaged an impressive 5.8 yards per carry and scored a respectable 12 touchdowns, but only suited up for 24 of a possible 67 games during that span due to a slew of injuries.

Those health woes may finally be behind Dobbins, whose offseason signing with the Los Angeles Chargers hardly moved the needle at the time but is now looking like one of the best free agent pickups of 2024.

Dobbins has been the perfect fit in new head coach Jim Harbaugh's run-heavy attack. He's not just playing a role within a unit that ranks No. 2 in the league with an eye-popping average of 197.5 yards per game on the ground, but is spearheading that attack as the league's top rusher heading into Week 3.

The 25-year-old has posted back-to-back top-five finishes to open 2024, starting the year with a breakout 10-tote, 135-yard, one-touchdown outing against the Las Vegas Raiders. He followed that up by carrying 17 times for 131 yards and another score against the Carolina Panthers in Week 2.

With an otherworldly 9.9 yards per carry average, Dobbins is the only back to log at least 20 carries this season to average more than six yards per tote. He's also contributing as a pass-catcher, reeling in all four of his targets on the season.

Expect Dobbins to get the ball even more going forward as L.A. looks to grind down opponents and dominate on the ground. He's the only running back ranked in the top-four for rushing yardage who has yet to fumble and has greatly outperformed inefficient backup Gus Edwards (85 yards on 29 carries) despite seeing less volume.

WR Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints look rejuvenated on offense in 2024. While new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak deserves plenty of credit for his scheming and veterans Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara are both having resurgent campaigns, the breakout star of this group is wideout Rashid Shaheed.

Shaheed is off to a blistering start to the year, racking up seven catches for 169 yards and two scores. He's now leading the team in every major receiving category, including seeing more targets (nine) than projected top wideout Chris Olave (eight).

Shaheed is putting up the type of numbers that most expected from Olave, who had an ADP of 25.5 and seemed to be on the verge of entering the upper echelon at his position in Year 3. While he's still a threat that defenses must key in on, Olave's six-catch, 92-yard, zero-touchdown stat line is a relative disappointment in comparison to Shaheed's marks, especially considering New Orleans' No. 2 wideout had an ADP of just 156.5.

While Shaheed wasn't a completely unknown entity heading into 2024, his 46-catch, 719-yard, five-touchdown stat line from last year didn't exactly indicate he'd be capable of this sort of blistering start. He posted just three top-15 finishes across his entire sophomore 2023 campaign but has already opened this season with respective WR15 and WR13 finishes.

Shaheed is accomplishing these impressive stat lines despite lacking real volume. The Saints have dominated in both of their opening games and won by massive margins, meaning they simply haven't needed to chuck up a bunch of passes while playing from behind.

That could change as early as Week 3 when the Philadelphia Eagles visit the Big Easy, a game that may go down as a breakout one for Shaheed.

If the 26-year-old can continue his type of per reception production while seeing far more than the 4.5 targets he's averaged over the first two weeks, Shaheed will be well on his way to fantasy stardom despite still being unrostered in 38 percent of leagues.

WR Alec Pierce, Indianapolis Colts

Alec Pierce was firmly off the fantasy radar heading into 2024. Despite being a second-round pick in 2022, the Indianapolis Colts wideout never seemed to find his footing in the league and underwhelmed during his first two professional campaigns.

Pierce has begun the new season re-writing the narrative surrounding him while emerging as the top receiver in Indianapolis' offense. His red-hot start includes a three-catch, 125-yard, one-touchdown outing in the opener followed by a five-catch, 56-yard, one-score performance in Week 2.

The wideout has already matched his touchdown total from each of the last two seasons while placing as the WR10 in Week 1—the best weekly finish of his entire career—and still ranked as a respectable WR17 in Week 2 despite coming back down to earth a bit.

The 24-year-old is accomplishing this despite working within an offense that doesn't seem to be emphasizing the pass too heavily. Second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson threw just 17 times in a tough loss to the Houston Texans to start the year, and while he doubled that volume this past Sunday, it was necessary due to the Colts playing from behind against a tough Green Bay Packers defense.

Pierce clearly has the support of his quarterback, who has not only targeted him more times (10 targets) than any other Colts player outside of star wideout Michael Pittman Jr., (15 targets), but also wore a t-shirt during pre-game warmups this weekend that prominently featured the third-year wideout.

The battery has established a strong rapport already—their 181 yards and two touchdowns vastly outpace the combined production of both Pittman and No. 3 receiver Ashton Dulin—and that should only continue to grow as Pierce gets more comfortable with his prominent role in Indy's offense.

While Pierce still needs to prove he can perform like a top-20 receiver on a consistent basis, he's now shown enough for fantasy managers to start believing in him and to get him on their roster. Pierce is still available in nearly three-quarters of leagues even after his breakout Week 1 game, although that percentage should drastically shoot up after waivers process in the coming days.

TE Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders

Zach Ertz may be one of the great tight ends of his generation, but the veteran was written off as a fantasy football afterthought in 2024. That's quickly changing as Ertz is now the TE7 after two weeks and just posted his best weekly finish (TE8) since Week 2 of last year.

It's understandable that Ertz' signing with the Washington Commanders this offseason—his third team since the start of the 2021 campaign—went under the radar. Not much was expected from the 33-year-old after he posted a meager 27 catches for 187 yards and one touchdown in seven games before suffering a season-ending injury in 2023. It was especially understandable after the Commanders used a second-round pick on Ben Sinnott in the 2024 draft, a player many expected to have a breakout year.

While Sinnott was a sleeper pick in fantasy drafts, the rookie has yet to record a single professional catch and has logged just 26 offensive snaps over his first two career games. Meanwhile, Ertz has been on the field for 89 offensive plays and established himself as a go-to target for rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who has been leaning on the veteran as a safety valve to start the 2024 campaign.

Ertz opened the year reeling in just three catches for 28 yards, but he showed he can still be a fantasy asset—especially at a position devoid of many reliable ones—in Week 2 with a four-catch, 62-yard performance. He's yet to find pay dirt but, given his playing time and usage through two weeks, it should only be a matter of time before Ertz scores his first touchdown since Week 5 of last year given.

If you missed out on one of the few elite tight ends who came off the board early in the 2024 draft, Ertz is a perfectly viable waiver wire option. Just like he's providing stability to this young Washington squad, he can do the same for fantasy managers desperate for consistent production at the tight end spot. He's still available in over 90 percent of leagues and is well worth a claim for those who have been streaming subpar TE options and want a viable starter to rely on.