So there are a lot of takeaways from Week 1. For starters, there will be overreactions and we have to navigate our way through the field and figure out what players are worth picking up, and which players are not. We have to remember we’re only one week in and fantasy football is a marathon, not a sprint. We don’t want to blow too much FAAB right now but there are a few guys worth paying a little extra for. If you’re 0-1 with the first waiver priority identify a big need for your team and make sure you address it on waiver with the top claim. It’s worth mentioning that some of these FAAB bids are a bit lighter than you may expect and that’s because we only have one week in the books and you’ll want to save your FAAB for later in the season. There are still some great players to pick up. There are ten wide receivers mentioned below, with eight written up in more detail. There’s a fair chance more of them end up back on waivers at some point so be disciplined with your budget. Let’s win Week 2 by starting off by winning the waiver wire!
Quarterbacks
Matthew Stafford DET; FAAB Bid: 6-8% - Stafford should be rostered. He played hurt last year and left people with a bad taste in their mouths, and he won’t be throwing it 45 times in an overtime effort every week. But the 385 passing yards and three touchdowns sure do raise some eyebrows. There are good receiving weapons around him and there will be frustrating games for Stafford, but Sunday showed some upside. He’ll still have to play the Vikings, Bears, and Packers twice. Those defenses all looked respectable in Week 1. Between T.J. Hockenson , Kenny Golladay , Marvin Jones Jr., and Danny Amendola there will be some solid passing performances for Stafford this year.
Josh Allen BUF; FAAB Bid: 6-8% - Josh Allen is still pretty available on waivers and had a decent day for fantasy purposes. There was some concern over how much he would actually run or scramble, and he still rattled off ten rushing attempts yesterday. He only accumulated 38 rushing yards, but he found the end zone with his legs all while throwing for 254 yards and a touchdown with a pair of interceptions. It’s well-documented that he’s not the greatest passer, but he’s good enough with his legs to be a quarterback for a deep league fantasy team.
Andy Dalton CIN; FAAB Bid: 4-5% - Andy Dalton had a career day against the Seattle Seahawks. And he likely doesn’t come anywhere close to repeating his passing numbers, but let’s be honest. The offensive line did okay keeping Dalton upright. The five sacks are not good, but they did enough for Dalton to keep the team in the game. After all they only lost to Seattle on the road by one point. The running game was atrocious for Cincinnati. If the ground game struggles, then it’ll benefit Dalton and lead to more pass attempts. In this case on Sunday, they attempted 51 pass attempts to just 14 rush attempts. Remember, new head coach Zac Taylor comes from the Sean McVay coaching tree so there’s a lot of fantasy upside for Dalton and the passing game, and it’ll get better once A.J. Green returns.
Marcus Mariota TEN; FAAB Bid: 2-3% - Hopefully it doesn’t come to this, but if you’re trying to replace Nick Foles , Mariota is available in a ton of league. Super Mario put up a respectable stat line of 248 passing yards and three touchdowns. However, the big concern is that the Titans ran the ball 28 times compared to just 24 pass attempts. A lot of that is the byproduct of dominating the Browns in many areas of the game. But if any of the above quarterbacks are available, you should look to take a shot on them.
Running Backs
Devin Singletary BUF; FAAB Bid: 15-30% - It seemed like this would take longer to develop, but the Bills hit the ground running this week. Singletary may have only had four carries compared to Frank Gore ’s 11, but he turned those four carries into 70 rushing yards and he also caught five passes for 28 yards. Gore had 20 yards on 11 carries. Womp Womp. Buffalo hopefully feeds him more. They saw what he can do on offense and there’s no question he can contribute. He’s only available in shallow leagues at this point, but if he’s out there and you need running back help, you’ll likely need to pay upwards of 25-30% of your FAAB for him. Singletary was on the field for 48 snaps compared to Gore’s 19. Game script also helped the rookie in Sunday’s game, but the Bills will find themselves in plenty of close contests.
Chris Thompson WSH; FAAB Bid: 10-15% - Chris Thompson is always a viable option in PPR formats and his ownership will spike tremendously after Sunday. Derrius Guice was in line for a ton of work with Adrian Peterson sidelined, but once Guice went down it was all Thompson. Thompson didn’t get much going on the ground, but that’s never been his strength. He led the team with ten targets, catching seven of them for 68 yards. He takes a hit in standard formats where you don’t need to pay as much for him. But he needs to be rostered in all PPR formats. Guice is expected to miss a few weeks and even if Adrian Peterson is active, Thompson should still be involved. The big concern is the severity of Guice’s injury. With said injury you can add the Redskins to the list of teams that could be in on Melvin Gordon if it’s serious.
Malcolm Brown LAR; FAAB Bid: 5-15% - If you’re the Todd Gurley owner, or just some schmuck that needs a flyer at running back, Malcolm Brown needs to be picked up. Todd Gurley saw a much lighter workload than anyone could’ve imagined. A lot of people knew fewer touches were coming. Not many saw it top out at 15. Against the Panthers he had 14 carries and one catch for 101 total yards and zero touchdowns. When the Rams got to the goal line they gave the ball to Brown who scored twice while adding 53 rushing yards on 11 carries. Don’t forget that Darrell Henderson was spotted with a carry at the goal line as well, but he failed to find the end zone. This could be a really bad sign for Gurley if they use him between the 20’s, but not at the goal line in order to preserve his health.
Carlos Hyde HOU; FAAB Bid: 7-8% - Well it’s come to this. Carlos Hyde looked like a competent running back on Monday night against the Saints. The offensive line is still awful and he’ll have some bad games, but Monday’s performance merits a mention in the waiver column. There’s a reasonable path to production for both Hyde and Duke Johnson . Johnson will be featured more in the passing game while Hyde could see about 12 carries per game on average. I’m writing this begrudgingly because I’m not crazy about Hyde’s prospects, but give him credit: he had a good game Monday night.
Giovani Bernard CIN; FAAB Bid: 6-8% - This suggestion makes for a great handcuff if you’re a Joe Mixon owner. Mixon left Sunday’s game against the Seahawks in the first half with an ankle injury, which opened the door for Gio. But even when Gio got the opportunity there wasn’t a ton of work for him. He had just seven carries for 21 yards, but he did have two receptions for 42 yards. The Bengals don’t feel Mixon’s injury is serious, but it’s fairly telling how bad the run game was behind this offensive line. He’s a high priority if you own Mixon, but if you don’t feel great about Bernard then consider one of the following players.
Ronald Jones II TB; FAAB Bid: 5-8% - It’s tough to recommend spending too much FAAB on this guy. Because all reports out of training (both this year and last) have been negative regarding Jones. And with a new head coach in town it was possible that Jones wouldn’t be viewed as one of Arians’ “guys” and he may not get much work. However, Jones out-touched and out-produced Peyton Barber with 75 rushing yards on 13 carries and he caught a pass for 18 yards. He’ll get a lot of hype and attention on waivers this week because of the position that he plays, but let’s try and keep expectations in check. Remember, it’s just Week 1.
Raheem Mostert /Jeff Wilson Jr. SF; FAAB Bid: 3-5% - Mostert might be the priority add over Wilson. Tevin Coleman suffered an ankle injury and the 49ers are not optimistic about it as of right now so expect him to miss a few games. They’ve already announced they’ll be bringing up Jeff Wilson from the practice squad who might be worth a flyer in deeper leagues, but Mostert is almost a must add for Tevin Coleman owners. Mostert totaled 40 yards on nine carries while Breida struggled at times with running the ball for 37 rushing yards on 15 carries and zero catches. Breida also only had ten more snaps than Mostert so there could be a decent amount of work in line for Mostert if he assumes most of Coleman’s workload with only a little going to Breida.
Alexander Mattison MIN; FAAB Bid: 3-5% - If you own Dalvin Cook you’ll likely want to get his backup as a handcuff. Cook had himself a fantastic game with 21 carries for 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns. But Mattison came in for relief and totaled 49 yards on nine carries and came very close to finding the end zone. Dalvin Cook is no stranger to injuries and if he does go down, Mattison will be productive in this offense. The Vikings want to put an emphasis on the running game, which is great to hear. But you’ll want to play it safe with Cook and get Mattison.
Wide Receivers
There are some obvious names at the top of the list you need to key in on. DeSean Jackson and Tyrell Williams saw their ownership spike heading into Week 1. They’re still available in some shallow leagues and you should put in claims for them. Just because they aren’t listed below doesn’t mean they aren’t great waiver adds. They’re just a little more owned than the players listed below, but it needs to be stated that they should be owned.
Jamison Crowder NYJ; FAAB Bid: 10-15% - There isn’t a ton of optimism around the offense in general and wide receivers are always available on waivers. Sam Darnold attempted 41 pass attempts on Sunday and could only muster 175 yards. That’s not great. But what is great is the target share for Jamison Crowder . He saw a STUNNING 17 targets and he caught 14 of them for 99 yards. That’s right, half of Darnold’s completions were to Crowder. That is how you build chemistry and trust.
Terry McLaurin WSH; FAAB Bid: 10-15% - This may surprise some people, but you can throw a little extra money to get McLaurin. Rookie wide receivers don’t have a great history and the Redskins don’t strike you as an explosive offense, but there’s an opening for a WR1 in this offense. DeSean Jackson is gone, Jordan Reed can’t stay healthy, and the team parted ways with Josh Doctson . McLaurin caught five of his seven targets for 125 yards and a touchdown. This might be my personal overreaction after Week 1, but does anyone seriously see Paul Richardson emerging as the top receiver? Trey Quinn is worth an add in deep leagues because he scored as well, but McLaurin looked great on Sunday and could really help out fantasy teams.
Michael Gallup DAL; FAAB Bid: 7-8% - Gallup had a huge game Sunday against the Giants following a very solid training camp. The only reason I’m a little lower on him than McLaurin is because Gallup isn’t the first guy Dak Prescott will look to. Amari Cooper had a nice game and scored and Ezekiel Elliott will get more work in the passing game as well and the Cowboys may not always need to throw on opposing defenses especially if they build a solid lead. He’s still worth picking up if you’re looking for a Flex upgrade in your 12-team leagues.
John Brown BUF; FAAB Bid: 7-8% - Everyone remembers Brown’s big play potential from his days in Arizona. He looked to be a favorite target for Josh Allen on Sunday. Brown caught seven of ten targets for 123 yards and a touchdown and he was on the field for 59 snaps. He and Cole Beasley (a deep league waiver pickup) accounted for over half of Josh Allen ’s targets and Brown has the ability to get by defensive backs for the deep passes from Josh Allen .
Marquise Brown BAL; FAAB Bid: 5-7% - Brown had a massive coming out party on Sunday. He only played 14 snaps, which isn’t a great sign, but he showed how explosive he can be for the Ravens. Expect the 14 snaps to go up a bit, but remember the Ravens are a run-first team and they only threw the ball 20 times. But they were ridiculously efficient and Brown caught four passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns. They don’t have a particularly awful schedule in the immediate future either. They’ve got the Cardinals, Chiefs, and Browns in their next three games. If Willie Snead is still on your waivers you should give him a look as well. He found the end zone as well, but he won’t generate as much buzz because of the explosiveness that Brown displayed.
Courtland Sutton DEN; FAAB Bid: 5% - If Sutton’s available he’s worth grabbing. I’m much lower on him than the guys listed above. At the time of this writing (the start of the second half), Sutton has four receptions for 77 yards on five targets. The game plan basically calls for the Broncos to throw the ball more since they’re currently down two possessions. There’s a lot of skepticism around the Broncos passing game and whether they’ll be able to maintain consistent production. For now, Sutton looks like a favorite of Flacco’s.
John Ross CIN; FAAB Bid: 3-4% - Ross was a beneficiary of the Zac Taylor offense referenced above when discussing Andy Dalton . There will be good weeks and bad weeks for Ross especially once A.J. Green comes back and don’t forget that Tyler Boyd still has a pulse. Ross was still on the field for 63 snaps and was targeted a dozen times. He caught seven passes for 158 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Don’t pay too much for him. Dalton will get Boyd some red zone looks as well, but Ross is fast and can get open. His value is questionable once Green returns. But for now, he’s a cheap addition off waivers. If you miss out, don’t sweat it. Let somebody else pay up for him. The guys listed above are better.
Mecole Hardman KC; FAAB Bid: 3-4% - With the news that Tyreek Hill is going to miss some time there are opportunities in the Kansas City passing game. Don’t go overboard though. Travis Kelce and Sammy Watkins will get a vast majority of the targets, but Patrick Mahomes is a gun slinger and he’ll be sharing some targets with other guys as well. Hardman was taken in the second-round of April’s draft and he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds. Not to mention he was also on the field for 78% of the team’s offensive plays with a majority of those snaps coming once Tyreek Hill left the game.
Deebo Samuel SF; FAAB Bid: 2-3% - You can really insert any available San Francisco wideout that saw more snaps than Dante Pettis yesterday, but Samuel sticks out. He had some hype coming out of training camp as a rookie that could contribute and while the production was minimal on Sunday (three catches for 17 yards), but Samuel was on the field for 60 snaps. Dante Pettis saw a measly two snaps. TWO. That’s horrific especially if you drafted him. Now he was probably a mid-to-late-round pick, but two snaps?! That’s pathetic.
Tight Ends
T.J. Hockenson DET; FAAB Bid: 12-20% - If you absolutely need a tight end then Hockenson is the guy. I mentioned in last Tuesday’s article that he could buck the trend for rookie tight ends and while it’s just one game, Hockenson had six receptions on nine targets for 131 yards and a touchdown. Now you won’t get that kind of production each week, but the targets are great to see. And Stafford still spread the ball around as well. Kenny Golladay got his workload and Danny Amendola got a ton of work as well. Hock will easily be the most trendy tight end addition off waivers this week.
Darren Waller OAK; FAAB Bid: 12-20% - Waller turned in a fantastic outing on Monday night. At the time of this writing the Raiders/Broncos game is in the early fourth quarter, but Waller has caught seven of eight targets for 70 yards. The touchdowns will come for Waller in due time. But he’s been hyped up as a waiver wire addition the past week and there were a lot of questions coming into the game about his production. It seems like he could be a very reliable fantasy tight end as long as he stays healthy.
Mark Andrews BAL; FAAB Bid: 5% - Kudos to the DFS team for including Mark Andrews in the Week 1 playbook because he was a cheap play that paid off big time. Lamar Jackson only attempted 20 passes, but eight of them went to Andrews which is a very telling sign. And Andrews went on to catch all targets for 108 yards and a touchdown. Now the Ravens did play Miami so let’s not overreact too much because they still didn’t throw the ball that much. But the target share for Andrews is worthwhile. The matchups will become more difficult for Baltimore, but even next week they get another appealing matchup against the week defense of Arizona, who just let T.J. Hockenson have a phenomenal game against them.
Vernon Davis WSH; FAAB Bid: 2-3% - With Jordan Reed out for Sunday’s game (shocker), Vernon Davis took the reins and had a very productive game. He caught four of his seven targets for 59 yards and a score. He was actually one of five Washington players that saw at least six targets from Case Keenum . His value will fluctuate depending on the status of Jordan Reed , but this is a tremendous start for the veteran.
Noah Fant DEN; FAAB Bid: 1-2% - Noah Fant DEN; FAAB Bid: 1-2% - This isn’t the sexiest tight end on Waivers this week, but in deep leagues Noah Fant can be had for cheap. Fant and the Broncos had a sluggish performance Monday night as they had posted just two field goals through three quarters at the time of this writing. But through those three quarters Fant was tied for the team lead in targets with five, although he only brought in two for 29 receiving yards. Fant, like T.J. Hockenson, was a first-round draft pick out of Tight End University (Iowa). He was taken just 12 picks after his college teammate. He may not have the upside this year that Hockenson does, but Fant will find his way on to the field. He’s a very good blocker (and actually enjoys it), and once he builds more of a rapport with Flacco he could develop into a reliable target.
Defense/Special Teams
Carolina Panthers – It’s worth mentioning again that you should not be spending any FAAB on D/ST’s. These are D/ST’s with great matchups this week and it starts off with Thursday Night Football and the Carolina Panthers. They didn’t have an outstanding performance against the Rams on Sunday, but they get a fantastic matchup on a short week. TNF games are worth targeting because there isn’t much time to prep for them and typically they’re harder for the teams that have to travel. Jameis Winston and Co. are coming off a horrendous game against the 49ers. Winston had three interceptions and two fumbles, fortunately for him both were recovered by Tampa. Additionally Winston was also sacked three times and showed us that nothing has really changed and he’s still prone to poor decisions. The over/under for this matchup opened at an insane 50.5, which is far too high for Thursday Night Football, but the Panthers are 6.5-point favorites. They’re a very good streaming option this week.
San Francisco 49ers – There is some trepidation with this pick, and after writing up Andy Dalton above, this is somewhat of a hedge. But there are reasons to be excited about San Francisco and they proved me wrong last week. Against the Bucs they forced four turnovers, collected three sacks on Jameis Winston against a weak offensive line, and they held the Bucs to just 295 total yards of offense and 17 points. The Bengals offensive line just allowed Andy Dalton to get sacked five times, which presents some upside for the 49ers and the Bengals couldn’t get the ground game going against Seattle. The 49ers just stymied the Bucs’ run game and will look to do the same to Cincinnati. Garbage time could burn the 49ers if Andy Dalton is allowed to air the ball out more, but that presents some opportunities for turnovers and as we saw on Sunday, the 49ers can make a team pay for those.
Green Bay Packers – This could be another NFC North low scoring game. We actually saw a very good defensive performance out of the Green Bay Packers last Thursday. The game sucked, but the defenses sure didn’t. The Bears have one of the best offensive lines in the league and the Packers still sacked Mitchell Trubisky five times and the Bears totaled just 254 yards of offense. What is nice about the upcoming matchup against Minnesota is that the Vikings clearly do not want Kirk Cousins throwing the ball. In a dominant win against the Falcons on Sunday, the Vikings ran the ball 38 times and threw it just ten times. TEN! If the Packers get out to a nice lead, Minnesota will have to throw more. The difficulty will be the Packers offense against the Minnesota defense. But this is another streamer worth considering as this game could be a low scoring affair.