With Week 1 under wraps, the fantasy football community is in full tilt. Desperate to collect the pieces of their teams, fantasy players are heading to the waiver wire. We witnessed some standout games for sure. Those buried on their depth chart also stepped up due to injury. However the results came, it’s our job to bolster our team’s depth with the guys who made it happen. Today, we will be looking at a few players from each position that, if available, should be picked up from your waiver wire. All roster percentages are courtesy of ESPN Fantasy Football.
Quarterbacks
Jameis Winston NO (26.1% Rostered) – With an outstanding five touchdown performance, Jameis Winston should be a priority pick up for those streaming the position. He faces a bottom half Carolina Panthers defense in week two.
Jared Goff DET (5.6% Rostered) – After putting up 338 yards and three touchdowns against the 49ers, look for another sneaky performance from Jared Goff against the rival Packers. The aforementioned Jameis Winston was able to throw five touchdowns against Green Bay, entailing their secondary is just as bad as ever. If in need, do not be afraid to pick up Goff for a potential shootout.
Teddy Bridgewater DEN (4.7% Rostered) – Although not known for throwing many touchdowns, Teddy Bridgewater nickel and dimed a previously underrated New York Giants secondary. With his next match-up being in Jacksonville, look for Teddy B to show out once again in week two.
Running Backs
Elijah Mitchell SF (1.9% Rostered) – Raheem Mostert is out for at least eight weeks with a knee injury. Rookie Trey Sermon was a healthy scratch. Meanwhile Elijah Mitchell was able to put up 104 yards and one TD on 19 touches. Do not expect another huge workload with Sermon and Co. being available in week two, but Mitchell earned his time and is a must add going forward. Use your priority or use 20% of your FAAB to get him.
Mark Ingram HOU (11% Rostered) – It’s tough to say who is going to get the work every week in Houston, but Mark Ingram seems to be the likely candidate with 26 carries and a score in week one. He led the running back room with 35 snaps over David Johnson’s 22. Even with a scary week two match-up against Cleveland, I am willing to spend 10-15% of my FAAB or a mid-level waiver pick to stash Ingram for season-long match-up plays.
Kenny Gainwell PHI (3.5% Rostered) – Kenneth Gainwell is the 5th round pass-catching rookie running back who scored in his NFL debut. He played a third of the snaps and is only going to see more work going forward. As the primary pass-catcher out of the backfield, Gainwell is worth a stash in PPR leagues. About 10% of your FAAB is necessary or a mid-level waiver priority should be used.
Wide Receivers
Christian Kirk ARI (3.6% Rostered) – Though playing almost half the snaps of AJ Green, Christian Kirk saw just one less target than him. With a 100% catch rate and two touchdowns, Kirk is a sneaky flex play in a good match-up. This high powered offense will put up points weekly. Spend about 5% of your FAAB or see if he is available after the waivers process and grab him as a free agent.
Nelson Agholor NE (29.8% Rostered) – Although not the most targeted receiver this week, Nelson Agholor put up 72 yards and a score. Mac Jones looked to his receivers all game and with a match-up against the Jets in week two I am all for throwing Agholor in your flex. 5-7% of your FAAB or look for free agency on Wednesday as well.
Tim Patrick DEN (0.6% Rostered) – With Jerry Jeudy going down with an ankle injury, Tim Patrick was immediately entrusted with the WR2 role. He caught all four of his targets for 39 yards and a score. Patrick was immediately utilized and is worthy of a pickup. With match-ups against the Jaguars followed by the Jets I am plugging Patrick into my flex in fantasy football leagues. Jeudy’s injury is going to keep him out 4-6 weeks. So spend 5-10% of your FAAB or a waiver pick to get him on your roster.
Tight End
Rob Gronkowski TB (76.9% Rostered) – Gronk probably isn’t there, but you need to check. The connection to Brady is too smooth to not have him rostered at this point. He is a threat for a multi-touchdown game every week. 30% of your FAAB and a waiver priority should be used to roster a week-winning tight end, if available.
Juwan Johnson NO (1.3% Rostered) – Winston may have found his favorite red zone target. With two scores in week one, Juwan Johnson is worthy of a pickup depending on match-up. Going against Carolina is one of those worthy match-ups. He is touchdown dependent, so do not rely on him every week. 5% of your FAAB should be enough and through a waiver claim for him as well if needed.
Jared Cook LAC (22.6% Rostered) – Jared Cook saw eight targets in week one. As we know, the tight end position is scarce in fantasy football. If someone is seeing 6+ targets a game, I want them on my roster. Cook is good for 10 points a game, and a touchdown is a great bonus as well. 10% of your FAAB is the limit here and a claim is almost necessary if you do not own a top five tight end.
D/ST
No description needed. Matchup based defense picks with a roster percentage of under 75%.
New England Patriots (71.6% Rostered) @NYJ
Cleveland Browns (58.4% Rostered) vs HOU
Chicago Bears (9.7% Rostered) vs CIN
