Fantasy Football 2023: Week 1 Waiver Wire Targets

As we get ready for Week 1 of the 2023 NFL Season, we enter our first critical period of the fantasy football season. Many fantasy leagues will run their first waiver wire pass before Thursday Night Football. For managers who lost players to preseason injuries or cuts, this may be the best chance they have to claim a player who can contribute in their place. So let’s take a look at My Week 1 Waiver Wire Targets. To check out our full expert rankings, head over to our rankings page.

* I will be using Yahoo Fantasy Rostership & for this article. I will also attempt to give several options at each position, for varying levels of league size. The dollar value next to the player’s name is the desired amount of FAAB to bid on them with a $100 budget.

Quarterbacks

Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos ($10)

Week 1 Opponent: Raiders, Rostership: 56%

Russell Wilson may not be the sexiest name among the free agent quarterbacks, but for some fantasy football managers, he may be the best option available. Wilson has been left for dead by fantasy managers, but with Sean Payton in town to revive this offense, Wilson can once again be a top-12 quarterback.

His Week 1 matchup is against a Las Vegas Raiders team that struggled to stop anyone in 2022. That should continue this season.

Wilson had the worst season of his career last season. And even with injuries to the Broncos receiving corp, there is more than enough talent for them to be a high-flying offense.

Wilson may not be an exciting name to add. But, he’s the only proven superstar available in most fantasy leagues. The upside is still there, it’s just a matter of whether it can be reclaimed again. He could be one of the league-winning Week 1 waiver wire targets this season.

Shallow League Options (More than 70% Rostership): Jared Goff, DET (73% rostered)

Medium League Options (50 to 70% Rostership): Brock Purdy, SF (57% rostered)

Deeper League Options (25 to 50% Rostership): Derek Carr, NO (41% rostered), Kenny Pickett, PIT (39% rostered), Jordan Love, GB (30% rostered)

Dart Throw Options (Less than 25% Rostership): Sam Howell, WSH (22% rostered)

Running Backs

Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins ($15)

Week 1 Opponent: Chargers, Rostership: 70%

As we sit currently, Raheem Mostert is the last man standing in the Miami Dolphins‘ backfield. Everyone anticipated this was a backfield that was unlikely to stay healthy all season – because they never do. The safe bet was De’Von Achane, but a preseason upper-body injury has sidelined him. Add in Jeff Wilson being placed on IR, and all those Round 12 shares of Raheem Mostert now seem like potential league-winning tickets.

Typically in a situation like this, I would advocate dropping significant FAAB on a starting running back, but let’s not get carried away. Mostert stayed healthy for most of 2022. Whether he can do that again is a huge mystery. Put in a healthy bid on him, but not a bid that would be reserved for a season-long option.

Treat Mostert like an early-season injury handcuff, and if he gives you more than that consider it a victory at his current ADP.

Shallow League Options (More than 70% Rostership): Rashaad Penny, PHI (74% rostered)

Medium League Options (50 to 70% Rostership): Ezekiel Elliott, NE (66% rostered), Elijah Mitchell, SF (59% rostered), Tyler Allgeier, ATL (56% rostered), Kenneth Gainwell, PHI (55% rostered)

Deeper League Options (25 to 50% Rostership): De’Von Achane, MIA (48% rostered), Tank Bigsby, JAC (47% rostered), Jaylen Warren, PIT (47% rostered), Deon Jackson, IND (31% rostered),

Dart Throw Options (Less than 25% Rostership): Roschon Johnson, CHI (15% rostered), Evan Hull, IND (5% rostered)

Wide Receivers

Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens ($20)

Week 1 Opponent: Texans, Rostership: 70%

Zay Flowers is easily my favorite target of the first-round rookie receivers. While I don’t expect him to be available on many waiver wires, he is available in 30% of Yahoo leagues.

The Baltimore Ravens are expected to pass significantly more this season. With the exception of Mark Andrews, Flowers would appear to be the best pass-catcher on the team. Flowers is my pick for a rookie breakout receiver. He should be 100% rostered. So if he is available in any of your leagues, drop a healthy bid on him.

I have him listed as a $20 FAAB bid. Use discretion and bid whatever you think it will take to get him. If your league has some chatter about him, you could easily double that bid and be happy with the return on investment.

Shallow League Options (More than 70% Rostership): Skyy Moore, KC (71% rostered)

Medium League Options (50 to 70% Rostership): Treylon Burks, TEN (66% rostered), Kadarius Toney, KC (59% rostered), Quentin Johnston, LAC (58% rostered), Adam Thielen, CAR (55% rostered), Nico Collins, HOU (55% rostered)

Deeper League Options (25 to 50% Rostership): Rashee Rice, KC (45% rostered), Marvin Mims, DEN (35% rostered), Romeo Doubs, GB (31% rostered)

Dart Throw Options (Less than 25% Rostership): Jalin Hyatt, NYG (21% rostered), Van Jefferson, LAR (16% rostered), Jonathan Mingo, CAR (16% rostered), Jayden Reed, GB (8% rostered), Tank Dell, HOU (6% rostered), Justyn Ross, KC (5% rostered), John Metchie, HOU (4% rostered)

Tight Ends

Dalton Schultz, Texans ($10)

Week 1 Opponent: Ravens, Rostership: 69%

Dalton Schultz was a volume monster during his time in Dallas. Whether or not that will transfer over to a bad Texans’ offense is the real question. Schultz could easily find himself as the top target earner on the team, making him one of my favorite Week 1 waiver wire targets.

The reason for the relatively low bid is the uncertainty around the Texans’ offense. Schultz could be a huge weapon for CJ Stroud. He could also have been the byproduct of Dak Prescott‘s love of targeting tight ends.

Schultz is unlikely to return to the top-five ranks among tight ends. If you need a low-end TE1, he is a solid option at a discount price.

Shallow League Options (More than 70% Rostership): Tyler Higbee, LAR (77% rostered)

Medium League Options (50 to 70% Rostership): Sam LaPorta, DET (64% rostered),

Deeper League Options (25 to 50% Rostership): Gerald Everett, LAC (42% rostered), Jake Ferguson, DAL (32% rostered)

Dart Throw Options (Less than 25% Rostership): Michael Mayer, LV (18% rostered), Trey McBride, ARI (3% rostered)