Fantasy Football has finally returned! Here are Faraz’s Week 1 waiver wire adds to help strengthen your roster before Week 1 kickoff. All of these players are rostered in under 50% of leagues on most platforms.
Faraz’s Week 1 Waiver Wire Adds:
Rondale Moore (WR – ARI)
Treylon Burks (WR – TEN)
Isaiah Mckenzie (WR – BUF)
Jahan Dotson (WR – WAS)
Rachaad White* (RB – TB)
Christian Watson* (WR – GB)
Khalil Herbert* (RB – CHI)
Tyler Allgeier (RB – ATL)
Wan’dale Robinson (WR – NYG)
Jarvis Landry (WR – NO)
Romeo Doubs* (WR – GB)
Alec Pierce (WR – IND)
Mike Davis (RB – BAL)
Micheal Gallup* (WR – DAL)
Skyy Moore* (WR – KC)
Jalen Tolbert (WR – DAL)
Isiah Pacheco*(RB – KC)
Parris Campbell (WR – IND)
Nico Collins (WR – HOU)
Jameis Winston (QB – NO)
Asterisk indicates guys you might have to be patient with. More long-term.
Rondale Moore (WR – ARI)
Moore is currently a little banged up with an injury that the team chose to label ‘undisclosed’. Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury has gone on record saying that he may be ready to go by Sunday, and he was able to practice Monday pointing the needle in the right direction. His rookie season may have left a bad first impression on fantasy managers, but with Christian Kirk departing and Deandre Hopkins out for the first six games there is a massive target share vacated. Moore will be their slot WR, giving him a solid role in a high-volume passing offense, even when Hopkins returns to his outside WR role alongside Marquise Brown. In the meantime with Hopkins out, Faraz is slotting Rondale in as a WR3. The only thing that blocked his production last season was Christian Kirk, and now he doesn’t have to worry about that.
Treylon Burks (WR – TEN)
We’ll keep this simple, Burks shouldn’t be on waivers. He was a first-round pick with heavy draft capital invested in him, there is potential for him to be used right away. Regardless of the reports that it is taking longer than expected for him to crack the starting lineup, he still possesses too much upside to leave on waivers. With the need for playmakers that the Tennessee offense currently has outside of Derrick Henry, they could opt to give the rookie a shot sooner rather than later. He was a 1st round pick for a reason, he may not be worthy of a start in Week 1 but there’s no way I’m leaving him on waivers.
Isaiah Mckenzie (WR – BUF)
With Cole Beasley leaving, Mckenzie is able to take over the slot role turning him into an every-down player on one of the most high-powered offenses in the league. Even if he doesn’t command a target share his weekly upside is worthy of a flex play. There were reports of him being a little banged up but as a full participant in Monday’s practice, you can expect him to be full go for Thursday night’s game.
Jahan Dotson (WR – WAS)
Another player who has far too much upside as a first-round pick to be left on waivers. As a 1st round pick in an offense that lacks any real playmakers outside of their WR1 Terry Mclaruin, Dotson has a real opportunity to command a target share as high as 20% if he solidifies himself as the clear WR2. He dominated in training camps according to many reports, some players even calling him the best player on the field at some practices. His talent is definitely one we’re willing to bet on and you should be too.
Rachaad White* (RB – TB)
White could be a league-winning handcuff. If Fournette were to miss time for any reason, White’s role on the Buccaneers could have a shot at winning you your league. There are also reports coming out of Tampa saying that the Bucs are possibly hoping to lessen Fournette’s workload, if those reports are true we may see glimpses of White’s potential. Pick him up if he’s available and stash him for the season, if you drafted him hold on to him.
Christian Watson* (WR – GB)
Watson has been banged up all offseason preventing us from getting a good idea of where he will slot into the Packers’ offense realistically. He is finally back on the practice field now and Aaron Rodgers is already talking up his new weapon. Watson was the WR who they chose to invest the most draft capital in, taking him in the second round. He is a freak athlete and has a unique skill set because of his athleticism, with the obvious vacancies in Green Bay’s WR room they will be looking for someone to step up, this is another bet on talent. There have also been reports of another rookie WR making waves in Green Bay, Romeo Doubs, Faraz has him ranked a few spots down but it is worth it to note that he projects Doubs to be the more productive WR in Week 1. As far as the long term is concerned we would rather place our bets with Christian Watson having consistent value in the offense than Romeo Doubs.
Khalil Herbert* (RB – CHI)
This one’s pretty simple, a 3-down handcuff for David Montgomery, that’s a unique role and there aren’t many available on the waiver wire. Solid stash.
Tyler Allgeier (RB – ATL)
If he is available on your waiver wire, it may be worth stashing him and observing his role in this new-look Falcons offense. While Damien Williams is obviously in the picture there is no telling what the hierarchy of this backfield will look like as the season progresses, and Allgeier has as good of a chance as any to take over a solid role. Keep your eye on the RB split here in Atlanta, there could be value with Allgeier, however, certain aspects of Atlanta’s run game will obviously be limited to a degree because their offense is not very good.
Wan’Dale Robinson (WR – NYG)
Robinson has earned the role of the Giants' starting slot receiver, giving him a near-every-down role. He’s a player who the Giants’ new regime chose to invest high draft capital into with their second-round pick. There’s a chance for him to be heavily targeted, as Sterling Shepard has been in that role in previous seasons. He also has been seen taking snaps out of the backfield on certain plays in training camps, open practice, and joint practices with the Jets, pointing to the offense designing touches for him… always a good sign for fantasy value. Solid waiver pickup with good upside.
Jarvis Landry (WR – NO)
This isn’t anything new, Jarvis has maintained a 25% target share since 2015. We can’t assume that he will be completely overshadowed by the other WRs on the Saints. We also cant hold his Cleveland struggles against him entirely, look at how OBJ flourished on the Rams after his exit from the Browns. Now Landry enters a much more potent offense than he was in last season and has a QB with a history of being fantasy-friendly.
Romeo Doubs (WR – GB)
With the Packers' WR room being hit by the injury bug early, we may see more of Doubs than initially expected. He had a great camp as many have now heard, so now we will see if he can put it all together against better competition. Solid stash to see if any connection can be made between him and Rodgers. Keep an eye on this Green Bay offense in Week 1.
Alec Pierce (WR – IND)
The Colts 2nd round pick has impressed all camp and now seemingly earned the WR2 job that he and Parris Campbell were fighting for. In this role, he would also be on the field in 2 WR sets meaning he would rarely leave the field. If he is in fact Matt Ryan’s WR2 he definitely would be a good addition to your bench early season to see what kind of target share that entails.
Mike Davis (RB – BAL)
With JK Dobbins on the fringe of sitting out Week 1 and Gus Edwards on the PUP, Davis could possibly be in the RB2 conversation if Dobbins does in fact sit out. Even if Dobbins is able to suit up in a limited role there is potential for Davis to still be very involved. If for whatever reason you need a desperate flex in Week 1, this is a solid option.
Micheal Gallup* (WR – DAL)
Fresh off of his ACL tear it is understandable that fantasy managers would be hesitant to roster Gallup, but he still holds too much value to be sitting on waivers. He avoided the PUP list meaning he could possibly be back within a few weeks, and would likely slot right into a WR2 role alongside CeeDee Lamb. There will likely be a slight dip in productivity coming off of the injury, but he should still be able to produce. You may have to wait a few weeks, holding him on your bench or in your IR spot, but he could be worth the wait.
Skyy Moore* (WR – KC)
Another rookie WR who had solid draft capital invested in him, you may have to be patient but the value is undeniable. Mecole Hardman is still slotted ahead of him on the depth chart for the Chiefs but it isn’t unrealistic to look toward him beating out Hardman for that WR3 spot. This Chiefs offense will be looking for someone in the WR room to step up in the wake of them losing their WR1. Solid stash at the bottom of your bench.
Jalen Tolbert (WR – DAL)
It seems that Tolbert has won the Cowboys' starting slot job, meaning regardless of Gallups status he will have a role in this offense. Tolbert is still a bit of a sleeper as of right now, worth stashing before Sunday.
Isiah Pacheco* (RB – KC)
Pacheco is a decent stash, though we are not as high on him as we once were. It is becoming increasingly more evident that this backfield will be as wide as a 3-way committee. The upside is that if CEH continues to struggle, Pacheco could have an opportunity to soak up some of his workload. His skill set as a speedy RB and solid pass catcher could be exciting in Andy Reid’s offense if he got more opportunity.
Parris Campbell (WR – IND)
As long as he can stay healthy Campbell should hold value, with Matt Ryan at QB it’s possible Campbell can develop a connection with him. It remains to be seen who Ryan prefers between Campbell and Pierce.
Nico Collins (WR – HOU)
The WR2 job is wide open in Houston, and the Texans will likely have a high-volume passing offense with them being underdogs in the majority of their games. Some murmurs out of camp say that Collins has taken the ‘next step’, it remains to be seen if Davis Mills can sustain production to more than one WR. Worth a stash purely based on the possible volume that will come his way.
Jameis Winston (QB – NO)
We have all seen what Winston is capable of from a fantasy perspective. He has a refreshed and reloaded offense this year with some new weapons in Jarvis Landry and Chris Olave, and a hugely important returning weapon in Micheal Thomas. It is expected that the Saints' offense this season will be much more reliant on the pass than last season, and it should be anticipated that their offense will be much more successful with the upgrade in talent that they have received.
Top Potentially Available Handcuffs
Khalil Herbert (RB – CHI) 3-down
Mark Ingram (RB – NO) – 3-down, but less clear
Zamir White (RB – LV) – early down
Rachaad White (RB – TB) – 3-down
Jeff Wilson (RB – SF) – 3-down
Josh Palmer (WR – LAC) – WR handcuff in case Mike Williams or Keenan Allen go down
RBs who may have standalone value in deeper PPR leagues Week 1
Travis Homer – Kenneth Walker is likely out and the Broncos are favored by 6 points in Seattle. Negative game script should favor Homer.
JD McKissic
Defense Streaming options
Broncos D/ST vs SEA: 6.5 point favorites; 22% Rostered in ESPN Leagues
Eagles D/ST at DET: 4 point favorites; 21% Rostered in Sleeper Leagues
Tennessee D/ST vs NYG: 5.5 point favorites; 14% Rostered in ESPN Leagues
Carolina D/ST vs CLE: 2.5 point favorites; 4% Rostered in Sleeper Leagues