Week one is all but complete, and ahead of us is the most important waiver wire week. This is the week where roles are shown in the first game, and it’s time to make roster adjustments. If you are not aggressive here, it's fine, but hold that top waiver claim if you can. For those of you hit with the injury bug, or have that roster hole, it’s time to dive in here. If you roster Dak Prescott and don’t have an IL slot, it’s probably time to cut him and add one of the quarterbacks on this list.
Running Backs
Jeff Wilson Jr, San Fransisco 49ers
Elijah Mitchell left Sunday’s game against the Bears with a knee injury. Right now, Jeff Wilson is the next man up. Tyrion Davis-Price was inactive for this game, while Jordan Mason was active. If Mitchell is forced to miss any time, Wilson is expected to be the RB1. He carried nine times for 22 yards and caught both of his targets for eight yards. In a game with terrible field conditions, it’s hard to take away a lot with a poor stat line, but Wilson is probably one of the top adds this week.
Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears
David Montgomery is in the final year of his contract in Chicago and is playing under a new coaching staff, and general manager. Insert second-year running back Khalil Herbert. He rushed nine times for 45 yards and a touchdown. He also caught his only target for minus one yard. Montgomery carried 17 times to Herbert's nine, but it’s a big uptick to his 2021 volume. Herbert is a low-end RB1 if Montgomery were to miss any time, making him a solid pickup.
Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs
Isiah Pacheco was a popular name all summer as an undrafted rookie out of Rutgers. On Sunday, he rushed 12 times for 62 yards and a late rushing touchdown. He was not targeted out of the backfield. He still seems to be third on the depth chart as Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon had solid showings, but Pacheco is someone that could turn into a league winner if he gets more involved in this high-powered offense.
Rex Burkhead, Houston Texans
Dameon Pierce is all we heard about all summer. Marlon Mack got cut, and everyone was drafting Pierce way above ADP. Insert Rex Burkhead who carried the ball 14 times for 40 yards and caught five of eight passes for 30 yards. Pierce saw 11 carries and only one target. This very well could have been a game flow thing, but it’s awfully concerning to see this split right away. Rex is someone you should be placing a claim on if you’re thin at running back or went zero RB this draft.
Dontrell Hilliard, Tennessee Titans
Dontrell Hilliard seems to have secured the role of RB2 in Tennessee. He only rushed the ball two times for eight yards, but he caught three of four passes for 61 yards and two touchdowns. With Henry getting injured last year, it’s important to try and roster Hilliard before he becomes the top waiver add if Henry were to miss any time, and a solid showing against the Giants looks to have the backup role secured.
Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
Not a must-add, as Najee Harris could very well be fine, but Najee left late in the game with a foot injury. That is concerning considering he dealt with a foot injury during the summer. It is believed to be a non-serious injury, but Warren is someone you want to roster if you have Harris. The undrafted rookie took three carries for seven yards only on Sunday but was on the field for every snap after Harris Left the game.
Wide Receivers
Curtis Samuel, Washington Commanders
Curtis Samuel was the Washington receiver to make the biggest impact this Sunday. He caught eight of 11 targets for 55 yards and a touchdown. He also added four rushes for 17 yards. He was simply involved and looked spry at that. While Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson may get all the attention, Samuel connected early and often with new quarterback Carson Wentz. Next up, are the Detroit Lions, who were just crushed by AJ Brown.
Jahan Dotson, Washington Commanders
The rookie Jahan Dotson is next up. Like his teammate Samuel, Dotson also found the endzone on Sunday. He caught three of five passes for 40 yards, and a pair of touchdowns. The rookie received rave reviews all summer and doubled down on those reviews by making an impact on Sunday with the touchdowns. While he didn’t see the target volume Samuel did, Dotson showed he has solid upside.
Julio Jones, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chris Godwin re-injured his hamstring, and Julio Jones looked like he was in his prime on Sunday night. Jones caught three of five passes for 69 yards on Sunday, and with Godwin potentially missing games, he slides in as the WR2 in this offense, and becomes a must-add as a low-end flex or a WR3
Devin Duvernay, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are looking to see who their top receiving options are outside of Mark Andrews and Rashod Bateman, and Duvernay looks like he wants the spot. He caught all four of his targets for 54 yards, and two of those catches were touchdowns. He caught a no-look touchdown by Lamar Jackson, and a beautiful long catch. Duvernay is a nice speculative add in deeper leagues.
DJ Chark, Detroit Lions
DJ Chark caught four of eight passes Sunday for 52 yards and a touchdown. Right now, Chark is operating as the WR2 for the Lions. With Amon-Ra St. Brown, TJ Hockenson, and the eventual return of Jameson Willams, Chark may not consistently put up these numbers, but he has shown he has the potential to do so.
Garrett Wilson, New York Jets
Garrett Wilson is an add for deeper leagues. The 10th overall pick did not play the entire game, but when he did, he made an impact. He showed elusiveness when he tried to get a first early in the game. Wilson caught four of eight passes for 52 yards, and after the early showing, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him in a lot more. While Corey Davis and Braxton Berrios had bright spots, Wilson presents the most upside.
Jarvis Landry, New Orleans Saints
The veteran joins Michael Thomas and Chris Olave as the Saint wideouts who made impacts on Sunday. Landry caught seven of nine passes for 114 yards. The target volume was the highest on the team, and he seems to have developed a nice chemistry with Jameis Winston. I wouldn’t expect this volume output every week, but in leagues with more than two starting wide receivers, this is not a bad add.
Kyle Phillips, Tennessee Titans
All summer we heard about Treylon Burks and Robert Woods as the top two wideouts for the Titans, but Kyle Phillips began to make a name this summer, and this past Sunday he had a big role in the offense. He caught six of nine targets for 66 yards, including a clutch catch in the final minute to set up a game-winning field goal (which was missed). Phillps and Burks should fight for the WR2 role all season, as Burks saw five targets and Robert Woods only saw two. Woods is coming off an ACL injury, and Phillips could potentially lap both in time.
Isaiah McKenzie, Buffalo Bills
Isaiah McKenzie did not light up the scorecard, but he did have a nice touchdown on Thursday night. He caught two of three passes for 19 yards and the score. I want anyone catching passes from Josh Allen on my team. This offense is very good. McKenzie is competing with Jamison Crowder for the WR3/Slot role in Buffalo, as Crowder saw four targets, but did not score.
Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers
The Packer's offense was a mess on Sunday. Christan Watson dropped a long touchdown pass, and it seemed nobody was in sync. Romeo Doubs was a popular name all summer. He put up a quiet stat line on Sunday catching four of five targets for 37 yards, but if there’s anyone who may catch on as the Green Bay WR1, it’s Doubs. He’s worth an add now before Green Bay takes off. Let’s not forget they were blown out in week one last season and were fine after.
Quarterbacks
Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints
Jameis Winston is a favorite of mine to put up top ten quarterback numbers this season. On Sunday, he completed 23 of 34 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns. He did not throw an interception. With Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, and Jarvis Landry, Winston has several good options to throw to and should put up decent numbers each week.
Carson Wentz, Washington Commanders
Carson Wentz put up some solid numbers on Sunday. He completed 27 of 41 passes for 313 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. Wentz has Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Curtis Samuel who all have the potential to put up solid numbers each week. I would wait a week to see how Wentz continues, but those are QB1 numbers, and potential starting quarterback numbers. If you lost Dak, you may want to look at Wentz as a replacement option.
Marcus Mariota, Atlanta Falcons
Marcus Mariota has Demond Ridder right behind him on the quarterback depth chart. He responded Sunday by completing 20 of 33 passes for 215 yards and rushed 12 times for 72 yards and a touchdown. Mariota has the draft pedigree as a former number two overall pick and has Drake London and Kyle Pitts to throw to. Mariota is making for a good add in Superflex leagues where available and is one performance like this away from being playable in QB1 formats, especially with the rushing ability.
Cooper Rush, Dallas Cowboys
A Superflex add only, Cooper Rush now will take over as the QB1 for the Dallas Cowboys. Dak Prescott is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a thumb injury. Rush completed seven of 13 passes for 64 yards. Rush isn’t a scrambling quarterback, so expect the run to be heavily used, but those who roster Dak should be spending a good amount of FAAB on Rush, especially in deep leagues.
Tight Ends
Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Chargers
With Keenan Allen injured, Gerald Everett has the potential to increase his stat line. On Sunday, he caught three of four passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. As the TE1 in LA, Everett is playing behind one of the best quarterbacks in the league and has a real chance to break out. Everett is a good add if you waited to the end of drafts to snag a late tight end, and they didn’t pay off.
Hayden Hurst, Cincinnati Bengals
Hayden Hurst joins the Bengals after CJ Uzomah left for the Jets. Hurst caught five of eight passes for 46 yards. Tee Higgins left the game with an injury, and if he were to miss any time, expect Hurst to stay involved in this offense.
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets
Tyler Conklin out-snapped CJ Uzomah on Sunday. The Jets' offense didn’t do much, but it was clear Conklin is their main tight end. He caught four of seven passes for 14 yards and a touchdown. Zach Wilson had great chemistry with Conklin all summer, and I would expect him to stay involved in this offense all season.
OJ Howard
The newly signed OJ Howard came in Sunday and caught his only two targets but scored on both of those catches. Buyers beware though, he only played 12 snaps on Sunday. He is a pure desperation add but could be worth in deeper formats to see if this is a legitimate stat line.