Which of the widely undrafted players might be able to help your fantasy football team? Here are our top fantasy football waiver wire pickups ahead of Week 1.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 1
Let’s dive into our top fantasy football waiver wire pickups ahead of Week 1.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Running Backs
Written by Ellis Bryn Johnson
Jerome Ford and Dylan Sampson: 43% and 45% rostered
Rookie Quinshon Judkins has faced legal issues this offseason and has yet to sign his contract, potentially facing discipline by the league when he does. As a result, Ford and Sampson are holding down this backfield. Unfortunately, the Browns are projected to be the worst offense in the league. I know that sounds less appealing than pineapple on pizza, but sometimes you can’t knock it until you’ve tried it. As it stands, Ford is the starter, and we already know he is a solid NFL back with a limited ceiling. Sampson is a fourth-round pick out of Tennessee who exploded in 2024 for nearly 1,500 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns. His ability is limited in the passing game and he needs to improve in pass protection. Ford is the priority pickup of the two, as he has rushing upside and should dominate the receiving work. Considering that Cleveland will often be playing from behind, that could be a valuable role. It’s also worth kicking the tires on Sampson just in case he has more of a role than anticipated.
Najee Harris: 46% rostered
It’s been a forgettable offseason for the former first-round pick. Moving on from the Steelers, Harris landed in arguably the perfect spot. Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman loves gritty backs who can pick up the tough yards. That’s exactly what Harris has made a career out of. Then, the Chargers drafted a runaway train in Omarian Hampton in the first round. Hampton’s aggressive style and versatility quickly dampened the excitement for Harris. Then, Harris injured his eye in a fireworks mishap and missed the entire offseason. Hampton appears to have taken over, despite the coaches’ insistence on splitting the backfield. Now that Harris has returned to practice, it will be interesting to see how the team uses the two first-round talents. Harris is worth a look in case this backfield is a true split.
Jaydon Blue and Miles Sanders: 37% and 2% rostered
A role in the Dallas backfield seems to be more of a participation award than an accomplishment. As it stands, Javonte Williams appears to be the “winner,” being named the starter for Week 1. Still, this backfield is wide open. Williams has never been a particularly efficient rusher, with only seven career games over 75 rushing yards. He was underwhelming as a pass catcher in 2024 despite having the fifth-most targets at the position Blue and Sanders will have their chances to steal touches all season. Sanders was brought in from the Panthers. He had a solid year in 2022 with the Eagles but has been largely ineffective since. The priority if you’re waiver-shopping at RB should be Blue, an explosive back who can turn any play into a big gain. But Blue had some fumbling issues in college and lacks the size to be a downhill power back. Of the options in this backfield, Blue is by far the most explosive and could win over the coaches by breaking off a few big runs.
Ollie Gordon: 33% rostered
If you blinked, you probably missed Gordon climbing Miami’s depth chart and becoming the top backup to the banged-up De’Von Achane. After being selected in the sixth round of this year’s draft, Gordon was firmly behind Achane, Jaylen Wright, and Alexander Mattison going into training camp. But Mattison is out for the season with a neck injury, and Wright had a procedure to fix a lower-leg injury. Since Achane is not a power runner, Gordon will likely be the short-yardage back in addition to being Achane’s direct backup to start the season. Although Wright is expected back sometime in September, Gordon was outproducing him in the preseason and may take the role completely if he starts hot. With Achane dealing with a calf injury, Gordon is on the cusp of being a fantasy starter early on.
Chris Rodriguez Jr.: 6% rostered
Rodriguez was drafted by the Commanders two years ago and has been a steady backup over that span. The top three RBs on this team will likely split the work in distinct roles. Jacory Croskey-Merritt will be the early down back, Austin Ekeler will be the passing back and will likely play in two-minute drills, and Rodriguez will be the short yardage/goal-line back. If this arrangement seems messy, that’s because it is. However, messy backfields can yield value. If Rodriguez is more involved than expected, he’ll see a jump in value. If you have an open roster spot, Rodriguez is great to grab and see what his role is in Week 1.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Wide Receivers
Written by Pat Fitzmaurice
Keenan Allen: 48% rostered
After remaining unsigned for most of the offseason, Allen agreed to a one-year deal with the Chargers in early August. Allen is very familiar with Chargers QB Justin Herbert. When they last played together in 2023, Allen had a career-high 108 catches in only 13 games. He averaged 11.5 targets a game that season. Allen continued to draw targets at a high rate last season with the Bears, commanding a hefty 27.6% target share in the 15 games he played. Ladd McConkey might be the Chargers’ No. 1 receiver now, but Allen isn’t just window dressing. He’s going to be involved. Let your competitors tell themselves that the 33-year-old Allen is washed up while you scoop him off waivers.
Marvin Mims: 42% rostered
Mims averaged 62 receiving yards and scored six touchdowns over Denver’s last seven regular-season games despite playing fewer than half of the offensive snaps in all of them. He averaged 0.72 PPR fantasy points per snap in those seven contests, To put that into perspective, overall WR1 Ja’Marr Chase averaged 0.38 PPR fantasy points per snap last season. Mims played extensively with the starters in the preseason, suggesting that Broncos head coach Sean Payton is going to expand Mims’ role. Mims has been dealing with a groin injury, but he is reportedly on track to play in the Broncos’ season opener vs. the Titans.
Adam Thielen: 28% rostered
With Jordan Addison serving a three-game suspension to start the season and some of the other Minnesota WRs injured, the Vikings swung a deal with the Panthers to reacquire Minnesota native Adam Thielen, who could play a prominent role early in the season. Thielen just turned 35 but is aging gracefully. Over the last six weeks of the 2024 regular season, Thielen had 37-449-4 and was WR13 in half-point PPR scoring over that stretch. Thielen gets a Week 2 matchup against the Falcons and could run a lot of his routes against rookie safety Billy Bowman Jr., whom the Falcons are reportedly planning to use as their nickel slot corner. Thielen also has a seemingly favorable Week 3 matchup against the Bengals, whose defense could be among the worst in the league.
Josh Palmer: 23% rostered
The Bills gave Palmer a three-year, $29 million deal in free agency with $18 million guaranteed, so it’s clear they have plans for him. The Toronto, Ontario, native reportedly had a strong showing in training camp and could quickly become a key weapon for star QB Josh Allen. FantasyPros’ Derek Brown notes that Palmer was targeted on 27% of the routes he ran against man coverage last year. The Bills open with games against the Ravens, who used man coverage at the 11th-highest rate in the NFL last season, and the Jets, who played man at the seventh-highest rate, per PFF.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Quarterbacks
Written by Ellis Bryn Johnson
Bryce Young: 26% rostered
Young ended the 2024 season on fire. Over his final three games, he passed for seven touchdowns, rushed for three TDs, and finished as a top-two QB twice. That’s a great way to end a roller coaster of a season. It seems odd to say this about an NFL player, but Young clearly needed to develop the confidence to play in the league. After being benched in Week 3 last season, he took his second chance at starting by the horns and was a different player from Week 8 on. It’s uncertain whether Young can carry that momentum into the 2025 season, which is partly why he is widely available in fantasy leagues. The Panthers open their season against the revamped Liam Coen-led Jaguars. If Coen has the Jags’ offense clicking, they could easily feast on a shaky Carolina defense. If that’s the case, Young will be put in a position to sling the rock and potentially put up good numbers.
Michael Penix Jr.: 33% rostered
It’s common to target receivers for second-year breakouts, but why not target second-year QB breakout candidates? After signing Kirk Cousins to a surprisingly large deal last offseason, the Falcons shocked the world by drafting Penix with the eighth pick of the 2024 draft. It didn’t take long for the Falcons to realize that of the two moves, paying Cousins was the mistake. Penix showcased his cannon of an arm in his three starts to end the season. Speaking of highly drafted players, the Falcons have four skill-position players who were top-eight draft picks: Kyle Pitts (No. 4, 2021), Drake London (No. 8, 2022), Bijan Robinson (No. 8, 2023), and Penix. The Falcons also brought in WR Darnell Mooney last season. Mooney impressed as a Falcon, becoming a perfect complement to London on the outside. He is currently out with a shoulder injury, but once Mooney is back, Penix will have a great group of weapons at his disposal. The Falcons open their season at home vs. the Buccaneers. It could be one of the highest-scoring games of the week. If you don’t love your starting QB, better to add Penix now rather than waiting for his price to potentially jump come Week 2.
Cam Ward: 26% rostered
The quarterbacks on the wire for Week 1 are all “what if” cases. The biggest “what if” has to be the No. 1 pick from this year’s draft. Ward has a gunslinging mentality and isn’t afraid to push the ball downfield. Starting your NFL career on the road at Mile High, taking on the Broncos, is not an ideal situation. The Broncos are serious contenders with a tough defense. If Ward can surprise in Week 1, he will be the new hotness at QB and very expensive. He is worth a pickup for any QB-needy team, or as a potential trading chip.
Matthew Stafford: 27% rostered
Let’s continue the “what if” game. What if Stafford was being overly cautious in the offseason and is not inhibited by his back injury? Considering that he is linked to head coach Sean McVay and WRs Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, Stafford could lead an electric offense. Week 1 answers a lot of questions, and Stafford’s health may be the single biggest question in the league. Last season, the Rams were ninth in passing yards per game and 12th in pass attempts per game. As we saw in the playoffs (where the Rams nearly upset the future Super Bowl champion Eagles), this offense can hang with any team. With the addition of Adams, Stafford arguably has his best WR duo of his career. If Stafford can turn back the clock, he’s a player you’ll want to roster early to avoid a bidding war on waivers.
Sam Darnold: 14% rostered
What if Darnold is good at football? Seriously. After he switched teams in the offseason, people are forgetting how good Darnold was in 2024. This is partly because he and the Vikings collapsed in the big games down the stretch, abruptly ending their 14-3 season. Darnold finished QB9 in fantasy last year, throwing 35 TD passes. He now joins Seahawks head coach Mike MacDonald and offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. In 2024, Kubiak had surprising success overseeing the New Orleans offense despite having one of the worst personnel groups in the league. Now, Kubiak is looking to implement a physical and balanced offense, using an running scheme heavy on outside zone. The Seahawks bolstered their offensive line, highlighted by the addition of first-round rookie Grey Zabel. If the line improves, Seattle will want to run the ball. That could limit Darnold’s ceiling, but it could also help make the Seattle passing attack more efficient.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups: Tight Ends
Written by Pat Fitzmaurice
Brenton Strange: 21% rostered
With Evan Engram leaving Jacksonville for Denver via free agency, former second-round draft pick Brenton Strange becomes the Jaguars’ starting tight end. Strange had 40 catches for 411 yards and two touchdowns last season. Over the eight games Engram missed, Strange averaged 3.6 receptions and 34.4 receiving yards. In Week 1, Strange gets a matchup against the Panthers, who gave up a league-high 11 TD catches to tight ends last year. In Week 2, Strange faces the Bengals, who gave up 1,114 receiving yards and a league-high 111 receptions to TEs in 2024.
Mason Taylor: 12% rostered
With Sam LaPorta and Brock Bowers finishing TE1 in fantasy scoring as rookies the last two seasons, perhaps we should lean into the whole rookie TE thing. Second-round draft pick Mason Taylor is going to start for the Jets, who have few viable pass catchers on the roster aside from WR Garrett Wilson. Taylor begins his NFL career against the Steelers, who gave up the eighth-most fantasy points to tight ends last year.
Chig Okonkwo: 27% rostered
We’ve been waiting impatiently for an Okonkwo breakout, and maybe we’ll finally get it in his fourth NFL season. The key to an Okonkwo surge might be rookie QB Cam Ward, the No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL Draft. Ward is an aggressive thrower, and the only accomplished pass catcher on the Tennessee roster at the moment is WR Calvin Ridley. There’s room for Okonkwo to step up and become a fantasy-relevant tight end. You might not want to use Okonkwo against the Broncos in Week 1, but he has a favorable Week 2 matchup against the Rams, who gave up the sixth-most fantasy points to TEs in 2024.
