Fantasy football waiver wire ahead of Week 1

As we set our lineups for Week 1 of the NFL season, the waiver wire doesn’t really cross our minds much unless we auto drafted a team of Joe Mixons and Chris Godwins. But, it is worth taking a look see to make sure you have your best roster possible and one that is forward thinking. Grabbing that guy before he goes off in Week 1 is always satisfying. You might have a nice trade piece or possibly a steady fantasy player for the rest of the season. Let’s take a look at some guys who likely need to be picked up who are below 60% rostered in Yahoo leagues.

I’m pretty high on Lawrence now that he has Liam Coen running the show. Lawrence has been average at best in the NFL, but he’s also had some awful coaches. To go from Urban Meyer and Doug Pederson to Coen is going to help. How much the change helps is yet to be seen, but I’m buying at the ground floor this year. Plus, he gets a great matchup with the Panthers weak defense to start. If he does end up going off, he’ll likely be the No. 1 waiver wire QB going into Week 2.

I’m not as in on Penix as I am on Lawrence, but I do believe he has nice upside with a strong group of offensive playmakers around him. He also gets a weak defensive division and starts against the Buccaneers, who Kirk Cousins threw eight touchdowns against last season. Add in a weak defense, and I expect Penix will need to throw more than the team would like.

Gordon isn’t going to wow you by his speed like De’Von Achane, but he could quickly become the Raheem Mostert in the Mostert-Achane complex that helped Mostert to over 1,000 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns in 2023. Right now the Dolphins are a mess, but they still have the pieces to be a strong offense and if Gordon can beat out the currently injured Jaylen Wright for goal line work, he could be very useful this season.

Nick Chubb, Dameon Pierce, and Dare Ogunbowale are currently in Marks way, and if Joe Mixon’s foot ever gets better, he’d be in his way as well. So, there is reason to worry that Marks just won’t see as much work as we’d like this season. That’s a good point and there’s a chance you end up dropping him for someone with more opportunities, but, I believe he’s the best back on the team and will be needed early due to his receiving ability. Hopefully we’ll learn a lot more about his usage after Week 1 wraps up, but I want him on my roster ahead of that.

We want high upside players like Mims on our bench to start the season. If they don’t pan out, we can grab a different high upside player instead, but right now Mims looks ready to make a leap. The second-year receiver was given a full-time role in preseason and has shown that he is incredible with the ball in his hands. If he sees good usage, he’ll be hard to stop.

Tetairoa McMillan is the No. 1 receiver in Carolina, but his presence and the absence of Adam Thielen and Jalen Coker should be a great combo for Legette’s opportunities. He didn’t fit the No. 1 receiver job in Carolina, but he does fit well as the No. 2 receiver who can be moved around while McMillan gets attention from the defense. I like his upside with Bryce Young for a year-two leap.

Henry remains one of Drake Maye’s most trusted targets even with Stefon Diggs in the fold. And this year I expect the offense to be better, giving Henry more chances at touchdowns, as he had just two last season. He also has a good matchup at home against the Raiders to start. If he gets into the end zone, he’ll be a high priority waiver add.

Okonkwo has true upside to be a Top 5 fantasy tight end. The odds are against him getting the target volume he would need, but in preseason he was a full time player with the first team, unlike in previous seasons. If that keeps up, he’s very much in the Top 12 conversation moving forward.