Good evening, folks! We’ve made it through the bulk of Week 1 action, and it’s that most wonderful time of the evening once again. Sunday night gives fantasy owners time to reflect on the week’s triumphs or losses and take stock of their roster heading into the new week. It’s a time for reflection and a time to assess potential waiver wire options. Each week, I’ll be highlighting a handful of low-owned options you should consider when making waiver wire claims. Each player’s upcoming three-game schedule will be noted, including strength of matchup. This is particularly helpful if you need a streaming option or a temporary replacement to get you through the tough times.

In football’s opening week, we saw some surprising upsets in Washington and Jacksonville, the start of the Cam Newton era in New England, Joe Burrow‘s NFL debut, and a battle of future Hall-of-Famers in Drew Brees and Tom Brady that lived up to the hype. Enough talk… let’s dive in to this week’s early waiver pickups!

Note: All players have less than 30% ownership in Yahoo leagues.

Running Back

Nyheim Hines (RB – IND): 17% owned

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There’s a good chance Marlon Mack suffered a torn Achilles in Week 1, and if that’s the case, his season will unfortunately be over. Jonathan Taylor should be the primary beneficiary of the injury, but Hines stands to benefit significantly as well. Against Jacksonville, he turned 15 touches into 73 total yards and two touchdowns, rolling for an elite fantasy week. He’ll be available in 4-of-5 fantasy leagues, and if you wanted to spend 25% of your FAAB on him, I certainly wouldn’t blame you.

Peyton Barber (RB – WAS): 2% owned

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Just as he did in Tampa Bay a season ago, Barber is back to spoil the fun for Antonio Gibson truthers and throw a wrench into an already murky backfield. He turned a team-high 17 rushes into a putrid 29 yards but scored twice. If you’re looking for some touchdown upside, Barber’s next matchup is favorable, and he can be picked up nearly everywhere.

Quarterback

Gardner Minshew (QB – JAX): 25% owned

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Minshew Mania is upon us once again, as the Jags’ mustachioed signal-caller led his team to a surprising victory over the division-rival Colts in Week 1. Minshew completed a ridiculous 19/20 pass attempts for 173 yards and three TDs, while adding 19 yards rushing. He’s got a great upcoming schedule and makes an excellent pickup heading into Week 2.

Teddy Bridgewater (QB – CAR): 22% owned

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Bridgewater didn’t light the world on fire in his Panthers’ debut, though he still finished with a solid showing, highlighted by a 75-yard touchdown pass to Robby Anderson. Bridgewater’s upcoming schedule is favorable, and there’s a good chance he’s available on your waiver wire.

Wide Receiver

Robby Anderson (WR – CAR): 30% owned

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Anderson paced Carolina in receiving yards in Week 1, going for 6/115/1 in his Panthers’ debut. Most of his damage was done on a gorgeous 75-yard touchdown in which he juked the Las Vegas defender and took it to the house. He has weekly flex appeal due to his big play ability, and his eight targets show at least some level of trust from Teddy Bridgewater.

Parris Campbell (WR – IND): 22% owned

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After an injury-plagued rookie campaign, Campbell came back at full strength in Week 1 to get his sophomore season started on the right foot. He tied for the team lead in targets and receptions and paced Indy in receiving yards, finishing the day 6/71 on nine looks. Michael Pittman Jr. and Zach Pascal combined for five targets, so the early outlook is this receiving corps will be a heavy dose of Campbell and T.Y. Hilton.

N’Keal Harry (WR – NE): 32% owned

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Harry finished right behind Julian Edelman (7) for team lead in targets with six, and turned his looks into a 5/39 day. Not too impressive in a vacuum, but pretty solid when you consider Cam Newton completed just 15 passes for 155 yards on the day. Much like Campbell listed above, Harry had a rough rookie campaign, but he could find renewed success with Cam Newton under center this season.

Quintez Cephus (WR – DET): 0% owned

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With Kenny Golladay out of action, Cephus led the Lions in Week 1 targets. His weekly production is tough to predict, but the fifth-round rookie carries flex appeal if he can maintain that type of volume and Kenny G remains out.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling (WR – GB): 6% owned

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To no one’s surprise, Davante Adams led Green Bay in targets (14), but MVS tied for the second most (6) with Aaron Jones, finishing with a 4/96/1 receiving line, including a beautiful 45-yard touchdown grab along the right sideline. It’s hard to trust the Packers’ receiving corps outside of Adams, but if you’re feeling risky and want to target ceiling over floor, Valdes-Scantling is worth a look.

Tight End

Logan Thomas (TE – WAS): 1% owned

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Thomas provided a 4/37/1 line on eight targets and finished behind only Terry McLaurin in receptions. He’s got solid matchups in Weeks 2 and 3 and should have plenty of value moving forward if he can keep up this level of rapport with Dwayne Haskins. Thomas should be the priority TE pickup of the week.

O.J. Howard (TE – TB): 17% owned

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Despite being listed as the backup TE, it was Howard and not Rob Gronkowski who had the better day and the better fantasy line in Week 1. He finished with a 4/36/1 line on six targets – double the looks Gronk received.

Greg Olsen (TE – SEA): 26% owned

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Olsen caught all four of his targets for 24 yards and a touchdown Sunday and though he wasn’t heavily targeted, he made the most of his opportunities. Russell Wilson has a history of feeding his tight ends in the red zone, and Olsen could be next in line. His weekly ceiling isn’t as high as it was in his heyday, but he can provide consistent production, especially in favorable matchups.

D/ST

Washington Football Team D/ST: 4% owned

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Washington’s D/ST was terrific in Week 1, exploding for eight sacks, two INTs, and a fumble recovery in the upset win over Philly. The team was 10th in the NFL in sacks last season and added electric rookie Chase Young to an already formidable defensive line. The matchup with Arizona isn’t as good as this week’s matchup with Philly, but Week 3’s date with Cleveland could be another strong showing. Defensive options are slim on the waiver wire, and Washington is the best bet for now.

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Zachary Hanshew is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Zachary, check out his archive and follow him @zakthemonster.