We’re mere hours away from the start of a new NFL season, and though a few of you last-minute Charlies still have fantasy football drafts coming up, most of us are done drafting. It’s time to shift from draft mode into managerial mode.
The vast majority of leagues will have a waiver run this week ahead of the Thursday-night opener. Let’s take a look at some of the players who might be worth a buck or two of FAAB money or late-round picks for those that are still drafting. You can find all of my Week 1 waiver wire pickups here.
(Rostership percentage courtesy of Yahoo)
- All of our Week 1 Waiver Wire Targets
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Week 1 Waiver Wire Advice: Wide Receivers
Wide Receivers
Marvin Mims (WR – DEN): 35% rostered
The Broncos liked Marvin Mims enough to draft him late in the second round this spring, but it wasn’t clear at the time how he’d fit into a WR group that already included Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick. Well, Patrick tore his ACL in training camp, and Jeudy is dealing with a hamstring injury, so Mims is expected to start in Week 1 against a Raiders defense that ranked 31st in DVOA against the pass last season. The talented rookie from Oklahoma figures to be a fixture in three-receiver sets even after Jeudy returns.
Romeo Doubs & Jayden Reed (WRs – GB): 31% & 8% rostered
QB Jordan Love has made one start in three NFL seasons, so it’s unclear what the Packers’ passing game will look like this year. Preseason results were encouraging, so perhaps it’s worth investing in either of two Green Bay receivers who have flown beneath the radar in a lot of home-league drafts. Romeo Doubs, the Packers’ No. 2 receiver behind Christian Watson, had 42 catches for 425 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games last season as a rookie. Jayden Reed, a second-round selection in this year’s NFL Draft, has already won the Packers’ slot receiver role and has a promising skill set.
Puka Nacua (WR – LAR): 2% rostered
A fifth-round rookie from BYU, Puka Nacua was impressive in training camp and is expected to be a Week 1 starter for the Rams, who’ll be without star WR Cooper Kupp in the season opener. Kupp’s aggravation of an earlier hamstring injury is concerning, and the Rams have little incentive to rush him back since they aren’t expected to contend for the playoffs. The 6-2, 210-pound Nacua could be the possession receiver the Rams will desperately need in Kupp’s absence.
Isaiah Hodgins, Parris Campbell & Darius Slayton (WRs – NYG): 7%, 4% & 4% rostered
Pick a Giant, any Giant. Throughout the offseason, fantasy degenerates cracked jokes about the bloated amalgam of receivers the Giants would be bringing to training camp. But now we have more certainty about roles for this position group. Isaiah Hodgins and Darius Slayton are expected to be the starting outside receivers, with Parris Campbell manning the slot. Hodgins played well for the Giants down the stretch last season, and in a Giants WR room full of wee Smurfs, the 6-4, 210-pound Hodgins stands out. Talent has never been an issue for Campbell; it’s just a matter of whether he can stay healthy. Slayton is a dangerous big-play threat, but he’s been streaky throughout his career.
Curtis Samuel (WR – WAS): 11% rostered
It’s hard to tell what the Washington passing game will look like with inexperienced second-year QB Sam Howell at the controls. I wasn’t all that interested in Curtis Samuel until Terry McLaurin sustained a case of turf toe. McLaurin will likely miss Week 1 and could be out for multiple weeks, putting the shifty Samuel in position to contribute early. Samuel, who had 843 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns last season, gets a cushy matchup against the Cardinals in Week 1.
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