Pat Fitzmaurice offers up his top fantasy football waiver wire pickups ahead of Week 1 of the NFL regular season. Whether you are replacing an injured player or looking for a high-upside roster stash ahead of the new campaign, don’t miss out on our top fantasy football waiver wire pickups and advice for Week 1.

• Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Advice
• Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
• Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
• Fantasy Football Trade Tools

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups & Advice (Week 1)

Amazing how quickly fantasy football draft season comes and goes, isn’t it? Some of you still have last-drafts coming up in the final days before the NFL’s Thursday-night opener, but most of us have shifted from draft mode to in-season mode. Most leagues have a waiver wire run just before Week 1, so it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start managing.

Not that you’re obligated to do any waiver wire shopping this week. Maybe you’re perfectly content with the hand you’re holding. No problemo.

Some fantasy football managers confuse activity with productivity, doing more harm than good with restless overmanagement. Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your fantasy football team is nothing. There is a concept of Taoism called wu wei, which essentially means “do without doing.” In other words, inactivity is sometimes the most prudent choice.

On the other hand …

Early waiver wire shopping has its benefits. A year ago, this Week 1 waiver wire article included Puka Nacua, De’Von Achane, Jake Ferguson, Jayden Reed and Jordan Love. All were rostered in under 50% of Yahoo leagues heading into Week 1, and all became impactful fantasy assets.

Who among this summer’s widely undrafted players might be able to help your fantasy football team? Let’s have a look at our top fantasy football waiver wire pickups ahead of Week 1.

Running Backs

Jaleel McLaughlin (RB – DEN): 33% rostered

Four reasons to roster McLaughlin: (1) He was good last year as a rookie, averaging 5.4 yards per carry and catching 31 passes. (2) Denver RBs had a league-high 153 targets last season, and the Broncos’ new quarterback, Bo Nix, is a screen/checkdown machine. (3) Broncos head coach Sean Payton’s offenses have traditionally produced more than one fantasy-relevant RB, largely because RBs always play such a big role in Payton’s passing game. (4) Payton has gone out of his way to praise McLaughlin for his work ethic. Oh, and did you know that McLaughlin is the NCAA’s all-time leading rusher after piling up 8,166 rushing yards in 56 combined games at Notre Dame and Youngstown State? McLaughlin could be on the verge of a breakout season.

Rico Dowdle (RB – DAL): 48% rostered

Some fantasy managers lost interest in Dowdle after the Cowboys signed Dalvin Cook last week. But Cook appeared to be out of gas last year during his 15 games with the Jets, averaging 3.2 yards per carry and 3.9 yards per target. Cook and Ezekiel Elliott are both 29 — nearly geriatric by the standard of NFL running backs. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy recently said he sees Dowdle as a three-down back and that he’ll be reducing Dowdle’s role on special teams in anticipation of a larger offensive workload.

J.K. Dobbins (RB – LAC): 45% rostered

Dobbins has had terrible injury luck since entering the NFL, tearing an ACL, MCL and meniscus just before the 2021 season, then tearing his Achilles in Week 1 of 2023. He was held out of the preseason but says he’s 100% healthy. It appears that Dobbins and Gus Edwards will split carries early in the season, and new Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman has traditionally been extremely run-heavy in his playcalling. Dobbins was a force of nature during his college career at Ohio State, and if he’s at or near his old form, he could become a major fantasy asset.

Jordan Mason (RB – SF): 26% rostered

With Elijah Mitchell going on season-ending IR last week, Mason becomes one of the most important handcuffs in fantasy football as the backup to Christian McCaffrey. Mason reportedly had a strong training camp, and he was PFF’s second-highest-graded runner in the preseason, with 14 carries for 76 yards and two TDs. If McCaffrey were to go down, Mason would be the leadback in one of the most potent offenses in the league.

Ray Davis (RB – BUF): 17% rostered

There will be widely unrostered rookie RBs who become coveted fantasy assets this season. Count on it. Davis could be one of them. A fourth-round pick who had more than 1,000 rushing yards for Vanderbilt and Kentucky in his final two college seasons, Davis looked sharp in the preseason, finding creases in the defense and making yardage after contact. The Bills would be wise not to overwork 190-pound RB James Cook, and Davis could be an important part of the Cook management plan.

Wide Receivers

Brandin Cooks (WR – DAL): 32% rostered

It took a while for Cooks to assert himself in the Dallas offense last year, but once he got a foothold, the results were impressive. From Week 10 on, Cooks had 37-492-6, averaged 9.5 yards per target and was WR14 in half-point PPR fantasy scoring. Cooks plays with one of the better passers in the game in Dak Prescott and could benefit from the heavy defensive attention that star WR CeeDee Lamb figures to draw.

Mike Williams (WR – NYJ): 43% rostered

Williams is expected to play in Week 1 after tearing his ACL last September, although Jets head coach Robert Saleh has suggested that Williams could be used cautiously early on. A former first-round pick, the 29-year-old Williams has had two 1,000-yard seasons and a 10-TD season. He figures to be the Jets’ No. 2 receiver behind Garrett Wilson, and he’ll be catching passes from Aaron Rodgers, one of the most precise throwers in NFL history.

Dontayvion Wicks (WR – GB): 30% rostered

Ignore Green Bay’s crowded WR corps and bet on the talent. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has compared Wicks to former Packers star Davante Adams. A fifth-round pick from Virginia, Wicks had 39-581-4 as a rookie, averaging an impressive 10.0 yards per target and 3.78 yards per route run. The Packers are overstocked with good young receivers, and Wicks is No. 4 in the pecking order, but he might be just one injury away from significant fantasy impact.

Adonai Mitchell (WR – IND): 28% rostered

Mitchell might not be instantly startable early, but he’s a worthwhile stash for his dreamy combination of size (6-2, 205) and speed (4.34). A second-round pick, Mitchell was expected to compete with Alec Pierce for one of the Colts’ outside receiver spots, but Mitchell took most of his snaps from the slot in the preseason with Josh Downs sidelined by an injury. That sort of dual usage increases the likelihood of Mitchell playing meaningful snaps early in the season.

Quarterbacks

Deshaun Watson (QB – CLE): 34% rostered

It’s possible Watson is toast. Shoulder injuries have limited him to 12 games with the Browns over the last two seasons, and when he’s played, he’s looked like a shell of his former self. Watson was reportedly dealing with a sore arm in late August, raising concerns that his shoulder still wasn’t right. However, the case for acquiring Watson is simple: He was a top-five fantasy quarterback for three consecutive seasons from 2018 to 2020, and he’s never been cheaper. Watson plays behind a strong offensive line and has a quality group of pass-catchers. Pick him up, watch him for a few weeks, and throw him overboard if the results are discouraging. This is a low-risk investment with a potentially handsome reward.

Geno Smith (QB – SEA): 31% rostered

Smith was QB5 in fantasy scoring two seasons ago before turning in a lesser (but not completely terrible) performance in 2023. New offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb could help inspire a return to Geno’s 2022 form, and the veteran QB has a terrific trio of receivers in D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jackson Smith-Njigba. Three of Seattle’s first four opponents were among the worst 12 teams in terms of fantasy points allowed to QBs last season.

Baker Mayfield (QB – TB): 33% rostered

Mayfield opens with a game against the Commanders, who allowed 20.8 fantasy points per game to opposing QBs last season and still have a shaky group of cornerbacks. Then it’s a matchup against the Lions, who allowed 19.4 FPPG to quarterbacks last year. Mayfield could be poised for a quick start.

Bryce Young (QB – CAR): 9% rostered

Young was regarded as toxic in most fantasy drafts, and there’s no denying that last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick had a nightmare of a rookie season. In Young’s defense, his supporting cast last season was awful. It’s still not great, but Young now has a powerful ally in new Panthers head coach Dave Canales, a noted QB whisperer who worked wonders with Baker Mayfield last year as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator and also coaxed a 40-TD season out of Russell Wilson in 2020 as the Seahawks’ passing game coordinator. It’s possible we will see major growth from Young, who, by the way, has a very manageable schedule this season.

Tight Ends

Taysom Hill (TE – NO): 49% rostered

Obviously, Hill’s fantasy value hinges on his TE eligibility. If he’s only eligible at QB, he’s unrosterable. Hill’s week-to-week production can be volatile. He had four games last season in which he scored more than 14 fantasy points (0.5 PPR) and six games in which he scored fewer than three fantasy points. But Hill finished TE10 in fantasy scoring, and the Saints say he’ll continue to be prominently involved in their offense. I, for one, believe them.

Hunter Henry (TE – NE): 27% rostered

Despite the Patriots’ 2023 quarterback woes, Henry had 42 receptions in 14 games and has six of New England’s 16 TD catches. The Patriots’ WR corps is one of the least accomplished in the league, so Henry could play a major role in 2024. Two of Henry’s first three games are against the Bengals and Jets, who both allowed double-digit fantasy points per game to tight ends last year.

Cade Otton (TE – TB): 21% rostered

Otton ran more pass routes than all but one other tight end last season. He didn’t have much to show for it, finishing with TE27 in fantasy scoring with 47-455-4, but the level of involvement was nevertheless encouraging. After a Week 1 game against the Commanders, Otton faces the Lions, who gave up the eighth-most fantasy points to TEs last season, and the Broncos, who gave up the most points to TEs.

Defenses

Los Angeles Chargers: 5% rostered

When choosing a team defense, the quality of the opposing offense is often more important than the quality of the defense itself. That’s what makes the Chargers such an appealing option for the opening weeks of the 2024 season. They ranked 22nd in defensive fantasy scoring last season, but they open with games against the Raiders, Panthers and Steelers — a trio of questionable offenses. Acquire the Chargers with a $0 or $1 bid, stream them for the first two or three weeks of the season, and then move on.

New Orleans Saints: 48% rostered

The New Orleans defense is an appealing Week 1 option against Carolina, which allowed 11.0 fantasy points per game to opposing defenses in 2023, the third-most in the league. The Saints finished eighth in defensive fantasy scoring last season and produced 14 or more fantasy points in three of their last five games.

Detroit Lions: 26% rostered

The Lions had a mediocre fantasy defense last season, but there’s potential for major improvement. The Lions have bolstered their secondary, and newcomer Marcus Davenport could give an additional boost to a pass rush that already features star DE Aidan Hutchinson. The Lions open with the Rams and QB Matthew Stafford, who can be interception- and sack-prone, then face Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers in Week 2.

Kickers

Cairo Santos (K – CHI): 16% rostered

Santos quietly finished third in fantasy scoring among kickers last season, drilling 35-of-38 field goals and 31-of-33 extra points. The Bears’ offense could be significantly better this season with Caleb Williams at quarterback and Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze joining the WR corps. The Bears open with the Titans, who gave up a league-high 11.0 fantasy points per game to kickers in 2023.

Cameron Dicker (K – LAC): 46% rostered

Dicker the Kicker is a precise craftsman. He’s hit 52-of-55 field goals and 59-of-59 extra points in 28 career NFL games. He finished eighth in kicker fantasy scoring last year. The only drawback here is that Dicker has an early bye (Week 5).

Jake Bates (K – DET): 10% rostered

A rookie kicker? Why, yes! The Lions averaged 27.1 points per game last year and should afford Bates plenty of scoring opportunities. Detroit plays only three games outdoors this season, so Bates is as weather-proof a kicker as you’ll find. And this dude has a powerful leg. The former UFL kicker drilled a 64-yard field goal in his first game in that league.

Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | TuneIn