NFL football is finally (almost) back. The first game hasn’t yet kicked off, but I consider Tuesday the start of each NFL week, so it is officially Week 1.

With that in mind, welcome to the first installment of a weekly column here on FantasyPros where I will go over the best receiver and tight end handcuffs for your fantasy football bench. Some players are long-term stashes, some are picks to get ahead of next week’s waiver rush and a few might be classic handcuffs. All of them will be available in over 50% of leagues, according to FantasyPros’ NFL Statistics. Without further ado, let’s get started.

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Fantasy Football Wide Receiver Stashes: Week 1

Romeo Doubs (WR – GB): 46.0% Rostered

Romeo Doubs should be rostered in every fantasy league. Yes, he’s part of a crowded receiver room in Green Bay. But the last time we saw the Packers on the field, Doubs consistently led the team in route participation. Now, he’s getting rave reviews in camp and is reportedly Jordan Love‘s go-to guy. He is worth rostering for at least a few weeks to see how Green Bay divvies up routes and targets in their offense.

Joshua Palmer (WR – LAC): 45.7% Rostered

Joshua Palmer is another player who is an absolute must-roster in the vast majority of formats. He’s never shown himself to be a particularly special talent, but he’s currently on track to be Justin Herbert‘s No. 1 WR. That alone should earn him a roster spot for at least one week until we see how run-heavy Jim Harbaugh plans to be.

Dontayvion Wicks (WR – GB): 25.1% Rostered

After a brief trip to L.A., we head right back to the Packers with another talented young receiver. The issue with Dontayvion Wicks is that he is currently projected to be the odd man out among himself, Doubs, Christian Watson and Jayden Reed. On the other hand, he also led that quartet in Pro Football Focus (PFF) receiving grade in 2023, as well as yards per route run both inside and outside of the slot. This is a longer-term stash of the waiver wire for deeper leagues, as it may take a few weeks for Wicks to make an impact. He has a real chance to come on strong if he ever sees a full-time role.

Rashod Bateman (WR – BAL): 10.1% Rostered

Once a highly touted fantasy prospect, Rashod Bateman has been undeniably disappointing in his three years in the NFL. A combination of injuries, Baltimore’s run-heavy schemes and straight-up bad play have kept him under 600 yards each year and below 400 in both of the last two. However, the winds may be changing for the former 2021 first-round pick. Training camp hype trains should always be taken with a large grain of salt, but Ravens beat reporters and even John Harbaugh himself have had nothing but good things to say. At the cost of a deep-league bench slot, it’s worth holding Bateman to see if he can take a step forward in his fourth season.

Kendrick Bourne (WR – NE): 4.6% Rostered

This is mostly a pick for leagues with injured reserve (IR) spots, as Kendrick Bourne is starting the year on the Patriots’ Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list after his 2023 season ended with an ACL tear. When he returns, however, Bourne has an outside shot to take the No. 1 WR job in a very uninspiring receiver room. In the four games he played over 70% of snaps in last season, he averaged 13.6 half-PPR points on 8.5 targets per game.

Andrei Iosivas (WR  CIN): 1.9% Rostered

If you’re looking to get ahead of Week 2’s hottest waiver picks, Andrei Iosivas is a very sneaky name to know. A sixth-rounder from the 2023 NFL Draft, Iosivas could be the player to take advantage of the suddenly real-looking chance that Ja’Marr Chase sits out. Even if Chase does not suit up, Iosivas reportedly is set to start the season as the Bengals’ slot receiver. That’s a role Tyler Boyd parlayed into back-to-back top-40 seasons in 2022 and 2021. Top-40 production isn’t much, but it would be a massive win to get that from a guy currently rostered in less than two percent of leagues.

Fantasy Football Tight End Stashes: Week 1

Taysom Hill (TE – NO): 45.9% Rostered

If you only add one player as a result of reading this article, make it Taysom Hill. With his unique role, the 34-year-old Swiss army knife is the perfect Week 1 stash. Hill’s fantasy production is closer to a running back’s than a traditional pass-catcher’s, as it is very dependent on volume, which in turn is 100% dependent on coaching decisions. If the Saints and new OC Klint Kubiak don’t give Hill substantial carries in Week 1, he can safely be dropped. However, Taysom’s preseason usage was very encouraging. He has averaged 10.5 half-PPR points in his 27 career games with at least five carries, even if we exclude games where he attempted five or more passes. That would be enough to rank him as a top-six tight end.

Hunter Henry (TE – NE): 19.0% Rostered

The case for Hunter Henry is simple: He is arguably the most proven pass-catcher on the Patriots’ roster. The former Charger finished 2023 averaging 7.1 half-PPR points a game despite splitting time with a receiving-first TE in Mike Gesicki. Now, with Gesicki gone to Cincinnati, Henry should play a full-time role on an offense that should improve once Drake Maye inevitably takes over under center. If Maye can pull a C.J. Stroud and turn New England around immediately, Henry could return to TE1 status.

Isaiah Likely (TE – BAL): 14.7% Rostered

In an article with handcuff in the title, Isaiah Likely has to make an appearance. The third-year player is essentially the only true handcuff in the league at either the WR or TE. When Mark Andrews is healthy, Likely is useless — he averaged just 1.4 points per game in 2023. But when Andrews is out, he’s… okay. In nine games as the Ravens’ TE1 last season, Likely averaged just 7.7 points per game, which would have ranked as TE14 for the season. Frankly, I don’t think it’s worth burning a bench slot for the off chance at fringe TE1 production if Andrews is injured. Still, if you’re looking for an actual plug-and-play tight end handcuff, Likely is the clear pick.

Juwan Johnson (TE – NO): 7.8% Rostered

The second Saints tight end on this list, Juwan Johnson, is a more classic fantasy tight end. He’s a former wide receiver with elite athleticism who runs most of his routes out wide or in the slot. Given that the Saints have no clear second target behind Chris Olave, he has an outside chance to emerge as a top weapon in Kubiak’s offense.

Jonnu Smith (TE – MIA): 5.5% Rostered

Speaking of athleticism, Jonnu Smith is another size/speed freak for the TE position. He finished as the TE17 while playing second fiddle to Kyle Pitts last year and now gets to play under offensive mastermind Mike McDaniel. If anyone can unlock Smith’s upside, it’s McDaniel. On the other hand, Smith mostly played in 11 personnel in the Dolphins’ preseason games. With that in mind, he’s a very deep league stash or waiver wire watch candidate, nothing more.

Zach Ertz (TE – WAS): 3.1% Rostered

With Jahan Dotson now in Philadelphia, the Commanders have no clear receiving threats aside from Terry McLaurin. That won’t do in Kliff Kingsbury’s up-tempo, pass-heavy scheme. Zach Ertz is 33 years old and nowhere near the playmaker he once was. But he’s still younger than Travis Kelce, has a history of elite fantasy production and is the team’s No. 1 TE for now (sorry Ben Sinnott truthers). There’s a chance he turns back the clock for one more year of top-12 numbers.

Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasyPros.com. Find him on Twitter @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.