Welcome back to a weekly piece here at FantasyPros, aimed to help you navigate your league’s fantasy football waiver wire.

We know how important in-season waiver activity is to fantasy success. While there is a lot of luck involved in fantasy football, working the waiver wire is one way to increase your luck.

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Working the waiver wire isn’t easy, it’s often overwhelming trying to sort through dozens of possible additions on Tuesdays. This piece is to get you prepared for Tuesday. Each Sunday after the early slate of games I’ll walk through some notable names I’m targeting on the waiver wire.

I’ll include the rostership of each player, only including players rostered in fewer than 40% of leagues.

Let’s get started with some players with the potential to be high-priority adds in a week.

Week 1 Early Waiver Wire Adds

Matthew Stafford (QB – LAR): 32.5%

Next Sunday night, Matthew Stafford and the Rams play the Lions in the game with the highest projected point total of the week, with the over/under set at 50.5 points.

As long as Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp are healthy and Sean McVay is his coach, Stafford will be fantasy-relevant. Plus, the Rams take on the Cardinals in Week 2. If you’re streaming quarterbacks and Stafford is available, this one’s a layup.

Geno Smith (QB – SEA): 12.6%

Seattle is hoping for a revamped offensive attack with new head coach Mike Macdonald at the helm and Ryan Grubb as the offensive coordinator.

Geno Smith has three solid receiving options in DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Don’t forget top tight Noah Fant is a former first-round pick. On top of all that, the coaching staff has talked about getting Kenneth Walker involved in the passing game.

Smith, the fantasy QB5 in 2022, has some favorable matchups in Weeks 1-4: Denver, New England, Miami and Detroit.

Jordan Mason (RB – SF): 14.3% & Isaac Guerendo (RB – SF): 0.9%

The San Francisco running back who receives the second-most carries in their first game will certainly be a hot waiver wire commodity.

We know San Francisco is an extremely running back-friendly offense. We also know Christian McCaffrey isn’t immune to injuries.

Jordan Mason has been widely reported to be the expected No. 2 RB to start the year after Elijah Mitchell was placed on season-ending injured reserve (IR). Isaac Guerendo, however, is an extremely interesting prospect. The 49ers selected him in the fourth round of this year’s draft. He’s 220 pounds and ran a blazing 4.33 40-yard dash.

Jaleel McLaughlin (RB – DEN): 36.0%

Jaleel McLaughlin, a 2023 undrafted free agent (UDFA), finished the season tied as Pro Football Focus’ (PFF) third-highest graded receiving running back. While he doesn’t profile as a three-down back and the Broncos drafted Audric Estime in April, McLaughlin is the favorite to be on the field for passing downs and in two-minute drills.

This role could give McLaughlin a solid week-to-week floor, as rookie quarterback Bo Nix and the Broncos could be playing from behind (and therefore passing) quite a bit.

Miles Sanders (RB – CAR): 13.9%

I know, I know. I can hear you saying yuck from here.

Hear me out.

Carolina Panthers second-round pick Jonathon Brooks is out for at least the first four weeks of the season. That leaves Miles Sanders, Chuba Hubbard and Raheem Blackshear as the only running backs on the roster.

New Panthers head coach Dave Canales comes from Tampa Bay, where he was the offensive coordinator behind Rachaad White‘s 1,500 all-purpose yard season. White has 128 targets through two seasons.

While Sanders isn’t exactly Randy Moss, he’s not a stranger to catching passes. Sanders combined for 51 snaps lined up out wide or in the slot last season, compared to Hubbard’s 17 and Blackshear’s 11. If Sanders is involved in the passing game in Week 1, he could be an addition for anyone who punted the RB position in their draft.

Luke McCaffrey (WR – WAS): 5.3%

With Jahan Dotson gone, there’s an open competition in Washington for the second-most targets behind Terry McLaurin. Luke McCaffrey, who projects as a starting slot receiver, is also playing in a Kliff Kingsbury offense. Kingsbury called plays for the Arizona Cardinals as their head coach from 2019-2022 and was known for his fast-paced, pass-heavy offense.

Adonai Mitchell (WR- IND): 34.2%

2024 second-round pick Adonai Mitchell ran a 4.34 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine. Now, he’s in an offense called by Shane Steichen — a creative and effective offensive mind. Like McCaffrey, there’s a world where Mitchell sees the second-most targets in his team’s offense. Michael Pittman Jr. is a classic and effective possession receiver. However, one big play from Mitchell in Week 1 puts him on the waiver wire radar.

Joshua Palmer (WR – LAC): 33.3%

Unlike Mitchell and McCaffrey, Joshua Palmer isn’t in an offense with an obvious No. 1 WR. Palmer could conceivably finish the season with the most targets in a Justin Herbert offense.

Palmer, a 2021 third-round pick, had 581 receiving yards in just 10 games played last season. If he comes out of the gate as Herbert’s favorite target, Palmer will be a priority add.

Tyler Conklin (TE – NYJ): 35.7%

Aaron Rodgers has always kept an eye on his tight ends. He threw 11 touchdown passes to Robert Tonyan in 2020 and once turned Jimmy Graham‘s skeleton into a viable fantasy streamer. Tyler Conklin is conceivably the best tight end Rodgers has played with since the Jermichael Finley days.

Conklin has finished with exactly 87 targets in each of the past three seasons. However, he only has six touchdowns to match them. With Rodgers at the helm, an increase in touchdowns could come Conklin’s way. If he catches one in Week 1, tight end streamers will be raising their eyebrows.

Jonnu Smith (TE – MIA): 3.0% 

Jonnu Smith is a total dart throw here, but he had 70 targets in 2023 despite being Kyle Pitts‘ backup. He’s a threat with the ball in his hands, which is rare for tight ends. Now, he’s the No. 1 TE in a Mike McDaniel-led Miami offense. Jaylen Waddle is also currently nursing an injury. Smith’s ceiling is way too high for being rostered in just 3% of leagues.