Fantasy football owners can never rest, even in Week 1. Just because you have a bright, shiny new team doesn't mean all is right with the world. Injuries will happen, breakouts and busts are bound to occur, and start 'em, sit 'em issues will be omnipresent. That's why it's important to start working the waiver wire right now. If you have an open roster spot because of a player on the IR or because you've already cut someone, you shouldn't let it go to waste. Trying to anticipate who will be Week 2's top pickups and adding them now as free agents before you have to burn a valuable waiver claim is how you win your league.
First- and second-year players are always going to get the most attention if they do anything in Week 1. If you drafted a boring veteran late, you're probably better off dropping him for a rookie. The veteran likely won't get picked up (even if he has a decent game), but any rookie who gets a notable workload will seem like he has an unlimited ceiling and be very popular on the wire.
It's also possible you're already looking to stream at QB, TE, or D/ST. Most aren't playing matchups quite yet -- at least at any position other than defense -- but if you are, it's smart to plan ahead and get your first choice before other owners jump into the frenzy after new information emerges.
WEEK 1 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
Some shallower leagues don't feature enough roster spots to really take advantage of "planning ahead," but for those in leagues that do, our week-ahead watchlist will be helpful all year long. Even though you won't pick up most (or all) of these players, it's worth watching their snap counts and target shares to file away for later.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Watchlist
Reminder: This list was put together in the lead-in to Week 1 looking forward to the players who could be popular waiver-wire targets ahead of Week 2. If you have a roster spot to play with, these are free agent options you could grab early to beat the waiver buzz.
All these players are below 50-percent ownership on Yahoo unless otherwise specified.
Week 1 Waiver Wire Watchlist: QB
Jameis Winston, Saints (46-percent owned)
Would it surprise anyone if Winston had a big Week 1 against the Falcons? It shouldn't. He has the pass-catchers, he has the tools, and he has the matchup. If Winston goes off, he'll be a popular pickup, even if he's still just viewed as a backup. A Week 2 matchup against Tampa is suboptimal, but Winston could easily be a low-end QB1 over the course of the season.
Daniel Jones, Giants (26)
The fantasy community collectively gave up on Jones as a QB sleeper this year, which is interesting since he has a new coach who previously guided fellow running QB Josh Allen to fantasy dominance in Buffalo. While Jones hasn't shown nearly the promise Allen did, he still has good tools and a stocked receiving corps. A big Week 1 against a depleted Tennessee defense could go a long way toward reviving the Jones hype train.
Kenny Pickett, Steelers (6)
If Mitchell Trubisky struggles against the Bengals, you know the buzz will start for Mike Tomlin to play Pickett. If the rookie gets the starting nod, he'll have plenty of upside given Pittsburgh's stable of stud pass-catchers and playmakers. We're not saying he's the new Justin Herbert, but a similar impact isn't out of the question. Now's the time to stash him if you have a roster spot to play with.
MORE POTENTIAL QB PICKUPS: Marcus Mariota, Falcons (9); Zach Wilson, Jets (6)
WEEK 1 FANTASY PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kicker
Week 1 Waiver Wire Watchlist: RB
Khalil Herbert, Bears (43-percent owned)
Herbert is behind David Montgomery -- for now. He showed he can be a capable lead back for a short stretch last season, and his all-around game is on par with Montgomery's. This could easily be a 1A/1B situation. If that's the case, Herbert will have value even when Montgomery's healthy. Grab him while you can.
Mike Davis (28) and Kenyan Drake (8), Ravens
With JK Dobbins (knee) "questionable" for Week 1 and Gus Edwards (knee) out for at least the first four games, Davis and Drake could be splitting touches in the Ravens' run-heavy scheme. It's also possible one winds up being the lead back. It seems unlikely Dobbins will be out long if he's inactive in Week 1, but nevertheless, it's always important to have handcuffs in these situations.
Zamir White, Raiders (15)
Nothing will surprise us in the Raiders' backfield in Week 1. Josh Jacobs could dominate touches and operate as a true lead back, or Brandon Bolden (zero-percent owned) could work as the primary receiving back and spell Jacobs on third downs. We could also see White, Ameer Abdullah (7), Bolden, and Jacobs all mixed in throughout the game. Either way, we think White is the second-most talented back in this backfield, and on the chance he's involved more than expected, we'd suggest stashing him now as a free agent before there's a bidding war for him.
MORE POTENTIAL RB PICKUPS: Brian Robinson Jr., Commanders (42); Rachaad White, Buccaneers (38); Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs (31); Jeff Wilson Jr., 49ers (13); Rex Burkhead (11)
WEEK 1 STANDARD FANTASY RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kicker
Week 1 Waiver Wire Watchlist: WR
Treylon Burks, Titans (47-percent owned); Skyy Moore, Chiefs (40); Romeo Doubs, Packers (33); Garrett Wilson, Jets (23); Jahan Dotson, Commanders (22); Jalen Tolbert, Cowboys (21); Wan'Dale Robinson, Giants (11); Alec Pierce, Colts (9)
Rookie receivers are always wild cards in Week 1, and if any of these receivers has eight targets and/or scores a touchdown, they'll be popular on the waiver wire heading into Week 2. Doubs is the most intriguing given his QB and situation (and Moore isn't far behind), but Tolbert is also in a good spot with Michael Gallup (knee) on the shelf. We could also see Pierce and Dotson immediately establish themselves as Indy's and Washington's respective No. 2's, and Burks could dominate target share for Tennessee. Either way, most of these WRs shouldn't be on waiver wires in 12-team leagues.
Rondale Moore, Cardinals (28)
With Christian Kirk in Jacksonville and DeAndre Hopkins suspended for the first six games, someone has to soak up targets for Arizona. Marquise Brown is first man up, but after him, Moore is probably the next-best option. His status against the Chiefs is up in the air because of a hamstring injury, so you might want to wait until closer to Sunday to grab him. However, if he plays and gets a bunch of targets, fantasy owners will flock to him. (Update: Moore is inactive for Week 1. He's still worth stashing on your bench, but he can likely be head as a free agent after the Week 2 waivers period ends.)
Joshua Palmer, Chargers (22)
Everyone expects Justin Herbert to have a huge year, and if he does, he'll be spreading the ball around to more than just Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Given their injury histories, Palmer acts as sort of a "handcuff," but make no mistake, he can have value all on his own. He scored in both games he started last year, and given his size (6-1, 210 pounds) and speed, he can cause problems anywhere on the field. A big Week 1 in what should be a shootout against the Raiders will go a long way toward establishing Palmer as a legit starting option most weeks.
MORE POTENTIAL WR PICKUPS: Michael Gallup, Cowboys (38); Nico Collins, Texans (34); Kenny Golladay, Giants (21); Sammy Watkins, Packers (22); Van Jefferson, Rams (7); K.J. Hamler, Broncos (5)
WEEK 1 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel | Yahoo
Week 1 Waiver Wire Watchlist: TE
Evan Engram, Jaguars (26-percent owned)
Every fantasy owner has been burned by Engram at some point, but, to be fair, he's had some good stretches, too. With a fresh start in Jacksonville, he might be in line for a consistent, productive season. At the very least, he's worth stashing ahead of Week 1 on the off chance he scores or sees a bunch of targets.
Cameron Brate, Buccaneers (9)
Brate was among the TE leaders in red-zone targets last year when he was playing second fiddle to Rob Gronkowski, so imagine what he can do with Gronk in retirement. Tampa added veteran Kyle Rudolph and rookie Cade Otton this offseason, so it's possible this is a frustrating timeshare, but if Brate dominates the non-running and red-zone snaps, he'll be a fantasy factor in this high-powered offense.
Logan Thomas, Commanders (6)
Thomas (knee) might not play in Week 1, but he'll have value when he's on the field. Carson Wentz has always shown a preference for TEs in the past, and Thomas has been a reliable target when healthy. If he's out Week 1, you can stash him on your IR, which is an added bonus.
MORE POTENTIAL TE PICKUPS: Robert Tonyan, Packers (21); Noah Fant, Seahawks (18); Isaiah Likely, Ravens (10); Mo Alie-Cox, Colts (10); Brevin Jordan, Texans (2)
WEEK 1 DFS: Best values | Best stacks
Week 2 defense streamers and sleepers
Cleveland Browns (22-percent owned) vs. Jets
The well-rounded Browns' D/ST will get Joe Flacco in Week 2. Sign us up.
Washington Commanders (9) @ Lions
Even without Chase Young (knee), Washington has a talented defense. The Lions' offense isn't "bad" in a traditional sense, but Jared Goff is certainly prone to bad mistakes. You probably won't need to take this chance in Week 2, as plenty of highly drafted D/STs have fair to favorable matchups, but it's always good to know other options.
Carolina Panthers (3) @ Giants
Unless Daniel Jones and the Giants' offense looks great against Tennessee in Week 1, we'll take our chances with an underrated Panthers' unit against this turnover-prone squad in Week 2.
New York Jets (2) @ Browns
This probably depends on how the revamped Jets' defense looks in Week 1. However, even if the Ravens run all over it, New York has upside in Week 2 against Jacoby Brissett and company. The talent is there for big plays.
