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After the first week of your fantasy football season, your roster likely needs some depth pieces added. With injuries to several key players already, making your way to adding waiver wire pickups is your best plan of action.
If Week 1 is any sort of look at what the entire season is going to look like, then having depth on your roster will be key. You also may need replacements for a few bench pieces that did not perform, though just be careful of moving on from players too early.
As always, the following list includes players rostered on fewer than 50 percent of all ESPN rosters, making the chances you can pick them up pretty high. With some injuries that already popped up in Week 1, no better time than right now to upgrade your roster.
10. Justice Hill, Baltimore Ravens – RB
0.3% Rostered
With J.K. Dobbins lost for the rest of the 2023 NFL season, the Baltimore Ravens have to pivot yet again to next man up for their running backs. As Gus Edwards (more on him later) is the priority add for this backfield, don’t forget about Justice Hill.
While he did only earn eight carries in Week 1, Hill converted two of those into third-quarter touchdown runs, both from two yards out. Hill should be viewed as the backup to Edwards until further notice, but you can never have too much RB bench depth, especially for a team that is good at running the ball.
9. Hayden Hurst, Carolina Panthers – TE
4.8% Rostered
In Bryce Young’s first NFL start, it was Hayden Hurst who led the Panthers in targets (7), receptions (6), and yards (41). Hurst also scored the lone TD on the day for Carolina, hauling in a route in the flat from Young for a short score.
A best friend of a rookie quarterback frequently is a tight end, and although Hurst is also new to Carolina, he looks like he could be a very busy safety valve option this year.
8. Zay Jones, Jacksonville Jaguars – WR
30.1% Rostered
With Calvin Ridley as the newly annointed WR1 in Jacksonville, Christian Kirk has switched into running more routes from the slot. However, that doesn’t mean Zay Jones isn’t relevant anymore for your fantasy football roster.
Having earned the second-most targets (7) on the day shows that Jones is still a trusted target for Trevor Lawrence. His acrobatic TD catch cemented his five-reception, 55-yard day, and while he may have a few down weeks as the third/fourth target, Jones is going to get his, making for a solid bench stash.
7. Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans Saints – WR
2.0% Rostered
Derek Carr may have Chris Olave as his top target and ol’ veteran Michael Thomas for anything else, but Rashid Shaheed is the burner Carr will be able to air it out to. And if Sunday is any sign of what’s to come, Shaheed could have some value this year.
While he did record the third-most targets on the day (6), Shaheed had more receiving yards than Thomas (89 vs. 61) and a higher average yards per catch than Olave (17.8 vs 14.0). It looks like the top-three WR options are pretty set up for the Saints at this point, and Shaheed figures to be a part of that equation, creating solid value for your waiver wire pickups this week.
6. Sam Howell, Washington Commanders – QB
11.1% Rostered
Yes, the Week 1 win for the Washington Commanders over the lowly Arizona Cardinals was not as much of a blowout as it should have been. But in Sam Howell’s first start of the season, he actually looked pretty comfortable leading the offense.
Howell did throw an interception, but he spread the ball around the offense well, peppering four players with at least four targets, led by Logan Thomas (8). There are going to be plenty of growing pains for the Commanders this season, but Howell feels like he is the right guy for the job moving forward — and a nice QB2 option for your fantasy football roster.
5. Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons – RB
44.0% Rostered
The Bijan Robinson truthers can still find solace in that Robinson did find the end zone on Sunday, but it was Tyler Allgeier who held a bigger role than most probably expected.
Having earned five more carries than the Texas rookie, Allgeier scored two TDs and averaged five yards per carry against the Panthers. While expecting Robinson to take over more snaps as the season goes on is the right train of thought, Allgeier has value now, especially in a run-first offense that is more focused on running the ball down their opponent’s throat.
4. Kyren Williams (RB) & Puka Nacua (WR), Los Angeles Rams
10.3% & 2.3% Rostered
The epitome of an early-season waiver wire pickup is what the Los Angeles Rams have for your fantasy football roster this week. Both Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua should be near the top of your lists, mostly because they both showed impressive workloads right off the bat.
For some reason, the Rams and Sean McVay still hate Cam Akers, and Williams was the beneficiary of that dislike (15 carries, 52 yards, 1 TD), even though Akers did earn more carries (but was the clear second option).
For Nacua, he ended up being Matthew Stafford’s favorite target without Cooper Kupp in the lineup. A whopping 15!!! targets for the BYU rookie resulted in a 10-catch, 119-yard outing, a line that shows just how important Nacua is to this offense moving forward.
3. Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens – RB
21.8% Rostered
As mentioned when talking about Justice Hill, Gus Edwards is the top add at this point when the Ravens will try to replace J.K. Dobbins. While both Edwards and Hill tied for eight carries each in Sunday’s game, Edwards has been trusted by the Ravens in the past, and that likely will continue.
If inserting Edwards into your starting lineup right away worries you, then just add him and see how the backfield plays out in Week 2 before elevating him. Remember, this new Ravens offense is not the same run-heavy offense like years past, so exercise caution for your fantasy football roster and its running back depth.
2. Joshua Kelley, Los Angeles Chargers – RB
11.3% Rostered
New offensive coordinator Kellen Moore comes from the Dallas Cowboys, and it was very evident how heavily he preferred utilizing two running backs heavily. While Austin Ekeler is the clear-cut starter, Joshua Kelley had quite the heavy workload against the Dolphins.
Aided by an ankle injury that Ekeler suffered on Sunday, Kelley tied Ekeler for 16 carries, rushing for 91 yards and a TD. Keep an eye on the injury reports this week for how Ekeler’s ankle responds during practices, and even if he does suit up, Kelley is still a strong RB3/4 option to add to your fantasy football bench.
1. Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles – RB
21.5% Rostered
Confusion still hangs over the backfield for the Philadelphia Eagles, even after Kenneth Gainwell clearly looked like the starter. With Rashaad Penny being a healthy scratch and D’Andre Swift only earning work through the passing game, it was the Gainwell show against the Patriots.
A rib injury that popped up puts Gainwell’s status a bit in flux for Philly’s Thursday night game against the Vikings, but as long as this injury doesn’t keep him on the sideline, then Gainwell can be fired up as an RB2 for Week 2. Picking up a starting RB from the waiver wire doesn’t pop up often for your fantasy football rosters, so make sure you take advantage of it.
