Fantasy Football Week 1 Waiver Wire Targets

🏈 Top Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups — Week 2

Week 1 gave us our first real look at how these offenses are going to use their personnel. Here are my top waiver-wire targets, broken down by position.

QB

🔥 Tyler Shough — Saints

Shough attempted 56 passes, finishing with 410 yards and 3 TDs while adding 8 rushing yards. The volume was partly game-script driven after New Orleans fell behind 21-0, but Shough showed enough second-half upside to be a legitimate streaming option.

RB

🚨 Kaelon Black — 49ers

Black played 43% of San Francisco’s snaps and handled 14 carries — four more than Christian McCaffrey (who was dealing with cramps) — while finishing with 65 rushing yards. He also had 15 total touches, making him one of the most valuable handcuffs on the waiver wire.

📈 Tyler Allgeier — Cardinals

Allgeier actually out-snapped Jeremiyah Love 44-32 and out-touched him 19-13, finishing with 17 carries for 61 yards. Love’s ankle injury is obviously worth monitoring, but Allgeier already showed he can have standalone value in this offense.

👀 Emmett Johnson — Chiefs

The Chiefs run game was unstoppable on MNF against the typically stout Broncos defense. Kenneth Walker carved them up for nearly 200 total yards and then Johnson came in to spell him toward the end. His quick moves and ability to make defenders miss was on display and he looked sharp. If Walker misses any time and the Chiefs run blocking is really this good, Johnson could leap into a high-end RB2 role. I love him as a high-end handcuff.

🧨 Kendre Miller — Saints

Miller matched Travis Etienne with 9 carries and scored the Saints’ only rushing touchdown. The bigger takeaway is the usage: New Orleans already showed a willingness to give Miller a meaningful piece of the backfield despite Etienne being the clear passing-down option.

WR

🚨 Jalen Coker — Panthers

Coker’s Week 1 usage was elite: 9 targets, 8 catches, 138 yards and 2 TDs, accounting for 26% of Carolina’s targets. He also led the Panthers in every major receiving category. The touchdowns won’t repeat, but the volume absolutely can.

🔥 Matthew Golden — Packers

Golden led Green Bay’s wide receivers with an 82% snap share and 30% target share, finishing with 6 catches for 95 yards. That combination of playing time and target volume is exactly what I’m looking for on waivers. Many are expecting Golden to be a huge breakout player this year and right now is your chance to get him.

📈 Romeo Doubs — Patriots

Doubs played 56% of the snaps but failed to catch any of his three targets. But the Patriots paid him good money this offseason and now that AJ Brown will miss the next 6 games (and possibly more), someone will need to step up in this offense and be their lead receiver and my money is on Doubs.

📈 Devaughn Vele — Saints

Vele played 82 of 90 offensive snaps and saw 9 targets, turning them into 7 catches for 69 yards and a TD. With Jordyn Tyson sidelined, Vele has a legitimate path to a near-every-down role.

🚨 Caleb Douglas — Dolphins

Douglas played over 90% of Miami’s snaps, ran 31 routes and saw 7 targets, converting them into 5 catches for 94 yards. His 26% target share and 3.0 yards per route run are especially encouraging for a rookie making his NFL debut.

👀 Kendrick Bourne — Cardinals

Bourne quietly saw 8 targets, catching all eight for 75 yards. An 8/75 line on 44% of the team’s pass-game opportunities makes him an interesting deeper-league add, especially if Arizona continues throwing at this rate.

🧨 Antonio Williams — Commanders

Williams only played 37% of Washington’s snaps, but he made the most of his opportunities: 4 catches for 64 yards and a TD on 4 targets. He’s a deeper stash whose value could rise quickly if his snap share climbs.

📈 Dontayvion Wicks — Eagles

The opportunity is the story here. Wicks played 91% of Philadelphia’s offensive snaps, making him one of the Eagles’ two clear top wideouts alongside DeVonta Smith. He turned 4 targets into 2 catches for 73 yards and a TD, giving him legitimate big-play upside.

TE

🚨 David Njoku — Chargers

The Chargers were an unexpected disaster on Sunday and now Ladd McConkey left the game with a chest injury. He tied for the team lead in receptions (5) for 58 yards. He and Charlie Kolar were equal in snap share (55%) while Gadsden only played on 18%. I like his odds of being a primary target for Herbert if McConkey misses time.

📈 Pat Freiermuth — Steelers

Freiermuth opened the season with 5 catches for 46 yards and a TD, showing he can still be a useful red-zone option. He’s a particularly interesting waiver target at a position where reliable weekly volume is hard to find.

🏆 My Priority Adds

Jalen Coker

Kaelon Black

Matthew Golden

Tyler Shough

Romeo Doubs

Devaughn Vele

Caleb Douglas

The biggest thing I’m looking for on waivers isn’t simply who had a big Week 1 box score — it’s who received the usage that can actually be repeated.