Week 1 Waiver Wire Targets

The off-season is finally over, and it is time to dive into the Waiver Wire for 2019.

We’ve spent all off-season looking at the tape, dissecting all the stats we can find and formulating so many opinions that we will likely be wrong on quite a few. With that being said, drafting is only half the battle and come Week 1, we need to be ready to attack the Waiver Wire and improve our team.

Last season players like Phillip Lindsay and Damien Williams were key foundations to many fantasy football championships and both were found on the Waiver Wire after drafts were done and in the books. Which players should you take a shot at first? Here are a few options you should consider this week.

Devin Singeltary- RB, BUF (31.1% owned)

One of the hot names this week will be Devin Singletary after the Bills opted to release LeSean McCoy and move forward with the trio of Singletary, Frank Gore and T.J. Yeldon to open the season. Even though Singletary is the guy I will target from this backfield, he will likely take the longest to return value.

Frank Gore will see the majority of carries to open the season and since he will never go away, he likely will still have some sort of an impact this season. He was a decent option for owners last season while in Miami, so he could help in Buffalo as well. Yeldon will be a name to watch in PPR leagues though as he is the one who will see quite a bit of passing down work to start the season and offer added value with his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield.

You won’t be able to wait on Singletary as he will likely be owned by the time he breaks out, so move early and if you are not lucky enough to get Singletary, then take the second-place prize with Gore or Yeldon. You could also pivot to the next option.

Justice Hill- RB, BAL (16.7% owned)

I am really surprised that Singletary had such a higher ownership percentage than Hill before the news of McCoy broke. Hill saw some value increase as well since the Ravens announced Kenneth Dixon would be starting the season on the IR. Likely, Dixon will not be on the Ravens roster much longer.

Hill can be a freak athlete on the field and a dynamic play maker. If Lamar Jackson has any issues with consistency and needs a safety blanket outside of Mark Andrews, Hill will be the perfect option. If the Ravens could find a split comparable to what the Saints did with Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara the last two seasons, he will have a nice floor in PPR leagues with RB3 upside. If anything happens to Ingram though, Hill becomes a high upside RB2 with his ability to make plays out of the backfield in the air and on the ground.

John Brown- WR, BUF (27.5% owned)

There is one thing Josh Allen does well and will likely always do well, and that’s throw the ball down field. How accurate he will be in 2019 is still to be determined, but John Brown will be the perfect target for Allen and give him the deep threat needed to stretch the field.

Last season Brown finished fourth in the NFL with 17 yards per reception and he was also one of only two players with more than 15 YPR and under eight yards per target. Brown was a solid WR2 prior to Lamar Jackson stepping in as the starter in place of an injured Joe Flacco. If Allen has taken a step forward as QB, then Brown could be a WR2 again with tremendous touchdown upside.

Marquise Goodwin- WR, SF (4.7% owned)

How quickly does recency bias make us forget one of the hot names in the year prior. Coming into 2018, a lot of fantasy owners, myself included, were high on Marquise Goodwin after his finish in 2017. When Jimmy Garoppolo took over as the starter in 2017 for the 49ers, Goodwin and he had an instant connection. It did not carry over because of the injury to Garoppolo but now that both are fully healthy, they could connect once again.

Dante Pettis was supposed to be the WR1 heading into 2019, but the coaching staff has been critical of him stepping up to take that job. Jalen Hurd was becoming a factor less than two weeks ago, but a back injury may have sidelined him for a while. Goodwin could have the perfect opportunity to step up and take back the role he was supposed to have last season.

Over the last six games in 2017, Goodwin saw 49 targets and caught 33 passes for 462 yards. He could be a high upside, boom or bust option to start, but that offense should start to roll before too long. Goodwin could be one of the main reasons why as well.

Also worth a look:

Darren Waller- TE, OAK (14.6% owned)

If you bought our draft guide, then you have known Waller’s name for a while. You won’t be able to let him sit on waivers too much longer.

Ty Montgomery- RB, NYJ (6.2% owned)

Reports out of camp are that Le’Veon Bell and Ty Montgomery could see a split in touches to begin the season while the Jets work Bell back onto the field. Bell has been out for a year, so this isn’t a bad strategy for the Jets to take. Montgomery works best as a pass catcher, so if the Jets see any negative game script, he could be on the field even more.

Justin Jackson- RB, LAC (22.7% owned)

Owners continue to focus on Austin Ekeler and leave Justin Jackson to the side. Word out of LA is that Chargers ownership has told Melvin Gordon to play under his contract or sit out all year. If that happens, Jackson will see a bulk of the carries.

Kenny Still- WR, HOU (48.1%)

Kenny Stills has a skillset that would allow him to play in the slot or on the outside. If Will Fuller is healthy, then his upside is likely limited. If anything happens to Fuller though, Stills becomes a huge TD upside play.

Albert Wilson- WR, MIA (22.1%)

Albert Wilson is now the WR1 on an offense that will have to pass a ton because the team is, for a lack of a better word, garbage. Will the offensive line give Ryan Fitzpatrick enough time to throw though? That could be an issue, but Wilson is going to see a ton of targets in 2019.

Mark Andrews- TE, BAL (43.6% owned)

How the top target for Lamar Jackson is owned in at least half of fantasy football leagues right now is crazy. Mark Andrews could be on the cusp of a breakout season, so he needs to be stashed sooner rather than later. Andrews offers big play upside.