The regular season kicked off with a wild start in Week 1 between surprise performances and injuries making major impacts throughout the fantasy football landscape.
We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in Yahoo leagues, using the 75% rostered mark as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on X, formerly Twitter, (@KevinHickey11). Your questions and comments are always welcome!
We also will be taking a look at some deeper players to stash and the top streaming options for the upcoming week.
Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated.
Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.
Priority Free Agents
1. WR Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens
The electric rookie likely isn’t available … but if he is, Flowers should be the top addition this week. He’s clearly the most explosive player in the wide receiver room already, and his 50% target share in Week 1 could be a sign that Flowers is here to stay, even when Mark Andrews (quad) returns.
Availability: 29%
FAAB: 35%
2. RB Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
The second-year back received far more work than expected in the split backfield with Cam Akers. He certainly has the third-down role to himself, but he also saw a strong amount of early-down work. The split between Williams and Akers is going to be frustrating, but we can’t ignore the usage. Williams may have standalone flex value if this trend continues.
Availability: 95%
FAAB: 20%
3. RB Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens
The unfortunate news of J.K. Dobbins‘ torn Achilles means the Ravens will need a new leader in the backfield. Edwards should see a major uptick in usage between the tackles while Justice Hill (more on him shortly) will work on passing downs. Edwards is the more efficient runner so prioritize him over Hill.
Availability: 80%
FAAB: 15%
4. RB Kenneth Gainwell, Philadelphia Eagles
With Rashaad Penny as a healthy scratch, Gainwell took over the Eagles backfield. He led the unit in snaps, routes run, targets and carries. It was Gainwell’s backfield. The Eagles will likely continue a rotation, but Gainwell provides flex value with a bit of upside in the right matchup moving forward.
Availability: 54%
FAAB: 15%
5. RB Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons
There’s a good chance Allgeier isn’t available, but in the chance he is, he should be one of the top additions of the week. The upside still resides with Bijan Robinson, who also had a strong day, but Allgeier added 18 touches and two rushing touchdowns. He has flex value in deeper leagues, especially since the Falcons are going to continue running the ball like crazy.
Availability: 44%
FAAB: 15%
6. WR Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
There has been a steady drumbeat for the fifth-round rookie leading into the season, and he didn’t disappoint in Week 1. The top trio for the Rams all ran the same number of routes, but Nacua finished with a stellar 15 targets. With Cooper Kupp shelved for at least three more weeks, Nacua brings plenty of intrigue.
Availability: 94%
FAAB: 12%
7. RB Justice Hill, Baltimore Ravens
Hill found the end zone twice, which saved what would have been a brutal fantasy outing. He had eight carries for nine yards and didn’t see a target in the passing game. The Ravens likely will split the workload between Hill and Edwards, which means they both should be targeted on the waiver wire.
Availability: 97%
FAAB: 10%
8. WR Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers
Coming off an injury, Doubs still found his way into the end zone twice and tied for the team lead with five targets. He’s going to be a mainstay as one of the starting wide receivers even when Christian Watson returns. He probably should be viewed more as a WR4 in fantasy with a bit of touchdown upside, but he certainly should be rostered.
Availability: 69%
FAAB: 10%
Grab-n-Stash
RB Joshua Kelley, Los Angeles Rams
No one is denying this is Austin Ekeler‘s backfield, but Kelley had some intriguing usage. He played just three fewer snaps than Ekeler and matched his 16 carries. Kelley is more of a stash considering the history he has as a fantasy asset, but it’s certainly something to monitor.
Availability: 96%
FAAB: 5%
QB Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
Officially taking over for Aaron Rodgers, it was a stellar outing for Love. He threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns and has a chance to finish as a top-five quarterback on the week, depending on how Monday night goes. Love is still more of a QB2, but this was an impressive performance against a middling defense.
Availability: 69%
FAAB: 5%
The rookie tight end was active in the passing game for the Lions, and it’s clear he’s the starting tight end. He caught all five of his targets for 39 yards during the Thursday night game, and there’s a chance his role continues to grow. Rookie tight ends are often shaky in nature, so he’s more of a stash, but this was an encouraging first outing.
Availability: 35%
FAAB: 3%
RB Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears
It’s a full-blown committee in Chicago, but the rookie back has a clear role on third downs. He led the backfield in snaps, routes run and targets while seeing five carries. The game script may have led to some of that, but it’s encouraging to see the Bears giving him so much run early in the season.
Availability: 85%
FAAB: 3%
WR Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots
We should be a bit weary of the Patriots’ passing attack, but we also have to recognize Bourne’s performance. Entering Monday night, Bourne is the WR4 on the week after posting six receptions on 11 targets for 64 yards and two touchdowns. The target number is appealing enough to monitor Bourne as a potential end-of-the-bench stash.
Availability: 98%
FAAB: 1%
WR Tutu Atwell, Los Angeles Rams
It was a strong game for Atwell, who posted six receptions for 119 yards while seeing eight targets. It’s clear he and Nacua have a chance to take over starting roles long term, but Atwell may be a bit more volatile considering his size and style of play. Still, he’s worth monitoring.
Availability: 97%
FAAB: 1%
WR Josh Downs, Indianapolis Colts
There’s a clear connection between Downs and his quarterback in Anthony Richardson. The slot receiver is clearly third on the depth chart, but he doubled Alec Pierce‘s targets in the opener. Rookies tend to do better as the season progresses, and Downs isn’t flex-worthy yet. But as Richardson gets more acclimated, Downs will continue to see a solid target share.
Availability: 99%
FAAB: 1%
Streamers of the Week
QB Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers: It may not be pretty, but Carr could find himself in a solid matchup against a Panthers defense that allowed Desmond Ridder to complete 83% of his passes in the opener.
Availability: 62%
QB Jimmy Garoppolo, Las Vegas Raiders at Buffalo Bills: This game has the potential to be high-scoring, and Garoppolo may need to keep up with Josh Allen and the Bills offense. It’s not exciting, but multiple scores could be in his range of outcomes.
Availability: 84%
TE Hunter Henry, New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins: Entering Monday night, Henry is the TE1 on the week after posting a 5-56-1 line on six targets. If the Patriots offense can sling it like they did in Week 1, Henry could be in line for another solid outing.
Availability: 84%
TE Adam Trautman, Denver Broncos vs. Washington Commanders: There’s a chance Denver will be without Greg Dulcich, due to a hamstring injury, which gives Trautman a chance against a Commanders defense that just allowed eight receptions to the tight end position in Week 1.
Availability: 100%
New York Giants D/ST at Arizona Cardinals: It was an ugly showing for the Giants, who will use this as a get-right game. It has a low betting total, which suggests not a lot of scoring, and the Cardinals put together just 210 yards and nine points offensively in Week 1.
Availability: 93%
Green Bay Packers D/ST at Atlanta Falcons: Another projected low-scoring game, the Packers defense gets another game against a one-dimensional offense. Stopping Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier won’t be easy, but Desmond Ridder shouldn’t put any fear into their chances of success.
Availability: 68%
PK Riley Patterson, Detroit Lions vs. Seattle Seahawks: This game has the chance to be pretty high-scoring, and Patterson will be at home inside a dome.
Availability: 54%
PK Nick Folk, Tennessee Titans vs. Los Angeles Chargers: There will be plenty of upside for points in this game as the Titans likely will have to keep pace. Folk is coming off a stellar outing as the top kicker in Week 1.
Availability: 80%
