Waiver Wire Week 1: Highlighting Top Pickups from 2023 Preseason

The fantasy football waiver wire is a tough place to figure out going into Week 1 of the NFL season.

The breakout stars of the waiver wire will emerge in the coming weeks, so most of the waiver wire work is based on projections and preseason production.

Injury news can also affect your waiver-wire strategy in Week 1. The absence of Jonathan Taylor and the potential of not having Cooper Kupp for the opening week scares some fantasy owners.

The top waiver-wire selections could change once the regular-season games are played, but there are a few players that stand out because of their situations. That could allow you to pick them up a week or two before some other fantasy players in your league target them on the waiver wire.

Tank Bigsby, RB, Jacksonville

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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - AUGUST 26: Tank Bigsby #4 of the Jacksonville Jaguars runs the ball against the Miami Dolphins during the second quarter at TIAA Bank Field on August 26, 2023 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Rich Storry/Getty Images)

Jaguars rookie running back Tank Bigsby produced four rushes of 10 or more yards in preseason, which was tied for the most in August, per Pro Football Focus.

Bigsby appears to be the clear No. 2 running back in the Jacksonville offense behind Travis Etienne.

Etienne is still in line for a massive amount of touches in every game, but Bigsby could provide some help on the ground so that the Jags do not run their No. 1 back into the ground by November.

A year ago, Jacksonville used a mix of James Robinson, JaMycal Hasty and Snoop Conner to fill the backup role.

Bigsby could be better than all three of them combined, and he would allow Trevor Lawrence to run less. Lawrence was third on the team with 62 carries and 291 rushing yards in 2022.

Bigsby enters Week 1 as a No. 3 fantasy running back, at best, but if he earns plenty of snaps in September, he could be a good streaming option or bye-week replacement for the top-tier running backs.

Van Jefferson, WR, LA Rams

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INGLEWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 8: Van Jefferson #12 of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium on December 8, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

It's difficult to name any wide receiver on the Los Angeles Rams depth chart outside of Cooper Kupp.

Van Jefferson, remember him?, is still on the roster and could be Matthew Stafford's top wideout in Week 1 if Kupp is still dealing with his hamstring injury.

Jefferson is the only known quantity in the Rams wide receiver room not named Kupp. Puka Nucua, Tutu Atwell, Ben Skowronek and Demarcus Robinson are the other wide outs on the roster.

Jefferson had 802 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 2021, but he was slowed by some injuries in 2022.

The Rams do not have an easy Week 1 matchup on the road against the Seattle Seahawks, but the nature of the NFC West contest could help Jefferson.

Stafford is more likely to throw to a guy he trusts and has been around for multiple years in a hostile road environment than work in new targets.

If the Rams had a home game against the Arizona Cardinals, we might see more of the new faces in the passing game, but Stafford needs a reliable face to connect with to give the Rams any chance of winning in Seattle.

Jefferson's fantasy status will be directly tied to Kupp's hamstring. The Rams' top wide out is day-to-day as of Monday, and if he is out, Jefferson should get some looks for the FLEX position in fantasy leagues.

Juwan Johnson, TE, New Orleans

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - NOVEMBER 20: Juwan Johnson #83 of the New Orleans Saints carries the ball during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Caesars Superdome on November 20, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Juwan Johnson's name does not come up much when talking about the best fantasy tight ends.

However, the New Orleans Saints player is coming off a seven-touchdown campaign in which he scored multiple touchdowns in two games and had a three-game scoring streak.

Johnson made comments last week that he wants to break into the great tier of tight ends, per the Saints website.

"I've always seen myself being a good player," Johnson said. "That's how I've always carried myself, going into high school and college, me being a good player but I know I always could be great. That's the tier I'm trying to break into, being great."

Johnson's average draft position is 158th. He is rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues, per Fantasy Pros.

Johnson could be more important to the Saints in the first three weeks while Alvin Kamara is suspended. There could be ample scoring opportunities available for Johnson in that stretch.

If he continues to get red-zone targets and builds up chemistry with Derek Carr, Johnson could finish the season as a top 10 tight end.