Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickups: Pinpointing Must-Add Players After Early Action

Week 1 is filled with more surprises than any other week in the NFL season, and few hold more potential to pick up a waiver-wire gem.

While fantasy football owners will be handcuffed to simply pursuing the successor of an injured starter for much of the year, Week 1 is the week when players with little film on them in their current circumstance shine. Here are four players who finished Week 1 with an impressive stat line and should be on owners’ waiver-wire radar.

4. RB Fred Jackson, Buffalo Bills

C.J. Spiller averaged 6.0 yards per carry last season, but apparently Chan Gailey isn’t the only head coach on the face of the planet who doesn’t believe Spiller should be a feature back. Doug Marrone seems to share this philosophy as Jackson carried the football just four fewer times than Spiller. On this day, Jackson outperformed Spiller. 

Jackson rushed for 67 yards on 5.2 yards a pop compared to Spiller’s 41 on 2.4 a carry. Those aren’t numbers to drool over by any means, but the back owned in just 46 percent of Yahoo! Sports leagues (subscription required) finished with those numbers despite the fact that the New England Patriots controlled the football for 15 more minutes more than the Bills.

3. TE Jordan Cameron, Cleveland Browns

Cameron is owned in most fantasy football leagues, 78 percent to be exact according to Yahoo! Sports. However, 22 percent unowned is still a notably high percentage considering that he just racked up nine receptions for 108 yards and a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins.

Owners lucky enough to have Cameron as a free agent in their league shouldn’t hesitate to add this tight end who could turn into a must-start each week.

2. WR Jerome Simpson, Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota signed Greg Jennings this offseason to fill a huge void at the wide receiver position. Simpson stepped right into that void against the Detroit Lions, catching seven balls for 140 yards. He was only owned in one percent of Yahoo! Sports leagues prior to Week 1, but that number is guaranteed to skyrocket after his explosive performance.

1. QB Terrelle Pryor, Oakland Raiders

Aside from two interceptions, Pryor played phenomenally. Thankfully for fantasy owners, interceptions hurt a team less in fantasy than they do in real life. Dual-threat quarterbacks, especially ones as lethal with their legs as Pryor, don’t need to be efficient to earn owners a satisfying amount of points.

When the fat lady sung in Indianapolis, Pryor was the NFL’s leading rusher. He finished 112 yards on the ground on top of his 217 and a touchdown through the air. Act fast—he’s only owned in 10 percent of Yahoo! Sports leagues.

David Daniels is a breaking news writer at Bleacher Report and news editor at Wade-O Radio.