Week 1 Waiver Wire: Fantasy Football's Top Targets Following Preseason Action

The NFL season hasn't even started yet, but fantasy player values are already jumping around, and some waiver-wire options are becoming noteworthy. While some late-round draft picks are expected to outdo their ADP because of recent news, we'll focus instead on those who are likely to be on the majority of league waiver wires.

That means no significant mention of Tony Pollard, Austin Ekeler, LeSean McCoy or Devin Singletary here—who are owned in 70, 89, 68 and 71 percent of Yahoo leagues, respectively. Instead, we'll run through some options at the major skill positions who are available in at least 60 percent of Yahoo leagues. 

Quarterback

• Jacoby Brissett, Indianapolis Colts (12 percent owned)

Not many quarterback situations changed during the preseason, but Andrew Luck's retirement opened up a window at quarterback for one of the league's strongest rosters. Brissett was 4-11 as a starter for the Indianapolis Colts in 2017, but this team is much stronger along the offensive line and at its skill positions, so Brissett might be worth keeping an eye on if he can turn things around and capitalize. 

Running Back

• Carlos Hyde, Houston Texans (33 percent owned)

• Justin Jackson, Los Angeles Chargers (29 percent owned)

• Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings (24 percent owned)

• Dare Ogunbowale, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5 percent owned)

Typically, 30 percent ownership would be the ideal cutoff point for a waiver-wire list. But this early in the year, we needed to do 40 percent and squeeze Carlos Hyde in. The Texans lost Lamar Miller for the season to a torn ACL, leaving Duke Johnson Jr., who hasn't had over 100 carries in a year since 2015, as their principal ball-carrier. The recently acquired Carlos Hyde, on the other hand, hasn't had less than 100 rushing attempts in a season since 2014. 

Hyde's five rushing touchdowns last season match Johnson's career total. While he's lost some juice, he could provide major value by, at least, grabbing the goal-line work and complementing Johnson's receiving ability.

Elsewhere, Jackson is a talented second-year back who has the potential to earn a significant workload alongside Austin Ekeler in Los Angeles if Melvin Gordon continues to hold out. Mattison is a rookie with third-round talent on what should be a run-heavy team behind a presumed bell cow, in Dalvin Cook, who has missed 17 games to injury over the past two seasons.  

Finally, Ogunbowale is a long shot, but he had an impressive summer and figures to be the best receiving option from an unimpressive backfield that should, with Bruce Arians at the helm, be both pass-happy and unrestricted by the official depth chart. 

Wide Receiver

• Kenny Stills, Houston Texans (26 percent owned)

• DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins (12 precent owned)

• Albert Wilson, Miami Dolphins (5 percent owned)

DeAndre Hopkins is Houston's top target, but Will Fuller V and Keke Coutee have each been relevant to fantasy owners in complementary roles. Those two have obvious injury concerns, as they missed a combined 19 games last season, so there is real potential for the talented Stills to provide legitimate fantasy value this year.   

Back in Miami, the gunslinging Ryan Fitzpatrick is slated to start, the team is likely to pass a ton as it struggles to overcome deficits and Stills' vacated targets (169 over the last two years) are available. Parker is 6'3" and has shown flashes of his prototypical first-round pedigree, while Wilson has serious speed and might be able to eat up targets from the slot.

Tight End

• Darren Waller, Oakland Raiders (22 percent owned)

• Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins (4 percent owned)

Mike Gesicki was drafted in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft, so there's a chance he can improve upon a disappointing rookie season and earn some love in Fitzpatrick's heart. 

If you're taking a shot on a waiver tight end, though, Waller is a much more reasonable candidate. Jared Cook got 101 targets from Derek Carr last season before leaving for New Orleans, so a ton of work is up for grabs if Waller, a 6'6", converted receiver, is able to continue improving upon the flashes he's already shown this summer.