NFL Waiver Wire: Week 1 Pickups

We are only a couple days away from football, and there's a full slate of games this Sunday. This season it's been a bit tougher to read the tea leaves with no preseason games. Don't read too much into depth charts that are being released; realize the coaches will play the most talented players on their roster.

This columns is geared toward "standard" 12-team leagues and based upon a $100 free-agent budget. Please adjust for your league based on both the number of teams (I'm in a 24-team league, for example) and remaining budget.

Quarterback

SECONDARY TARGETS

Ryan Fitzpatrick, MIA - Fitzpatrick was named the starter, and it appears the Tua Tagovailoa era will have to wait at least a few weeks. Fitzpatrick has weapons at his disposal in DeVante Parker, Preston Williams and Mike Gesicki. The running game is questionable at best, so the Dolphins might end up airing it out more than other teams. Fitzpatrick will sling the ball around and has never seen a throw he couldn't make and will likely pass Troy Aikman, Y.A. Tittle and Phil Simms in all-time passing yards the next few weeks. FAAB: $3-$6

HAIL MARY

Dwayne Haskins, WAS - Wisely, Haskins was named the starter last Wednesday, putting any doubt to rest about that matter. He will have had plenty of time to prepare for Week 1 and has an intriguing set of wide receivers with whom to work. Terry McLaurin is a second-year stud who should be a yearly 1,000-yard wide receiver and Steven Sims (don't be afraid to throw a buck or two at him) had four touchdowns over his final three games working effectively out of the slot. Alex Smith is on the roster, but this is Haskins' job to lose. FAAB: $1-$2

Running Back

PRIMARY TARGETS

James Robinson, Devine Ozigbo, JAX - Robinson appears to be the front runner for the starting job following the release of Leonard Fournette and the placing of Ryquell Armstead on the Covid-19 list. Chris Thompson's role on the team shouldn't change as he'll handle the passing downs workload. Robinson should handle the early down work, though Ozigbo has been lauded for his pass protection by beat reporters in camp. Both are worthy of waiver-wire bids, but it's Robinson who deserves getting more interest. FAAB: Robinson - $10-$15; Ozigbo - $4-$8

HAIL MARY

Bryce Love, WAS - Peyton Barber is listed ahead of him on the depth chart, but we should ignore that given we know what Barber is at this point. Many forget that Love was the runner-up to the Heisman a few years ago and an injury dropped his draft stock. Antonio Gibson is 83 percent rostered in Yahoo leagues, so he's not a candidate for this piece whereas Love is an option at 10 percent rostered. He won't likely make an immediate impact, but the Redskins brass felt good enough to release Adrian Peterson and hang onto Love. FAAB: $1-$2

Wide Receiver

SECONDARY TARGETS

N'Keal Harry, NE - Harry is someone I meant to outline in last week's piece. I think it's telling the Belichick didn't address overly the wide receiver position in the offseason through free agency or the draft. Harry was a first-round pick (albeit the last pick), so he has the pedigree that would suggest a big jump in this second season. At 6-foot-4, 225, he has the prototypical size to be a No. 1 wide receiver, and the Patriots adding the arm of Cam Newton doesn't hurt as well. FAAB: $3-$6

Tre'Quan Smith, NO - Smith is heading into his third year as a professional and should have the New Orlean's offense memorized at this point. He had touchdowns in four of his last six regular-season games in 2019 and should have the trust of Drew Brees. Defenses will key on stopping Michael Thomas, leaving Smith on softer coverage to burn down the field for big gains. FAAB: $2-$4

HAIL MARY

Gabriel Davis, BUF - One of the draft strategies I've learned over the years is to do mock drafts with people from different areas of our great country. Someone on the west coast likely has a better finger on the pulse on teams in that area, like the NFC West, than someone on the east coast. I, however, have at least a decent pulse on what's going on with my hometown Bills, hence the Davis mention. I haven't seen a bad word written about him during training camp, and while he's listed as the No. 4 wide receiver on the depth chart, he has a ton of upside. A fourth-round pick out of UCF, he had more than 1,200 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns last season. He beat out speedster Robert Foster and Duke Williams for a roster spot, which shows how much the Bills think of him. FAAB: $1-$2

Tight End

SECONDARY OPTIONS

Ian Thomas, CAR - Thomas has been slowed a bit by a toe injury but should be ready to roll for this week's game. Chris Manhertz is expected to be utilized in his usual blocking role, leaving Thomas to get all of the targets at the position as the pass-catching option. While any player in the NFL can be called freakishly athletic, that term very much applies to Thomas, who is a combination of size, speed and strength. He played a more significant role of the latter part of the season, getting 25 targets in his final five games. Without Greg Olsen around, look for Thomas to become more fantasy relevant, provided his toe injury doesn't linger. FAAB: $2-$4

Defense

HAIL MARY

Detroit Lions - If you're looking to stream a defense Week 1, the Lions should be on your radar. All of the top defenses drafted seem to have good matchups and will be used in almost every format, leaving only desperate options for Week 1. Enter the Lions who will get Mitch Trubisky and the Bears at home. Unfortunately, it's unclear the if there's any home-field advantage this season without 70,000 fans screaming when the team is on defense. That said, Trubisky should be good for at least one turnover with the upside that he has multiple gaffs. FAAB: $1-$2