Your Fantasy Football Championship is never secured during the draft; your draft just builds a foundation that you work on polishing throughout the season. One of the easiest ways to make an impact to your roster is the waiver wire. Every Tuesday during the season I’ll be giving you two players by playmaking position that are currently owned in less than 50% of ESPN leagues. Without further ado, here’s your Week 1 waiver wire pickups.
Quarterbacks:
Marcus Mariota (49.9%)
At the time of writing, Marcus Mariota BARELY makes the cut when it comes to the waiver wire column as he sits at 49.9% owned. However, he’s under 50% and he’s by far your best option if you aren’t committed to the QB you drafted for Week 1. He’s playing against a Miami defence that finished 20th in points allowed to QB’s last season and has a high floor with his legs. The only question mark is the new offence Tennessee will be running, but I think that’ll favour Mariota instead of harming him.
Andy Dalton (17.7%)
We’re strictly going with the matchup in this one, and Andy Dalton has the best Week 1 matchup out of QB’s that qualify for the column. Dalton will start his season against the 23rd ranked Colts defence. He more than likely won’t win you your week with his point production but should be a safe bet to have a decent game and give you a solid start in your QB slot.
Running backs:
Latavius Murray (48.4%)
Latavius Murray is getting paid too much in Minnesota for him not be utilized in the offense and while he’s firmly behind Dalvin Cook in the depth chart, only Ezekiel Elliott has more touchdowns in the last two years than Latavius Murray. If you need a flex for Week 1 due to preseason injuries, Latavius Murray might be worth a flier and at the very least a good handcuff going forward.
Matt Breida (41.2%)
Never like seeing a player get hurt, but that’s the business and injuries create opportunity. Specifically, in PPR formats which on Win Column is the only format we talk about, Matt Breida will be a solid replacement in the 49ers offense. He will compete for touches with Alfred Morris but will more than likely get all the passing down work giving himself solid flex value at the very least.
Wide Receivers:
Michael Gallup (48.4%)
Michael Gallup was Pro Football Focuses highest-graded wide receiver coming out of college and in an offence that is looking to replace Dez Bryant’s production he could end up being the WR1 on the Cowboys by the end of the year. Grab him early while you can; he’s potentially a good flex start now and has the upside to be a routine starter at your WR position.
Rishard Matthews (45.4%)
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Matthews is going to have an impact in an offense that should be a lot better this year, he will have to compete with emerging star Corey Davis for a share in the offense but is firmly the #2 in Tennessee. Matthews has finished 37th or better in fantasy points per game in each of the past three seasons. There are lot worse players you can find on the waiver wire.
Tight Ends:
George Kittle (39.9%)
Kittle found a good rapport with Garoppolo early in their tenure together as Kittle posted two top-seven weeks with the newly acquired QB before the end of the season. Kittle is the 49ers TE1 and is prepped to be a breakout candidate this year. He’s coming off a separated shoulder from Week 1 in the preseason, but he’s been cleared for practice since then and is expected to be in the lineup for Week 1.
Ricky Seals-Jones (7.2%)
Ricky Seals-Jones posted top-five fantasy outings in Weeks 11 and 12 of 2017 with 20.4 and 17.2 points respectively. Seals-Jones is a converted wide receiver with a 6-foot-5, 243-pound body he is an athletic freak. He’ll get an opportunity in Week 1 due to Jermaine Gresham recovering from a torn Achilles. If Seals-Jones can perform well in Week 1 he may be a TE1 going forward that you can currently find on the waiver wire.