Preseason waivers may seem like a pointless concept. After all, you just drafted your team, and no games have been played yet; why would you already be changing things up? But there are plenty of reasons to make a waiver move before Week 1. Maybe your league drafted early and some big preseason risers are still available. Maybe you want to add someone who was placed on the PUP or IR to stash in your IR slot. Maybe one of your own draft picks got hurt. Or maybe you just already regret your choices in the last few rounds
Regardless of why you’re looking to the preseason waivers, this article is for you. I will go over players available in over 50% of leagues at every position, including at least one player who is less than 5% rostered at each position for those of you in deep leagues. If you haven’t yet had your fantasy draft, all of these guys double as late-round sleeper options! Without further ado, let’s get into it!
Quarterbacks
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (47.4% Rostered)
If we’re drafting two Rams receivers in the first three rounds, their quarterback probably has a decent shot to put up some fantasy points. Stafford is also just two years removed from a QB5 overall finish and has proven he has 40-TD upside in this Sean McVay offense. If you’re looking for a QB2, he’s a great option.
Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks (20.8% Rostered)
Sticking in the NFC West, we have another solid QB2 option in Geno. Since his move to Seattle, Geno has consistently graded as above-average, if not elite, in essentially every advanced measure of quarterback play, including finishing top-12 in PFF Passing Grade in both 2022 and 2023. Like Stafford, he has a recent QB1 season under his belt, having finished as the QB5 in 2022. With a new regime in town in Seattle, Smith could bounce back with another year of solid fantasy production.
Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (15.1% Rostered)
This is a pick for those of you who may have drafted early, especially in 2-QB or Superflex leagues. In those formats, every starting quarterback should be rostered, and Nix may have slipped through the cracks in an early draft before he was named the Broncos’ Week 1 starter.
Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings (5.8% Rostered)
Darnold is similar to Nix in that he is a big beneficiary of some recent news, as he is now set to start all 17 games for the Vikings with J.J. McCarthy out for the year. However, even in recent drafts, Darnold is being undervalued. He’s not a good NFL quarterback, but his situation is excellent. Justin Jefferson is the best receiver in the league, and Kevin O’Connell can make offense out of nothing. In 2023, KOC helped Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall, and Joshua Dobbs combine to average 17.8 fantasy points over a nine-week span. Darnold should be able to play at least as well as that trio, meaning he could provide fringe QB1 numbers.
Drake Maye, New England Patriots (4.9% Rostered)
Maye is a long-term play, as he is looking unlikely to start for the Patriots in Week 1 … but not too long-term, as Jerod Mayo is already talking about how Maye has looked better than current starter Jacoby Brissett in preseason. When he does hit the field, Maye has intriguing upside as a highly-ranked prospect with underrated mobility.
Running Backs
Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons (47.4% Rostered)
At worst, Tyler Allgeier is a premium handcuff, the best kind of player to have at the end of your bench. But there’s also a real chance he sees meaningful work even while Bijan Robinson is healthy. He did last year, enough to finish the season as the RB34 in Half-PPR. That should be enough to earn him a spot on rosters in most leagues.
MarShawn Lloyd, Green Bay Packers (23.4% Rostered)
Lloyd spent most of the preseason trending downwards, as he reportedly struggled in camp before picking up a hamstring injury. However, yesterday was a huge boost to Lloyd’s rookie-year prospects. Not only did he avoid starting the season on the IR or PUP, a good sign that he will return to the field within the first four weeks, but the Packers placed A.J. Dillon, his main competition, on season-ending IR with a neck stinger. Lloyd will still likely miss a few weeks while dealing with his injury, but he should eventually take over as the RB2 in an offense that loves to utilize a split backfield. Again, that makes him a handcuff with potential standalone upside.
Kimani Vidal, Los Angeles Chargers (7.9% Rostered)
Like his fellow rookie Lloyd, Vidal has had a rollercoaster of a preseason. He struggled with an injury early in camp and at one point looked unlikely to even make the Chargers’ roster. However, Vidal eventually got healthy, played well in the preseason, and is now officially on the 53-man team, which makes him a very intriguing upside play. The sixth-round pick provides explosiveness that the Chargers lack in their expected starting duo of Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins. He has huge upside if he can carve out a role in what is likely to be a run-heavy offense.
Samaje Perine, Kansas City Chiefs (0.9% Rostered)
As of this morning, Perine wasn’t even on an NFL roster, having been cut by the Broncos. However, the former Bengal has now been signed by the Chiefs, directly to their 53-man roster. Perine is a very effective pass-catcher and blocker, so he will likely play a passing-down role for the Chiefs alongside Isiah Pacheco. This would be a role similar to the one Jerick McKinnon played for KC in recent years, which allowed him to have a few stretches of fantasy viability. In deep PPR leagues, Perine is absolutely worth rostering.
Handfuls Of Handcuffs
I cannot stress enough how valuable stashing handcuffs can be at this stage of the season. A mediocre wide receiver is likely going to be a mediocre wide receiver all season long. A QB2 or TE2 will (hopefully) sit on your bench all year except for a single bye week. But all it takes is a single injury, or even a surprising coaching decision, for each of these guys to become weekly must-starts:
- Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins (21.6% Rostered)
- Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills (13.8% Rostered)
- Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10.5% Rostered)
- Braelon Allen, New York Jets (10.2% Rostered)
- Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers (9.3% Rostered)
- Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars (4.9% Rostered)
- Carson Steele, Kansas City Chiefs (1.9% Rostered)
Wide Receivers
Romeo Doubs, Green Bay Packers (44.9% Rostered)
The Packers’ receiving room is stacked with young talent, and Doubs is viewed by many as the group’s least exciting option. However, he has also consistently led the team in routes run, and camp reports have indicated that he is Jordan Love’s favorite target. He is a must-roster in all formats until we see how this situation plays out.
Joshua Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers (39.3% Rostered)
Yes, Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman are going to run the ball. And yes, Palmer has yet to prove himself as more than a replacement-level talent at the NFL level. But he is going to start the season as Justin Herbert’s WR1 and should absolutely be rostered in more than 39% of leagues.
Adonai Mitchell, Indianapolis Colts (29.1% Rostered)
Don’t worry; not all my receiver picks are going to be boring veterans. Mitchell is almost the opposite of Palmer and Doubs. His route participation, especially once Josh Downs returns from injury, is going to be uncertain. We’re also not sure if Anthony Richardson is good enough to sustain multiple fantasy-relevant targets. But the second-round rookie has heaps of upside if everything clicks right, making him a viable wait-and-see stash in deep leagues.
Dontayvion Wicks, Green Bay Packers (24.0% Rostered)
Along with Jayden Reed and Chrisitan Watson, Wicks is part of the same crowded WR room as Doubs. Unfortunately, he seems to be the odd man out heading into the season, struggling to consistently see the field in even three-receiver sets. However, Wicks is also potentially the most talented member of the entire group: He led the quartet in yards per route run both from the slot and out wide in 2023, as well as pacing the team in PFF Grade. Whether it takes an injury or he eventually earns his way onto the field, Wicks has a chance to emerge down the stretch as the top target in this offense.
Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots (5.6% Rostered)
This is only a suggestion for managers with an empty IR slot. Bourne, who is starting the season on the PUP list after tearing his ACL in 2023, could eventually factor into a very unclear Patriots’ receiving corps. He’s worth stashing if it is free to do so.
Odell Beckham Jr., Miami Dolphins (5.4% Rostered)
OBJ is the same as Bourne: Worth stashing if you have an empty IR slot, otherwise don’t bother. The 31-year-old is dealing with an undisclosed injury that has him starting the season on the PUP list, but he might make some noise if everything goes right.
Jalen Tolbert, Dallas Cowboys (4.9% Rostered)
Tolbert, a third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, has done essentially nothing so far in his NFL career. Despite the Cowboys lacking playmakers at receiver behind CeeDee Lamb, he has just 25 career receptions in 24 games. However, he spent the whole offseason working out individually with Dak Prescott, which has reportedly paid off in training camp. That narrative is enough to make him worth a speculative add in very deep leagues.
Tight Ends
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints (36.4% Rostered)
Depending on the platform you play on, Hill may not be eligible as a tight end. But if he is, he is worth rostering for at least one week. His unique role has always carried tantalizing fantasy upside, and preseason usage suggests that new Saints OC Klint Kubiak plans to use him heavily. And, because of his unique role, it will be apparent immediately whether Taysom is going to hit — either he’s going to see significant carries or he isn’t. If he does, he’s probably a TE1. If he doesn’t, he can be dropped immediately, making him a low-risk stash for the first week of the season.
Tyler Conklin, New York Jets (24.9% Rostered)
Conklin is boring, and he doesn’t have much upside. However, he quietly finished last season 13th among tight ends in targets. The main issue with his fantasy production was that he didn’t score a single touchdown, thanks to the Jets’ overall offensive ineptitude. If Aaron Rodgers can turn this offense around, Conklin could sneak into the backend TE1 conversation.
Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders (3.0% Rostered)
With Jahan Dotson now an Eagle, someone besides Terry McLaurin has to catch passes in Washington. Even at 33 years old, Ertz is the obvious candidate. He served as the team’s starting TE in the preseason and actually averaged over six targets per game before being cut by the Cardinals in 2023. He is worth considering in tight end premium or two-TE leagues.
Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football die-hard and expert. To ask him questions or complain about his takes, find him on Twitter @Tchmyz.