Happy Tuesday, Mike here, welcome back to my weekly Waiver HUB. Follow me on Twitter (@FantasyHubbard) for all things fantasy football throughout the season.
Week 1 is officially over with week 2 just days away. We get a Thursday Night Football matchup between 2 undefeated teams in the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins. Both teams had to overcome 14-point leads by their opponents in week 1 only to both finish with a win. Miami is currently favored by 1 point over the Bills with the game located in Miami with an over/under of 50.5. The Bills swept the Dolphins last year winning both at home and away.
Fantasy football is underway now so it’s time to make some moves and prepare for fantasy post season greatness. Injuries are inevitable so here’s another chance to hit the waiver wire and get impactful players. Another week gone, another opportunity to make your team stronger and inch your way to that league trophy and an offseason of bragging rights.
Below are my top waiver wire priorities this week. Go get those available players to help your chances at a championship. Good luck this week and remember to check back every week to stay informed on who you could target off of waivers.
TOP PRIORITY OF THE WEEK
Isaiah Likely – Baltimore Ravens
Likely is my top priority of the week after week 1. The Ravens have the experienced Mark Andrews at TE, but Likely was the TE that stole the show. Mark Andrews had 6 more snaps, and 3 more routes ran than Isaiah, but you wouldn’t be able to tell in the box score. Likely finished week 1 leading his Ravens in targets, receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns. 12 targets, 9 receptions, 111 receiving yards and 1 TD. Only Cooper Kupp had more targets than Likely in week 1. Likely is a top priority with those numbers even with a healthy Mark Andrews.
Quarterbacks
Baker Mayfield – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Have a day, Baker Mayfield. Baker picked apart the Washington defense on his way to 289 passing yards and 4 passing TDs. He even added 21 rushing yards. Baker is top 5 in passing yards and his 4 passing TDs stand alone atop all QBs stats thus far. Next week is a different story with the Lions, although Matthew Stafford threw for 317 yards Sunday night against Detroit. Mayfield is a good option if you need QB depth or if you’re a Jordan Love owner and need a QB immediately.
Running Backs
Tank Bigsby – Jacksonville Jaguars
Tank Bigsby had an increased role at RB in week 1 compared to last season. In a backfield with Travis Etienne, both Bigsby and Etienne had 12 carries each. However, Tank had the better rushing stats going for 73 rushing yards giving him an average of over 6 yards per rush. Moving forward I can see Bigsby spending more time splitting carries with Etienne and if Etienne were to deal with any injuries, Bigsby would be in an RB1 role.
Jaleel McLaughlin – Denver Broncos
McLaughlin led the Broncos in rushing attempts with 10. His counterpart Javonte Williams had 8 rushing attempts. Neither RB was particularly impactful in their week 1 loss, but it’s clear McLaughlin will have a role moving forward. Jaleel was targeted 5 times and caught all of those targets. Only 1 yard gained through the air but promising targets. Bo Nix is a rookie QB who I think will need to rely on his RBs more often to relieve some pressure.
Bucky Irving – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bucky Irving held his own in his NFL debut rushing 9 times for 62 rushing yards. Rachaad White had 15 carries for just 31 rushing yards. Bucky also added 2 receptions from 3 targets for 14 receiving yards. After a positive outing it would appear Irving will continue to be a presence in Tampa Bays offense.
Wide Receivers
Brandin Cooks – Dallas Cowboys
Cooks finished week 1 with 7 targets and converted them into 4 receptions for 40 receiving yards and a receiving TD. Only CeeDee Lamb had more targets, receptions, and receiving yards on the Cowboys offense. With Jake Ferguson currently nursing a knee injury, Cooks could see an even more increased role next week. They may be facing the Saints, but the game is in Dallas and Cooks is quite familiar with the Saints having his career start in New Orleans for 3 seasons.
Greg Dortch – Arizona Cardinals
Greg Dortch led the Cardinals with 6 receptions and 47 receiving yards in week 1. Only Trey McBride had more targets with 9. Marvin Harrison Jr is the rookie standout 1st round pick, but he had a quiet debut catching just 1 of 3 targets for 4 yards. I don’t expect the distribution to be the same moving forward, but Dortch looks to be a pivotal piece of the offense for Kyler Murray.
Allen Lazard – New York Jets
With Aaron Rodgers behind center, it seems there’s always a good chance he targets Lazard. After their week 1 MNF loss to the 49ers, it was clear that Rodgers favorite targets are Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, and Allen Lazard. Lazard finished with 9 targets, 6 receptions, 89 receiving yards, and 2 receiving TDs. Jets get the Titans and Patriots next 2 weeks giving Lazard good opportunity to keep rolling.
Tight Ends
Isaiah Likely – Baltimore Ravens
SEE TOP PRIORITY OF THE WEEK – TOP OF PAGE