Each week, it is critical to scope out your league’s waiver wire to look for the best players to help your fantasy roster. The fantasy football managers who pay attention and pick up players at the right time can have a huge advantage when it comes to winning their league. The difference between bidding on waivers and FAAB is that with FAAB, winning the player is purely based on outbidding the other players in the league. However, it’s extremely important to be judicious with your FAAB budget throughout the season, considering it may need to last 14-17 weeks, assuming you end up making the fantasy championship.
Here is a list of players who you should keep on your watch list with projected FAAB amounts. For purposes of this article, the assumption is that your league uses $1000 FAAB.
QB:
Geno Smith, Raiders–New offensive coordinator Chip Kelly opened up the offense and Smith looked sensational against the Patriots in Week 1. A lot of his value will depend on the health of Brock Bowers but Smith is absolutely earned a spot in Superflex formats. FAAB: $10-15
Matthew Stafford, Rams–Stafford is never the kind of guy who’s going to get 3 or 4 touchdown passes per game but he has two sensational receivers, and he usually throws somewhere between 260 and 300 yards and at least one touchdown per week, making him as steady as they come. FAAB: $10-15
Michael Penix, Jr., Falcons—Penix looked excellent against Tampa, giving Atlanta a real chance to win at the end of the game. He has more mobility than people realize but a lot will depend on the health of Drake London. London suffered a shoulder injury at the end of the game and if he misses time, it will hurt Penix’s value.FAAB: $10-15
Joe Flacco, Browns–Flacco had a very good first game against Cincinnati, which bodes well for a Browns team that was more competitive than people thought. Flacco could certainly put up 220 yards per week with a touchdown, making him usable in Superflex formats. FAAB: $5-10
Jaxon Dart, Giants–There was a rumor on social media that Giants head coach Brian Daboll asked ownership whether he could start Dart in Week 2. While this has not been confirmed, it does allude to the fact that Wilson has a very short leash in New York. FAAB: $3-5
J.J. McCarthy, Vikings–Many fantasy football managers seem to be non-believers in McCarthy; however, it’s important to remember that Kevin O’Connell was a former quarterback himself, and he has turned around the careers of multiple players, including Sam Darnold, Josh Dobbs, and Nick Mullens. McCarthy has a huge desire to be great and is way more mobile than people realize. FAAB: $30-35
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars–Lawrence struggled mightily last season under the tutelage of Doug Pederson. But now he gets Liam Coen’s explosive offensive play calling which puts multiple players into upside situations. Lawrence is likely the best quarterback that people are not talking about this season. FAAB: $20-25
Daniel Jones, Colts—Jones shocked the fantasy world in Week 1. Can he do it in Weeks 2-17? It’s worth the risk. FAAB: $20-25
Cam Ward, Titans–The more you watch Ward play the more you see a player who shows a lot of potential. Week 1 was a struggle against a terrific Denver defense, but things should improve in the coming weeks. FAAB: $5-10
RB:
Quinshon Judkins, Browns–It’s only a matter of time before Judkins becomes the RB1 in Cleveland. He’s got the most explosive ability of all the running backs on the team and he’s certainly capable of breaking away from tacklers. He’s going to cost a significant amount of FAAB budget but he may be one of the best running backs that we see all season available on the waiver wire. FAAB: $400-450
Dylan Sampson, Browns–Sampson had eight receptions in Week 1 and showed the ability to catch passes out of the backfield and make plays. Sampson will likely be the RB1 until Judkins is ready for action. FAAB: $100-150
Kenneth Gainwell, Steelers–It was disappointing for Kaleb Johnson owners to see that it was Kenneth Gainwell who Arthur Smith used as the Steelers RB2. Gainwell is good at catching passes out of the backfield and in pass protection thus making him more valuable to the Steelers right now. FAAB: $15-20
DJ Giddens, Colts–Giddens is the clear RB2 in Indianapolis, and if anything happens to Jonathan Taylor, he would be worth rostering. Definitely worth a dollar or two to stash. FAAB: $20-25
Miles Sanders, Cowboys–Sanders had a bad fumble in Week 1 but he also broke a long run where he showed a little juice. He’s somebody worth rostering if your team is lacking running back depth. FAAB: $15-20
Tank Bigsby, Eagles—Philadelphia traded for Bigsby, likely to make him the RB2 behind Saquon Barkley. If he ever is needed, Bigsby has the skill set to produce. FAAB: $25-30
Cam Skattebo, Giants–There was a point this past summer where the Giants saw enough in Skattebo that they thought that he could be their goal-line and short-yardage back. However, he was injured during training camp, and he’s just getting his legs underneath him now. Look for the Giants to ramp up his snaps throughout the season, and by Week 5 or 6, he should be the clear backup to Tyrone Tracy. FAAB: $50-60
Ollie Gordon, Dolphins–Gordon was off most fantasy football radars after the draft because he went to a Miami team that had a very deep depth chart at running back. But just a few months later, Alexander Mattison is out for the season and Jaylen Wright is dealing with an injury and may miss a few weeks of action. This puts Gordon into the RB2 role with the chance of significant snaps early in the season. FAAB: $75-80
Tahj Brooks, Bengals–It is clear after watching training camp that Brooks is the backup to Chase Brown and should be treated as such. If you smartly drafted Brown, you need to make sure that you have Brooks as the handcuff, making him worth a few dollars. FAAB: $15-20
WR:
Hollywood Brown, Chiefs–Brown became the WR1 for Kansas City as soon as Xavier Worthy left with the shoulder injury. Worthy is going to try to do his best to play with a brace but there’s no guarantee that he’s going to be able to stay on the field. Brown will likely be the top target for Patrick Mahomes until Rashee Rice returns midway through the season. He is likely rostered in most leagues but if he’s out there, he’s worth pursuing. FAAB: $100-110
Quentin Johnston, Chargers—Johnston has struggled with holding onto the football in previous seasons, but he is coming off a huge game in Week 1 so there is hope. Don’t overpay. FAAB: $35-40
Kendrick Bourne, 49ers–Bourne just signed a one-year deal with San Francisco, which says that the team most likely feels that Jennings may miss time and it also speaks to their lack of depth at the position. Bourne is a solid, but not spectacular, receiver who is worth carrying only in the deepest of leagues. FAAB: $10-12
Calvin Austin, Steelers–Austin could easily emerge as the WR2 for Aaron Rodgers in short order, becoming his Randall Cobb-type of receiver in Pittsburgh. FAAB: $20-25
Kayshon Boutte, Patriots—Boutte showed a good connection with Drake Maye last season, and he excels against man coverage. He is a good receiver to stash based on the defensive matchups if your roster is able to be flexible enough to carry him. FAAB: $20-25
Alec Pierce, Colts– If Daniel Jones continues to play at a high level, he could have interesting value. FAAB: $10-15
RayRay McCloud, Falcons–McCloud is not the most reliable receiver; however, with Darnell Mooney and Drake London both dealing with injuries, he may be the de facto WR1 for Atlanta in Week 2, making him worthy of a couple of dollars. FAAB: $10-15
Elic Ayomanor, Titans–Keep an eye on Ayomanor as he should easily take over the WR2 position in Tennessee. He seems to have a reasonably good connection with Cam Ward, and the Titans should be trailing in most games, making him a good receiver to have stashed on the bench. FAAB: $5-10
Troy Franklin, Broncos–This is Franklin’s second season, and many people may forget that he was Bo Nix’s favorite target back when they played together at the University of Oregon. Franklin supposedly has put on some more muscle and looked bigger and stronger in training camp and the team just traded away last year’s 3rd receiver with the idea of giving that role to Franklin. FAAB: $15-20
Cedric Tillman, Browns–The good news about Tillman is that he is a very solid young receiver who is playing on a team that should be behind in most of its matchups so there could be some significant garbage time production. On the other hand, he suffered numerous concussions last year, and if he suffers another one this year, he could miss some time. Buy at your own risk.FAAB: $10-15
Juju Smith-Schuster, Chiefs– While he’s no longer the threat that he once was with the Steelers, he still knows how to get open and should be a pretty good player in the slot. Look for him to average about 3 or 4 receptions a week until Rice returns. FAAB: $10-15
Malik Washington, Dolphins–Washington is very under the radar right now. With Tyreek Hill dealing with an injury, Washington may be somebody who is a smart stash as he is clearly the WR3 for Miami. FAAB: $5-10
Isaac TeSlaa, Lions—TeSlaa won the WR3 position in training camp as the Lions moved on from Tim Patrick, who was traded to Jacksonville. TeSlaa has an interesting combination of size and speed but he’s still raw as a prospect. If you are rostering St. Brown and/or Williams, he could be a very good person to keep on your bench just in case. FAAB: $20-25
TE:
Harold Fannin, Browns–The Browns really don’t have a true slot receiver and there is talk that Fannin might be used in that role early on. He was not much of a blocker back in college, but he plays tight end more like a receiver and he’s very tall and rangy. With the Browns likely losing in most of their games, Fannin could have a lot of garbage time production. He looked tremendous in Week 1 and this feels like the tip of the iceberg. FAAB: $80-100
Juwan Johnson, Saints–Only a dropped touchdown pass at the end of the game put a little damper on Johnson’s exceptional showing against Arizona. He’s a huge target and downfield presence, and normally does well in the red zone. He’s probably worth an extra dollar or two in standard leagues. FAAB: $25-30
Michael Mayer, Raiders–Picking up Mayer is a good hedge just in case Brock Bowers’ knee injury is worse than originally anticipated. Mayer was a very good tight end at Notre Dame and Las Vegas considers him more of a 1A then they do a 2. FAAB: $20-25
Noah Fant, Bengals–It was Fant who had the critical touchdown reception to seal the game against Cleveland. He’s always had great skills, but he’s never played with a top-of-the-line quarterback like Joe Burrow before. He makes for an excellent stash in a standard format.FAAB: $10-15
Jake Tonges/Luke Farrell, 49ers–With George Kittle out for the next three to five weeks if fantasy football managers are desperate, they can look at Tonges and Farrell. Very risky plays. FAAB: $5-10 for both
Theo Johnson, Giants–Johnson is an exceptional athlete with a lot of size and speed, and could be a significant producer in the Giants offense. He was just playing a lot of snaps last year when he was injured and done for the season, and now, he expects to make a bigger splash in year 2. There’s a real opportunity for him to get about 60 receptions and six touchdowns in this offense. FAAB: $10-15
Mason Taylor, Jets–The Jets really have no second receiving option behind Garrett Wilson, and Justin Fields has always shown a propensity to throw to his tight end so there is a world where Taylor could have opportunities early on in his rookie season. It might be worth investing a dollar or two in him before the rest of your league figures out how good he can be. FAAB: $10-15