Every week, I try to find players who could be sitting on the waiver wire and are worth picking up for this week based on their matchups. Here’s what I have for week one:
He is widely available in 10 and 12-team leagues and is in a great matchup this weekend at home against the Commanders. The Commanders ranked 31st in fantasy football last season against the QB position, and Mayfield is coming off the first 4,000-yard passing season of his career. He has great weapons around him and could be a solid play for you for most of the season, but this week, I would even consider playing him over a guy like Dak Prescott, who has a very tough matchup on the road in Cleveland.
Minshew is the Raiders’ week one starter and is available in almost every 1 QB league. If you drafted early, he could even be available in some super flex formats. He does turn the ball over a little more than you want to see from a real-life QB; however, in fantasy, his gunslinger mentality can actually be an asset rather than a liability. This is especially true when you consider that he is throwing the ball to a future HOF WR in Davante Adams and is doing it his week against the Chargers, who ranked 24th in fantasy football last season against QBs.
He is listed as the Giants third wide receiver on their depth chart. However, there will be weeks when he is their second-highest-scoring wide receiver behind only Malik Nabers. He is a solid possession receiver who can work out of the slot mostly and should outpace the Giants number-two wideout, Darius Slayton more often than not. This weekend, the Giants face the Vikings, who ranked 29th against WRs last season, which puts Robinson in a position to succeed in a flex spot for you.
The Rams have Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, who are going to see the majority of targets in the passing game; however, QB Matthew Stafford can spread the ball around with the best of them, and Robinson is a veteran WR who will have some big weeks as a flex option in 12 and 14 team leagues. Robinson and the Rams face the Lions this week in what should be a very high-scoring game. The Lions defense was elite against the run last season, ranking second in the league in rush yards allowed, but they were 31st in passing yards allowed and 30th against WRs in fantasy football.
This rookie has a chance to be successful right out of the gate this season. His situation is pretty similar to that of Demarcus Robinson, actually, with the major difference being, of course, that Robinson is a veteran. McMillan has two excellent receivers in front of him in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, yet with all the three-wide sets that the Bucs ran in the pre-season, it looks like they want to feature McMillan, and he could have a prominent role. That’s great news this week, especially because the Bucs face the Commanders, who allowed the most passing yards in the NFL last season and ranked 31st against WRs in fantasy football.
He is dealing with a toe injury and has been a limited practice participant so far this week, but it is also why he is likely still available as a streaming option. The team has expressed optimism that Fant will be ready to go for week one against his former team, the Broncos, so monitor the situation even leading into Sunday morning. The Broncos were average against the pass last season, but they were terrible defending opposing TEs, ranking 32nd against the position.
With rookie Ben Sinnott just waiting for his chance, Ertz might not be the starter in Washington for very long this season. Still, he enters week one as the starter and is likely going to be a security blanket as a veteran presence in the middle of the field and on short/quick passes for rookie QB Jayden Daniels. Ertz and the Commanders face the Bucs this weekend, who ranked 31st against TEs last season in fantasy football, which sets Ertz up to have a solid week one performance.
This is pretty simple. I am sure if you look at the most popular adds this week you will see the Bengals ranked towards the top. They are at home and taking on the Patriots, who enter the season as the worst offense in the NFL. They are a great option, even if you roster an elite defense already. For example, I have the Jets and Steelers on a number of teams this season, and I am sitting both defenses this week in every league in favor of the Bengals simply due to the matchups.
The Seahawks get the Broncos in Seattle in week one, so a rookie QB is making his NFL debut in that incredibly loud and hostile environment. As a bonus, you can stream them again next week against the Patriots.
