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:
Fields played well enough in week one that he is now in line to start this weekend against the Broncos. He may not hold down the job all season, but anytime he is starting, he warrants a look as a streamer because of what he can do with his legs. The Broncos have a pretty solid secondary, so Fields is likely going to have to rely on his legs this weekend, making him a nice upside stream.
Although the Chargers relied heavily on the run game in week one, Herbert still made things happen in the air when he needed to. He will take on a Panthers team this weekend that was torched by Derek Carr in week one. Carr went 19 for 23 with 200 yards and three TDs, and most of that damage came in the first half because the game was over by halftime, and Carr wasn’t asked to do much in the second half.
Mostert is out. Achane will be a game-time decision, and even if he plays, he will be limited. That opens the door for the veteran Wilson this week. Although rookie Jaylen Wright could also see a lot more work, he was inactive in week one, and I trust the veteran Wilson more on a short week and limited practice time.
With Puka Nacua injured, Robinson is going to see more targets in the passing game, and this week, he has an opportunity to make the most of them against a very bad Cardinals defense. Whether you lost Puka or not, you can stream Robinson in this matchup and feel comfortable with him as a WR3 in deep leagues or a flex play in shallower leagues.
He looked good when targeted last week and scored a big TD as well. I like him this week because he faces the Lions, who gave up a lot of receptions and yards to the Rams in week one. The game this week should be high-scoring.
He led the team in catches and yards in week one. Although that isn’t likely to be the case every week with Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr. present, it is noteworthy because it means that Dortch has earned the trust of quarterback Kyler Murray. The Cardinals will be playing from behind in this game at some point as well, so they will have to air it out.
With David Njoku dealing with an ankle injury, Akins will be starting this weekend for the Browns. He made three catches on four targets last week following Njoku’s departure, and he has no competition for targets at the position either. He has, far and away, the most NFL experience out of the remaining TEs on the Browns roster/practice squad.
Similarly to Akins, Schoonmaker is an interesting option this week because of an injury to the starter. Jake Ferguson left week one with an MCL sprain and is likely to miss a game or two. If that’s the case, Schoonmaker becomes an interesting option to stream because the Cowboys are a pass-first offense, and Ferguson was expected to be a big part of it.
The Bengals offense was a disaster in week one, but there is too much talent on this team for it not to be better in week two. Gesicki is part of that talent, and the Bengals are going to have to air it out this week because they play the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs and will need to try to score a lot of points. It’s also worth noting that the Chiefs gave up a lot of catches and yards to TEs in week one.
The Seahawks head on the road to take on a bad Patriots offense. Despite the Patriots coming away with a win in week one, they are still a team to stream defenses against throughout the season.
Their defense isn’t good, but their matchup is. They face the Giants, who looked horrible in week one. If Daniel Jones plays as badly as he did last week, the Commanders’ defense is going to be a solid choice.
