Okay, take a deep breath everyone, exhale, and breathe again. Week 1 was filled with odd performances and sadly, a MAJOR injury took place. Well, a few injuries happened, but none may be bigger than David Johnson’s potential extended absence due to a wrist injury (sorry Allen Robinson, you’re no David Johnson). There’s no way to sugarcoat it, this is a crushing blow to fantasy owners, but if you’re looking for a bright side, it’s the first week, so that means the waiver wire is going to have more options to try and fill the hole.

Now I won’t pretend someone on the waivers will match the output that DJ would have provided, but you have to do your best. Based on general availability, Week 1 performances, and injury-related bumps in playing time, we’ve put together a list of players that should be on your radar during this upcoming waiver period and ranked them. We’ve also got quick-hitting analysis from our featured experts listed below on which readily-available defenses you should consider streaming.

Remember, you can always get tailored waiver advice to your league with our premium waiver wire assistant.

Featured Experts:

Pat Fitzmaurice – The Football Girl

Jody Smith – Gridiron Experts

Mike Tagliere – FantasyPros

Scott Whitfield – Roto Rankings

Bobby Sylvester – FantasyPros



*Ownership % derived from a consensus of Yahoo & ESPN leagues

Q1. Give us your thoughts on a waiver wire target (or two) you especially like as a pickup.

“Tarik Cohen and Kenny Golladay will be the top-2 adds in just about every league where they’re available. Golladay flashed the scoring upside we saw in the preseason, while Cohen looks like he could be a legit factor in Chicago’s offense. Javorius Allen could also be a nice consolation prize if you miss out on the top two waiver claims. Allen out-snapped Terrance West and will have a bigger role moving forward if Danny Woodhead misses significant time.”

– Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts)

“While Allen Hurns may have led the Jaguars in targets and yards, Marqise Lee drew the start and is the #1 to replace Allen Robinson for the rest of the season so he is my favorite pick up of the week. In fact, Keelan Cole is ahead of Hurns on the depth chart so don’t scramble to pick up Hurns. I love Tarik Cohen and Kerwynn Williams as well, but am not willing to pay the astronomical prices for either, so my second target is Chris Carson. He outplayed everyone in the Seattle backfield all preseason and again in Week 1, so he could be the featured back in no time for the Seahawks.”

– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

“Jordan Howard couldn’t catch a cold, so at a minimum, Tarik Cohen is going to handle most of the Bears’ passing-down snaps, and if the Human Joystick keeps generating electricity for a largely moribund Bears offense, he might start seeing plenty of early-down snaps, too. Kenny Golladay and Cooper Kupp are sexier waiver options, but Marqise Lee should be the primary target of fantasy owners trying to find a safe harbor at WR. The season-ending Allen Robinson injury should funnel ample targets to Lee, even if the Jaguars endeavor to be the most run-heavy team in the league.”

– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)

“It’s hard not to like Cooper Kupp as a pickup as he was a favorite of Jared Goff throughout the entire preseason and it translated to the regular season. With Todd Gurley forcing opponents to respect the run and Sammy Watkins keeping secondaries on their toes, Kupp works in a part of the field that suits Goff’s strengths. He’s going to be a solid WR3 in fantasy leagues if all remains the same with this offense and it’s important to note that he will avoid many of the top-tier cornerbacks due to his slot-heavy usage.”

– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

“Tarik Cohen’s wiggle is undeniable and the team’s willingness to play him Week 1 bodes well for his fantasy outlook. Over in Jacksonville, we already know Allen Hurns, but now that the other Allen, Allen Robinson is out for the year, his target shares get a big boost.”

– Scott Whitfield (Roto Rankings)

Q2. For owners renting a D/ST in Week 2, what readily available option should they target and why?

“It’s either the Baltimore Ravens at home against the Browns, or the Oakland Raiders at home against the Jets. Baltimore’s defense is better than Oakland’s, but I still prefer Oakland this week since the Browns’ offensive line is far better than the Jets’.”

– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)

“Baltimore Ravens at home is a no brainer they shut down the Bengals in Week 1. Now they’ll take on a rookie in DeShone Kizer and the Browns.”

– Scott Whitfield (Roto Rankings)

“If you have the Jaguars defense from my recommendation last week, don’t let them go – they are a top-five defense this year. If you’re looking for a one-week defense, the Oakland Raiders playing at home against the Jets is a can’t-miss streamer. In Week 1, the Jets offense totaled just 214 total yards of offense against the inept Bills defense that lost a lot of starters this offseason. The Bills were only able to bring enough pressure for one sack, but they did force two interceptions. The Raiders bring a great pass-rush headed by Khalil Mack and they just held Marcus Mariota touchdown-less through the air. The Jets also seem to be in the running for the No. 1 overall pick by playing ineffective Matt Forte over Bilal Powell, furthering your interest in starting the Raiders D/ST. ”

– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros)

“As bad as Houston’s offensive line looks, I’d be interested in streaming the Cincinnati Bengals this week. The Texans are traveling on short rest and have an unsettled quarterback situation to pair with that line that allowed 10 sacks on Sunday. Tampa also has some underrated talent in their defense and should be a solid choice against Chicago’s anemic passing game.”

– Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts)

“While Jacksonville may have just gone on the road to defeat the Houston Texans, it says more about how horrible Tom Savage and the Texans’ offensive line were than how good Blake Bortles was. In fact, Bortles was lousy, and while Fournette did see plenty of yards, the Tennessee Titans have a superb run defense and should aggressively stack the box to prevent him from going off. There is rain in the forecast, so the Titans could induce several turnovers and perhaps take a Blake Bortles interception to the house.”

– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros)

Thank you to the experts for naming their top waiver targets. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter if you’re not already doing so and check out our latest podcast below for more great advice.



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