You lost week 1, now what? Panic! Panic Panic! Tear it all down!
Whatever you do, don’t do that. The fantasy season is a long one and not defined by a rough first week. Players, coaches and teams are rusty after a long offseason and sometimes need a week to get the jitters out. I mean, why else would Josh Allen throw 3 interceptions against the Jets (Might be coping a bit). Regardless, he is a prime example why week 1 shouldn’t be taken so hard. With that being said, here are some options to consider adding to your team after a great week 1 of football.
Waiver Wire Targets:
Tyler Allegier (Rostered in 43.8% of ESPN leagues)
People forgot Allegier rushed for 1000+ yards last year and it shows. He gave a healthy reminder rushing for 75 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers. Arthur Smith is dedicated to the run down there in Atlanta. Allgeier is a must add and can be best viewed as a RB2 behind Bijan. Allegier will most likely be the top pickup this week so goodluck!
Puka Nacua (Rostered in 2.8% of ESPN leagues)
Who? A killer name for a killer week 1 performance from the rookie out of BYU. Congrats to the 2.8% of people who rostered him because he showed out in his debut with 10 receptions for 119 yards on a whopping 15 targets. If someone tells you they saw this coming, they are lying to you. With Kupp on IR, Nacua is a no brainer addition to your roster if you are hurting for a WR and want to take a chance.
Rashee Rice (Rostered in 9.4% of ESPN leagues)
After an overall lackluster performance from the Chiefs wide receiver core, Rice was the lone bright spot. Rice saw 5 targets and caught 3 of those for 29 yards and a touchdown. Many had Sky Moore and Kadarius Toney as their preferred WR but neither materialized. Rice feels more like a shot in the dark than a must have or must start. Someone has to step up so it might be worth stashing in deeper leagues to see if he emerges as a reliable target.
Sam Laporta (Rostered in 34.3% of ESPN leagues)
Not the loudest game from Sam Laporta but an encouraging one. Goff looked his way on 5 occasions and Laporta snagged every single one. While watching the game against the Chiefs, it felt like he was able to get open quite easily. With the TE landscape as it is, Laporta could wind up being a reliable start every week. Count him as a sneaky add that could pay off down the road.
Kyren Williams (Rostered in 10.3% of ESPN leagues)
Williams made the most of his 15 carries by rushing for 52 yards and 2 touchdowns. He easily outperformed Cam Akers who many saw as one of the better backs this year. Many wrote off the Rams this season (myself included) thinking that there wouldn’t be much pressure to win games and instead aim for a higher draft pick. This wasn’t the case as they took down a talented Seahawks team. Rams face a tough 49ers defense in week 2 but that shoudn’t stop fantasy managers from adding this guy to their rosters
Justice Hill (Rostered in 0.4% of ESPN leagues)
I want to start this section by saying injuries can be tough and to see a guy like J.K. Dobbins who has been fighting to get healthy, is devastating. I wish him all the best in his recovery and hope to see him back on the field next year. With him out for the year, this begs the question, who will replace him? I like Hill over Gus Edwards simply for the goal line work. He didn’t do much with his 8 carries but he scored 2 touchdowns. Would stash him and wait to see how the backfield shakes out.