Waiver Wire Watch: Week 1 Targets

Sep 08, 2020

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We made it.

Almost impossibly, Week 1 is here. After a very strange year, it feels great. And I’m excited to once again be bringing you waiver wire advice all season. This inaugural column features a bunch of players with decent Week 1 matchups, as well as some players who should just be added in general for depth as they were overlooked on draft day in too many leagues.

Before we get into the meat of the article, there are a few housekeeping items to clear up. Recommendations are based on a PPR-scoring, four-point passing touchdown, 12-team league, with ownership percentages coming from Yahoo.com. Free-agent budget (FAB) suggestions are based on a $100 season-long budget.

Note: Players indicated with an asterisk are late-risers and might be available in Scott Fish Bowl.

Quarterbacks

Teddy Bridgewater, Carolina Panthers, 24% rostered ($3)

Bridgewater is the Week 1 starter for an NFL team for the first time since 2015. He’ll have a solid chance to prove he should continue to be one when the Raiders come to Carolina. Bridgewater faces a young Raiders secondary that could struggle if Matt Rhule has successfully brought his offense to the NFL. The Panthers defense is also a work in progress, which is probably why this game has one of the higher over-unders in Week 1 at 47.5. This could turn into a sneaky shootout, giving Bridgewater and his opponent some streaming appeal.

Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders, 19% rostered ($2)

If Bridgewater gets into a potential shootout, then Carr will benefit as well. Carr was solid at times in fantasy last season, and the Raiders upgraded his pass-catchers by drafting the speedy Henry Ruggs and the versatile Bryan Edwards, both of whom look to be Week 1 starters. The Panthers defense, and secondary in particular, is a weak point on this roster, giving Carr decent upside as a streamer or QB2 in deeper or superflex leagues.

Tyrod Taylor, Los Angeles Chargers, 8% rostered ($1)

Taylor has been overlooked all offseason, and enters a decent matchup in Week 1 against the Bengals. The Bengals secondary was a mess last year, and the group already lost top addition Trae Waynes for likely the entire year. Taylor offers Konami code appeal with his legs, and averaged over 19 fantasy points per game in his first few starts back in 2018 before a concussion and Baker Mayfield forced him to the sideline.