Week 1 Fantasy Football: Waiver Wire Quarterback Pickups
Most drafts are in the books but many league’s waiver wire has not run yet prior to the first week of the season. Now is the time to look for last year’s James Robinson on the waiver. You may not get a player quite of that caliber, but if you have an empty spot on your roster due to an injured player, or if you drafted J.K. Dobbins or Travis Etienne pre-injury, now is the time to find some hidden gems. Use FantasySP’s Waiver Wire tool to help you get a leg up.
Quarterbacks
Teddy Bridgewater, Denver Broncos (19.55%)
Bridgewater beat out Drew Lock in the quarterback competition in Denver. He has a multitude of offensive weapons at his disposal in Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Noah Fant and Javonte Williams. If you think those players are going to have solid years (as I do), then it seems likely that Bridgewater will too.
Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers (22%)
The days of Adam Gase running Sam Darnold’s offense are over. Joe Brady is a magician at the quarterback position and will get Darnold rolling.It will be exciting to see the reunion between Darnold and Robby Anderson. Plus, the PAnthers still have D.J. Moore, Terrace Marshall Jr. and the electrifying Christian McCaffrey out of the backfield. This is the best offense Darnold has ever had at his disposal.
Zach Wilson, New York Jets (26%)
I’ve been saying it all preseason and I’ll say it again: Wilson is going to outproduce Trevor Lawrence in their respective rookie season. This kid is smart and is ready to lead this much-improved Jets Ofense. If the Jets offensive line holds up, Wilson has the chance to throw 25 touchdowns this season. He’s a great value off the waiver wire if you are looking for a backup quarterback.
Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints (43.99%)
While he’s not perfect, Winston has thrown for over 5,000 yards in a season. He should not be drafted as your QB1, but if you are in a 2-QB or Superflex league, he could make an excellent QB2. Michael Thomas may not be ready for many weeks (or may not play altogether) but the Saints still have Marquez Callaway, Tre’Quan Smith, Deonte Harris and of course Alvin Kamara coming out of the backfield. I have a feeling Sean Payton is going to allow Jameis to let if fly.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Washington Football Team (51.6%)
Just like Winston, Fitzpatrick is a gunslinger. Not to mention, he has never had the weapons that he does now in Washington with Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Dynami Brown and Logan Thomas at tight end. Plus, opposing defenses will have to key in on stud running back Antonio Gibson. Fathertime is close for Fitzpatrick, but he probably still has another solid season within him. Look for him to exceed expectation in his debuit season with Washington.
Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers (55.35%)
Lance may be sitting on the bench for the first few weeks since Jimmy G. has a cupcake of an early-season schedule, especially in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions. However, as things get more difficult for the Niners as the season progresses, Kyle Shannahan would be crazy not to turn to Lance, although he may be forced to earlier than he’d like if Jimmy G. goes down with another injury. Lance has one of the easiest fantasy postseason schedules in the league:
- Week 15: vs. Atlanta Falcons
- Week 16: @ Tennessee Titans
- Week 17: vs. Houston Texans
It doesn’t get much easier than that. Lance may not get you to the fantasy postseason, but he can absolutely win you the trophy.
