Top Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups Before Week 1

By this point, most of your fantasy football drafts are finished, and that means that the next step is setting up your lineup for Week 1 and beyond. We have gotten plenty of news regarding teams and situations within the past few weeks that could mean that there are players on the waiver wire who are better than the players on your roster.

While each league is a bit different with who is available and the scoring differences, I want to hit on players in different tiers of waivers that could be beneficial depending on your league.

Justin Jackson

Jackson is the RB2 behind Austin Ekeler in Los Angeles, and this backfield is one that I think could be more fruitful than we are even thinking with the coaching change. The running back position in this offense could resemble Saints teams of late, with the offensive coordinator having ties to the Saints over the last five years. We really won’t know how much value Jackson could add in a backup role for Ekeler until the season starts, but I think that it is possible Jackson sees 30 percent of the snaps regardless of Ekeler’s success or health. 

Speaking of health, Ekeler did not practice today with a hamstring issue, and if he were to be out, Jackson would be in legitimate contention to start on some fantasy rosters in Week 1. Especially since it is a soft tissue issue for Ekeler, that is something that could be short-lived or linger all season long. Getting a back with RB1 upside and a clear path with the Ekeler news in a good offense is a fantastic idea.

Elijah Moore

Elijah Moore was dominant in training camp before dealing with some injuries and not really playing in the preseason. Normally, this would be a concern for a rookie, but Moore was so good in camp that reporters were suggesting that Moore was the best player on the Jets’ roster by camp performance alone. With the usage and success of Corey Davis in the preseason, we should have some faith that the WR1 in this offense can succeed. Maybe this is Davis, but it could be Moore, and he is a fantastic prospect that has stepped up at every step of the process.

Terrace Marshall Jr.

Speaking of rookies, Marshall was fantastic in the preseason and seems to be locked into the WR3 spot in the offense on a team that will lean towards a ton of three WR sets. Marshall isn’t as good as the other two receivers on his team, but just like he was able to do at LSU in 2019, he can make up for his lack of yardage in comparison to his teammates with touchdowns.

He is a player that seems to find himself open in the end zone, and he has the physicality to bring in tough catches in short-yardage, something that DJ Moore and Robby Anderson don’t exactly possess. With Marshall, I think you are looking at a player with two TD upside in week one, and while he may not fit your roster in the long-term, just adding him as trade bait after a big week early could win you a league.