2025 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 1: Trevor Lawrence, Trey Benson Top Picks

Labor Day weekend is over, which means your fantasy football drafts are most likely in the books. Or maybe not - this article can help you either way. We are taking a look at the best players to either add off the wire if you drafted early or maybe use a last round pick on if you have not drafted yet. 

In most cases, you probably already drafted the “best player available”. So, in this article, we are going to either focus on guys whose ranking has changed based on recent news (like injury or suspension) or guys who have some sort of high-risk, high-reward based on uncertainty. We’ll also take a peek at some handcuffs for the early games on Thursday and Friday. So let’s dig in!

2025 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 1 Top Targets

As always, our waiver wire discussion will be split into two articles. This is the main article, which covers the top players to add at each position as well as an update to our Yin & Yang Tight End strategy. The second article, found here, is our Streamers and Stashes article that covers the deeper, more nuanced plays for Fantasy Alarm Members!

NFL Week 1 Waiver Wire Quarterbacks

Trevor Lawrence - Jacksonville Jaguars, Yahoo: 51% | ESPN: 47% | Sleeper: 46%  

He was selected in a lot of drafts but I'm surprised that one of the favorites of our own QB Guru Jon Impemba is available in half of them. Not only did Liam Coen revitalize the arm of Baker Mayfield, Mayfield also ran for a career high 378 yards and 3 touchdowns in this scheme. And Trevor Lawrence is far more athletic than Mayfield. They already had Brian Thomas Jr and then traded up to use the second overall pick on Travis Hunter so Lawrence won't have many excuses if he can't get things done. Not every quarterback breaks out right away and Lawrence has dealt with some sub par play-calling so we could finally see why he was drafted first overall and paid a huge chunk of money. 

• Waiver Priority: Low or Free Add
• FAAB: 0-5% (more if he starts for you)

Daniel Jones - Indianapolis Colts, Yahoo: 5% | ESPN: 4% | Sleeper: 10%  

The ADP for Daniel Jones all summer was suppressed by the quarterback competition between him and Anthony Richardson. But that’s over now - Daniel Jones has won. In fact, they were confident enough in him to even name him captain of the team. Typically, we are not super interested in the caliber of players that find themselves in battles to start, like the situations in Cleveland or New Orleans. In this case, there is some upside to it.

Daniel Jones is a lot more mobile than folks think. He has a true rushing QB season on his resume with 120 carries for 708 yards and 7 touchdowns. That alone is reason enough to have us intrigued. But this Colts team is also loaded up with weapons. Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman, Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, Adonai Mitchell, and rookie tight end Tyler Warren is about as solid as it gets. Daniels Jones is a virtual lock to outperform his ADP in superflex and two QB leagues as long as he remains the starting quarterback. And he could crack QB1 territory with his mobility - he has before. 

• Waiver Priority: Late or Free Add
• FAAB: 0-5%

NFL Week 18 Waiver Wire Running Backs

Trey Benson - Arizona Cardinals Yahoo: 37% | ESPN: 51% | Sleeper: 56%

Why do we like Zach Charbonnet? Well, he’s not the starter, but he’s expected to split touches to some degree with Kenneth Walker. And, though Kenneth Walker is talented, he does have an extensive injury history. That makes Charbonnet one of the better “handcuff plus” backs in the league. And it’s why he’s rostered in 86% of leagues.

With Trey Benson, the drumbeat is growing for him to get more touches. The coaches have mentioned it, Kyler Murray has mentioned it, Benson himself has mentioned it - heck, even James Conner has mentioned it, saying “we’re both RB1, he’s going to play a lot this year”. And, like Kenneth Walker, James Conner has missed a game with injury every single year of his career (though that is three years for Walker while it’s eight straight years for the 30-year-old Conner). If he went undrafted in your league, it should be easy to sneak him onto the bench as a discount version of Charbonnet.

• Waiver Priority: Late or Free Add
• FAAB: 0-5%

Jaydon Blue - Dallas Cowboys: 37% | ESPN: 44% | Sleeper: 63%

Look, you might not like it. But some platforms allow you to add players and then drop them AFTER they play. Yahoo and Sleeper have this setting that you can turn on or off. If it’s on for your league, you should take advantage of it. 

The Dallas Cowboys play the first game of the season on Thursday Night Football, and we still don’t know how the backfield is going to shake out. It could be any combination of Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders, or Jaydon Blue. Blue and Sanders are available on a few different platforms (Blue especially on Yahoo), where you can even drop your kicker or defense, add them to get a look, then drop them the following day. If Blue isn’t available, Miles Sanders could be worth a deep league look. 

Brashard Smith - Kansas City Chiefs, Yahoo: 2% | ESPN: 1% | Sleeper: 9%

It’s probably going to be Isiah Pacheco on early downs with Kareem Hunt on pass downs. Which would be fine, if not slightly boring. But we don’t know for sure the rotation. And maybe the explosive rookie Brashard Smith can carve himself out a role. Maybe someone ahead of him gets hurt. This game is on Friday night, so the same move we are doing with Will Shipley applies to Smith here. If you can add/drop guys after they play on your platform, I say do it.

• Waiver Priority: Late or Free Add
• FAAB: 0%

Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Will Shipley (Thursday night handcuff), Tyjae Spears (move to IR spot), Jaylen Wright (move to IR spot once eligible)

NFL Week 18 Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

Xavier Legette - Carolina Panthers Yahoo: 16% | ESPN: 52% | Sleeper: 33%

Conditions changed fairly quickly for Xavier Legette. So, if your league drafted early and your first waivers run this week, he’s likely available. This summer, Legette was staring down competition from rookie Tetairoa McMillan, veterans Adam Thielen and Hunter Renfrow, and fellow second-year player Jalen Coker. He wasn’t guaranteed a full-time role.

Recently, things started to clarify in Legette’s favor. Adam Thielen was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. Jalen Coker was placed on IR, where he will miss the first four games. Hunter Renfrow was released only to be re-signed once they realized they needed bodies. It’s now pretty clearly Legette and McMillan at the top of that pecking order. And you never know with rookies, even guys drafted fairly early. 

• Waiver Priority: Late or Free Add
• FAAB: 0-5%

Christian Kirk - Houston Texans Yahoo: 42% | ESPN: 28% | Sleeper: 56%

We know that Nico Collins is going to be an every-down player on the outside in Houston. That much is obvious. The question is who, if anyone, can carve out a full-time role alongside him. We love to rush out to “best case scenario” with rookie Jayden Higgins, hoping that he can line up on the outside every play opposite Collins, especially in two wide receiver sets. But the veteran Christian Kirk could end up playing slot for three wide receiver sets, then staying on the field for two wide receiver sets. That could be a useful player. Jayden Higgins is probably still the more exciting play, but he’s rostered in 60-75% of leagues on ESPN and Sleeper vs. Kirk, who is cheaper. Oddly, Kirk is rostered in more Yahoo leagues than Higgins, so maybe check for Higgins over there.

• Waiver Priority: Late or Free Add
• FAAB: 0-5%

Hollywood Brown - Kansas City Chiefs Yahoo: 42% | ESPN: 41% | Sleeper: 29%

Rashee Rice is going to miss six games with a suspension. That is guaranteed. What is not guaranteed is who will step up in his absence. Last year, they asked Xavier Worthy to play out of position to some degree in that Rice role because Hollywood Brown was hurt. This year, we’ll likely see Worthy operate more in a field-stretcher capacity. That should see either Hollywood Brown or rookie Jalen Royals in Rice’s role. And now Jalen Royals is looking like he might miss Week 1 with injury.

The role that Rice plays is great for fantasy football, especially in full PPR. The Chiefs have consistently called more WR screens than any other team for the last couple of years. When Rice got hurt last year, he had the second-most targets behind only Malik Nabers. And we did briefly see Hollywood Brown towards the end of last year, including two regular-season games where he got 7 and 8 targets. Six weeks is 37.5% of the fantasy football season, so Brown could be a solid part of your lineup, especially if you drafted someone like Chris Godwin, Rashee Rice, or Brandon Aiyuk. If you play on Yahoo or Sleeper, where you can drop guys who have already played, you can get a free look at Brown since he plays Friday night. Just know that you can only drop him if he’s on your bench, not in your lineup.  

Wan’Dale Robinson - New York Giants Yahoo: 42% | ESPN: 41% | Sleeper: 29%

We have seen players have horrendously inefficient seasons on large target volume before. In 2006 Chris Chambers had a brutally bad season on 154 targets in the midst of multiple fantasy-relevant seasons. So the bet with Wan’Dale Robinson is pretty simple. Sure, he might not deserve 140 targets again. But it’s fairly rare for a guy to get 140 then completely fall off the map. A change in the quarterback here with the same playcallers that dialed up 140 targets for him last year could bring more success. 

It’s also worth keeping an eye on Darius Slayton to see maybe Russell Wilson prefers him. Wilson does love the “moon ball” after all. After Malik Nabers, there is room for another fantasy-relevant option in New York. 

• Waiver Priority: Late or Free Add
• FAAB: 0%

Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Brandon Aiyuk (move to IR spot), Luther Burden, Adam Thielen, Demario Douglas

NFL Week 1 Waiver and Yin & Yang Tight End

Hunter Henry - New England Patriots, Yahoo: 59% | ESPN: 42% | Sleeper: 39%

Is Hunter Henry the sexiest tight end play? Perhaps not. But this guy could be a reliable starting option if you waited in shallow leagues. If you went after a high-risk, high-reward tight end like one of the rookies in Colston Loveland or Tyler Warren, Henry could be the safer Yin as part of your Yin & Yang tight end strategy.

Despite playing banged up at times, Henry was able to lead this team in targets last year with 97. He’s also one of the better tight ends vs. man-to-man, which translates to redzone success. He was top five in targets both inside the 20 and 10-yard line, and that was on a team that wasn’t in the red area often. You could do a lot worse than Henry against the Raiders in Week One, and he’s available in roughly half of leagues on most platforms.  

• Waiver Priority: Late or Free Add
• FAAB: 0-5% 

Chig Okonkwo - Tennessee Titans, Yahoo: 31% | ESPN: 11% | Sleeper: 29%

If Henry is your discount “Yin” tight end that offers some safety, Chig Okonkwo is the “Yang” that offers more high-risk, high-reward upside. We have no clue what the Titans will look like with rookie Cam Ward. We have no clue who his favorite targets will be. We have no clue if Okonkwo will even have a meaningful role. It’s a big scary.

We do know that Cam Ward loved his tight end in college at Miami, Elijah Arroyo. We know that, after Calvin Ridley, this team isn’t exactly stacked up with pass-catchers. And we know that, with his top 5% speed for a tight end, Okonkwo is capable of ripping off big plays at any time. That’s exactly the kind of upside we want access to - ideally on our bench but possibly in the lineup in deep leagues and DFS.  

• Waiver Priority: Late or free add
• FAAB: 0%

Mason Taylor - New York Jets, Yahoo: 12% | ESPN: 6% | Sleeper: 21%

We didn’t necessarily love the profile for Mason Taylor coming out. He played inline and did a lot of pass-blocking at LSU. But NFL teams change the way players are used vs. college all the time (look at Rashee Rice, for example). So Taylor could look much different in this Jets offense.

Not only does Taylor have the NFL pedigree with Jason Taylor being his father and Zach Thomas being his uncle, but he also has the opportunity. The Jets have Garrett Wilson, but they are weak at WR after that. It could end up Mason Taylor vs. Breece Hall for targets after Wilson. Or maybe, in your REALLY deep leagues, Stone Smartt could carve out a role as the “big slot” tight end and contribute there. This team could just end up a nightmare for fantasy, but there is a lot of uncertainty, so it’s worth checking out. 

**Check the bottom of the article for free rest of season half PPR tight end rankings with our Yin & Yang tight end chart!**

NFL Week 1 Waiver DST

Arizona Cardinals DST, Yahoo: 36% | ESPN: 42% | Sleeper: 53%

This is the top streaming defense this week. Why? Because they play the New Orleans Saints, who are starting Spencer Rattler. Jonathan Gannon finally got a chance to work on his defense this offseason, so the Cardinals could surprise some people. 

New England Patriots DST, Yahoo: 14% | ESPN: 24% | Sleeper: 32%

We view the New England Patriots as a “bad team”. They won four games last year, and the Bills essentially let them win one of them. But this year, Vegas has its over/under set at a respectable 8.5 wins. Teams like the Bengals and Broncos are set at 9.5. And a big reason the Patriots have a nice line is that their early season is so friendly.

The only truly difficult matchup they have over the first nine weeks is Buffalo in Week 5. And they don’t have their bye week until Week 14. They spent a TON of money on this defense, adding guys like Milton Williams and Robert Spillane to a group that already had great players with Christian Gonzalez and Christian Barmore. You could hypothetically roll with the Patriots for the first half of the season, then, once your lineup is largely figured out, drop them or even add a second defense down the stretch. 

Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Commanders vs. NYG, Bengals vs. CLE, Jets vs. PIT

NFL Week 1 Waiver K

Cam Little - Jacksonville Jaguars, K, Yahoo: 32% | ESPN: 38% | Sleeper: 71%

The cat kicker might be out of the bag on Sleeper, but he’s widely available on Yahoo and ESPN. Cam Little was a good kicker last year. The Jaguars are expected to be a good team with Liam Coen, and they play the Panthers in a dome in Week One. 

Andy Borregales - New England Patriots, K, Yahoo: 0% | ESPN: 1% | Sleeper: 0%

The reasoning here isn’t much different than what we used for the Patriots defense. The Patriots have an easy schedule. The team might actually be good. The Patriots' rookie kicker from Venezuela might actually be good. And, if things break right, you won’t need to think about kicker again until Week 14. Oh, and he’s available in virtually every league. 
 

NFL Yin & Yang Tight End Rankings

As promised, here are our Yin & Yang tight end rankings. This has been our bread and butter the last few years, and how we find breakout tight ends. Here is how the chart works.

If you have someone in the “standalone” section, then great - you don’t need to roster another tight end outside of injury and bye week. Outside of that, we are rostering two. We are looking for someone “safe” to start while stashing the highest risk, high-reward option, trying to find a breakout.