Fantasy Football 2024 Week 1 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice

Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be rostered in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com.

Immediately Useful

Isaiah Likely, TE, Ravens (26% Rostered): Likely was the shocker of the NFL season opener, erupting for nine receptions, 111 yards and a touchdown, and it was a toenail away from being 10 receptions and two scores. We saw Likely play like a clear-cut, every-week TE when Mark Andrews missed time last season, but tonight he was heavily targeted and relegated Andrews to the background. It is exciting to see, and he needs to be picked up, but BE CAREFUL. We are fooled by Week 1 all the time, and it must be noted that Andrews missed time in training camp due to a car accident. Andrews might not be at full speed, so while this was a tremendous showing, don’t immediately conclude Likely is going to win you your league.

Rashod Bateman, WR, Ravens (13% Rostered): Bateman only caught two passes for 53 yards, but I’m putting him here anyway because of how much he was on the field. Bateman is a big play waiting to happen, and he’s been really held back in his career by injury. Even last season, he was a quality option vs. man (74% success rate) and he was an absolute beast vs. press (78.4%). This offense is very much becoming more about Lamar Jackson leading with his arm, and while Bateman’s targets tend to be lower percentage looks down the field, he’s winning these battles and can be a week-swinging FLEX play moving forward as long as you can tolerate the risk.

Speculative/Deep Cuts

Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seahawks (48% Rostered): Charbonnet headlines the list of handcuffs that were worth drafting, and are currently rostered in fewer than 50% of leagues. I fully expect Ken Walker, the better player, to take the lion’s share of work in Seattle but Charbonnet is a load in short yardage, and could end up seeing a good amount of goal line opportunity. He also would be a comfortable RB2 start in the event Walker gets hurt, which has happened in each of his first two seasons.

Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Packers (23% Rostered): How the Packers choose to deploy their deep WR corps has been a topic of the offseason, but with Green Bay’s first game coming tonight, it might be wise to add Wicks now before the competition becomes potentially fierce. He was pretty well-rounded for a rookie in terms of what the Packers asked him to do, meaning he’s the next man up for a number of roles if Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs or Christian Watson have to miss time. He also may just play ahead of one or more of those guys based on how well he performed in 2023. His stats may not jump off the page, but he was a plus receiver vs. man (71st percentile) and press (69th percentile), while posting a 78.6% success rate vs. zone. He was also incredible on slants and digs, go-to routes when the chains need to be kept moving. I believe Wicks will be a key player for this high-powered offense, and this is the cheapest he’ll be all season.

Mike Williams, WR, Jets (43% Rostered): Williams isn’t someone I’d roll out there Week 1, as he’s recovering from a torn ACL and probably is far from peak form. But when he does round into shape, he’s going to be the primary X receiver for Aaron Rodgers on a roster that has a big need for him, and little competition for the spot. Garrett Wilson will be toggling between the slot and flanker roles where he can best utilize his route-running, while rookie Malachi Corley is a gadget-type player who needs to have touches designed for him to get him in space. Williams has the talent to tilt the field in the Jets’ favor deep, and Rodgers can deliver the strikes.

Adonai Mitchell, WR, Colts (32% Rostered): Mitchell’s draft stock fell due to non-football reasons, but his camp outlook has been strong, and with Josh Downs on the mend, he’s looking likely to be the Colts’ second-most targeted receiver in Week 1. He was a career 15-yard per reception player in college, and that’s a nice contrast from Indy’s WR1, Michael Pittman, who has been a target hound for short and intermediate passes. Mitchell, like Bateman, is probably not an ideal half or full-PPR fit, but he’ll make explosive plays and gain yardage in bulk. If you can stomach some bad games, Mitchell certainly adds ceiling.

Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons (35% Rostered): Allgeier is one of the top handcuffs in our game, but he also should have a little bit of standalone value. He’s simply too good of a RB to only be used strictly for spelling Bijan Robinson, and his elite pass-blocking makes him a viable third-down back. Allgeier could also serve as a goal line back for this offense, which would be pretty irritating for people who spent first round capital on Robinson, but could be effective for the real-life Falcons. That’s the rosiest of outlooks for Allgeier, but it’s not impossible. It’d be real cheap to stash him and let it play out.

Ty Chandler, RB, Vikings (33% Rostered): Chandler is the obvious handcuff to Aaron Jones, who is no stranger to the trainer’s room and getting up there in age (for an NFL RB). The Vikings also should lean heavily on the run since they’ve turned the offense over to Sam Darnold, a mistake-prone player who shouldn’t be trusted to be a high-volume passer. With one injury to Jones, Chandler likely becomes a workhorse.

Samaje Perine, RB, Chiefs (7% Rostered): Perine is a known pass-catcher, and the very clear handcuff to Isiah Pacheco for the Chiefs’ high-scoring offense. There’s no standalone value here for him, but if Pacheco’s hard running style gets him banged up, the Chiefs RB is always playable as long as Patrick Mahomes is on the field.