There were many surprising performances in week one. Most notably, the duo of Lamar Jackson and Marquise Brown that had a field day against the putrid Miami Dolphins. Both of those players are probably rostered in your league, but if they aren’t, grab them – quick. I always like to remind people not to overreact to week one performances, especially if you have to budget your waiver wire pickups over the entire season. Many of the week one stars that were not drafted will be duds the rest of the year, but here are a few that could be worth snagging.
Adrian Peterson
The Redskins don’t believe Derrius Guice tore his ACL, but he is going to miss some significant time with a knee injury. Because of that, Adrian Peterson will be activated and is a player worth rostering as a backup running back or flex option in the right matchups. I don’t love AP as a fantasy player anymore, especially on a Redskins offense that could struggle to score many points, but starting running backs deserve to be rostered – plain and simple.
T.J. Hockenson
Hockenson is probably going to be the hottest commodity available on the waiver wire heading into week two. Tight ends usually don’t break out until year two or three. That’s not the case for T.J. Hockenson, who set the record for the most receiving yards by a rookie tight end in his first game with 131 on six catches. He also scored a touchdown. If you’re like me and waited until the later rounds to take fliers on tight ends with high upside, I would do my best to add Hockenson to the mix.
Randall Cobb
Cobb came to the Cowboys as a replacement for Cole Beasley, and after one week, he looks like an upgrade. I liked what I saw from him, and Dak Prescott is clearly very comfortable targeting him. He caught four balls for 69 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. In PPR leagues, he should be rostered and could continue to surprise some people as this season continues.
Malcolm Brown
The Rams are monitoring Todd Gurley’s workload – as they should. Many thought rookie Darrell Henderson would reap the benefits of that, but it looks like it is going to be Malcolm Brown, who carried the ball 11 times for 53 yards and two touchdowns in a close game versus the Panthers. I don’t think Brown is a guy you can start from week-to-week, but for Todd Gurley owners he’s a must-own. And if you have a roster spot available, I would try and snag Brown because Gurley has an extensive injury history, and it could pay substantial dividends later in the season.