There is never a better time to rebuild your roster or add some much needed depth than after Week 1. The waiver wire will never be as ripe as it is now, so don’t sleep on this list.
Quarterbacks
Woody Barrett, Kent State
In Kent State’s 31-24 loss at Illinois, Barrett passed for 270 yards and two touchdowns, while adding another 117 yards and a score on the ground. The Golden Flashes do have a couple of tough matchups in the coming weeks, but Barrett should be a factor in MAC games.
Quinton Maxwell, Ohio
Maxwell may not be at the top of every fantasy owners wish list, but if you own Nathan Rourke, you need this guy. Maxwell replaced an ineffective Rourke after three possessions in Ohio’s Week 1 matchup against Howard, and offers Rourke’s owners an insurance policy on their top pick. Maxwell passed for 233 yards and accounted for four touchdowns in the Bobcats’ 38-32 win.
Alan Bowman, Texas Tech
Bowman replaced injured starter McLane Carter in Saturday’s game against Ole Miss and threw for 273 yards and a score. This week, Bowman should be the favorite to lead the Red Raiders offense in a home matchup against Lamar.
Blake Barnett, South Florida
Barnett wasn’t confirmed as the starter until the week leading up to the Bulls’ opener, so he could have been passed over in drafts. On Saturday, he passed for 305 yards and three touchdowns in USF’s 34-14 win over Elon.
Mitchell Guadagni, Toledo
Guadagni did rotate with Eli Peters at times in Week 1, but his numbers tell the story. The junior receiver completed 11-of-16 passes for 265 yards and three touchdowns in Toledo’s 66-3 win over VMI. It’s an easy decision to add a quarterback throwing to a pair of receivers like Cody Thompson and Diontae Johnson.
Running Backs
Tim Jordan, Tennessee
Heading into Week 1, it seemed as if the starting running back spot at Tennessee was a three-man race. On Saturday, Jordan seemed like the Vols’ top choice, running for 118 yards and a touchdown. Hopefully, a Week 2 matchup against against East Tennessee State will help solidify his spot atop the depth chart.
Scottie Phillips, Ole Miss
In Ole Miss’ season opener against Texas Tech, Phillips ran for 204 yards and two touchdowns, accounting for nearly 40% of the Rebels’ offensive output. Given the aerial threat of a talented group of receivers, led by AJ Brown, Phillips is exactly what the offense needs so defenses can’t pin their ears back and go after QB Jordan Ta’amu.
Michael Warren, Cincinnati
With Gerrid Doaks sidelined with a shoulder injury, Warren and quarterback Desmond Ridder accounted for all but two of the Bearcats’ 51 rushing attempts against UCLA. The sophomore back carried the ball 35 times for 142 yards and three touchdowns in Cincinnati’s 36-17 on the road. Warren won’t get that kind of workload every week, but we can’t leave a guy on the waiver wire that has high-volume potential.
Kylin Hill, Mississippi State
If you own Kylin Hill, you’r excited about his fantasy potential in 2018. If you own Aeris Williams, you may need to move on if you need additional support at running back. In Mississippi State’s season opener against Stephen F. Austin, Hill totaled 103 yards of offense and scored a rushing touchdown and receiving touchdown. Aeris Williams may not be totally out of the picture, but it seems clear that Hill is their top back after Week 1.
Squally Canada, BYU
There is a good chance that Canada is already on a roster in your league, but if that isn’t the case, he needs strong consideration. The senior back carried the ball 24 times for 98 yards and three touchdowns in the Cougars’ 28-23 win at Arizona. Before you add Canada, make sure you are comfortable with his future schedule, as BYU plays at Wisconsin and Washington in the month of September.
Nick Brossette, LSU
Brossette looked impressive in LSU’s dominant 33-17 win over Miami, carrying the ball 22 times for 125 yards and two touchdowns. The senior back delivered a performance that likely locked up the lead role in the Tigers’ backfield. As the only game on Sunday night, Brossette’s performance on national television will make him a popular waiver claim this week.
Receivers
Tre Nixon, Central Florida
The Knights have a ton of options on offense, but we may have overlooked Nixon a bit. In Thursday’s win at UConn, Nixon caught five passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns. There are definitely enough balls to go around in that offense.
Rondale Moore, Purdue
Moore was creating some buzz in camp and he was certainly one of the stars in Thursday’s Northwestern-Purdue matchup. The freshman caught eleven passes for 109 yards and a touchdown, and added 79 yards and as score on the ground. He will definitely get a lot of touches in Purdue’s offense in 2018.
Jamal Custis, Syracuse
Everything leading up to the season opener suggested that Devin Butler was going to be Syracuse’s No. 1 receiver, but it was Custis that stole the show in the Orange’s 55-42 win at Western Michigan, catching six passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns. His six receptions were more than the rest of the team combined (5), as quarterbacks Eric Dungey and Tommy Devito completed a total of eleven passes.
D’Wayne Eskridge, Western Michigan
When you finish Week 1 as one of the top receivers in the country, you’re going to land on just about every list imaginable. In the Broncos 55-42 loss to Syracuse, Eskridge hackled in 8 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 30.0 yards per reception.
JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Stanford
In a 31-10 win over San Diego State, Arcega-Whiteside caught six passes for 226 yards and three touchdowns. As the clear No. 1 receiving option in the Cardinal offense, Arcega-Whiteside will get a number of downfield opportunities when opponents gear up to stop running back Bryce Love.
Laviska Shenault, Colorado
Shenault is proof that you cannot pay too much attention to Week 1 depth charts. He was definitely one of the Colorado standouts throughout the spring and summer. Not even listed as a starter, Shenault caught eleven passes for 211 yards and a touchdown in the Buffaloes’ Week 1 win over in-state rival Colorado State.
Marquez Stevenson, Houston
Houston WR Courtney Lark validated his preseason ranking in Week 1, but you may want to add Marquez Stevenson if you want a piece of the Houston offense. Stevenson caught five passes for 107 yards, ran for 60 yards on two rush attempts, and scored two touchdowns in Houston’s 45-27 win at Rice.
Sean Modster, Boise State
Going into the season, we were expecting Octavius Evans to emerge as the Broncos’ No. 1 receiver, but it was Modster who delivered big in Boise State’s 56-20 win at Troy (7-167-2). The jury is still out on Evans, who missed the game with an injury, but this looks worrisome for owners of AJ Richardson. We’re still recommending to hold Evans until he returns, but Modster could be QB Brett Rypien’s top target this year.
Quez Watkins, Southern Miss
Quez Watkins will be the Golden Eagles’ playmaker in 2018, on both offense and special teams. In Saturday’s 55-7 win over Jackson State, Watkins caught eight passes for 138 yards and three touchdowns, and added a punt return touchdown to his Week 1 numbers. Other than a Week 5 matchup at Auburn, the sophomore receiver could be a mainstay in your starting lineup this season.
Others to Consider
Quarterbacks
Zac Thomas, Appalachian State (25-for-38, 270 pass yds, 2 TD; 43 rush yds, TD at Penn State)
Jack Abraham, Southern Miss (21-for-27, 242 yards, 4 TD vs Jackson State)
Sam Hartman, Wake Forest (31-for-51, 378 yards, 2 TD; 64 rush yards at Tulane)
Running Backs
Derrick Gore, UL-Monroe (21 carries, 104 yards, TD vs SELA)
Darwin Thompson, Utah State (10 carries, 28 yards, 2 TD at Ohio State)
Raheem Blackshear, Rutgers (12 carries, 62 yards, TD; 7 rec., 56 yards, TD vs Texas State)
Kentory Matthews, Liberty (17 carries, 101 yards, TD vs Old Dominion)
Corey Taylor, Tulsa (20 carries, 110 yards vs Central Arkansas)
Jafar Armstrong, Notre Dame (15 carries, 35 yards, 2 TD vs Michigan)
Receivers
Alex Bachman, Wake Forest (5 rec., 62 yards, 2 TD at Tulane)
Jalen McCleskey, Oklahoma State (6 rec., 66 yards, 2 TD vs Missouri State)
Collin Lisa, UAB (10 rec., 93 yards, TD vs Savannah State)
TJ Hockenson, TE-Iowa (4 rec., 64 yards vs Northern Illinois)
Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC (7 rec., 98 yards, TD vs UNLV)
DJ Stubbs, Liberty (7 rec., 155 yards, TD vs Old Dominion)
Ja’Marcus Bradley, Louisiana (6 rec. 70 yards, 2 TD vs Grambling)
Trevon Bradford, Oregon State (6 rec., 104 yards, 2 TD)
Randall St. Felix, South Florida (7 rec., 143 yards, TD)
Kawaan Baker, South Alabama (2 rec., 12 yards, TD; 51 rush yards, 2 TD)
Aaron Fuller, Washington (7 rec., 135 yards vs Auburn)
Zach Abey, Navy (5 carries, 17 yards, 4 TD at Hawaii