There may never be a better time all season long to reshuffle your roster than after Week 1. The waiver wire is thick and rich, so sift through this week’s names and think about who you should hold or replace.
QUARTERBACKS
Logan Bonner, QB-Arkansas State
We listed Bonner as one of our 2019 sleepers in the 2019 Preseason Fantasy Guide, so we’re hoping many of our followers rostered him on draft day. If not, Bonner will certainly be a hot waiver addition after his performance in the Red Wolves’ season opener against SMU, as he completed 32-of-50 passes for 324 yards and four touchdowns.
Asher O’Hara, QB-Middle Tennessee
After months of uncertainty, we finally learned that O’Hara was the Blue Raiders’ starting quarterback just before their season opener at Michigan. In a 40-21 loss on Saturday, O’Hara showed why he was tabbed the starter, completing 22-of-32 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 32 yards and a score on the ground.
Joe Burrow, QB-LSU
Burrow showed that he should not be ignored in LSU’s spread attack, throwing for 278 yards and five touchdowns in the Tigers’ 55-3 win over Georgia Southern. Against a respectable Eagles defense, Burrow was efficient, completing 23-of-27 passes.
James Blackman, QB-Florida State
Blackman may still be floating around the waiver pool in Full-FBS formats, but his fantasy potential in Kendal Briles’ offense, throwing to a receiver like Tamorrion Terry, is too good to ignore. In the season opener against Boise State, Blackman completed 23-of-33 passes for 327 yards and three touchdowns.
Kedon Slovis, QB-USC
Saturday night, USC starting quarterback JT Daniels was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Kedon Slovis was 6-of-8 for 57 yards and an interception in relief of Daniels against Fresno State. The Trojans’ offense could experience a setback with a freshman quarterback, but with the weapons USC has at receiver, especially in a Graham Harrell offense, Slovis should be given consideration on this week’s waiver wire, at least for those owners who need a replacement for Daniels.
OTHERS TO CONSIDER
Jon Wassink, Western Michigan: 20-of-25, 368 yards, 5TD vs Monmouth
Elijah Sindelar, Purdue: 34-of-52, 423 yards, 4TD at Nevada
Isaiah Green, Marshall: 18-of-28, 238 yards, 4TD; 8 att., 46 yards vs VMI
Jacob Eason, Washington: 27-of-36, 349 yards, 4TD vs E. Washington
Frank Harris, UTSA: 28-of-36, 206 yards, 3 TD; 15 att., 123 yards vs
Michael Penix, Indiana: 24-of-40, 326 yards, TD; 7 att., 67 yards vs Ball St. vs Incarnate Word
Dan Ellington, Georgia State: 11-of-24, 139 yards, 2 TD; 14 att., 61 yards, TD at Tennessee
RUNNING BACKS
Christopher Brown, RB-Cal
We projected Brown as Cal’s No.1 running back, but we didn’t expect him to get 36 carries in the season opener against UC Davis. If the Bears’ offense is going to rely on their sophomore back that much in 2019, he needs to be on your roster heading into Week 2.
Robert Mahone, RB-Boise State
We thought it would take a couple of games for the Boise State running back situation to sort itself out, but an early Andrew VanBuren fumble against Florida State opened the door for Robert Mahone, who ran for 142 yards and two touchdowns in the Broncos’ 36-31 win at Florida State.
Cameron Scarlett, RB-Stanford
There didn’t seem to be a committee approach at running back for the Cardinal in their season opener against Northwestern. Scarlett carried the ball 22 times for 97 yards and added three receptions for 27 yards in the passing game. Scarlett has fantasy potential as Stanford’s No.1 running back and shouldn’t be ignored on this week’s waiver wire.
Kenneth Gainwell, RB-Memphis
Gainwell was listed as our top redshirt freshman running back in the 2019 Preseason Fantasy Guide. In Memphis’ offense, he will get more than enough carries working behind starter Patrick Taylor. On Saturday against Ole Miss, Gainwelll carried the ball 16 times for 77 yards and caught six passes for 41 yards.
OTHERS TO CONSIDER
Isaih Pacheco, Rutgers: 20 att., 156 yards, 4 TD vs UMass
Charles Williams, UNLV: 15 att., 143 yards, 3 TD vs So. Utah
Jonathan Ward, Central Michigan: 22 att., 158 yards, 2 TD vs Albany
Gaej Walker, Western Kentucky: 19 att., 152 yards, 2 TD vs Central Arkansas
Alex Fontenot, Colorado: 19 att., 125 yards, 3 TD vs Colorado State
Nelson Smith, Navy: 15 att., 96 yards, 3 TD vs Holy Cross
Caleb Huntley, Ball State: 22 att., 81 yards, TD at Indiana
Ahmari Davis, New Mexico: 16 att., 107 yards, 2 TD; 2 rec., 58 yards vs Sam Houston St.
Shaq Vann, Eastern Michigan: 22 att., 108 yards; 2 rec., 13 yards at Coastal Carolina
Ty’Son Williams, BYU: 7 att., 45 yards, TD vs Utah
Tre Harbison, Northern Illinois: 23 att., 99 yards vs Illinois State
RECEIVERS
Omar Bayless, WR-Arkansas State
Teammate Kirk Merritt left Saturday’s game against SMU after taking a nasty hit to the head. Whether Merritt returns this week or not, Bayless was a frequent target of quarterback Logan Bonner, catching ten passes for 132 yards and four touchdowns in the Red Wolves 37-30 loss to SMU.
Deshaunte Jones, WR-Iowa State
Any player is going to get a lot of attention on the waiver wire when they catch 14 passes in Week 1. In the Cyclones’ season opener against Northern Iowa, Deshaunte Jones caught 14 passes for 126 yards in a 29-26 3OT win. If Jones continues to be quarterback Brock Purdy’s most trusted receiver, he’ll be a great roster addition, especially in PPR formats.
Tyler Vaughns, WR-USC
Heading into the Trojans’ season opener, we had Vaughns ranked behind teammates Amon-Ra St. Brown and Michael Pittman in the Week 1 Player Rankings. The junior receiver caught eleven passes for 150 yards in USC’s 31-23 win over Fresno State late Saturday night and looked like the best receiver in OC Graham Harrell’s offense. Losing starting quarterback JT Daniels for the season with a torn ACL will have an impact, but don’t let it scare you from putting in a claim for Vaughns.
Devin Duvernay, WR-Texas
Duvernay has taken over in the slot and led the Longhorns with nine receptions in Saturday’s win over Louisiana Tech. He only averaged 6.1 yards per catch, but found the end zone and should be a consistent target of quarterback Sam Ehlinger throughout the 2019 season.
Jason Pirtle, TE-North Texas
Pirtle caught four passes for 88 yards and three touchdowns in North Texas’ 51-31 win over Abilene Christian. In the Mean Green’s pass-heavy offense, Pirtle has potential to strengthen a fantasy roster in need of an upgrade at tight end.
OTHERS TO CONSIDER
Jadan Blue, Temple: 10 rec., 117 yards, TD
Jaelon Darden, North Texas: 10 rec., 59 yards
Kendall Hinton, Wake Forest: 9 rec., 66 yards, TD
Branden Mack, Temple: 9 rec., 130 yards
Isaiah Hodgins, Oregon State: 9 rec., 170 yards, 2 TD
Jason Matthew-Sharsh, Hawaii: 8 rec., 52 yards vs Arizona
Jared Smart, Hawaii: 6 rec., 68 yards vs Arizona
Kalil Pimpleton, Central Michigan: 8 rec., 40 yards, TD vs Albany
Brandon Bowling, Arkansaas State: 12 rec., 92 yards vs SMU
R.J. Snead, Baylor: 5 rec., 57 yards, 2 TD
Jeremy Ruckert, TE-Ohio State: 4 rec., 38 yards, 2 TD vs FAU
John Raine, TE-FAU: 6 rec., 29 yards, TD at Ohio State