Waiver Favors™: 2024 Week 1 Fantasy Football Pickups

Isaiah Likely

TE – Baltimore Ravens – 28% Owned

Shockingly, it wasn’t Zay Flowers or Mark Andrews that let the Ravens in receptions, receiving yards and targets in Week 1, it was Isaiah Likely who caught 9 of 12 targets for 111 yards and a TD. And he was literally half a toe away from an even bigger night.  It looks like the Ravens employed Likely as essentially a WR2/3, which may or may not continue for the rest of the year, but he’s well worth taking a flyer on in all 10-team leagues or deeper.

Rashid Shaheed

WR – New Orleans Saints – 54% Owned

Rahid Shaheed was destined to be one of the top 3 targets for Derek Carr, and he proved in spades in Week 1 catching 3 of 5 for 73 yards and a TD and adding 94 return yards on 4 returns.  He looks to continue his target share while having as nice floor of return yards in leagues with that give fantasy points for that, so check him out in all 12-team leagues or deeper.

Jerry Jeudy

WR – Cleveland Browns – 45% Owned

We all know Jerry Jeudy had skills and we all wondered what would happen after he was traded to the Browns.  What happened was the Browns tried really hard to get Jeudy involved with 3 receptions on 8 targets for 25 yards and a TD. Unfortunately, 8 targets from Deshaun Watson isn’t what it used to be in his Houston days. The upside is that only Amari Cooper was more targeted, and consistent mediocre targets is still better than no targets at all.  Feel free to grab him has a WR4/Flex in 12-team leagues or deeper.

Brandin Cooks

WR – Dallas Cowboys – 33% Owned

Brandin Cooks had a terrible 2023, and I got to be honest, I’m pretty sure everyone forgot he was even on the Dallas Cowboys with all the huge contract talk surrounding CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott.  We’ll he may be back to fantasy relevance after snagging 4 of 7 targets for 40 yards and a TD and adding a rush for 5 yards.  It’s not huge, but 7 targets aren’t nothing and there’s really no other options in Dallas, particularly with Jake Ferguson facing a potential injury.  Go ahead and speculate in 12-team leagues or deeper.

Wan’Dale Robinson

WR – New York Giants – 10% Owned

The New York Giants look predictably horrible in Week 1, with Daniel Jones being the focus of the horribleness.  But a whopping 12 of Jones’ 42 terrible pass attempts went to Wan’Dale Robinson leading to a day comprising of 6 of 12 for 44 receiving yards and a rush for 14 yards.  That doesn’t total much but it’s hard to ignore 12 targets in a game plus usage in the ground game, so feel free to speculate in all 14-team leagues or deeper.

Greg Dortch

WR – Arizona Cardinals – 5% Owned

Surprisingly, it wasn’t rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. that paced receivers for the Cardinals, but slot receiver Greg Dortch, who finished the day catching 6 of 8 target for 47 yards and a rush for 4 yards.  Harrison should become more involved, as should Trey McBride, but for now, Dortch is getting plenty of targets, so go ahead and snag him in 14-team PPR leagues or deeper.

Alec Pierce

WR – Indianapolis Colts – 1% Owned

Anthony Richardson completed one third of his passes today to Alec Pierce for 125 yards and a TD. That’s good for 60% of Richardson’s passing yards and Michael Pittman only caught one more pass.  Hey, who knows how A-Rich will want to distribute the few passes he’ll make each game, but Pierce is in the mix and is a nice freebie lottery ticket in 14-team leagues and deeper.

Devaughn Vele

WR – Denver Broncos – 0% Owned

People love a flyer, and if you’re one of those people, then 7th-round rookie Devaugh Vele might be for you. Vale managed to grab all 8 targets for 39 yards this week, with only Courtland Sutton seeing more targets.  The jury is still out on Bo Nix, but it sure looks like Vale will be fairly involved going forward, so go ahead and speculate in 16-team leagues or deeper.

UPDATE

Jordan Mason

RB – San Francisco 49ers – 59% Owned

I didn’t include Jordan Mason originally because most Christian McCaffrey owners had already picked him up last week and he’s over 50% owned, but just in case you’re living under a rock, Mason carried the ball 28 times for 147 yards and a TD adding one reception for 5 yards playing in place of injured starter Christian McCaffrey.  If he’s available, pick him up immediately in all leagues.  He’s an automatic RB1 if CMC sits, but regardless, should have a regular involvement in games after this huge outing.

Demarcus Robinson

WR – Los Angeles Rams – 7% Owned

Puka Nacua has unfortunately been put on IR, so he’s out for at least the next 4 weeks.  Demarcus Robinson caught 4 of 7 targets for 42 yards essentially in Nacua’s place in Week 1.  Cooper Kupp will have the biggest bump in target share, but Robinson had a nice bump as well, so could be helpful in 14-team leagues or deeper.

UPDATE for Monday Night Football

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